Without a picture how do I tell you a story about my run in Death Valley National Park to Darwin Falls? How do I tell you about how I got to the second, third and fourth waterfalls while rock climbing on dangerous cliffs? How do I tell you about the loose gravel trail that wanders through a wash in the canyon leading to the first waterfall? How does one explain the soothing sound of the rushing water as I get near? How do I tell you about the lush green California desert oasis as I rounded the corner to the first waterfall?
Without a picture would you believe my story that I convinced a photographer to climb cliffs with me to what I hoped was another waterfall? Would you believe it when I said that with the slip of a foot the fall down would be severe? How about if I told you I had a hugging hold grip around a boulder, on the edge of a cliff, and my hand started to sweat as I tried to pull myself across? What if I told you the photographer trustfully handed me his 60 lbs pack multiple times instead of doubling back? How do I describe the relief as I jump down from a cliffs edge and noticed there was a second waterfall?
Again, without a picture would you believe there was a third and fourth waterfall tucked away in a narrow slot canyon? Could you imagine now climbing up a slope of crushed rocks to try and find a path for a better view? Then can you imagine finding a path over the third waterfall to an amazing view of a towering 80 ft tall free falling waterfall?
So the question remains, how do I begin to tell you with only a few pictures the things I have done just to see four waterfalls?
Following My Dream!
About a year and half ago I am boondocking at the very spot, in the Dixie National Forest, where I had my first dirtbag trip. I rented a car for a week to take a road trip to finally spread more of my moms ashes. She wanted to be spread in three different places…one of the places was the mountains. She also wanted to be let go speeding down a highway to fly free. I could do two in the same trip. As much as I wanted to do it with my two brothers, I knew it was time to let some more of her go. I got both their permission to free her in her second spot while flying down a mountain highway.
When I picked up the rental car I ended up getting a Mazda 6 wagon. To me it was a sign, a sign to let loose some of my wanderlust. I packed up the car with mom, my running shoes, food, blankets and a pillow and set off for my week adventure! Pup and I roamed from California to Colorado stopping where ever we wanted to. Of course I kind of had a plan of what I wanted to see. I had driven this interstate route from CA to my home state of South Dakota many times to visit family. I stopped at Zion National Park in Utah boondocking just out side of the NP for free at some BLM land. Stopped in Glenwood Springs, CO to run the bike path along the Colorado River you see from the Interstate 70. Random story about that run. The interstate as actually closed from Glenwood Springs to Gypsum. There was a man hunt for a shooter in the area. I took it as a sign to run pollution free with no cars passing. It was wonderful because there was not a sole in sight the whole 8 miles I ran. I know, I know…not smart to run when there is a lunatic on the loose but image the solitude I got from such a populated area.
Driving back west from Glenwood Springs to Rifle, CO I drove south through a cool mountain highway in the Grand Mesa National Forest. I decided this would be the highway where I spread my Mom’s ashes. Flying down the highway she floated free in the wind. I cried and then with tears of laughter I told her she was welcome for picking the snowiest spot.
That road trip sparked my dream to travel and run even more! At the time that wandering dream was just that a dream. I was consumed with the thought that if I did follow my dream I would jeopardize my life’s outcome. Money and material things drive us as a society. It’s hard to think about risking everything to be happy. Especially when so many people say it can’t be done.
Well, I wrote this sitting on top of a red rock peak in the Dixie National Forest after running 4 miles into Loose Canyon. I can tell you now that dreams are possible to achieve if you really want it bad enough. What’s hard to believe is that a year and a half ago I didn’t think I would be doing what I am.
Like I told a good friend of mine recently. Sit down and think about what you want in life and how you’ll get it. Don’t try to “figure” life out. In the last year I have learned that figuring it out is impossible. It took me three years to setup what I am doing now. Live in the moment and never stop chasing your dreams!
The Wave Arizona Lottery
A Day at The Wave
If you have been following my journey on my JAdRunning Facebook page then you know I’ve been traveling for a year now. The Wave has been on my list since day one! The beauty of this highly sought after sandstone rock formation draws hikers and photographers from all over the world to get a permit.
At the time of my writing this, the hike to The Wave is limited to only 20 people/permits a day. Ten permits through an online lottery months in advance and ten “next day” in person lottery permits. The rules are pretty simple for the in person lottery and you can find the rules with the link (BLM Wave Website).
