Tag: National Park

• Söderåsen National Park

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on October 18, 2022

  Whenever I travel to a new country I try my best to visit a National Park. Sweden has A LOT of national parks, which made it difficult to choose which one I wanted to see. I knew going north would not be an option on this trip, the weather would be too finicky and the drive would have been too far, so I focused my sights on the southern region of Sweden.

  After scouring over the internet a few times, I finally chose to visit Söderåsen National Park, located in the southern most county of Skåne (it took me days to pronounce this correctly.)

  Derek and I planned our Air B&B stays around this adventure, and everything else we did was extra. Our first Air B&B was in the municipality of Höör, a tiny little countryside filling all my European farmland dreams. We stayed in a tiny house on the property of a sweet Swedish woman and her husband, and while I adored the little space, I lost my marbles for the onsite green house.

  

  

  The drive south from Täby where we were staying with Dereks aunt and uncle was about 6.5 hours. It was a surprisingly smooth drive (I drove), but by the time we arrived at our Air B&B we were ready to stretch our legs. We chose a spot that had two bikes we could borrow, and neither of us had to think twice about taking them out for a spin.

  The bikes were rusted, too small, and looked over a decade old, but they were the most magical steeds to ride 10 miles of countryside on.

  

  

  We stayed at this place for two nights, and I spent both mornings sipping my coffee inside the green house with one of the cozy red blankets draped across my lap. On our first morning the host offered breakfast, but I wanted to ensure I was in top shape for a day of hiking and couldn’t risk feeling like shit. Derek partook and our host brought him a basket of perfectly wrapped bread, vegetables, an egg, a cookie, fresh yogurt, cheese and salami, and fruit. It was adorable.

  Meanwhile in the greenhouse…

  

  After finishing our morning routines, it was time to head to the park. Our Air B&B was a short 25 min drive from the park, meaning we didn’t have to leave at dawn. Upon arrival we were one of four other cars in the lot. This National Park has a few different locations to start hiking from, and it was very low key. No passes, no crazy parking, no park rangers, just a beautiful piece of land for everyone to enjoy.

  

  

  Our original plan was to hike through the center of the park, and turn around halfway giving us a 10 mile introduction to the area. We ended up going to a different location first per the suggestion of our Air B&B host, and we ended up staying in this area the entire day. There were so many options to explore.

  My favorite thing about this hike was that the trail markers were painted onto trees.

  Often times more than one trail would intersect, and then a tree would have multiple colored circles. We followed three separate colors at separate times until we clocked 10-11 miles (our Garmin watches had slightly different readings.) The area felt like something out of Jurassic Park, and we had long stretches where we saw no other humans.

  

  

  The highlight of this adventure for me was overhearing a German family as they walked past us. One of the women greeted us in German, so I said goodbye to them in German. The man at the end of their train turned around as we passed and asked me if I spoke German. I said to him (in German) that I try, but not much. He then asked if we spoke Swedish and I said we spoke English.

  We then (in English) talked about where they lived in Germany, where I used to live in Germany, and how we were all enjoying our trip to Sweden. The entire interaction left a warm feeling in my heart.

  After our hike we went into the tiny “visitor center” at the start of the trail and had a lovely chat with the woman working in the center. I wanted to buy a pin to add to my national park pin collection, and I was in luck. We then returned to the tiny house with souls full of joy and adventure where I made salmon and potatoes for dinner. Contentment at its finest.

  

  

  The following morning we had a leisure start before checking out and heading towards our next destination. Just enough time for me to spend one more morning in the adorable green house of my dreams. Next up: Kullaberg Nature Reserve.

  Q: What was your most magical Air B&B (or hotel) stay?

  

  | 16 Comments Tagged Brittany's Life Abroad, Hiking, National Park, Sweden

• Glacier National Park – Pt. 2

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on July 12, 2021

  A word to the wise: when planning a trip to GNP, wait until the Going to the Sun Road is officially open. When I decided to visit in June, I thought I was being smart. I waited until after May (still too cold), but didn’t wait until July (too many tourists) – I thought June was my Goldilocks of National Park vacation hacks.

  This would have been true had I been able to access the Going to the Sun Road.

  This road connects the west entrance to the east, and is said to be one of the most beautiful drives in the park. I knew there was a chance this road would still be closed for the winter, but what I did not know was that this road is the main way to access two of the three hikes I wanted to do within the park (unless I wanted to walk MILES, or somehow a bike appeared in my possession.)

  

  I mentioned in my previous post I tend to have a Type A planning personality, and unless there is an obvious plan B I get easily overwhelmed with last minute planning. This isn’t always the case – when I am adventuring alone I have a much easier time readjusting, but when I am adventuring with others I struggle to make a last minute decision because I’m too caught up in how I can accommodate everyone else.

