Nine Years Ago Today

Photo from the Angeles National Forest Lookout Association

Nine years ago today was my first hike with Matt: 12 miles round trip from Shortcut Saddle to Vetter Mountain Lookout in the Angeles National Forest. The lookout burned down in the Station Fire of 2009, but Matt and I are still going strong—I love that guy!! You can donate to help rebuild the Vetter Mountain Lookout here.

Exploring the North Cascades

 Ross Lake, N. Cascades National Park

Matt and I just moved to Seattle, Washington for his exciting new job as the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Coordinator at the US Forest Service. We were excited to get out on our first trip to explore the area. Matt took these beautiful landscape shots... Check out more of his photography here and here.

 Canyon Creek

Coming from Colorado where the mountains are upwards of 13- or 14,000 feet, it seems odd to be in the midst of the Cascades where elevations are often lower than 8,000 feet. But, don’t let the lower elevations fool you, these are some steep, rocky mountains!

There are waterfalls and wildflowers everywhere! Check out some of my favorite wildflowers from our earlier adventures here. We also saw tons of roses and wild strawberries growing along the trails.

 Tiger Lily

 I think this might be a penstemon,but I don’t know what kind.

Spring Weekend in Southern Utah

 

Matt and I spent the weekend poking around one of our favorite springtime stomping grounds—Southeast Utah. Matt took this photo of the Colorado River near Lake Powell, with the Henry Mountains in the background. Check out more of his beautiful landscape photographs here.

 

This was the view of the full moon from our campsite in Lower Johns Canyon, on the edge of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Lots of amazing Native American rock art was there to be admired.

I think Kokopelli might be one of the figures featured on this rock (above, center). Kokopelli is a fertility god, according to the Hopi tribe. He’s also considered to be a trickster and represents the spirit of music. He is usually pictured playing a flute.

Mojo and Kala had a blast exploring the canyon. This was Kala’s first camping trip, and I think it agreed with her! I wish I’d gotten more photos of her romping around in the creek. She loved splashing around and sprinting through the water pools even as Mojo was quite content to watch from the sidelines.

Autumn in the San Juan Mountains

West Fork, Delores River, San Juan National Forest
Photo by Matt McGrath

Matt and I decided to make one last trip to the San Juan Mountains south of Telluride, Colorado before the cold weather sets in for winter. We had a great weekend camping camping and hiking in the San Juan National Forest.

Colorado Hwy 145 from the Calico National Recreation Trail

On Saturday, we day-hiked Priest Gulch cutoff of the Calico National Recreation Trail. The weather was perfect, and we were lucky enough to catch the tail end of the fall color. After the hike, we drove along the West Fork of the Delores River towards Dunton, Colorado.

Aspen Trees Changing Color on the Road to Dunton, Colorado
Photo by Matt McGrath

On Sunday, we hiked up to Lake Hope in the Uncompahgre National Forest. The views of Trout Lake from above were incredible. 

The View Down-valley to Trout Lake from the Lake Hope Trail.

View from the Lake Hope Trail.

Delicate Arch by Moonlight

Delicate Arch by full moon light.

Matt and I needed to get out into nature last weekend, so we decided to take a day trip to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah (about 2.5 hours from Grand Junction). We knew the moon would be nearly full, so we walked up to Delicate Arch just before sunset. When we arrived there were probably 50 or 60 people hovering around, but as the sun tipped below the horizon everyone quietly left for home... except the two of us. We stayed another couple hours after sunset and watched the moon come up. The moon cast sharp shadows on the rock all around us. Matt spent time capturing these amazing night images of Delicate Arch, while I worked on perfecting my yoga back bends (too bad we didn’t get any photos of that). The natural stone arches and clear, bright sky really inspired me to open my heart!

Profile view of Delicate Arch by full moon light.

After enjoying having the whole place to ourselves for a couple hours, we hiked back to the car by moonlight. The moon was so vivid and bright that we didn’t need our headlamps at all. At one point in the trail we caught the distinct aroma of cinnamon floating through the air. I wish I knew what high desert plant smells of cinnamon at night. I’m always so inspired by the multi-sensory experiences that are to be had in nature. Who needs all that newfangled technology, anyway?!

Devastated about the Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest

IMG_7995
Originally uploaded by Scott Dukes

UPDATE 10/20/09: Today, 53 days after it began, the Station Fire has officially been declared “contained.” I’m looking forward to my next trip to L.A. so we can maybe get a look at the places we love to see how they’ve changed. I fully expect the wildflowers to be amazing each spring for the next few years.

Matt and I have spent more time in the Angeles National Forest high country than anywhere else. We know the trails like the back of our hands! Our first date consisted of a 12-mile hike on the Silver Moccasin Trail to Mt. Vetter & the Vetter Mountain Fire Lookout. Our second date was a hike up San Gabriel Peak to watch an amazing meteor shower.

Matt worked at the Chilao Visitor Center while he worked on his masters degree. There was a stuffed black bear in the visitor center that we named “Curtis”. There were special trees in the forest too. One I remember specifically, we called “Murphy”. I wish I had taken a picture of him.

Rumor is that the Chilao Visitor Center is gone, as is Newcomb’s Ranch. Most of our other favorite spots will be forever changed. But most of all I feel a deep sense of sadness for the Forest Service employees and other residents who have lost their homes, and the two fire fighters who died.

Matt took this photo of Chilao Visitor Center when he used to work there for the Forest Service. What a spectacular building. I hope it survived!

The area hasn't burned in about 50 years. The terrain is extremely steep and rocky. Lots of manzanita and other bushy chaparral cover the ground. These kinds of plants are loaded with oils that help them survive drought conditions, but can be explosive during a wildfire.

Aerial Views of Los Angeles Basin

Glendale/Pasadena area... Look closely at in the bottom right quadrant and you can make out the Rose Bowl.

I’m in Los Angeles again on a business trip. I’m so appreciative that Matt was able to take two days off work to make the 12-hour drive from Colorado and spend the weekend with me in the city. He flew back to Grand Junction yesterday and took these amazing aerial shots from the plane.

Our old neighborhood stomping grounds ... Hollywood, the Cahuenga Pass, and Studio City.

Antelope Valley... I like this one because you can really make out the parallel roads and development all along the valley floors. There’s sprawl as far as the eye can see!

Check out Matt’s flickr page here.

Matt’s Photos of Downtown L.A.

Downtown Los Angeles from the roof (14th floor) of the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC).

Matt came with me last week when I had a business trip to Los Angeles. We stayed right in downtown at the L.A. Athletic Club. I always love having him accompany me on my work trips, because we get together with friends and we usually get to go hiking in the Angeles National Forest.

Looking southwest from the roof (14th floor) of the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
The purple light is coming from Staples Center and L.A. Live.

The L.A. Athletic Club has a rooftop area where people can go hang out (though from all appearances, it seemed like no one had been up there in a while). Matt got the great idea to go up there one foggy night and photograph the city. These images are beautiful!

Check out more of Matt McGrath’s photos here.

I Dreamt of Things...

I dreamt that I had a giant Russian Tea Cookie the size of a beach ball. I held it in my arms as I proceeded to gnaw on it like a mouse would a huge piece of cheese.

Here’s my favorite (and easy) recipe for Russian Tea Cookies... These are Matt’s favorite!

1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup pecans
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla, then flour, salt, and pecans. Chill for an hour. Roll into balls. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar after they have finished baking.

YUM!