I showed up to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in Kanab, Utah at 8:30 am after parking the night at the gas station across the street. We listened to a little spiel from the Park Ranger about the dangers of the hike before going into the lottery room. Each group then fills out an application and is given one number no matter the size. So let’s say the number of a group of six gets called…then only four permits are left of the ten.
The Ranger makes a joke about our odds of getting picked is pretty good compared to other days because it was a rainy night with snow in the morning. Only 29 people were there for a chance to hike the next day. The record of people the Ranger said was 254! I was feeling lucky on my first Wave lottery. You could feel the tension as the Ranger drops the numbered balls into a bingo wheel. He spins the wheel and calls the first number and two people cheer loudly! “They’re still nice people but their group is for 5 so there are only 5 permits left” the Ranger chuckles. The second and third numbers are called…both to a group of two.
This now leaves one permit. The Ranger then explains when this happens he allows an extra permit because he doesn’t recommend hiking alone. But, if the number called is for a group of more than two they would have to decide to pass or leave someone behind. “It could put a strain on some relationships,” he says. He spins the wheel and the last number drops…number 12? I motion a low fist pump to my side and let out a subtle YES! Then I say, “Well I saved everyone’s relationship…it’s just me.” The hint of laughter after my comment seemed to be more of an, ‘I hope you roll your ankle’ than a ‘that was a funny joke.’
I paid the $14 fee for the permit ($7 for me and $7 for Pup), grabbed my map, and started to prepare for my next day’s journey!
With it still raining through the day we were cautioned that only 4×4 would get us to the trailhead via the clay back roads. That didn’t stop me. Once I found out there was a free campsite only a mile from the trailhead I set out to venture the roads. I decided to come in through the south after being told the roads were better that way. It would be an extra 45-minute drive but I’d rather be there than miss this hike. The last two miles of road to the campground were a sloppy mess but manageable if driven right. Pup and I explored around the little campground and as sunset neared I got everything ready for the morning adventure!
So if you’re compiling a list of must see places I recommend putting The Wave in Arizona on your list! Pictures will never do justice for the beauty Mother Nature holds!
Big Bend National Park – Texas
Spent a few hot days at Big Bend National Park in Texas!
Dogs aren’t allowed on the trails here so I had to do my runs in the early morning. First night we had a great view spot of Nugent Mountian to camp. It was also close to Pine Canyon Trail which leads to a waterfall. Pup and I hung out trying to stay cool in the shade of the van. Shade is very limited to find in the park. 
Woke up early and ran 4.6 miles round trip to the waterfall on the Pine Canyon trail. Not much of a waterfall but it was trickling/flowing good for a TX desert waterfall. After my run pup and I explored the scenic drives in the park. Dogs are only allowed on roads so we stopped often on the backcountry roads to stretched. Drove from Boquillas Canyon all the way to Santa Elena Canyon, which are opposite sides of the park. Crazy to see views like this in Texas!
On our last day I woke up early to run to the highest peak in the park, Emory Peak. Woke up 15 minutes before sunrise to get to the trailhead at Chisos Basin Village. The view of the peaks as we drove was overcast and cloudy. Emory especially was not visible from the start. Most people would be disappointed but I was relieved. The overcast would keep pup cool in the van incase the forest service mileage was wrong, which it was. Total miles to the rock scramble peak of Emory from the Village was 11 miles vs the 9.8 I originally thought. My view at the top was pure clouds, cool breeze and solitude.
Not in if for the views, I am in it for the adventure!
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Stopped by Carlsbad Caverns National Park today to go explore under ground for a change versus running on top of it.
Although pup was not happy (had him kenneled due to the hot temps), myself and 8 others took a historic candle-lit lantern Ranger tour through an undeveloped section of the cave. The trail or section is called lefthand and it was on unpaved trails. Which sounded like my kind of tour so I coughed up the $7 for the tour. Ranger Nate was information galore and may have nerdded out on us a few times, making the tour even better!
After climbing around the dim lit section of lefthand I explored through the “Big Room” section of the cave. The Big Room is the free (not including the NP entrance) self guided tour of Carlsbad Caverns. –Insert all the big words for cave formations here–, it was spectacular to learn how all these formations become what they are.
