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4 posts tagged hiking
Lately, I cannot stop daydreaming about heading up to Big Bear, and renting a cabin with my boyfriend. We went there last October for his birthday, and hiked, ate, and explored the little town there. Maybe we can head back again this October. I miss being in a place where it always smells like firewood.
Nova Scotia, Canada - 2009
These are photos I took while camping along the coast of Nova Scotia.
The campground I stayed at for a month was recommended to me by the staff at the hostel in Halifax I visited. I was backpacking alone with a tent and a sleeping bag and they said this campground was not only gorgeous because it was isolated along the ocean, but also had these massive natural caves the locals called ‘The Ovens’.
In the fall of 2009, I dropped out of school, quit my job, broke my lease, broke up with my girlfriend, and put all my belongings in storage to go backpacking alone. I ended up in Nova Scotia and spent a month in a tent trying to discover my place in life.
To read more about my backpacking trip to Nova Scotia, click here.
Holy awesome. I want to go to there!
That Time I Hiked in Big Bear and Tamed a Horse
You guys, did you know that bears like to be ridden, much like horsies?
I uncovered this true and little known fact while in Big Bear, California this past weekend. Home of Big Bears.
It was E’s birthday, so we decided to head north for cooler and bearier climates.
Of course, the only place to find those bear necessities—old Mother Nature’s recipes—is in the mountains.
We climbed, hiked, and E grew a tree from the top of his head right before mine eyes. (Is he a wizard?! Some sort of voodoo priest?! An elf in a bigger man’s body summoned by Santa to create Big Bear Christmas tree miracles?!)
I didn’t stick around to find out. I had bears to tame and ride off into the sunset.
But, if I’d learned anything from my time with an old Shaman at an Indian casino in Reno it was this: Every bear has its day and, when that day comes, be ready with fire and gummy bears. (The gelatinous versions of their own gooey bodies confuses bears into a state of mild hysteria, typically leading them to run head first into the nearest tree, knocking them unconscious.)
As you can see, I successfully knocked out a whole family of bears. Well, more than just knocked out. Dead is the word, actually.
But look at this lovely lawn ornament their remains were sculpted into! Now, every time I glance out the kitchen window, I’ll forever remember that weekend in Big Bear, when I discovered bears are easier to tame than horses.
Fin.
Catalina, Hiking, and a Corona Margarita
This weekend I set sail for Catalina Island with E.
(SIDENOTE: “E” is my boyfriend and will be referred to as such for his privacy.)
We took the ferry from Long Beach, along with some Dramamine pills, and were excited for the following things:
- Bison
- Bison
- Bison (!!!)
Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that in order to see these wild Bison—which were left on the island after a film shoot—you have to trek at least 10 miles into the island’s corridor.
That wasn’t going to happen for the following reasons:
- I’m not that athletic.
- E would have to carry me.
- Again, not athletic.
With that in mind we decided to travel around some different hiking trails.
The first day we walked to the botanic gardens which, as one Yelp reviewer so aptly put it, is filled with cactus, cactus and more cactus. Though, to be fair, there are other things there, like this monument oddity dedicated to the Wrigley family.
The second day we managed a longer hike in which we spotted deer, a tiny lizard, and how the world will end. (That last bit occurred when I became deliriously dehydrated.)
Luckily, though, we ended each day with a good long spell of drinking. One such drink was a Corona margarita that I will be missing very much this week.
I think this question has an obvious answer, but nonetheless: Jealous?