The Goulding Creek Trail: A Meadow Quintet

I was apprehensive. With COVID-19 on the loose we hadn't hiked much; now, we stood at the trailhead of a nearly 2,000 foot hike. That's the elevation - the length was 31,680 feet, or about six miles. It was an out and back hike, so that two-grand worth of uphill would come inside of three …

Big Al and West Mancos Trails: Pleasant Surprises and Abandoned Hikes

Hey, West Mancos Trail ... we're just not that into you. Some hikes just don't work out. Some days you just don't feel it. We should all be comfortable abandoning a hike that isn't tripping our triggers. Hiking when you're not feeling it can be boring, unpleasant, possibly even dangerous if your mind is somewhere …

Box Canyon: Rim and Rigor

If you follow this blog you may remember that in March I was driving opera props from Baltimore to Milwaukee, where the scenery was being built. That show, rescheduled due to COVID-19, is set to open in the little Colorado town of Mancos in October. Having spent a week doing some laid back hiking on …

The Ridges Sanctuary: Improvements in Accessibility and Lots of Nature

Looking for a hike that will accommodate everyone? Access to services and facilities for disabled persons in the United States is improving. Rising awareness has led to better usability of amenities traditionally thought to be beyond the reach of those whose mobility may be impaired. But how are we really doing? My friend Erin, who …

Toft Point: Soft Spot for the Toft Spot

Toft Point is an absolute must-do when on the Door Peninsula. It is, however, more of a walk than a hike. Nonetheless, put this on your list of trails to take while in the area. It is near Ridges Sanctuary, another delightful area. I will post on Ridges next week; Toft Point is such an …

Deathdoor Bluff: Secret Pockets of Beauty

It was another glorious spring day in Door County, WI. We were standing in front of the Deathdoor Bluff trailhead at the Door Bluff Headlands County Park. From there, the trail descends thirty feet to a narrow bench (or flat ledge) partway down the bluff. It continues west, slowly circumnavigating the headland. But that loop …

Bay Shore Blufflands: Short and Sweet on the Door Peninsula

I ignored this hike for several years ... I am a fool. Why did ignore this hike? First, it's short. Second, it's 25 minutes away and in an area I rarely have reason to visit. Third, It just didn't look like a good hike. Don't ask me to explain that. Actually, my wife Lisa had …

Skaftafellsheiði Loop: Waterfalls, Scree, and the Local Jökulls

This hike started out inauspiciously. As is often the case, my excitement for getting on the trail led to a lack of mindfulness at the car, and, a half-mile up the Kvarnarkofalág Trail in the Skaftafell area of Vatnajökull National Park, I couldn't remember if I'd locked the damned thing. All we owned in Iceland …

Skógafoss and the Fimmvörðuháls Trail: Socked in on the Skógá River

We stood at the Fimmvörðuháls Trailhead in Skógar, near Iceland’s southern coast. Two days prior, we had completed our four-day trek from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk on Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail (read here). The Fimmvörðuháls Trail tracks north to Þórsmörk where one may connect with the Laugavegur. These two trails are often connected to form a forty-eight …

Þingvellir National Park: The Þing About Iceland

Thing is, there’s a lot going on in Þingvellir National Park. That, by the way, is how you pronounce the first syllable of Þingvellir - “Thing”, or “Thing/vet/leer”. Þingvellir is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it was the nation’s seat of government for 332 years, is one of the top SCUBA diving places in the …