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The Blonde with a Backpack, Dassel, MN (2025)

07/08/2025

🗻🥾Chutes and Ladders: Mount Rainier Edition🥾🗻

The calendar might say July, but last week winter and spring were hanging on for dear life on Mount Rainier. The trails in the area around Paradise were still snow covered in many places. The downside to this is that we were too early in the season to see wild flowers at the higher elevations. But the upside is that all the snow provided a bit of extra adventure.

We hiked the Skyline Trail to Panorama Point. It was a stunning day. Mostly clear skies, temperature in the mid 80°s, and a trail that was at least sixty percent snow packed.

Behind the Tatoosh Range, we could see Mount Adams, Mount Hood, and Mount St. Helens in the distance. And as we hiked ahead, The Queen of the Cascades, Mount Rainier, with her many glaciers and in all her 14,410 ft glory beckoned us.

The elevation gain on this hike was only about 1,800 ft, so it wasn’t terribly strenuous. Even in the snow. There weren’t any ladders, however we did climb in elevation, and as we climbed higher and higher on the mountain, we could get a closer look at Mount Rainier’s rugged glaciers. Some even had a blue hue.

Once we reached Panorama Point, we began our descent. And there were options for getting down the mountain! You could hike, glissade down the snow, or try one of the many chutes that hikers before us had made in the snow. I was tempted by those chutes. What if I never had the opportunity to try it again? I had to try one.

So I did. I decided to hop into one of the longest chutes on the mountain and slide down. It was basically like a human luge run. And it was FAST!

Hindsight, going down the chute in short sleeves and shorts is a dumb idea. If I were to do it again, I’d want to have pants and a jacket. When I reached the bottom of the chute, I had snow in places I didn’t know one could have snow! Up my shorts. In my underwear. In my shirt. In every pocket of my backpack. In my hair. In my shoes. In my socks. My sunglasses were wet with melted snow.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. However, it was a bonus that it was an 85° day, so although I was caked with snow, I never got cold, even though I had another three miles to hike down the mountain.

The Skyline Trail on Mount Rainier was, hands down, my favorite version of Chutes and Ladders of all time.

🥾Hike: Skyline Trail to Panorama Point | 6 miles | 1,800 ft elevation gain

❄️ When there is snow on the trails, hiking poles make a world of difference! I had micro spikes along as well, but never used them (although I saw several people wearing them).

This trail is rated hard on AllTrails. Even with the snow pack, with proper gear I think this hike more moderate than hard.

06/26/2025

🚗🏔️Car Camping🏔️🚗

Camping has never been my thing. I’ve known many people who love to camp, whether it’s “glamping” in an RV or camper or “roughing it” in a tent. I’m just not one of those people. Plus, I’m getting old, so I like a decent bed and mattress with good pillows. I also like a good hot shower and a flushing toilet. (Call me high maintenance. I won’t argue.)

I was thinking that my camping days are over, but this year I was talked into car camping for the first time. I went into it convinced I was going to hate it. The beauty of it is that there is zero set up, yet it’s complete with:

Cushy Mattress ✅
Fluffy Pillows ✅
Cozy Comforter ✅

I was shocked to discover that it’s really quite cozy…and surprisingly comfortable to camp out of the back of your car.

And the views? Incredible.

We woke up a full hour before the sunrise to catch the different colors as the sun began to reach the morning horizon. It was peaceful and quiet and picture perfect.

One of the best views on the planet to start the day. ❤️☕️

06/21/2025

🇵🇰 🚗 The Pakistani Named Israr 🚗 🇵🇰

I hate awkward silences, because…well, they’re awkward. I go to great lengths to avoid them. So when we hopped into an Uber not long ago in Washington DC, I couldn’t take the silence, so I struck up a conversation with our driver.

Israr, our driver, began talking about the weather. (Perhaps all cultures use the weather to make small talk? Well, except for Germans, who detest small talk altogether.) He mentioned that it was 111° back home. One hundred eleven degrees?!

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“Pakistan,” he said. He explained that he and his wife have lived in the United States for ten years. Their entire family still lives in Pakistan.

His English was hard to understand at times, but I could tell we were both trying hard to understand one another. In fact, I started to sweat, because I was trying so hard to understand him! It makes me uncomfortable when I don’t understand other people when they talk; I feel bad about it.

I concentrated harder, trying to focus on Israr’s words.