Have you been in a cavern lately or ever? If not check one out…it’s amazing!
– Never Grow Up –
I wrote this yesterday after my run on the Colorado Trail near Silverton, CO. As all runners know, our brains wonders free as every mile passes.
Visit my Facebook page JAdRunning to follow my day to day updates as I travel across the country.
Mesa Verde National Park Colorado
Explored Mesa Verde National Park the last couple days. It’s simply amazing!
To see the little villages and life style the Ancestral Pueblo people lived puts life in perspective. We definitely live out of our means in today’s society, and nothing is wrong with that, but we just need to take a step back to evaluate what we have and appreciate it all the more.
The Park offers two free self guided tours of the dwellings (Spruce Tree House and Step House). As well as Ranger guided tours for an inside look of three other dwellings. I only did the free tour of Spruce Tree House (Spruce Tree closes in September). 
To me I still feel I got the up close feeling with the free tour. Even it to climb in a kiva and a baby tarantula cross my path on the trail! Most overlook trails and the Long House Loop paved trail are dog. There is not a lot cover so be sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
Maroon Bells – Aspen, CO
Maroon bells may be as picturesque as you can get in CO. It’s a huge tourist attraction drawing hundreds if not thousands of people a day. So beautiful and popular that the National Park Service doesn’t allow cars to drive up to the top between the hours of 8 AM – 5 PM. It is only accessible by a (dog friendly) bus ride to the top during the day. 
Of course I picked one of the busiest weekends at Maroon Bells to try and run here. Since there is color on the trees folks come from all over to get a picture. This made me have to wake up at 6 AM to get a spot at the top, even at 6AM the lot was filling up quick.
Pup and I chilled in the van til the sun started to light up the darkness. I then walked around to stretch pup as I focused on the run. After meeting a few runners the night before I planned on running up West Maroon Trail for about ten miles.
Maroon Peak is a 14er and surround by several other 14ers as you are in the meadow near Cater Lake. With the high altitude, breathing is still tough for me while running upward. But I managed to get 11 miles on this beautiful trail.
I also had my second moose encounter with a very curious young bull that was b-lining it to the lake.
If you are in the Apsen, CO area a stop at Maroon Bells is definitely worth your time. 
You think my toes look bad? You should see the rock I kicked!
You think my toes look bad? You should see the rock I tripped on…kicked it so hard it came out the dirt!
About 2 miles into a 7 mile run to Minnesota’s highest peak (Eagle Mountain in the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness) I tripped and fell hard. Trying to save my face from hitting the rocks I first hit the ground with my left hand holding a water bottle. I am calling it a pretty graceful fall, as I caught myself semi-sliding with my right hand and knee in a kneeling position. I jumped up quickly and took off running while trying to shake it off. After a the short sprint I slowed to a walk to assess the damage. No visible blood or scratches, just dirt. Only thing was I had a pain in my left heal and my toes felt numb’ish when I pushed off. A smart person would turn around and call 4 miles a good day. Well, being the stubborn runner I am I continued walking up to the summit. 
Hitting an overlook I got a surge of notifications on my phone as I picked up service for the first time in a day. Taking it as a sign I called my Dad. Told him what happen and jokingly said that I might get eaten by a wolf, bear or mountain lion. After hanging up I could feel my foot was starting to swell. I looked around for the summit marker to make my Minnesota’s highest peak run official. I ended up hiking a bit more to find it up the trail.
On the way down I started to walk/hobble. It only hurt if my toes bent around a rock or root. Knowing it would only get worse I started to run the 3.5 miles back to the van. With luck I only aggravated my toes a few times on the way down.
Getting back to the van I was nervous to see what the pain was all about. Removing my shoe and sock I see my 4th and 5th toes were black and blue. My 4th toe had a small puncture with a little blood where I assumed the cut came from my pinky toenail. Since no bones were sticking out I concluded that medical attention was not needed. I drove to the nearest town to get a bag of ice, beer and some junk food to help ease the pain.
As I near my home town to close out my East Coast journey this is almost a fitting circumstance. A month in I had a incident where I injured my left hand crawling into a cave to see a 35ft waterfall. Smashing my hand into a rock I bruised my pinky and ring finger causing horrific pain for serval days.