  When trying to find a hike for our second day in the park (after discovering we could not easily access the ones I had originally chosen), I had a brief moment of defeat. Neither of us wanted to hike in a ton of snow (mostly me), and a lot of the trail reports still had snow at the higher elevations. I spent a long time sprawled on the floor with a map and my phone trying to find a decent trail report, but after the overwhelm from lack of options set it I was thankful I had someone else to take the reins.

  What came from an evening of moderate stress was the most unexpected and amazing hike. Duncan, my darling companion, found a hike both of us were immediately sold on.

  

  We chose Scenic Point, an 8 mile out and back trail on the east side of the park at the Two Medicine entrance. This entrance was a further drive, but did not require an entry ticket. We still planned to arrive early, but didn’t have to wake up at 0300 to get in. In fact, we didn’t wake up until around 0630 because the alarm was incorrectly set, but this turned out to be a blessing because we beat the rain (and got some much needed extra sleep.)

  We arrived at the trail head around 0800 with only a few other cars in the lot. This area of the park doesn’t have many trails, and the main attraction is the lake offering ferries to other parts of the park. This meant we didn’t have to fight for a parking spot. It was surprisingly COLD when we started this hike, but once the blood started flowing I was happy for an overcast day.

  

  I don’t quite know how to describe the wonder of this trail. There was a bit of everything from forests with large trees wrapping around the path – to open, rugged terrain with endless views of the surrounding mountains. The higher we got the more the landscape changed. I absolutely love hikes with constantly changing scenery.

  About 1/3 of the way up the trail, we encountered some big horn sheep.

  We stopped and waited for them to pass (partly because I didn’t want to disrupt them, and partly because I wasn’t sure if they were aggressive or not), but eventually made a break for it. Spoiler: they were unfazed by us. Shortly after our encounter with the sheep, we reached a view point of Two Medicine Lake. The views the entire way up were amazing, but this was the first real show stopper on the trail.

  Don’t ask me how many photos I took of this lake…(20, I took 20 nearly identical photos.)

  

  I could have stared at this view for hours. After about 3.3 miles we came to a spot we thought was the end of the trail, but it was hard to tell because a thick fog had rolled in that completely engulfed our surrounding views. It was cold, starting to rain, and we were both extremely hungry. We decided to stop and eat, and while we were enjoying our food the fog started to lift, the rain stopped, and the 360 degree views were indescribable.

  We saw what we assumed to be the end of the trail about another 0.7 miles, strapped our packs onto our backs, and mushed on. We encountered a very small amount of remaining snow hanging on for dear life from the winter season, but otherwise the trail was completely snow free. The terrain changed once again closer to the scenic point (now I see where they chose the name) and I suddenly felt like I was in the Italian Alps.

  

  The trail leveled out the final stretch as we walked on a very wide ridgeline just over 7000′. This was the first time I had hiked at this elevation in a long time, and out of no where a wave of sillies hit me like a flapping fish tail. It didn’t last long, but I couldn’t stop laughing and the feeling was fleetingly comparable to that moment when exhaustion kicks in yet somehow delivers a wave of hyperactivity.

  This trail continues all the way to the town of East Glacier Park onto the Mt. Henry Trail, but our hike ended at the tip top of Scenic Point. The view at the point provided a different angle of Two Medicine Lake (on the left) and Lower Two Medicine Lake (on the right) as well as stunning views of the entire Two Medicine Valley.

  

  After soaking up the views for about 20 minutes we made our way back towards the car. By this time more hikers had begun their trek, and I was thankful to have made it to our summit in time to experience the scenery without anyone else around. The hike down was mostly uneventful, the sun started to come out in waves providing different lighting on the same peaks.

  We had a run in with another sheep, but this time we were sheep professionals and traversed around him a bit.

  Our hike finished shortly after 1330, and on our way out of the park we decided to make a pit stop at Running Eagle Falls. This location was a night and day difference with regard to how many people we saw. This is a half mile trail that leads to a waterfall, and is easily accessible by most. Hence why we saw so many other people. This one was a take it or leave it view for me, but I’m glad we stopped to see it.

  

  

  And just like that, our very quick trip to GNP had come to an end. Scenic Point really sealed the deal for me with this trip, which is funny because this was not a hike I had even considered before we arrived. It’s moments like these that continue to remind me to be more flexible. I chalked this visit up to be more of a learning experience, and now I know what to do differently for my next visit.