I asked where he was from in Pakistan. He said he grew up in a small village about an hour from Peshawar. Had I heard of Peshawar, he asked? I told him that I knew about Peshawar and Karachi and Islamabad. I asked him if all of Pakistan was mountainous. He confirmed that much of it is…and it’s beautiful, but it never snows in their mountains. It’s too dry. I told him that I, too, grew up in a small village (Cokato) about an hour from Minneapolis. And that it’s flat. Zero mountains.

He told me that Pakistan suffers from brutal heat in the summers, causing mass power outages. And winters in his village are very cold. They have no “facilities”, he said. After explaining more, I believe he meant they have no real heat sources to keep warm in the winter, aside from their cooking ovens in their kitchens.

We drove by a McDonalds. I asked if they have McDonalds in Pakistan. “Yes, but only in the big cities and only rich people can afford to eat at McDonalds in Pakistan,” he said. “It’s very expensive. In the US, McDonalds is very cheap.”

I asked if there is a decent sized Pakistani community in Washington DC, where he can speak his language with others. And I asked if it’s easy to find markets where he can find ethnic groceries so he can cook Pakistani foods. He said yes to both questions. Washington DC is a vibrant community and he loves it, he said.

Then Israr asked if I had ever eaten Pakistani food. Chicken handi? Beef handi? Fattoush?

I shook my head “no”. “I’ve never tried Pakistani food,” I told him. “I bet it’s delicious.”

Then he said, “You are guests?” He looked back at me through the rearview mirror. I looked back at him, not understanding his question.

“You be our guests? Cook you lunch?,” he asked. He had told us that his wife was a wonderful cook.

Oh my goodness. That was an unexpected invitation. I wasn’t sure how to politely decline.

“We can’t,” I said. “But, I am going to look up Pakistani foods on Pinterest when I get home and try them. You’ve inspired me!”

It wasn’t a lie. We were leaving the next day. But I wish we lived in a time where strangers could sit down and share their cultural foods, talk about how our lives are similar and different, and chit chat about the weather. Usually, I find that we are much more similar than we think. The world would be a different place if we focused on what we share in common and embraced our differences.

“Thank you for telling me about Pakistan,” I told him as I got out of his car. “I’ve enjoyed learning about it.”

After returning home and special ordering numerous spices (did you know you can eat ground sumac?), I made Pakistani chicken handi and a fattoush salad, just as I had promised. I’m sure Israr’s wife makes chicken handi that is ten times better than mine, but it was an adventure to cook it, nonetheless.

Cheers to you, Israr - and a lifetime filled with making connections across cultures through curiosity, good conversation, delicious food, and peace.✌️

06/16/2025

🌊🦪Oyster Shucking Good🦪🌊

I didn’t expect to love the Chesapeake Bay as much as I did. The Chesapeake Bay covers a large area. In fact, it’s the largest estuary in the United States. But the bay is quite shallow with an average depth of 21 feet. And a large percentage (24%) of the bay is actually less than six feet deep!

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in Saint Michaels, Maryland is exceptionally well done. You can try your hand at attempting to remove blue crabs from real crab pots, try to rake the bottom of the Miles River (a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay) for oysters, go out on a boat or sailboat, and learn all about the history of crabbing and the oyster industry in this region. Your ticket covers admission for two days. I didn’t think there was any possible way I would need two days to explore the museum, much of which is outside or on the water. I was wrong - it truly took the better part of two days to take it all in!

I loved spending so much time on and near the water. To me, Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay region felt like the Mid-Atlantic’s version of the Florida Keys, with charming small towns, harbors, and seafood at every turn.

To my surprise, the real star of the show was the oysters. I was pretty much transformed into Forrest Gump’s friend, Bubba, only my obsession was with oysters, not shrimp. We tried raw oysters, steamed oysters, baked oysters, grilled oysters, fried oysters, oysters casino….ALL THE OYSTERS. And they were shucking good. (The crab cakes were amazing, too.)

Fair winds and following seas, Maryland. I can’t wait to return to your beautiful shores.🌊❤️⚓️

06/11/2025

🌊🦀The Attic at Black Walnut Point Inn🦀🌊

I’ve spent time in Maryland before, but it took this trip exploring the Chesapeake Bay to really appreciate the beauty of this state.

We stayed in the attic of a bed and breakfast called The Black Walnut Point Inn, a house built in the early 1800s, which sits on several quiet acres of land at the end of Tilghman Island. The tip of Tilghman Island sits at the confluence of the Choptank River and the Chesapeake Bay. With water on three sides and acres of land dedicated to birds and other wildlife, it’s serene and relaxing.

The US Naval Academy. Annapolis, the sailing capital of the United States. Blue crabs galore. Oyster estuaries, Hundreds of years of history. AND, Maryland is the second most educated state in the nation. It’s truly a special place, filled with interesting and intellectual people.

