As I snaked along the path that led me up to the top of the mountain, I was careful not to touch or bump into anything – and I mean anything. All the plants looked like they wanted to reach out and stick me. In… Read More »Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
In this episode, I visit with Sarah from Arkie Travels. If that name sounds familiar, you’ve probably seen some of their rad videos on one of their amazing Arkansas State Parks. With Arkansas as their playground, they love to eat local, shop local, and stay… Read More »Podcast 04 – Adventuring with Arkie Travels
South central New Mexico is home to the largest gypsum sand dunes in the entire world. And on Dec. 20, 2019, this unique area became the United State’s newest national park. White Sands National Park was first designated in 1933 as White Sands National Monument… Read More »White Sands National Park
Caprock Canyons State Park has 25 miles of hiking trails, however, if you don’t have time to explore all 25 miles, the Haynes Ridge Overlook and North Prong trail system provides a wonderful loop so that you can sample the best of Caprock Canyons. In… Read More »Caprock Canyons Hiking Loop Trail
In the spring of 2015, my brother, Jacob, and I thru-hiked the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail. The Lake Ouachita Visita Trail, or LOViT to some, stretches about 40 miles across the southern shore of Lake Ouachita in southwest Arkansas in between Hot Springs and Mount… Read More »Podcast 03 – Gotta LOViT – Hiking the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail
Because I came in over budget so much on my trip to Utah and Wyoming this past summer, I had to really double down on my most recent trip. A budget travel road trip is my cup of tea because the less money I spend,… Read More »Budget travel road trip – Southern Arizona
In this episode, we visit with Hike Like A Woman Ambassador Shelley, who, like a lot of us was an avid outdoors person, but then life got in the way. After some life changes, Shelley found her love for the outdoors again. She reconnected with… Read More »Podcast 02 – Reconnecting With Your Love for Adventure with Shelley
I peered over the edge of the canyon where shrubs and grasses dotted rust-colored folds of the crevasse. It was a foggy day and the other side of the canyon appeared to fade into nothingness. I turned to follow the trail that takes hikers along… Read More »Caprock Canyons State Park
I recently listened to a podcast where several people stated their goals for 2020. These goals included traveling to at least one new country, cycling across the United States to raise awareness for something I’ve already forgotten, and kayaking in Antarctica. In other words, not… Read More »Introducing the Right Kind Of Lost Podcast!
In this episode, we sit down with Kaci from The Car Camping Queen. Kaci has spent a lot of time volunteering and advocating for our public lands. Kaci works a 40-hour week and still is able to travel to places like Michigan, Montana, and even… Read More »Podcast 01 – Volunteerism and Advocacy with the Car Camping Queen
A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to take my nephew on a ski trip. He’s 17 and the farthest west he’s been is Dallas. I wanted to show him big mountains and the vastness of the west. He’s not super outdoorsy, and let’s… Read More »Is it worth the risk? How taking calculated risks helps you grow
My first trip to the desert was to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in the southwest portion of Texas. Other than a church youth group trip to a camp near Colorado Springs, I had never been past eastern Oklahoma at that time. I had no idea… Read More »Desert hiking and camping tips
So you’re not a fan of snow, but you are a fan of exploring national parks all year round. I know, I hear ya too! A few years ago, I ended up with an extra week of vacation. But the catch was I had to… Read More »My favorite national parks to visit in winter
We all have those certain friends who say their idea of roughing it is staying at the Holiday Inn. But we really know if they got outside they would realize that adventure travel is too good to pass up! Convincing said friends to #OptOutside is… Read More »How to convince your indoorsy friends to go on an adventure with you
Tsé Bii’ Nzdzisgaii is the Navajo name for Monument Valley and means “valley of the rocks.” This unique area of rock towers sits in the region of the Colorado Plateau on the border of Arizona and Utah. Spanning more than 91,000 acres, Monument Valley Tribal… Read More »Monument Valley Tribal Park
I texted my brother a picture of Bryce Canyon National Park in the morning. It is so gorgeous, I had to share it. That evening, I texted him a picture from Capitol Reef National Park. He texted me back and said, “What? You went to… Read More »Utah’s Mighty Five – unique and beautiful places
Do you know the 10 essentials for hiking? Do you know why they are important? If you have ever found yourself in a situation where you’ve wished for them or had to rely on them, then you know how important carrying them with you at… Read More »The 10 essentials of hiking and why they are important
Zion National Park is the fourth most visited National Park, and that’s not by coincidence or convenience – it’s breathtaking in its beauty and fascinating terrain. High plateaus in southwest Utah are ruggedly cut with a maze of deep, narrow canyons. Towering 2,000-foot Navajo Sandstones… Read More »Exploring Zion National Park
Arkansas has a few areas with some truly unique rock formations, and the Pedestal Rocks and Kings Bluff area is definitely one of them. The 4.3-mile figure-eight loop shows many unique sandstone bluffs, some of them tall and skinny columns like the hoodoos you see… Read More »Pedestal Rocks Kings Bluff Loops
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you know by now how much I love backpacking. But there is so much more to backpacking than sleeping under a blanket of more stars than you’ve ever seen in your life, or peaking out… Read More »Backpacking teaches us to drop the excess weight of life
One weekend while camping with my entire family, the importance of land navigation became very apparent. My brother, sister-in-law, and I went for a hike. After we left, my nephew decided to run and catch up with us. But where we went left on the… Read More »Three easy ways to practice land navigation
I ran my hand along the cold, wet, and bumpy metal, and gave a short shiver in the cool air. I blinked my eyes hard in a vain attempt to make out anything in this dark place. And then I opened them wide to make… Read More »Blanchard Springs Caverns – Dripstone Trail
The Watchman Trail at Zion National Park is a great short hike to experience life inside the canyon. The trail starts on the canyon floor and climbs into the foothills of the Bridge Mountain and The Watchman, which provide amazing views into the narrow Zion… Read More »The Watchman Trail Zion National Park
There are some places that are so special that your connection to them is like the relationship with a close relative. These places might not be the amazing Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park or the famous El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, but… Read More »Connection to place to fight for wild spaces
A great way to see all the diversity of Zion National Park is to hike the West Rim Trail. The trail begins (or ends if you are feeling a challenge) on the west side of the park and takes hikers into Zion Canyon. With a… Read More »Hiking the West Rim Trail at Zion National Park
I licked my lips in a vain attempt to put a little bit of moisture back in them, the sticky saliva immediately crusting to the edge of my mouth. I opened my mouth to make an “O” shape and ran my fingers down the edge… Read More »Mistakes and lessons of running out of water
When it comes to backpacking, camping, and other fun outdoor activities, we tend to love our gear! We say we like to “rough it” but some good gear that helps make roughing it a little easier is kind of nice. And since our dogs are… Read More »Best dog camping gear – seven essential items