  Montana blew my mind, and I now have a desire to spend some of my life living there. Whether it be for 6 months or 6 years, there is something captivating about this beautiful state. Next up: adventures in the Sawtooth Wilderness, a place that also blew my mind. I miss Europe like crazy, but exploring my home country sure is fun too.

  Q: What’s your favorite National Park? I have now been to nine (United States) National Parks, and Yellowstone will forever hold my heart.

  

  | 20 Comments Tagged Glacier National Park, Hiking, National Park

• Glacier National Park – Pt. 1

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on July 7, 2021

  I tend to have a Type A personality when it comes to traveling. That’s not to say I haven’t taken handfuls of trips where I have shown up in a new city, planning the day as I go, but for the most part I like to choose what I want to see and where I want to go before I embark on a new adventure. I think it’s important to have a balance between both Type A and Type B, and I do my best to be more relaxed when things don’t go according to plan.

  With that said, you can imagine the spike of cortisol I felt when I discovered just days prior to my well planned trip to Glacier National Park, that a new entry system had been put into effect starting this summer. In order to enter the West Gate between regular park hours (0600-1700) I would need a special entry ticket. These tickets are available online one day at a time, 60 days prior to the week of entry, with 25% of tickets available every day for that succeeding week.

  Needless to say, I did not have a ticket.

  

  The odds of getting one of the elusive online tickets is much like finding Willy Wonka’s golden ticket in a chocolate bar – nearly impossible. My copilot and I tried for days to get a pass for the week, failing each time. Thankfully there was another option. Anyone can enter the park before 0600 or after 1700, but having a ticket would have eliminated some of the stress of waking up at 0300.

  My days of being a barista came in handy when my alarm went off before the birds began to sing.

  We decided to stay in an Airbnb in Kalispell, Montana, putting us about 45-60 minutes away from the West Glacier entrance. Our first day in the park we planned to arrive at the gate by 0400 to ensure we could get in. Despite the fact I knew exactly what the ranger stations looked like after hours, as I had driven in and out of Yellowstone many times during these hours, I was nervous something would go wrong and we would not be allowed in.

  

  Arriving at the gate with no other cars in sight and driving through the unoccupied ranger booth oddly felt like I was committing a crime (I wasn’t, this is totally legal.) I felt like an outlaw entering into foreign, inaccessible territory. I also felt relief, because the hard part was done. We made it inside, and we had no plans to leave until we were satisfied with our hiking endeavors for the day.

  Arriving before the sun came up turned out to be the best decision we could have made. By the time we got to the parking area for our first hike, the lot had filled up. One of the trails on my list was Avalanche Lake, a very popular and easy 5 mile out and back hike to a beautiful engulfed mountain lake. The hike up was quiet, and per usual the hike back we saw the rest of the world had come to life.

  If there is anything I love about early hikes, it’s beating the crowds (and the heat.)

  

  We made it to the lake by 0530, and we were the only ones there for at least ten minutes. We sat, stared, and savored for about 30 minutes before heading back to the car. I don’t have anything crazy to report about this hike, it was beautiful and is a worthy hike, but it wasn’t anything that knocked my socks off.

  

  

  With so much day left after this hike, we decided to do another one. Our options were limited because the main road within the park was still closed from the winter season, so we chose one I hadn’t heard of. Here’s an example of how I can be a cool kid, sprinkling my Type B personality all over the place. Hike number two was significantly more difficult, partly because we woke up at 3 am, partly because we had already hiked 5 miles, partly because by the time we started it was already VERY hot outside, and partly because the elevation gain was 1860′.

  Apgar Lookout is a 7 mile out and back trail, starting in thick tree brush and opening into an exposed trail with expansive views. I loved this trail, and surprisingly felt great the entire way up. Slow and steady wins the race, especially when the sun gives no mercy to us cloud loving Washingtonians.

  

  

  This trail was much less traveled, and we didn’t see anyone until we got closer to the top. The most memorable being a mom and her son literally running up the mountain. Running…up. We saw more people when we were coming back down, but far less than the previous hike. This one is a harder trail, meaning less people are inclined to hike it. What sold me on this trail was the lookout at the top. I am a sucker for a good lookout hike.

  After reaching the top we sat on the lookout and savored the view with some squirrel friends.

  

  

  By the time we got back to the car we had clocked over 12 miles for the day, and I was very pleased with our first of two days in the park. We drove as much as we could for a little bit longer before deciding to call it a day around 1400. It was too hot to do much more outside. We managed to see one bear for the day, immediately after we drove into the park around 0400. No bears spotted on the trails though.

  I am incredibly thankful my partner in crime was up for two hikes in one day. We didn’t have a lot of time to visit Glacier, and with the 0300 wake up in order to get in I knew we would only get one more day after this one. The extra exploration made me very, very happy.

