Tag: self care

Happy Earth Day (Part Two) 🌎🌍🌏

On By Annie2 Comments

Happy Earth Day! I’m so lucky to live in a state where I am reminded of the earths beauty every day! In honor of Earth Day, but mostly quarantine boredom, here are my top five favorite areas of Colorado to explore.

5. Poudre Canyon / Roosevelt National Forest

Our first picture together, on my first backpacking trip! Emmaline Lake, July 2017

West of Fort Collins, the Poudre Canyon cuts through Roosevelt National Forest, tracing the Poudre River. The canyon is a lot more secluded than most Colorado summer destinations. You can go for a quick drive or explore the hiking options off this road. When Travis and I first started dating, within a month we were already on our first backpacking trip here. We backpacked off of Emmaline Lake. Camping was free and dispersed, with lots of options.

When to Visit: Summer, Fall
Local Dig: The Mishawaka, Bellvue
What to Do: Drive through the canyon, hike Emmaline Lake or something near the mummy range, see a music concert at The Mishawaka

4. Durango / Mesa Verde National Park

Balcony House, Mesa Verde National Park, May 2018

The four corners region of Colorado is really unique compared to the rest of the state. I have been wanting to come back here for awhile, but it is a haul to get to from Denver. Travis and I went with some friends over memorial day weekend a while back; late May was already almost too hot to hike during the day. Unlike other national parks, the main attraction for Mesa Verde are the cliff dwellings. You will want to get tickets in advance, as tours are required and fill quickly. When we went, we stayed at free campsites which were easy to find in the area.

When to Visit: Spring (avoid the heat)
Local Dig: Steamworks Brewing Company, Durango
What to Do: Cultural tour of a cliff dwelling (Mesa Verde National Park)

3. Yampa / Flat Tops Wilderness

Devils Causeway, June 2018

Flat Tops Wilderness has a really unusual landscape and features so many alpine lakes. Travis and I drove here on a whim one summer weekend, after our coworker recommended it for remote hiking. We went late June / early July and the area featured fields and fields of wildflowers. I have never seen so many or so many varieties on a hike as Devils Causeway. This area is known for backpacking and fly fishing as well. We chose to car camp near the trail head; on a Friday evening, we did manage to find a camping site, but it was slim pickings.

When to Visit: Summer (wildflower season)
What to Do: Hike Devils Causeway, Fish Trappers Lake

2. Montrose / Blue Mesa Reservoir / Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Backpacking the inner canyon, August 2018

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park has achieved International Dark Sky Park distinction due to reduced light pollution in the area. We backpacked into the inner canyon a few summers ago during the Perseus Meteor Shower. We camped along the river with the fly off of our tent and saw SO many shooting stars that night. The hike to get to the inner canyon was no joke — 1900 elevation decent in under a mile. The trail is so steep it features metal chains to keep you balanced. This area of Colorado was a drive to get to, but it’s remote enough that it avoided summer weekend crowds.

When to Visit: Summer, Fall
What to Do: Stargaze (International Dark Sky Park), hike inner canyon at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, paddle Blue Mesa Reservoir

  1. Crestone / Sangre de Cristos / Great Sand Dunes National Park
Hiking to High Dune in Great Sand Dunes National Park, October 2018

The San Luis Valley is breathtaking– you just have to see this remote gem in person. Crestone is about 3.5 hours southwest of Denver, making it the perfect destination for a long weekend. Check out camping at the national park, or explore one of the unique AirBnB options in the Baca Grande. Crestone is an inter-faith community, with unique stupahs and artwork to explore through this small town. Definitely do not miss the UFO Watch Tower!

When to Visit: Fall
Local Dig: Crestone Brewery, Crestone
What to Do: Hike dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park, explore inter-faith community in Crestone, visit the UFO watchtower, hike Sangre de Cristo mountains

Happy Earth Day! (Part One)🌎🌍🌏

On By AnnieLeave a comment
Indian Peaks back country trail restoration trip, August 2019

Happy Earth Day! Let’s leave it better than we found it. Today’s post is dedicated to organizations, resources and strategies to protect the great outdoors. This is not an exhaustive list, just a few of my suggestions. Comment some of your ideas!

1. Leave No Trace

Zion National Park backpacking trip, March 2018

The holy grail of advice– make as little impact on the environment as possible. If you are unfamiliar with leave no trace principles, here is a good REI resource that highlights 7 principles: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html

Our hiking and camping mantra is “pack it in, pack it out” when we are on the trails. This means planning and making sure that we are cutting down on waste and packaging ahead of time. We try to also always pick up others’ trash when we find it on the trails. Pro tip: Ziploc bags are easy to fit in your backpack and are great at holding lots of pieces of trash. You can even purchase reusable ones! It’s especially great for food packaging that you do not want to get all over your backpack supplies. They can be rewashed and reused for a whole season!

2. Volunteer

Indian Peaks back country trail restoration project, July 2018

There is no better way to support our planet than getting your hands dirty and volunteering! The possibilities of supporting trails, environmental initiatives and the outdoors are endless. Volunteer Match is a great website to search through local volunteer options, by topic and /or frequency of volunteer event. Check it out here: https://www.volunteermatch.org/

Travis and I volunteer with an Coloradan front range outdoor group called Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, or WRV: https://www.wlrv.org/ . We typically sign up for a few events a summer and really enjoy the back country trail building projects. Trail building has given me such an appreciation for hiking– I now understand how much effort is put into every section of a path. If you are in the local area, check them out!

