• John Muir Trail
  • High Sierra Trail
  • About
  • Flickr
Thoughtfully Awesome logoThoughtfully Awesome logo
  • John Muir Trail
  • High Sierra Trail
  • About
  • Flickr
Day Hikes

Ice Lake Basin,
San Juan Mountains, CO

Bison Peak
Lost Creek Wilderness, CO

Grass Mountain,
Los Padres National Forest, CA

Picket Wire Canyon,
Comanche National Grassland, CO

Winter on the Abyss Trail,
Mount Evans Wilderness, CO

White Rock Loop,
Red Rock Canyon, NV

Turtlehead Peak,
Red Rock Canyon NCA

Winter on the Chicago Lakes Trail

Crater Lakes,
Indian Peaks Wilderness, CO

A Failed Summit of Mt. Audubon

James Peak
James Peak Wilderness, CO

Roadtrip to the JMT Part 2: Moab and Onward

Blue Lake,
Indian Peaks Wilderness, CO

Giant Trees, High Deserts, and Deep Canyons
Heading home – Part 1

  1. 1
  2. 2
Search

Categories

  • Backpacking
  • Day Hikes
  • Hiking
  • The High Sierra Trail
  • The John Muir Trail
  • Travel

The Latest

  • Santa Rosa Island,
    Channel Islands National Park, CA     March 13, 2017
  • The High Sierra Trail:
    Day 6     July 23, 2016
  • The High Sierra Trail:
    Day 5     July 22, 2016
  • The High Sierra Trail:
    Day 4     July 21, 2016
  • The High Sierra Trail:
    Day 3     July 20, 2016

Instagram

There’s cute, and then there’s baby bighorn cu There’s cute, and then there’s baby bighorn cute. 💯 would put in my backpack if given the opportunity. #bighornsheep #coloRADo
Prayers for the giants. “The king of all conifer Prayers for the giants. “The king of all conifers” as John Muir named them. Arguably some of the most magnificent and wise souls on the planet. They are fire-lovers at heart. They need fire to thrive, to reproduce, to grow…but the fires in our current world are beasts that have already proven deadly to them. The fires in Sequoia National Park are quite scary for anyone familiar with the tinderbox that area has become in the past decade. These photos are from one of my favorite backpacking memories that I shared with them. When I was smoked off the JMT in 2013 from the Rim Fire, I decided to check a different box off my bucket list and spend a couple days under giant sequoias. The last night I shared with them, I woke in the middle of the night absolutely surrounded a choir of coyotes. It sounded like 30 of them. Their chorus was coming from all directions, sounding as if they had formed a circle around my camp. Howls and yips and cries to the moon echoing under the canopy of giants. It was so damn beautiful and perfect I think I had tears in my eyes. In the morning, I opened my tent to find a doe and three fawns playing and chasing each other in circles through the forest around me. It was a magical grove and experience. One of of my favorite memories in this life. 🌲 #SEKI #giantsequoias
Surprised to find some green still in the high cou Surprised to find some green still in the high country…not for long….sigh… 🍂 #coloRADo
A first yesterday seeing a mama beaver and two of A first yesterday seeing a mama beaver and two of her teeny kits! The only photos I managed to get of her and one of her babies came out pretty blurry, but still worth sharing because that baby is cuuuute! #beavers #coloRADo
Gold amongst the ashes 💛 so much of this burn s Gold amongst the ashes 💛 so much of this burn scar is void of life - the fire simply burned too hot, and the soil is dead. But then, after seemingly never ending loss, you stumble upon a small oasis of hope and resilience 💛 #easttroublesomefire
This whole thing has started up again. While I’m This whole thing has started up again. While I’m usuallly excited, I have very mixed feelings this year. Very mixed feelings. Definitely my worst summer ever, in a complete failure of a year. But Mother Nature and time just keep on marching forward…so I have no choice but to march along with them! So here we go (begrudgingly 😏)… if you’re one of those people that had a great full summer and you’re ready for the slowdown of fall than I am happy for you!🍁 #fallishere #COLORado
Juvenile Coopers Hawk staking out the woods the ot Juvenile Coopers Hawk staking out the woods the other morning. Love being able to get a rare view down on a bird. These juveniles are so tricky to ID, but I’m pretty confident I got it right! If not, I’m sure someone will let me know 😆 #coopershawk
Probably the singular good thing about smoky skies Probably the singular good thing about smoky skies is that it makes the golden hour light even more magical. Though I’d still prefer to never see a smoky sky again. As if the light wasn’t enough of a reminder, Farley is actually resting on the cleared remains of one of the homes across the street that burnt down last year in the #easttroublesomefire that has yet to be rebuilt. #FarleytheFox
Load More... Follow on Instagram
All content and images © Erica Ruch 1993-Infinity | Site by Erica Ruch Studios