  

  

  We spent the next day resting and reevaluating what our second day would look like. Thankfully most of the other entrances did not require an entrance ticket, but they were significantly further away from our Airbnb. Nothing worth having comes easy, right?

  Q: Are you a planner, or a go with the flow-er. I do like a plan, but there is certainly beauty in readjusting plans to accommodate for ideas I might not have considered.

  

  | 31 Comments Tagged Glacier National Park, Hiking, Montana, National Park

• Peak District National Park

  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on December 12, 2019

  When driving through the Lake District, I was surprised to find the area had a good balance between isolation and population. I wouldn’t say it didn’t feel like a national park, but it had areas that felt like any other town. It was a similar first impression to when I visited the Black Forest in Germany.

  When I think of a national park I think long stretches of road with little to no civilization. I think of rocky terrain with pot holes that make my heart dip into my stomach wondering if I scratched the side of my vehicle. I think of endless rolling hills that will swallow me whole if I don’t respect the vastness of their proximity.

  I think of places like the Peak District. 

  

  

  There is no one size fits all national park, the exact definition is an area of countryside, or occasionally sea or fresh water, protected by the state for the enjoyment of the general public or the preservation of wildlife. Definitions aside, I still have a specific vision in my head when I think of a national park.

  Perhaps my summer spent in Yellowstone, or growing up near Olympic National Park skewed this vision for me, but either way I tend to enjoy national parks that are a bit more isolated. The Peak District is a little over two house south of the Lake District, and the differences between the two were obvious right away.

  I absolutely loved the Lake District, but I equally loved the Peak District for different reasons. 

  

  

  The Peak District felt more spread out when it came to civilization, there were cafe’s scattered throughout the roads we drove, but they didn’t sit in tiny towns. They were their own isolated building on top of a hill overlooking the wonder of the hills below. This park is so sporadic we had a hard time keeping a cell signal, which made it sightly difficult to find our Air B & B.

  After some time, we finally found our tiny house. 

  

  

  We had quite a few laughs in regard to this place, it was a bit too small for three people, but we made it work. All three of us are flexible and chill people, so I slept on the tiny couch while the other girls slept on the tiny bed. We had no wifi, no reception, and no visibility for our first evening in the park.

  Before arriving in the Peak District we spent the morning walking the Lake District a bit more, and we arrived in the Peak District in the afternoon. I always like finding a new place in the daylight just to minimize stress. It would have been a nightmare trying to find this place in the dark.

  After finding our house, we decided to drive back to a cafe we saw when driving in to the park for a late lunch/early dinner. 

  

  

  I had been in England for five days at this point, and had yet to eat fish and chips. It was an easy choice when looking over the Peak View menu. We enjoyed our meal and headed into the nearby town for breakfast supplies before heading back to the tiny house to unwind for the evening.

  The following morning I made us all coffee, eggs, and scones. When I say made us I mean I tried to do a makeshift pourover that turned out too weak, made scrambled eggs in a tiny microwave, and opened a package of scones from the grocery. It was a memorable and comical morning in the tiny house. We listened to 80’s music videos on the TV while we ate, and then we packed up our stuff and headed off for a morning in the park.

  

  We drove until we saw an area that looked worthy of exploration, and then we parked and walked. We walked for a few hours – some on country roads and some in open fields with free roaming animals. We walked through fog, and mud, and thick open fields.

  

  

  I fell deeper and deeper in love with the UK each step I took. The cold crisp air, the green hills, the roaming cows, the scones, the black pudding, the people, the accents, the language (I understand English!), everything about these countries continues to sweep me off my feet. The stone houses, the random castles, the history, the energy of a slow paced way of life.

  I’ve never felt more myself somewhere than I do in the UK the last six years. 

  

  

  After our morning of exploration we drove to the Manchester airport where we flew back to Germany later that evening. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip to England, or a better group of girls. There are few people who I work with who I enjoy spending time with, but the few who I enjoy are good people.

  I don’t always enjoy solo travel, and sometimes it’s more fun experiencing the world with others. I’m thankful for the two girls who accompanied me to England, it was a trip I will never forget. Now if someone can find me a good scone in Germany, that’d be grand. 

  Q: What do you visualize when you think of a national park?

  

  | 19 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, England, National Park

• Lake District National Park

  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on December 9, 2019

  For someone who loves national parks, I’ve shamefully not visited many in Europe. I drove through one in Slovenia when a bus driver tried to avoid traffic, but I don’t think that really counts. I spent a day in Berchtesgaden shorty after Slovenia, but aside from those two instances I’ve not seen any European national parks since I visited Scotland last October.