3. Donate

Financially support the outdoor causes that you care the most about through donations! Whether it is a local, national or international organization, make sure that you do your research on how the money is used. If you cannot give direct donations, think about adding a nonprofit outdoors organization to your Amazon account through Amazon Smile: https://smile.amazon.com/ . I also recently got a birthday gift from Parks Project, where a proceed of the sale goes to support the National Parks Foundation.

~ Indoorsy ~

On By Annie1 Comment

Today marks a month that we have been working from home. I am also reminded today that April is the second snowiest month in Colorado. We have about three inches and more on the way! I thought I would share media that is helping me pass the quaran-time and spring snow. Here is a quick list of my favorite internet things right now. Give them a try or comment suggestions of your own!

TV

Little Fires Everywhere, Hulu
Drama. First season currently airing on Hulu.

Schitt’s Creek, Netflix
Current favorite comedy for reruns.

Tiger King, Netflix
If you can, just go into this viral docu-series blindly.

The Morning Show, Apple TV
Drama. First season on Apple TV

Music

Ira Wolf , Facebook live concerts & Patreon & Spotify
One of my favorite musicians! Ira plays concerts from the couch Sunday evenings at 6 PM and also has a Patreon page for exclusive content. I’m really digging her new song “Love Song for the Apocalypse” that you can watch here.

Dozzi , Facebook live concerts & Spotify
Fun Australian band of sisters that I discovered in Nashville– great covers and I love their original song “Fools” that you can hear on Spotify.

Emily Scott Robinson , Facebook live concerts & Spotify
Emily has been doing the coziest RV live streams on Facebook and Instagram. Check out her song “Better with Time” and “Dress” on Spotify if you want to cry.

Podcasts

Crime Junkie
Indiana based true crime podcast that tries to focus on stories that have not been blasted by main stream news. Jump in with any episode.

Oddity Files
Indiana based podcast that explores all things paranormal. Some of my favorite humans create this podcast! Jump in with any episode.

Women on the Road
Podcast by She Explores which shares stories of life on the road for women. Jump in with any episode.

The Dream
Is everyone from college trying to sell you something? Season one of this podcast investigates the world of MLMs. Start with season one, episode one.

Reply All
Humorous tech podcast examining everything on the internet. We particularly like the “yes, yes, no” section. Jump in with any episode.

Blogs

Colorado Chelsea
One of my local hiking pals has a great blog of regional and US hiking! Follow her miles above.

Damn Delicious
This is more of a recipe website than a blog, but I love the quick and comforting recipes on here. I would also recommend following the chef on Instagram (same handle) for cute pics of corgis.

Cassandra Michelle Photography
Maybe I’m biased because my wedding is on here, but I love looking through Cassey’s adventure photography! She is also posting more about her gear and adventures.

Jess Wandering
If you want to experience FOMO, definitely look through this blog– some of the most beautiful remote places are captured in her travels. I also love her suggestions for cold weather camping gear.

Urban & Indoor Adventures: Quarantine SZN

On By AnnieLeave a comment
🌿🎍

Quarantine Day # …

Colorado issued a stay at home order effective March 26 – April 26, requiring residents to stay at home with the exception of essential functions. Prior to this, Travis and I were working from home and practicing social distancing for a few weeks, but the order cut most of our hiking range. Although the order is set to lift in a few weeks, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I am expecting it will only be extended. I wanted to take a side step from my usual post and instead write about what is keeping me sane during quarantine. Leave me a comment with what you’re doing and how it’s helped you!

Be (responsibly) Active

Exercise is just as important for your mental health as it is your physical health. The stay at home order lists physical activity as an essential function, but prohibits travel to do so outside of your neighborhood or region. Additionally, essential functions still need to follow social distancing guidelines (staying 6ft away from people). These guidelines limit certain activities and definitely require that you are more mindful of your physical space.

Scenes from our 15 mile bike ride

I have been focusing on getting at least 30 min of outdoor exercise a day (although these late spring snows have intruded). We live near three big parks in Denver, so we have been walking / biking to a park in the afternoon. One of the unintended positive results of the virus is that the downtown streets are completely empty, making it really nice for biking.

Per usual, I have also been using AllTrails Pro to find local hikes, by using the map feature when searching based on my location at home. When I can’t get outside, there are a lot of free online resources for work outs at home. I’m not diligent about home workouts, but I do like the Nike Training Club app for free, quick routines.

Learn Something New

Ukulele

Lots of down time seemed like the best opportunity to learn something new that would take lots of practice. I have been interested in learning the ukulele for a long time, so Travis encouraged me to buy a basic one and some online lessons. It’s been fun to focus on a new hobby; Travis has been teaching be the basics he knows, and we have been learning the harder chords together.

Other things on my list to try this quarantine season— baking sourdough bread from scratch, learning more blog hacks on WordPress, and making beeswax candles (I usually just make soy wax candles). I’ve also been trying to get back into meditation— seems like a great time to learn some new mindfulness techniques.

Practice Some Hygge

This past January, I read The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking. Hygge is a danish concept that promotes indulgence, coziness and wellness. The book is an easy quick read and has great tips for creating your own hygge routine. I practice it by lighting homemade candles, drinking an obscene amount of strong coffee out of my favorite mugs, and wearing lots of face masks. I like to use it as justification for eating my leftover birthday cake for breakfast.

Stay (virtually) Social

Virtual St. Patty’s Party with my cousins!

It’s definitely no surprise that I’m an extrovert! I also have a very social job, where I meet with anywhere from 5 to 40+ students in a day. Quarantine has dramatically altered my in-person interactions, but it can’t squash my need for connection. I’ve stayed virtually connected with my friends and family through Google Hangouts, where we chat throughout the day, get together for happy hour or play games through Jackbox Games. Some of my friends organized a virtual trivia night last week where we texted him our team answer— at the end there was even a virtual prize!