At the end of 2020, Evan and I relocated to the Gulf Coast. We miss our mountains dearly, but have traded them for a beautiful life on the water in one of the most biodiverse areas of the country. We’re grateful to be able to spend lots of time at the beach and on the river.
Sunsets on the bay
River on the neighborhood walk
After the Vows, Photo by Amaris Photography
Dado on the porch
As I’ve been self-isolating and experiencing covid-induced unemployment, I’ve been taking this time to explore some ideas and tools that I hadn’t yet gotten to explore fully. All are inspired by events and people in my life and have meaning to me as an individual.
The first is Hearth, inspired by my experiences as a first-time homeowner and struggling with all the upkeep and maintenance (some of which I didn’t even know needed to happen).
Many first-time homeowners (and even seasoned homeowners) aren’t experts in home upkeep and maintenance. Hearth helps with that.
The second is Float Plan, inspired by an idea that Evan had about keeping friends and family informed about your itinerary for safety reasons.
Outdoor enthusiasts by nature are adventurers, but seeking adventure should never be a compromise for safety. Keep your loved ones informed!
The third is the State Resident Portal, my solution to outdated online government tools, especially for unemployment. These tools have provided a poor user experience for millions unemployed due to the pandemic. Coming soon!
Please get in touch if you’d like to chat about any of these projects!
Springer admiring the view.
We decided to do an overnight loop in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, passing Minam Lake, summiting Eagle Cap, and returning to the trailhead. Eagle Cap is the peak that the wilderness area is named for and was once believed to be the highest peak in the range.
I drove to meet Evan, who was just getting off a 4-day trip working on trails in the Wilderness. We got a late start on the trail, only making it a mile-ish down the trail before setting up camp for the night. This guaranteed a long day the next day!
Reflections at Minam Lake.
The next morning we woke early, enjoying the hike in the cool morning air. We stopped for a snack at Minam Lake before starting up the pass that would drop us into the Lakes Basin for our Eagle Cap summit. Our first real climb of the morning, we worked up a sweat during the climb over the pass, but were rewarded with amazing views from the top.
We descended the other side, passing waterfalls and meadows on our way to the river where we re-applied sunscreen and stocked up on water for the 4+ mile round-trip hike to the summit of Eagle Cap.
The landscape turned from lush meadows to rocky, exposed slopes with lingering snow as we carefully made our way to the summit. The peak of Eagle Cap stands at 9,573 ft, which makes it my highest summit to date! Though the climb was steep and hot, the 360 views of the entire Wilderness were definitely worth it. We snacked and named as many peaks as we could.
The view from Eagle Cap.
Descending Eagle Cap.
With sore legs and full hearts, we made our way down the mountain and back towards the trailhead through the vibrant meadows surrounding the Lostine River. Pausing only to look back at the mountain we had just summited, we returned to the trailhead. The day was an 18+ mile day, probably the most either of us had completed in a single day since the Appalachian Trail!
Looking back at Eagle Cap.
Leave No Trace is a moral code and daily practice for any thru hiker, section hiker, or day hiker. It teaches us to respect the ground we walk on, the plants that grow from it, the animals who share our space, and the other hikers.
Why is it that, as soon as we return to "the real world" we forget about the ways we lived kindly withe the natural world around us? We buy pre-packaged food and throw all the wrappers and scraps into the trash, we buy a iced coffee in a plastic cup and chuck it in the nearest trash can when we are done, we buy the cheapest things we can with no thought to how they came to be there or how they were made.
While I was on the Appalachian Trail, Leave No Trace was an ethos that I did my best to follow every day. Over the past year or so, I've started to think more about how Leave No Trace principles can extend to my off-trail life as well. What is the impact I have on this planet? How can I tread more lightly on this place we call home?
Not all of us are able to live trail life, or a more minimalist, nomadic lifestyle, for the entire year. When we get off-trail and go home to our apartment or house (duplex, in my case), how do we bring the lessons of the trail back home with us?
This led me to research and think about a variety of topics including self-sufficiency and zero waste. The Zero Waste International Alliance defines Zero Waste as:
"A goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health."
I believe that, as people who love the trail - love a part of the natural world - we have a responsibility to see that it continues to exist and thrive for future years and generations. We have a responsibility to check and examine our own consumption and disposal habits and practices. We also have a responsibility to bring the power of our community to bear on the forces that would seek to undermine, destroy, or disregard these natural spaces that we care about.
A few ways you can start thinking about zero waste, self-sufficiency, and off-trail Leave No Trace:
It seems like a daunting task to climb these mountains and implement these changes in my life, but as I well know, all hikes have to start with a first step.
My first baby steps down this journey are to be more deliberate about the cleaning products I use, how and where I get my food, and attempting a garden of my own.
Cleaning Supplies
I find cleaning to be a meditative and satisfying activity (I'm probably the only one), but when looking at the amount of paper towels, plastic bottles of cleaning products, and Swiffer sheets that I go through, I cringe. Time to make a change. Pictured here with my prayer plant is homemade all-purpose cleanser and homemade air freshener.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Any aspiring zero-waster should invest in a good reusable spray bottle (or multiple!). A great mixture is 50/50 water and white vinegar. I've added drops of essential oil - rosemary and lemon - because I'm a sucker for good-smelling cleaners.
Air Freshener
You can also make DIY air fresheners using essential oils. I borrowed a recipe from Jill at The Prairie Homestead. Combine 3/4 cup of water with 2 tbsp of alcohol (vodka, rubbing alcohol, and vanilla extract all work, according to Jill. I used rubbing alcohol because it's what I had on hand) and add your desired essential oil scents. I used lavender, rosemary, and lemon, for a refreshing and clean smell.
