sequoia | fall 2015

What I learned from this trip: (1) never underestimate mother nature (2) there is no such thing as bad weather, just unprepared campers (3) snow is beautiful but snow can also a buzzkill (4) firewood is a lifesaver (5) sleeping in -4 degrees Farenheight weather is a once in a lifetime experience that I never want to experience again (6) tomato soup is awesome (7) I love my friends (8) view is always worth the journey. 

see more pics on my vscocam journal here 

Big Sur | Fall 2015

see more on my vscocam journal titled big sur 2015 :-)

THE GROTTO | ZION NATIONAL PARK (3/3)

These are the last few bits of pictures from Zion I'll be sharing. On our last day we hiked part of the Emerald Pools Trail, then spend the rest of the morning relaxing on the front lawn of Zion Lodge—while Bambi & friends munched on their lunch (Seriously, deers roam around people like it's no one's business. That makes me happy because this is their home and they can eat grass next to my leg if they wanted to). 

Anyway, the pictures below are not of Emerald Pools (oops), but from the short hike, we took the day before—after Angel's Landing. It's called the Grotto Trail. I thought it would lead us to a big pool of water at the end (you know, like Ariel's grotto?), but no. Oh, wells. Glad we ended up taking the scenic route home anyhow :)

There you have it. That's the end of my last trip for a while...sadly. The highlight of this one though? Sleeping through a thunderstorm on our last night, hoping to the stars our tent won't get blown away, or that I would be struck by lightning. I'll miss you, Zion. You and your crazy, ever-changing, abrupt weather—flash flood and all.

ANGEL'S LANDING | ZION NATIONAL PARK (2/3)

Everything Yelp reviewers have said about Angel's Landing is true. This hike was amazingly difficult, but man, look at the view; it's all worth it. 

My friends and I set out on this adventure at 11:30am. It took us about 3 hours to get to the top and 1 more to get down. The first stretch was a breeze. You have a 10-minute stroll through the park where you get to gaze at the green trees, admire Zion's beautiful rocks, and enjoy the sound of the running river. Then you have the 1st stretch of incline, then 2nd, and then...honestly there were too many to keep track of. The last stretch is the greatest though. You get to climb up a mountain with nothing but chains and an air of opened space on both sides of your sweaty palms. One error and you might fall to your death. I truly enjoy these hikes because when I'm standing at the top, looking down at the view, I just feel a sweet sense of bliss. It's fucking amazing. Though, the highlight of the hike would have to be the 2 hours we spent napping on top of the Angle's Landing rock. 

a sweet end to one of the many stretches of incline

climb to the summit

the top!! view of one side of the valley

view of another

THE NARROWS | ZION NATIONAL PARK (1/3)

Zion Sunrise

So good to be back here! This was my second time hiking the Narrows and the experience was extremely different—in a good way.  There was a "mild flash flood" warning and I have to be honest, I was freaked out 80% of the time. Every time I felt the current get stronger, or saw the weather change, or felt debris around my leg I was ready to turn back. We almost did, except my friend Annie didn't want to give up. Luckily, there was no flash flood and we made it out alive. So thank you, Annie, for being a lot more adventurous than we were. There's so much more to say about The Narrows hike, but...these pictures will have to do. 

The last 4 photos are not from the Narrows, but our home at South Campground was too pretty not to share. 

Virgin River

my friend Brandon taking a little dip

Bambi & friends (deers roam around freely; how sweet is that?)

vasquez rocks | summer 2015

This weekend my friends and I hiked Vasquez Rocks in the Santa Pelona Mountains. It's a pretty cool place. It's like a mini Joshua Tree. Very very similar, but very very small. We made plans to get to the park by 5:30am to watch the sunrise, but that didn't happen lol. Either way, we still had loads of fun. We climbed a few rocks and spent most of the day hanging out under the shade. There wasn't much to hike, but it's relaxing recreation area if you want a mini escape from the city.

Apparently, Vasquez Rocks is the famous rock summit in a lot of movies and TV Shows. I just found out (through my old friend Wikipedia) that an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S was filmed there (The One with Joey's Big Break). As a humungous F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan, I thought that was cool!! More pictures below!