I think I could live here. That’s how much I love it. 🦀❤️

06/07/2025

🦪🌊 Adventures in Maryland - Down the Hatch!
Oysters on the Half Shell! 🦪🌊

I love seafood. In fact, in recent years I’ve become *mostly* pescatarian (a person who eats fish in addition to basically a vegetarian diet). But oysters? They have remained a mystery to me. How can they possibly be any good? Why all the hype?

Upon landing in Baltimore, Maryland we made a beeline to the water. Specifically, the historic old town of Annapolis. Our waitress handed me the drink menu. And an oyster menu.

That’s how it all started. The temptation of an oyster menu.

I didn’t know until today that oysters are eaten at the top of the meal. You order them when you order drinks, and you eat them ahead of everything else.

I also didn’t know there were so many options! Apparently oysters have different flavor profiles. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Who knew? (Apparently, this is common knowledge for everyone who lives by the ocean.)

I told the waitress that I’m an oyster newbie. She told me what to order and how to eat them. She even gave me a pile of napkins to spit them into if I detested them. (Spoiler alert: I didn’t need the napkins.)

The oysters arrived with different ways to “dress them up”. Essentially, different things to eat them with. Cocktail sauce, mignonette, horseradish, Tobasco sauce, lemon, and Saltine crackers.

I took my first oyster shell and topped it with a good squeeze of lemon and some cocktail sauce. Then, with no further ado, it was down the hatch!

It wasn’t bad at all! At the same time, I still don’t understand the hype. I tried another with some different toppings - a little extra kick of horseradish this time.

Now I’m curious. If I keep trying oysters, will I grow to love them? Game on! I’m really here for the crab cakes, but I’ll eat oysters, too!

PSA - Did you know oysters are nutritious and loaded with zinc, so they can give you a little energy burst after eating them? They are also known to be an aphrodisiac…so eat up! 😂

06/02/2025

🏔️❤️”In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir

05/31/2025

🥾❤️Taggert Lake❤️🥾

“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.” — Mary Oliver

Sometimes the simple things in life are the best.

One day after work a couple weeks ago, I talked my daughter into going on an evening hike with me to Taggert Lake. I had heard there was a little snow still on the trail, but it was warm. It seemed like the perfect night for a hike, even in snow.

The bears have been active! So, with bear spray in hand, we set off to Taggert Lake. Snow fields still dotted the landscape. The streams coming out of the mountains were rushing, loudly.

When we hit the forest, the snow blanketed the ground. It was still and quiet…and perfect.

“I think this just became one of my favorite hikes ever,” my daughter whispered as we walked through the trees.

When we got to Taggert Lake, we took in the majestic views of the Tetons, towering above us. I looked around, astonished. Not another soul was in sight. It was just us, and a couple of ducks - with the entire lake to ourselves. In a couple weeks, the shores of Taggert Lake will be filled with people wanting to take in the breathtaking beauty of this place.

We sat for a long time on a big rock on the edge of the water, reveling in the silence.

Reluctantly, we started the hike back to the car. It was getting dark. We didn’t see any bears or moose, just a mouse and a marmot. The solitude of it was incredible, likely once in a lifetime. This spur of the moment evening hike became one of our most memorable. ❤️

🥾Hike: Taggert Lake | 3.8 miles | 423 ft. elevation gain

05/27/2025

🐻❤️”Predation” - the preying of one animal on others

Seeing bears in the wild is something that I’ll never tire of. I prefer to see them from the safety of a car, or at least from a safe distance. But even when I’ve seen them while hiking, while being unprotected and in close proximity to them might put me on extra high alert, I’m still awestruck by their beauty. It’s especially fun to watch them in their natural environment, doing what bears do (usually, eating).

The month of May is spectacular for viewing animals, especially bears as they are just coming out of hibernation. As the weather warms up and the snow melts, bears will move to higher elevations, making them more difficult to spot later in the season.

We’ve been lucky enough to watch a few mother grizzlies with their cubs, including the grizzly family in this video. This mama grizzly is known as #1063 (her tag number), but also goes by the names of Bonita and Fritter. We watched #1063 with her three cubs for quite a while last afternoon, from a safe distance, giving them lots of space. By the following Tuesday morning, #1063 was seen alone, without her three cubs. Her cubs are yearlings, so they are a bit hardier than a cub of the year (a newborn cub), so it was somewhat unusual for all three of them to go missing at the same time.