  When my friends and I decided to visit England we all agreed we HAD to see one, if not two national parks. 

  

  After a night in Highclere, we headed towards our next stop. The first area we visited was Lake District National Park, and we stayed here for two nights. Our Air B & B was adorable, and our host was a kind man that sounded Scottish. We stayed just outside of the park, because it was cheaper, and because the listing showed a sheep pasture in the backyard.

  I don’t know what it is about sheep, but I adore them.

  

  You can see one sheep up top in the field.

  Our first day in the park I tried to find a hike for us to do, and we didn’t have a specific plan, but I knew I wanted to see one of the many fells. To maximize time we chose a location that was about an hour from our Air B & B, and while it wasn’t a large mountain, it was considered a “must see for first time visitors to the Lake District.”

  

  

  We found the Loughrigg Fell Loop starting from the town of Grasmere, and spent a little over two hours walking the woods, and climbing hills to get an amazing view of Grasmere Lake down below. We sat at our self proclaimed summit for about 30 minutes before heading down to explore the town a bit.

  

  

  

  

  After we made our way down, we walked the town a bit and I found my way to Lucia’s Coffee + Bakehouse. AKA where I had the best scone of the entire trip. I would go back to Grasmere just for this scone. And for the cinnamon roll I bought for the following morning to go with my cup of coffee. I never knew I was a scone person until I went to England.

  This scone was the perfect mix of dense and soft, sweet and savory, warm and cold, it was just…perfect. 

  

  

  Grasmere is famous for their gingerbread and I bought one piece, but sadly I was not a fan. The shop is adorable, and the smells of sugar and ginger are intoxicating, but this was a hard piece of gingerbread. Almost like a chewy cracker. I like soft gingerbread, actual bread and not a cookie like bread. Does that make sense?

  

  

  All was not lost on the gingerbread front, I had my cinnamon roll to look forward to and it was worth the wait. It’s been a while since I’ve had a sugary treat first thing in the morning. My blood sugar is extremely sensitive, and sugar paired with caffeine is no longer a good option for me, but thankfully I didn’t crash too hard with this.

  

  

  Our Air B & B also had a creek out back, and while it was too cold to sit out there long term, it was nice to step outside with my coffee and hear the running water. Our second and last night at this Air B & B, we went to the only pub in the area called The Old Crown. It was a lovely place, with delicious food, and friendly staff.

  

  

  

  Our trip to the Lake District was short and sweet, but I know I will be back someday. The weather was perfect for our trip, and the endless rolling hills had me daydreaming of a permanent lifestyle driving on the right side of the car. I could easily spend a week exploring this national park. I don’t want to work in a cafe again after I leave my current job, but I could see myself working at Lucia’s Coffee + Bakehouse.

  Anything for the scones and cinnamon rolls. 

  

  We packed our bags and packed our car, and we headed towards Peak District National Park, our last leg of the trip and our second and drastically different national park in England. My idea of what it would be like to hike around England national parks ended up being a completely different reality, but it turned out to be a low key adventure I’ll never forget.

  Q: Cinnamon roll or scone? Why am I always asking questions about food….

  

  | 10 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, England, Hike, Lake District, National Park, Scones

• Königssee, Berchtesgaden National Park

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 5, 2019

  One of my favorite things about blogging is getting to relive an adventure I went on. Writing this post allows me to relive the start of an awesome week with my dad and my stepmom. These two wonderful people blessed me with their presence for ten days in the middle of July, and I am so thankful for all the fun things we were able to do.

  The first day they arrived, I met them at the airport in Munich and we drove our rental car back to Garmisch. 

  The beauty of a rental car is the freedom it provides, and the day after they arrived we took a trip to Berchtesgaden National Park. The main goal was to visit the Eagles Nest, which I will share more of in my next post. After the Eagles Nest we went to Königssee, a lake I’d been dying to see located in Berchtesgaden National Park.

  

  

  Berchtesgaden is an adorable town, with a boardwalk like area of shops and ice cream vendors located near the foothills of the German Alps. At the end of the shops, you’ll find the lake, and a kiosk where you can purchase tickets for a boat ride to one or two of the stops at the other end of the lake. According to the boat driver, this lake is the cleanest lake in all of Germany, so clean the water is drinkable.

  I didn’t test this water, but I did once drink from a stream in Alaska where my dad swore I’d get giardia. 

  

  

  My first month in Germany I looked up things to do in Bavaria, and Königssee popped up as a must see lake. It’s not close to where I live, so I wasn’t sure when I would get to visit. When I realized the Eagles Nest was right next door to the lake, I was stoked. I didn’t realize the lake was in the national park, so this was an extra bonus.

