Musings
Last Adventurer
#preservethegood

As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” 

#preservethegood
Hiking, State Parks
Last Adventurer
Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.

Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls
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Winter Climbing Rogers Peak

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Winter Climbing Rogers Peak

The Route/Conditions: As I mentioned above, I chose Rogers Peak for my snow survey of Telescope because it was an “easy” way to get the information. While access to Rogers Peak is through a fire road, it is worth noting that in winter, nothing is “easy” as it seems. Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Rogers Peak is a 9,994 foot mountain, and like most things in life, “easy” is a subjective term that can mean many things to many people. Finally, for people that are not familiar with the area, Rogers Peak is one of three mountains in the Panamint Range of Death Valley that are generally climbed together – a sort of “three peaks in one day” challenge. The other two are, respectively Telescope Peak (the highest point in Death Valley at 11,043 feet), and Bennett Peak (9,980 feet). While Rogers can be climbed as part of the three Panamint Peak trifecta from the main Telescope Peak trail, it can also be climbed separately as a stand-alone mountain via the fire access road.

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Sweetwater Bridge

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Sweetwater Bridge

One of the more unique items to be found out in the East County of San Diego is a bridge that is not connected to a road, and at times, does not cross water. The Sweetwater Bridge was built in 1929 to bridge the Sweetwater River, and at the time connected both ends of Highway 94. While it may appear imposing at four hundred and sixty feet in length, and twenty-two feet in width, it was in actuality, a narrow bridge in 1929, and a narrow bridge through its eventual retirement in 1987. In 1987, the road was re-routed slightly and a new, modern bridge was built right next to it on Highway 94.

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Farewell Spit

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Farewell Spit

After all of the Lord of the Rings movies, and the Hobbit movies, much is made of New Zealand being exactly like Middle Earth, with rolling green hills, high snow-capped mountains, and lush forests and roaring rivers. While New Zealand has all of these things and more, it also has an area that appears to be lifted straight from the Sahara, or from one of the deep deserts of the world. That place is the Farewell Spit, a fifteen mile (25km) stretch of land that extends from the northern section of the South Island of New Zealand. And for those willing to explore it, the Farewell Spit features sand dunes, blowing sand storms, long stretches of sandy coast, wildlife, and hidden pools of water.

Palais de L'lle, Annecy

Palais de L'lle, Annecy

Annecy is a charming town at the base of the French Alps. Sometimes called the “Venice of the Alps”, Annecy has a number of historic structures and activities for the traveler. One of the more unique structures in the old town of Annecy is the Palais de l’Île, which sits in the middle of the River Thiou. Built in the mid-twelfth century to control access to the river, and house prisoners, this small castle was later used as a mint in the fourteenth century. From the fourteenth century on, this castle was used for a number of things, including a prison through the Second World War. Following an extensive renovation, the Palais de l’Île now houses a museum featuring permanent exhibits about the history of the region, along with various traveling exhibits.

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How to Explore Tortuguero

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How to Explore Tortuguero

Tortuguero is a town and a National Park on the Caribbean coastline of Costa Rica; and it is also one of the best destinations to visit in the country, as it provides a plethora of unique wilderness experiences for all levels of visitors. While all of Costa Rica’s national parks are stunning, Tortuguero National Park is perhaps the country’s most pristine national park. Tortuguero National Park has an enormous amount of biodiversity including mangrove forests, beaches, swamps, lagoons, and of course, tropical rainforests. While the park protects many species of animals and plants, the main species (and attraction) that is protected is the Green Sea Turtle, which nests on the beaches of the park from July to October. 

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Badwater Basin

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Badwater Basin

Of the fifty-nine National Parks in the United States, Death Valley is the most infamous, and the least well known. Most people assume that Death Valley is an inhospitable wasteland, with nothing of interest to see or do. However, outdoorspeople, geologists, and adventurers know that Death Valley is a location with interesting geologic features, mining history, tall mountains, sand dunes, volcanic activity, historic structures, and much more. Even if it did not have all of these things and more, Death Valley is a notable location to visit because of Badwater Basin.

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Bridge to Nowhere

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Bridge to Nowhere

For the majority of the United States and the world, Los Angeles is many things, including an urban mecca. And even though it may not seem like it, Los Angeles is also a hiking mecca as well. Like most of Southern California, Los Angeles has a variety of terrain types ranging from beach, to alpine, to desert, and almost everything in between. Although there are many great hikes in the city of Los Angeles, and the greater Los Angeles area, there is only one hike that leads to an abandoned bridge in the middle of the San Gabriel Mountains. Over the last twenty years, this hike has become known as “the Bridge to Nowhere” hike, and is perhaps one of the most popular hikes in the city, if not the most popular.