By Tuesday afternoon, two of the grizzly cubs had been found dead in the Colter Bay area. Both cubs showed signs of being preyed upon by a larger male grizzly. This aggressive behavior is natural among bears and known as predation, where male bears will attack and kill bear cubs in the hopes of being able to mate with the mother bear.

For the next two days, #1063 was spotted alone and there were no sightings of the third cub. Most feared that it, too, had been a victim of the larger male grizzly. The National Park Service was sending up drones, hoping to spot the grizzly cub, with no luck. Then, surprisingly, on Thursday of that week, #1063 came out of the woods with the missing cub in tow. Somehow, and against odds, they had been reunited.

#1063’s third cub has been named “Miracle” by many. Grizzlies are currently listed as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act and there is a risk that they may be delisted. These incredible creatures continue to face many threats, from natural threats such as predation, to threats from humans and habitat loss. Many are killed by ranchers when they prey upon livestock, some are hit by cars, and some have to be put down when they become habituated to humans, usually because humans don’t secure food properly.

While the fate of #1063’s three cubs had a bittersweet ending, every minute watching them was a treat. I hope the protection of these amazing animals continues so that, for generations to come, we will still be able to go into the mountains and watch grizzlies roam free. 🐻 ❤️

05/25/2025

🦬☀️🧳 Pack Your Patience!🦬☀️🧳

Hello, Summer! Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, bringing more people to Yellowstone National Park (and all the US National Parks). I always tell people who are planning a trip to Yellowstone to pack their patience!

Yellowstone is a large park. The main park road makes a big figure eight formation throughout the park. On a map, distances between main locations in the park don’t seem that far, but it always takes much longer than one would think to drive from Point A to Point B in Yellowstone.

For example, it’s 51 miles from Mammoth Hot Springs on the north end of the park to Old Faithful on on west central side of the park. I tell people to basically plan to double their drive times. Essentially, plan for it to take 100 minutes to drive 50 miles. Most areas in the park have a speed limit of 45 mph, but plan for slower traffic and lots of stopping to see wildlife. An occasional buffalo or bear jam happens, out of the blue.

On this day, we got behind a slow moving buffalo who didn’t care what was on our agenda or how fast we wanted to go.

So, pack your patience and get ready to enjoy the ride. Enjoy the slower pace so you can take it all in.🦬❤️

05/23/2025

📸”The world’s big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” — John Muir

Watching animals in their natural habitat is one of my favorite aspects of any visit to Yellowstone National Park. The Lamar Valley is often called America’s Serengeti. It’s teeming with large mammals, including black and grizzly bears, bison, and wolves. It’s expansive and beautiful and I always want to check it all out.

On an unseasonably warm afternoon in May, we stopped to watch a moose that was resting in the shade of a tree. She was hard to see, but people patiently looked and watched her from an ethical distance, giving her space so she wouldn’t get stressed. We watched her through binoculars for quite a while. When we got back in the car to drive away, I looked back at the group of people we had just left and laughed. Sometimes I wonder if, as we are trying ever so hard to see animals in the wild, those same animals are watching us humans with curiosity, thinking we are very odd creatures. 😂

05/22/2025

🦬❤️Old Faithful Inn❤️🦬

During the early season in Yellowstone, Old Faithful is one of my favorite areas to stay. Old Faithful Inn was the first of the great park lodges of the American west. Initial construction of the lodge was completed over the winter of 1903-1904, using locally sourced materials like lodgepole pine and rhyolite stone. Today, Old Faithful Inn is the largest log hotel in the world; possibly even the largest log building in the world. It’s an impressively stunning structure and it’s fun to watch visitors walk into the lobby and look up in awe.

I’ve stayed in Old Faithful Inn several times and it’s definitely worth it to spend the night there at least once in your life. The floors are a little crooked these days and they make a well worn creeking sound with nearly each step you take. Many of the rooms have shared bathrooms and you have to haul your luggage up from the parking lot (although they do have bellhops, if you want help).

These days I prefer to stay in the cabins of Old Faithful Lodge, just a couple hundred yards away. Many of the cabins have private bathrooms and you can park right outside the door to your cabin.

Summer time can be exceptionally busy at Old Faithful, but early season is amazing. This year we spent our evenings after dark listening to a woman play the cello in the Inn, playing cribbage, drinking wine, and people watching. It was almost perfection.

But, the true perfection came at the end of the evening as we left the Inn to walk back to our cabin. It was just after 11 pm and we walked outside to see Old Faithful erupting under the almost full moon. We were all alone; not another soul in sight. Magic. ❤️

The Blonde with a Backpack

07/08/2025

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