  I was very excited my family was up for this adventure.

  We bought tickets for both of the stops on the boat, and my only regret was not having enough time for exploration. We spent most of our time at the Eagles Nest, which didn’t leave much time for getting off the boat and wandering the trails at the other end of the lake.

  

  We went straight to the second stop, which dropped us off near a network of trails. I’ve daydreamed about hiking these paths since I left. We had only enough time to walk the 15 or so minutes to a man made lake called Obersee. The reflection on the lake of the mountains surrounding it were amazing, and there was a waterfall in the distance I would love to go back and hike to.

  

  

  

  

  The last boat ran around 5:45p, which is why we had limited time. Because of this we weren’t able to stop at the first stop. The first stop has a cathedral that I really wanted to go into, alas time did not permit. This just means I need to go back! The good thing about Berchtesgaden is that it’s only a couple of hours away, so I can easily take a trip back for a weekend.

  

  

  

  The boat ride itself was a bit long, it took an hour to get to the end of the lake and then another hour to get back, and after a long morning we were struggling to stay awake on the boat ride back. The drive back to Garmisch was equally eventful. My dad was struggling with some delayed jet lag, it was dark, and it was a long day.

  We ended up missing our exit (twice) adding an additional hour to our journey. We also stopped for late night coffee at Mcdonald’s in an attempt to perk up the driver. This was the second Mcdonald’s we’d gone to that day and BOTH of them had fresh flowers on the tables, and a fancy inside area.

  European Macd’s are bougie y’all.

  We finally made it back to Garmisch around midnight, and slept soundly that night. Our first family adventure was a success, and set the tone for a wonderful week in Europe!

  

  Q: What do you do when you’re feeling tired while driving?

  

  | 14 Comments Tagged Berchtesgaden, Brittanys Life Abroad, Garmisch, Germany, National Park

• It’s Just So, Yellowstone

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 14, 2018

  Grab some coffee, this is a long one. 

  You know when you’ve been doing something for so long it becomes second nature, and whatever the activity is seems somewhat easy? How about when you stop doing this activity for a significant amount of time and then try to start again. It feels like walking through molasses with cinderblocks attached to your feet. That’s how I feel right now trying to write a blog post. It feels like trying to find the ground in a deep pool of water.

  

  

  I’ve been home from my adventure in Yellowstone for over a month, but I’ve struggled to find the motivation to blog. Granted I took a trip to Scotland somewhere in between, but I felt overwhelmed by all that I had to share. When I get overwhelmed, instead of diving in and tackling things I tend to do the opposite. I shut down. Despite feeling overwhelmed, I still had a desire to write and to create.

  How could I possible share my experience in a single blog post?

  Simply put there is just too much to share from my time working in America’s first national park, but a few moments stick out as highlights. My job itself was nothing exciting, I was a server in the Grant Village dining room. I made a shitton of money, but that was not the goal. I worked my ass off (literally, but a month back home with access to almond butter has brought it right back) with long shifts, early mornings, endless “clopens”, and brutally annoying foreign customers.

  “I’d like the BEE-SON (bison) BOUR-GAIR (burger)”

  

  

  I lived in one of these cabins, and my neighbor sometimes had visitors help with lawn work.

  

  Despite the chaos that was my job, the people and adventures kept me lusting for the weekends. I made lifelong friendships, explored over 200 miles of backcountry trails, went on 32 (35 if you count repeats) hikes, met hundreds of bison and elk, but most importantly I discovered a piece of myself that I knew was missing. My desire to travel and explore was nurtured in a way I hadn’t been able to do before. Spending nearly five months living in a national park is truly life changing.

  I saw endless beautiful sun rises over Lake Yellowstone while working morning shifts at the restaurant. 

  

  

  

  

  

  I hiked my tallest peak to date, with three of the best hiking partners I’ve ever met. 

  

  

  

  I discovered another planet…over, and over, and over.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  I made friends with people from all over the world.

  

  

  

  

  I survived the biggest mind game while hiking 20 miles straight on Mary Mountain with my favorite person in Yellowstone. Getting lost over and over again, yet somehow managing to find our way out. Nothing was impossible after this, and there’s nothing quite like being 10 miles into the backcountry before heading towards civilization again.

  

  

  

  I saw waterfalls a plenty, but none more magical than Union Falls, and suddenly any hike under 10 miles felt like child’s play.

  

  Union Falls

  

  Mystic Falls

  

  Moose Falls

  

  Fairy Falls

  I drove the Beartooth Highway, one of the most beautiful highways in America.

