The Blonde with a Backpack

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The Blonde with a Backpack

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” — Mae West💫

❤️Endlessly curious + Travel addict🌎

12/03/2025

💫🌲Season for Stories🌲💫

Tonight I ate dinner with a young gal who was a refugee from Bosnia back in 1998. She talked about her opportunity to move to the US and how it was life changing. Life saving, too, probably.

We all have the opportunity to change lives….for the BETTER. And there’s no time like the present to do things that will make life better for future generations.

The holiday season in Southern California is inspiring. 💫🌲❤️

12/02/2025

🌅🏄‍♀️SoCal Rush Hour🏄‍♂️🌊

Today’s sunset was 4:42 pm. At about 3:30, people with their surfboards started pulling up to the beach in their vehicles. Many frantically tried to pull on their thick wetsuits, then they’d literally sprint to the water.

I was amazed when I realized that people of all ages were surfing. Young and old - they all were looking to catch the next good wave. There was a public parking lot that overlooked Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. I noticed many elderly people sitting in their cars, watching the surfers in the water. Did those older people surf once upon a time? Were they living vicariously through the surfers in the water by watching them?

That golden hour right before sunset seemed to be the SoCal rush hour today. Even though I’m terrible at surfing, part of me wished that I was just sitting on a surfboard enjoying the waves and watching the sunset!🌅

12/01/2025

🌊 🐟🐠Ceviche🐠🐟🌊

Be still my pescatarian heart. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end Thanksgiving weekend than to indulge in some fresh California ceviche. I fell in love with ceviche several years ago and now, whenever I travel to the coast and I see fresh ceviche on the menu, I can’t resist. Tonight’s ceviche was served with a pile of fresh sliced serrano peppers. They gave the ceviche the perfect punch of spice.

After supper, it was fun watching all the surfers on Del Mar Beach in their wetsuits, waiting to catch the next big wave. I’ve tried surfing, but never really got the hang of it. It’s always fun to watch surfers catch a good wave and ride into shore.

Good food. Good weather. Good people. It’s hard not to love California just a little. 🌊🌴☀️

11/29/2025

🍂🏔️🍁Gratitude🍁🏔️🍂

It was a beautiful fall. I’m grateful for every moment that I get to spend in these beautiful mountains. They keep me young; I’m always dreaming of my next adventure through the lush canyons and cragged peaks of the Tetons - once the snow melts.

Today we turn the page on fall and head into winter and the Christmas season. New adventures lie ahead. A warm(er) weather adventure awaits next week. Today I will embrace winter and enjoy the cold and crisp air.

Life is short.
Book the trip.
Take the adventure.
✈️🌍❤️

11/18/2025

❤️🥾Devil’s Tower🥾❤️

I’ve passed through Gillette, Wyoming more times than I can count recently. And each time, I think that I really should make the detour to see Devil’s Tower. But, the thing is, it’s kind of out of the way. It’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

This time, I decided I was going to stop. It was a beautiful November Monday morning. Sunshine and temps in the mid-40s. PERFECT hiking weather.

Devil’s Tower is pretty cool. It was the nation’s very first National Monument. Remnants of an old volcano, you can see it from miles away. As you get closer to it, you can see that it’s actually a shade of green, because it’s covered in moss. Lots of people climb Devil’s Tower annually. They report that the climb to the top is covered in bird p**p and the top of the monument is also covered in more bird p**p and small plants.

Climbing something covered in bird p**p sounds pretty unappealing, but fortunately there are a couple of decent hikes in the area. The Red Beds trail is a decent little 2.8 mile hike with about 450 feet of elevation gain that takes you around Devil’s Tower and also has great views of the Belle Forche river plain. Perfect on a cool, sunny November morning.

Many Native American tribes called the site Bear Lodge and shared similar stories of a tower growing tall to help people escape bears that once lived in the area.

It was a beautiful stop and I’d definitely come back - in the offseason. It looks like it could be a popular and busy stop in the summer. And probably hot. November was quiet, cool, and perfect.

