THE FALL OUT

Happy spooky season! Go get yourself a treat.

Rivers and Roads

We have one month left of living and traveling out of a Subaru Outback. And so much to do. But while that list is simultaneously exciting and stressful, I’d much rather reminisce on October (and some of September). The best time of the year.

We left off headed to the Tetons. I had only driven through the park, but this time, since we didn’t have our full backpacking gear, we decided to do a 20-mile day hike to get up into the mountains and really experience the Tetons. Because of the long mileage, we started before dawn and saw the sun slowly rise and the mist burn off the lakes.

We knew there was going to be snow but did not expect the knee-deep slog to get over the pass along our route. Towards the top, I almost lost my hat on multiple occasions and felt like an emperor penguin walking at a slant against the wind.

The beauty of this hike cannot be overstated. The canyon on the way up was likened to a painting, and the way down was likened to the Vikings’ honored afterlife hall.

The best part of the hike was spotting three black bears—a mother and her two cubs meandering across a big meadow. Time slowed as we just watched them do what they would do without people around. The cubs clumsily climbed up a steep rock wall with their mother checking her shoulder every now and then to make sure they were keeping up.

After exploring wild Wyoming, we made it back down to the Moab, UT area and ventured to Goblin Valley State Park to dwell amongst the bubble-shaped red sandstone formations. The heart of slot canyons and an underrated adult playground, this area was chock full of surprises. We set up a dispersed home base, met up with some fellow mid-week camper pals, and got a taste of goblins (by poking around a big goblin field and then exploring their lair).

Our final destination before heading back to Colorado was Kanab, UT for the Grand Circle Trailfest Vacation Race—a back to back to back 15-mile, 10-mile, then half marathon race. The best but most terrifying part of the trip was sandboarding at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. I do not like my feet bound together, but in this situation, Jesse thrives.

After Kanab, we began our migration east. The first stop was to Boulder, Colorado for the Leave No Trace Summit. Then we went to Cincinnati for a birthday pitstop and to swap out some cold weather gear, Roanoke, VA, for the GO Outdoor fest, and finally, Washington, D.C., to get a peak at my brother’s day-to-day life in the city. It has been a lot of moving but we are now in western North Carolina, relishing in the never-ending fall out here.

Things You Didn’t Notice

LEAVE NO TRACE IS EVERYWHERE

I was astonished at the reach of Leave No Trace. A couple of weeks ago, the Leave No Trace Organization hosted its first Summit to celebrate 30 years of work as a non-profit, and to energize folks in the work that is yet to come. My job is to teach Leave No Trace principles all across the continental U.S. so I had a good understanding of the U.S. based support for this education. I did not realize the demand, the empowerment, and the enthusiasm for Leave No Trace from the international community.

My role at the Summit was to collect media assets, film, and photograph as much as possible. This gave me the opportunity to interview and chat with some of the folks who traveled a long way to exchange Leave No Trace ideas. What I learned is that Leave No Trace applies to everything and everyone, everywhere. It is how we care for our public spaces, but the ethic extends to how we make purchases, consume energy, and treat others. The organization has been starting to formalize these ideas in everyday life principles, and people worldwide are eager to adapt these ideas to fit into their own culture.

I started at Leave No Trace barely understanding the role of the organization. But now, I can see how much good it could do in this world. We can connect backcountry concepts, like minimize campfire impacts with how we burn fuel and heat our homes. The first principle, plan ahead and prepare, is not only useful for making sure adventure trips are successful but it also leads to a call for awareness and knowledge about the places we already inhabit. The basic ideas of Leave No Trace can be summarized by:

1. Learn and seek out knowledge and wisdom to live better lives

2. Take durable paths and travel efficiently

3. Eliminate waste and know how to take care of everything we make by participating in sustainable systems

4. Consider others and leave the things that make the world wonderful behind for everyone to experience

5. Be responsible with fuel, fire and electricity by controlling consumption

6. Treat ourselves and wildlife with care by understanding what each being needs to live healthy lives

7. Spread the love by treating people with grace and hospitality both digitally and in person, indoor and out

These ideas are not new or novel, but have been part of an ethic evolving throughout eons of human history, and through many different indigenous cultures. We have to view ourselves as a part of the earth if we are going to be able to live on it even just a handful of generations in the future. It is difficult to think about the future, but what Leave No Trace does really well is consider the now—the things that we can do as individuals right now, that when cumulated, created sweeping changes in society and our world.

Here are some wonderful words from others at the conference:

• Trip Outside

• Keen

Refresh

• Health: Education affects our health, both because more education leads to higher access to health care and healthy lifestyle choices and an increase in valuing and understanding one’s own health (and desire to use health care and exhibit healthy lifestyles).

• Household: The University of Michigan has an incredible archive of consumer trends and their impacts. Get the updated facts on sustainability here.

• Transportation: Biking to school is great for student’s health but only when it is not a stressful endeavor. Proximity to school is a key factor in developing countries’ student population attendance so having bike transport can expand a school’s impact dramatically, particularly amongst girls.

• Mentality: Cell phone bans in school help kids focus, but might be missing the point of teaching the importance of balance and self control.

• Community: When kids are given independent mobility options, like walking and riding bicycles, the whole community benefits because there is a priority placed on safe streets and more empowered young citizens.

Mouthwatering

PUMPKIN MOCHI

But make it a cake. Spooky.

It is still fall out there. Celebrate!

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz. box mochiko, rice flour

• 1 1/2 cups sugar see note

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp salt

• 4 eggs

• 2 15 oz. cans pumpkin puree

• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk see note

• 1 cup butter (two sticks) melted

• 2 tsp vanilla

Game Time

POLISH HORSESHOES

Today we are talking about the game that goes by many names. Polish Horseshoes. Beersbee. Frisknock? That one was new for me. Anyway, this lawn-frisbee-drinking-accuracy game gives cornhole a run for its money in terms of top lawn game. It is more active, more dramatic, and all together more exhilarating—all founded from the simple knock-a-bottle-off-a-pole concept.

Listen to a sunglass sporting dad tell you how to play: here!

Or watch some young hip cool kidz play here.