  

  

  

  I fell deeper in love with the Teton Mountains the more I drove past them. Grand Teton National Park was my neighbor, and a common destination for my days off. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  I rode a horse through a valley and up steep hills, which was equal parts terrifying and painful. My horses name was Slim Jim, and he pooped a lot. 

  

  

  

  I swam in the Firehole River, which isn’t actually on fire. Though my chest was from the adrenaline I felt after jumping into a raging rapid. 

  

  

  

  I learned how to get lost, and not to panic. To trust my instincts and use a compass/map. 

  

  

  

  

  

  I met a bison I named Biscuit, who became the mascot for my adventure. I was then gifted a bison stuffed animal on a very hard work day, which resulted in tears. Naturally I named him Biscuit (jr.) 

  

  

  I white water rafted on the Yellowstone River…twice…for free. #employeeperks

  

  

  I said a very hard goodbye to my closest friend, that I still miss everyday. Living with people for months, eating together, working together, playing together, and then suddenly leaving is quite an emotional ransack. I’m emotionally crippled, but I’m not as emotionally dead inside as I thought.

  

  

  It’s not often we find ourselves surrounded by people that are so similar to us, but I found that those who seek out seasonal work have a similar mindset. Sure, we had plenty of differences (I don’t drink, smoke, or stay up late) but we all came to work, and play in Yellowstone for similar reasons. We’re all a little lost, ironically trying to find ourselves by getting lost in other ways.

  Leaving the woods and returning to society was hard. It was not only a physical shock, but I felt depressed without the comfort of isolation from society.

  I was able to turn my mind off for the first time in years, all I had to think about was “where are we going to hike this weekend?” It was incredibly freeing. I didn’t worry about “what am I doing with my life” or “where do I want to live,” I was given a place to live, and food to eat, and all I had to do was show up. Thanks to my parents instilling good financial habits, I was able to save so much money, still contribute to my retirement fund regularly, all while exploring the world.

  It’s more than possible to cultivate a future for yourself without a 9-5 job. It just comes down to preference. 

  

  My adventure doesn’t stop here, I plan to do seasonal work until I feel ready to settle down. I found that I was a bit older than most of the people that I’ll likely find in this type of work, but that didn’t stop me from finding a great group of friends. All it takes is confidence in your own lifestyle and people will have no choice but to respect you. I would have never been able to experience Yellowstone the way I did had I not done this, and like any first time, Yellowstone will forever have a special place in my heart.

  We do this type of work because we want to live our lives right NOW, not tomorrow. Work and play can go hand in hand, you just have to know where to look. 

  Grant Village was small, and not a big tourist spot like Old Faithful or Mammoth Hot Springs, which made this the perfect spot for me. The feeling of being submerged in the wild would not have been possible staying anywhere else. I enjoyed walking outside, or walking to work and not running into hundreds of people. Visiting the bigger spots felt like visiting small towns. A smaller location meant the employees became like a family.

  

  I became known as the girl who ordered chicken breasts at every meal. I couldn’t eat 95% of the food served unless I wanted to suffer (holla food sensitivities!), so I literally survived off of chicken breasts, cucumbers, steamed veggies, and hummus. All of the Taiwanese girls that worked in the employee dining room were super accommodating.

  

  Not everyone was younger than me, here we celebrate Gail turning 70. Gail made my eating experience much less stressful by ensuring I had foods that I could eat. She will never know the blessing she was to me. Homegirl to my left is Katy, she was my roommate and we accidentally killed a mouse together while trying to intentionally kill it. We’re forever bonded, and I still feel guilty. RIP Marvin.

  This CliffsNotes post barely scratches the surface of my time in Yellowstone, there was obviously so much more. No amount of blog posts will ever capture the magical adventure that was my summer. However, like anything in life, for every moment of magic there was a moment of pain. Stressful nights of endless tables, managers and employees not showing up to work, foreigners that didn’t understand what it meant to tip (I’m still salty that I got $0 on a bill that was over $200.) Seasonal work is not for the weak, but once you know…you know. I now understand why people return year after year.

  In the words of a woman from a 1990’s documentary I watched in the Grant Village Visitor Center, “it’s just so, Yellowstone.”

  

  

   

  

  | 53 Comments Tagged National Park, Seasonal Work, Xanterra, Yellowstone National Park

• Glacier Bay National Park

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 14, 2017

  I’ve been to a handful of National Parks in my existence, but never had I been to one only accessible by boat or plane. Glacier Bay National Park is a highlighted experience through the inside passage of Alaska with many of its visitors arriving by boat.

  

  

  We obviously arrived by boat, and this full day of adventure was experienced from the comfort of our cruise ship. The ship sailed into this passage in the morning, and spent a large chunk of the day slowly moving throughout the park.