Either way I recovered nicely…free camping with a bunch of left over cut fire wood and a lake view in Superior National Forest.
JAdRunning: Dirtbagging in the heart of NYC!
How I think of New York City:
It’s dream like, it’s big, it’s flashy, it’s everything I run from…but I am drawn to the unquoted conversations that stir as I people watch, as I wonder where they are going, as I think of what I would do if I lived in the city, as I think of how lucky I am to have this the opportunity to travel the country.
My NYC “Plan”:
In my six months plus living out of the van I have only paid twice to park and once for a hotel because the weather got below zero. So, I decided to make a “plan” to splurge a bit to get a hotel in Manhattan for one night. Getting the hotel would be costly but I would have piece of mind knowing pup was safe while I was out. I could make it a full blown touristy day and see all the sites. Plus I was told about a group run on Saturday that would run the Brooklyn Bridge out and back. Well…like I have always said never make real plans because plans fall apart or get broken. Then you’re left feeling sad cause you missed out.
How my NYC “plan” fell apart:
I was excited for the Brooklyn Bridge group run even tough it was road running. Meeting and running with people is what makes my journey fun. Come to find out the same day the group run would be is the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I reach out to the person that mentioned the run to find out if the group was still meeting, no response. I reach out to the group organizers to find out, no response. No worries….they are road runners I tell myself. As a trail runner you learn how roadies can be so no biggie because I can just do my own thing.
Now that I don’t have the group to organize around I can start to plan my quick day and half tour of NYC. My go to for hotels has always been La Quinta Inns mainly cause they are pet friendly. I log into my LQ App on my phone and low and behold there is one in Manhattan with a perfect location to everything! Booked! I happen to be talking with my friend later the same night I booked the room. She tells me that she heard that the Manhattan LQ is the only non pet friendly location. Thinking she was joking I called the hotel to confirm her story. Holy crap it’s true! All I could do at this point is talk to the Manager in the morning. I stressed a bit over how expensive it was and how I missed the deadline to cancel. Realizing that stressing wouldn’t help I started create ideas of how I would spend my time in NYC like I originally planned. A short call in the morning to the manager and it was cleared up. He was hesitant at first and said it clearly states on the website no pets. Told him that may be the case but I only use the LQ App which does not state in details about no pets. I calmly won the debate and he canceled.
My new NYC idea:
“I call it an idea not a plan. Plans change. Plans get broken. Plans prevent us from following the moments that lead to who we are, where we should to be, what we are suppose to do.” This is one of my plan quotes I say and truly believe in to this day.
Letting all the negatives pass by I start to create the new ideas which will be just rolling with whatever comes. First stop is Liberty State Park in New Jersey. This is where you can take the NJ ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. My plan is to just walk with up and take a few pictures quickly. But this park is awesome! It’s huge and has a lot of green space so we took a long stroll.
I met a lady as we were walking that wanted to say hi to pup. She kept calling him a Collie. I let her call him one because it’s not worth the argument. Jayden ran up to her without his normal gruffle bark. Then she started crying as she pet him, she just lost her dog a month ago. I let her vent about her dog and how great he was as well as the breed itself. She asked where we were from and I gave her the short story to focus in her. Her son is a trail runner, hiker, adventurer too and lives in New Hampshire. She is going to the same farm to possibly get a new pup this weekend. She asked me if I thought it was to soon? Told her it would probably be good and it’s never to soon or late to wait. She will know when the time is right and the new dog will never be the same as the other dog. Before I left I told her I was giving her a big hug…and I did. After I did, pup ran up to her turned his butt to her for a pet. She smiled big and I noticed a tear roll down her cheek from under her sunglasses… she patted his bum and walked away.
I don’t write many stories of all great people I have met along the way. This just goes to show that following plans are good to a point but following the moment is what we are meant to do. That lady needed that hug, that conversation, my silly dog and his butt petting fetish. I wouldn’t have been there at that time if my plan worked out.
As for the rest of NYC it was fun driving down Time Square, getting honked at by every cab driver, hanging out in Central Park all afternoon. But the best was my straight dirtbagging it and boondocking on the streets of NYC! I literally slept in my van on the corner of the Upper Westside of Central Park!