Buying Food
Another change I've made is to frequent my local farmer's market more often. By supporting local growers, I can rest easy knowing what processes, techniques, and chemicals they've used to grow their food. One of the seven Leave No Trace principles is to Plan Ahead and Prepare. Leave No Trace adds a sub-component of that principle by asking hikers to repackage food to minimize waste. This idea can easily be applied to off-trail life. Whenever you go grocery shopping, whether it's at your local farmer's market or a big box store, remember to minimize the packaging waste of the food you are purchasing. I've extended the zero waste impact of my shopping by using reusable bags.
Produce Bags
We're all used to those flimsy plastic bags at grocery stores. What are they good for once you get home? I've used them in the past to pick up dog poop or line small trash cans, but that's really their only use, and then they go in the trash. Why not invest $10 and get some cotton mesh bags that you can reuse again and again? There are a variety of options out there, but I bought these on Amazon.
Grocery Bags
Reusable grocery bags are even more common than reusable produce bags. Your grocery store probably even sells them. Find yourself a couple of tote bags, and don't let the cashier ever give you a plastic bag again!
Buying in Bulk
In addition to having your own bags, consider finding a store where you can buy in bulk. Why buy pre-packaged goods when you could buy exactly how much you need for the next day, week, month, or year - without the excess packaging.
Growing Food
Another way to minimize your waste impact is to grow your own food. This sounds daunting, but it's really not! I was surprised how easy this was to do, even with my lack of a green thumb. If I can do it, you can too!
Container Garden
This season, I attempted to grow a container garden. We gathered some 5-gallon buckets, drilled a few holes in the bottom, and planted some seedlings purchased from our local nursery. We have 5 tomato plants, a few okra plants, 4 bell pepper plants (all varieties), herbs, and some strawberries (these didn't fare as well as the rest).
Next year, I'll probably try a few more varieties of vegetables, and I might even be a little more scientific about it by looking up a growing schedule for my region. I also hope to invest in canning supplies so that I can store my vegetables for less bountiful months.
Composting
I haven't yet built my own compost pile, but most cities have opportunities for composting. Some have businesses that offer composting services (think of it as a utility, like garbage, water, or electric), some have local farmers who would be happy to add your food scraps to their piles, and some offer a variety of composting as a part of standard yard waste disposal.
Another of the seven Leave No Trace principles is to Dispose of Waste Properly. On the trail, this includes not leaving your food scraps around for people or animals to find. Why shouldn't we continue this practice off-trail? Landfills keep trash for years, and organic matter can get buried and sealed under non-organic trash. This creates a vacuum where the organic matter breaks down anaerobically and creates methane, which is a very environmentally damaging greenhouse gas. If you want your favorite trail to be here in the future, compost!
What are you doing to live more in the spirit of Leave No Trace when you are off-trail? Send me an email and let me know!
Living in Oregon has been a blast so far. It's amazing to be able to look out your window and see mountains that have been relatively untouched by humans. A 45 minute drive takes me to the base, and windy Forest Service Roads take me to the trailhead. There are so many places to discover.
Recently, I had my first experience summiting a mountain over 8,000 ft! We took a sunny, beautiful day hike to the top of China Cap in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Wallowa Whitman National Forest, scrambling off-trail to reach its summit with a beautiful 360 view. We enjoyed a summit beer and signed the register while the dogs enjoyed the last vestiges of winter's snowpack.
Evan and I have moved to a little corner of Oregon. It's been a long road to get here: our road trip from Austin included a wedding in Georgia, a vacation in the mountains of North Carolina, a short stay on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, a fiasco with our moving company, and many hours of driving.
Since we've been here, we've begun to tackle the myriad of outdoor opportunities that the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has to offer. Most recently, we took a short overnight backpacking trip to Catherine Creek Meadow. The meadow was beautiful, green, and boggy with spring snow melt. WE got wet feet, but Springer loved walking through the cool water.
My personal chef cooked up a delicious backcountry meal of mashed potatoes, morels, vegetables, and corn on the cob, with s'mores (probably one of the last times we'll be able to have s'mores before fire season starts in the region and campfires are outlawed!) for dessert.
Evan is a kayaking nerd. He loves to paddle, currently works at a kayak shop, and spends his free days in whitewater. Since I met him, he's been talking up the sport to me. Finally, for my birthday, he bought me a used Wavesport EZG playboat. Next step, learning the tricks of the trade for whitewater kayaking.
The first thing Evan is teaching me is how to roll. It's the skill that will help all kayakers feel safe challenging themselves in whitewater. It is the ability to roll yourself and your boat back upright if you flip over while kayaking.
He's been teaching me for about a month now, but given our busy schedules, we've only been out to practice on the water twice. The most recent adventure was to Barton Creek with a few other friends.
Photo 1 by Deanna: Practicing on Barton Creek. We had trouble all fitting in the photo.
Photo 2 by Evan: First time in the new boat!
Pedernales Falls is one of my favorite parks in the Central Texas area. Even when it's packed, it's easy to find the right trail to get some solitude. There are 20+ miles of trails in the park, and they wind through beautiful Texas hill country landscapes.
A couple weeks ago, Springer and I ventured out to Pedernales Falls to go hiking. We got the last parking spot at the trailhead, and chose a 9.3-mile long loop (Springer's longest hike to date!) that would take us down the Juniper Ridge trail and back up to the parking lot via one of the Equestrian loop trails. Springer was the perfect hiking partner, at least until she smelled a horse for the first time!
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