This past weekend, I had the good fortune of being shown a secret spot. I am going to share a few photos here, not because I want to brag and taunt everyone with it, but because I want to fully encourage you to go out and find a secret spot of your own! Why keep it a secret, you might ask? Because it is great fun visiting a place where you are very sure few others have visited, it's a way to ...
Adventures
Tidepooling at Salt Creek Recreation Area
What is it about tide pools that makes them so fascinating? Perhaps it's the brightly colored creatures, or maybe the calm way the kelp waves in the tidal currents, or the feeling we are peering into a small secret world, but I could contentedly gaze into a tide pool for a very long time. Growing up where tide pools are abundant along the rocky shores of the Strait of Juan De Fuca, I went on so ...
Going Wild: Off-season Backpacking on the South Fork Hoh River
Sometimes, you just need to go wild. I'm sure every one of us has a favorite outdoor spot, for whatever reasons are near and dear to us. Mine is the South Fork of the Hoh River on the west end of the Olympic Peninsula. Why is it my very favorite spot above all others in the world? Because it is so wild. This remote trail receives little traffic compared to the rest of the Olympic National Park ...
Night on Tidbits Mountain
Remember when I wrote a post a while back about hiking to the top of Tidbits Mountain? Well, we decided when we were up there that it would be a lot of fun to sleep up there on top of that mountain, out under the stars. My partner said he had been talking about it for four years and had never done it, so one evening over Labor Day Weekend, after spending the day working out in the yard and digging ...
Fall Mountain Lookout Tower
There is nothing quite like watching the sun rise and set from a fire lookout tower on a mountain peak. Having stayed in several across various forested parts of Western Oregon, I decided it was time to visit the drier side of the state, and booked two nights in Fall Mountain Lookout near John Day at the edge of the Strawberry Wilderness. My adventure partner and I headed out from our McKenzie ...
Down at the Swimmin’ Hole
With the heat of July upon us, and everyone back from their early summer adventuring, we have been enjoying the delightful treat of visiting local swimming holes. As a new resident of the McKenzie River watershed, friends have been happy to show me their favorite spots up Blue River and Lookout Creek, and as a longtime swimming hole dipper, I must say there are some excellent swimming holes in ...
It Was a Faire Week
Another year, and another Oregon Country Faire has come and gone. I never get tired of my favorite art, music and food extravaganza every July on the banks of the Long Tom River, but this year was special because I got to camp out overnight for the first time as a volunteer. I even got my partner to dress up in a lime green polyester leisure suit to celebrate the occasion. (Photo by Marc ...
Learn to Live With Bears
Probably my favorite sign I spied on the entire Rocky Mountain road trip adventure. It was right up there with "No Burning Pallets in Utah County Parks" and "No Bathing in Public Restroom Sinks." ...
Across the Great Divide
"It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~J.R.R. Tolkien For those folks who have been wondering why it's been quiet for so long at Mountain Hearth, I am happy to report that this mountain woman has been off on grand adventures. I spent a good part of June hiking far off ...
Pickett Butte Lookout Adventures
Sometimes, I find that when we make a plan (or a fire lookout tower reservation) in life, we never quite know what will be going on at that point but just that we will want an adventure or getaway as much then as we do the day we plan it. I made my Pickett Butte Lookout Tower reservation nearly a year ago, after several unsuccessful attempts over five years, and even had to change the reservation ...