Happy National Hiking Day, 2025. 🥾❤️

10/31/2025

🏔️🎃 Halloween Eve - String Lake - Grand Teton National Park 🎃🏔️

After work stroll around String Lake on Halloween Eve. It was calm, cold, and quiet. The inner park loop closes for the winter on Saturday. After that, the only way to get here will be on bike or by foot. It doesn’t get much better than this. ❤️

10/10/2025

🍁🏔️Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? — Mary Oliver 🏔️🍂

09/11/2025

🍁❄️Seasons❄️🍁

The storm passed and the clouds cleared giving us a glimpse at the season’s first snow on The Grand Teton.

09/10/2025

🥾🏔️Table Mountain - Round 2🏔️🥾

Last week, I decided to hike Table Mountain once more. I’ve never done this hike this late in the season, so I was curious if there was any snow remaining at the higher elevations and if there were any wildflowers left.

The condition of the Face Trail, the super steep trail to the top of Table Mountain, was actually quite a bit better this time around. There hadn’t been much rain earlier in the summer, so the first time I hiked this trail this season, the trail was very, very dry and dusty. All the dust was causing people to slip on the trail. Recent rains helped keep the dust down this time around. The trail was in perfect condition.

I got a later than usual start, but amazingly, I made it to the top of Table Mountain in record time (well, record time for me). I spent an entire hour at the top of the mountain looking down at all the canyons in the Tetons and planning my wish list of future hikes. The weather forecast said 0% chance of rain. It can always rain in the mountains, but I gambled and left my rain jacket at home. It turned out to be a picture perfect weather day. I did, however, bring a lightweight puffy jacket - and I used it! As usual, it was cold and windy at the top of Table Mountain .

After an hour, it was time to begin the very steep trek down the mountain. I’ve been doing lots of hiking the past several weeks, and I could definitely feel my knees as I hiked down the steepest sections of the trail. Hiking poles saved the day! So did ibuprofen.

The wildflowers were definitely done for the season, but even so the trek down the North Teton trail was beautiful. There was a little snow still hanging on in the usual places of north faces of mountains. Any day now, the snow will begin and it will start to accumulate again.

Just as I made it up the mountain in record time, I made it down in record time, too. It was crazy how much easier the hike had been this time around.

I’ll take it.

Can’t wait to make the trek back up next year, Table Mountain. ❤️

08/23/2025

⚓️🏔️Weekend Kick Off🌊🏔️

One last warm summer weekend on tap before cooler temperatures arrive next week. We kicked off the weekend by heading to Leek’s Marina for a little pizza, a beer, and some time by the water.

I want to bottle up this weather and hang on to it a bit longer. ☀️🏔️

08/18/2025

🏔️🍷Happy hour🍷🏔️

Travel.
Climb Mountains.
Be Inspired.
Drink Good Wine.
Drink Swiss Wine.
Fall in Love.

08/17/2025

🌹☀️Inspiration☀️🌹

I’ve been looking for the perfect picture of Indian Paintbrush for YEARS. It’s my favorite flower and often when I hike in the mountains I’m much slower because I’m constantly taking pictures of this stunning wildflower. I quite literally have hundreds of pictures of it.

Yesterday I was walking around an art fair in Jackson when I spotted this wall hanging where Indian Paintbrush is the highlight of the picture. I immediately loved it and decided it’s the picture I’ve been looking for.

I asked the photographer where this picture was taken, thinking it was somewhere here in the Tetons. But it was taken on a hike on Catherine Pass in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. I’ve never been to Catherine Pass. The photographer told me exactly where it was taken so I can hike there and see this same view in real life. I can’t wait - I’ve added it to my hiking list.

This picture will now hang on my wall and remind me of all the amazing hikes I’ve done in the mountains, carpeted with Indian Paintbrush. And it most certainly will inspire me to lace up my hiking shoes and hit the trails. 🥾❤️🏔️

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Dassel, MN
55325

Telephone

+13202248550

Website

https://theblondewithabackpack.com/

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