  A prime example of how life is often best when we slow down and enjoy the journey.

  

  The history of this park stems back to the late 1700’s, where Captain George Vancouver first created a rough map of the bay. Next up was John Muir, a more familiar name to me, arriving by canoe to study the glaciers. Muir eventually changed America’s perspective of Alaska from a cold daunting place to one of enchanting beauty.

  I’d say his description was on point, the beauty was enough to give a Disney princess a run for her money. 

  

  

  Muir arrived in Alaska attempting to prove that his beloved Yosemite Valley was indeed formed by ice many years prior. Today the park is home to a variety of plants and wildlife, with 11 sea reaching glaciers. The remote vastness of this land is one you must see for yourself to truly experience.

  While we stayed on the cruise ship, this park has the option to disembark and explore by foot as well. 

  

  

  

  For our trip, a park ranger came aboard our ship (without our ship even stopping) to provide us with narrated history as we sailed along. The big ticket item of this adventure was spending an hour sitting in front of Margerie Glacier.

  The large walls of the surrounding mountains provided such a quiet environment that we could hear the ice calving off of Margerie from miles away.

  

  

  This was probably the coldest day of the trip, and if you plan to visit in September like I did be sure to bring a warm jacket! You can view the park inside, but it’s not the same as standing on the bow of the ship and soaking it all in.

  

  

  I did retreat indoors occasionally, spending some time sitting in my favorite area of the ship watching the cold world outside pass me by. I’d quickly make my way back outside once I was thawed to see the vibrant blue colors of the glacial meltwater.

  

  My favorite area. Daily classical concerts.

  

  

  The color of the water is such a deep arctic blue a photograph cannot convey the image quite like the memory burned into my brain. Pieces of floating ice bob like apples in a bucket of water on a sunny fall afternoon. Otters swim round and you wonder how anything could live in water so cold.

  

  Many years ago people also lived at the bases of these glaciers. My poor blood circulation would surely kill me if I had to live on ice. Thankful for the indoor reprieve whenever I pleased, this sailing through Glacier Bay is one I’ll not soon forget. Perhaps someday I’ll return by plane in the warmer months and conquer a hike or two!

  Q: Would you rather visit in the heat or cold? 

  

  | 28 Comments Tagged Alaska, Cruise, Holland America, National Park, Vacation

• Mount Rainier

  Posted at 7:46 AM by Brittany, on July 7, 2015

  Does anyone remember back in January when I had my first public, “I can’t even” moment? For those of you that don’t know what this means, (mom) it’s an abused phrase that I really can’t stand, yet found myself using…again.

  

  A phrase used when something is so monumental that “I can’t even” think of words to describe how I feel. All that comes out is “I can’t even.”

  

  I was so enraptured by the wonder that is Mount Rainier that I really had no words, just feelings. Lots of feelings. Like the kind you get when you are eating cake.

  

  I’d been wanting to make my way to Mount Rainier National Park for quite some time now. On most of my hikes this volcanic mountain is what I search for off in the far distance as it’s the highest mountain in Washington.

  It was indescribable to be this close to it.

  

  

  This park is so big that I was overwhelmed with where to start exploring. Thankfully I have adventurous friends that also like to explore, and when one of them asked if I wanted to go hike a specific trail I didn’t think twice before saying yes.

  Plus my dad appreciates when I take a buddy.

  

  

  

  Burroughs mountain trail brought me to the view in most of the photos above. I felt almost close enough to touch the top, yet we were only halfway there. The peak of this active volcanic mountain is 14,410 ft above sea level, and we were merely at the 7400 ft mark. We were like ants in a sea of evergreen trees.

  

  Because you gotta drink a Rainier while next to Rainier.

  

  Unless you don’t drink beer, then eat a Larabar.

  The Burroughs trail brought us to this view, but I wanted more. The thing about Rainier National Park is there are trails..everywhere. Literally days of exploration.

  

  A fire lookout sat atop an adjacent mountain, and I wanted to see the view from it.

  That was a great decision on my part.

  

  A perfect shot to celebrate independence day.

  

  This adventure filled my soul with 5 hours and 8.2 miles of mountain goodness. I can’t wait to get back and explore even more. Next time I want to camp.

  

  

  

  I started a pin collection, because I’m too lazy to work with patches. Now I need to get my fanny to more national parks and get my bag some legit bling. I also bought a mug because coffee tastes better in a good mug, and because I fell prey to the tourist traps.

  

  

  

  Yea, that coffee tasted like adventure.

  

  Q: Have you been to a national park in or near your state?

  

  | 69 Comments Tagged Explore, Hike, Hiking, Mount Rainier, National Park, Summer, Washington

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