a little visit to Michigan

In the short space of time between coming home from California and heading back to Pennsylvania (which flew by wayyyy too fast) Ben and I made a roadtrip to Michigan to spend a few days at his mom's new home.  It was a perfect mini-vacation, filled with sunsets, ice cream, blueberry picking (and of course pie making), beach walks (so cliche but nice), and new kittens.  Michigan in the summer is pretty amazing, and the blueberries can't be beat (by PA's blueberries, at least).

late summer

You know when you come home from a giant trip and you have one week to see all your friends and family, unpack, take care of appointments, and reorganize before jetting off onto the next journey?

That is what my life has been lately.

I have lots more gorgeous photos and tales to share of California and now Michigan as well, but they will have to wait a bit because the internet at my house is deathly slow and won't upload pictures. 

Today I am packing the remnants of my summer life and tomorrow morning bright and early I am making the dreaded megaroadtrip back to Pennsylvania to start the new school year.

I am very excited for this year. I have the feeling that it is going to be one of those years that is absolutely amazing, even though I know it will also be super challenging in a lot of ways.

This is my second and last year of my masters program, so I will be writing my thesis and getting ready to look for big girl jobs !! I am also going to be the teaching assistant for an undergrad course in climatology, which will be an adventure in itself.

The part I am most looking forward too, though, is having Ben around. He is finished with his Teach for America stint in Baltimore and his MAT at Johns Hopkins and is moving up to State College so we can fiiiiinally be together, after two years of long distance. I know that we have been making the right decisions for ourselves, but these past years have been hard. Luckily I feel like we have grown closer together and have learned to appreciate our relationship so much, and it is going to be so amazing to have him in my day to day life again.  Aaaaa ok time to burn some CD's for the drive.  See you from PA!

the hiking profession

[view from the top of Mt. Rose, NV]

One of the best parts about hiking every single day for field work (aka literally bush-whacking through steep high elevation backcountry wilderness) is that you are pre-conditioned to tackle whatever gorgeous mountain you choose on days off. 

Our first big hike adventure was Mt. Rose on the Nevada side between the lake and Reno. 

The elevation at the top is 10,700-something feet, the third tallest mountain in the basin, but you start at 8,000-something feet so the total elevation gain isn't too extreme. Actually most of the trail is a pretty gradual incline until you get near the very top, where it is tight switchbacks that pretty much go straight up the rocks and you feel like your leg muscles are being ripped off your body and you can't possibly make it one more step even though the peak is still out of sight, but hey. That part is easily forgotten for views like these.

[Reno from almost 11,000 feet]

The only trees that can survive on these steep rocky slopes are scraggly twisted lodgepole pines. I always wondered why the latin name for lodgepole is Pinus contorta, since they usually grow straight, tall and the opposite of contorted like, well, lodgepoles, but then we saw them in their high altitude habitat.

Oh and in CA there are gazillions of super fit old people. I saw more old people out running and hiking than young people. Like, a super tan and ripped 70 year old man wearing spandex zoomed past us, trail running UP Mt. Rose. It is over 11 miles round trip. Psycho.

So basically, hike Mt. Rose if you get a chance.

Not until July though because there is tons of snow on the trail before then (although it is very fun to slide down).