http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA Travels and Journeys... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:57:18 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 2006-2010 heather@heatherdugan.com (Heather Dugan) heather@heatherdugan.com (Heather Dugan) 1440 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA 144 144 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?feed=podcast Footsteps Travels and Journeys... Travel, outdoors, adventure, Heather, Dugan, stories Heather Dugan Heather Dugan heather@heatherdugan.com no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/02/10/chilly-challenge/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/02/10/chilly-challenge/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:57:18 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=7678 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/02/10/chilly-challenge/feed/ 5 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/02/08/featured-photo-anhinga-head-shot/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/02/08/featured-photo-anhinga-head-shot/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:18:54 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=8217 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/02/08/featured-photo-anhinga-head-shot/feed/ 4 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/30/trout-fishing-at-tuolumne-meadows/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/30/trout-fishing-at-tuolumne-meadows/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:05:53 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=2635 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/30/trout-fishing-at-tuolumne-meadows/feed/ 18 0:00:54 ...Enclosed by the High Sierra and laced by clear bubbling streams, the meadow offers serene fishing with vistas that just might make catching a fish of secondary concern. ...Enclosed by the High Sierra and laced by clear bubbling streams, the meadow offers serene fishing with vistas that just might make catching a fish of secondary concern. Wildlife Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/23/deceiving-distances/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/23/deceiving-distances/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:15:20 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=5174 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/23/deceiving-distances/feed/ 5 0:00:47 ...Hance Rapid (pictured at right from Desert View) is rated an 8 in difficulty on a 1 to 10 scale. This mile long stretch of river features the Canyon's greatest single drop. Thirty feet doesn't sound like much in a place where everything else seem[...] ...Hance Rapid (pictured at right from Desert View) is rated an 8 in difficulty on a 1 to 10 scale. This mile long stretch of river features the Canyon's greatest single drop. Thirty feet doesn't sound like much in a place where everything else seems to be measured in miles, but in a kayak?... Extremes, Hiking, Kayak/Canoe Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/20/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/20/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:18:31 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/photo/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/20/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/feed/ 17 0:01:38 ...With the tallest redwood stretching 258 feet above the forest floor and the oldest one dating back at least 1200 years, there is plenty to inspire awe within this national monument. President Roosevelt segregated the land in 1908; its name honors[...] ...With the tallest redwood stretching 258 feet above the forest floor and the oldest one dating back at least 1200 years, there is plenty to inspire awe within this national monument. President Roosevelt segregated the land in 1908; its name honors naturalist John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and a pivotal figure in the establishment of our national park system... Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/16/the-giants-of-mariposa/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/16/the-giants-of-mariposa/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:22:41 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=3950 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/16/the-giants-of-mariposa/feed/ 12 0:01:14 That they are old is not enough.  Age is an effortless achievement -just ask any woman over forty.  But here also is grace.  A simple yet steadfast strength.  The presence of a peace that expands from within one’s own self to embrace the ver[...] That they are old is not enough.  Age is an effortless achievement -just ask any woman over forty.  But here also is grace.  A simple yet steadfast strength.  The presence of a peace that expands from within one’s own self to embrace the very sanctuary that seems to call it forth. The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias provides perspective on a grand scale.  One of three protected sequoia groves within Yosemite, Mariposa at the south-western edge of the park is the largest and most visited.  Unlike the coastal redwoods of Muir Woods, these Sequoias are more solitary.  The drier inland zone results in less undergrowth and clustering, making it easier to imagine unique personas for the individually named trees. Walking through, the sensation is similar to being in the presence of stalwart timeless heroes.  Some will fall, but even the decay of the fallen is deliberate due to a bacteria that suppresses the qualities of tannic acid in the wood.  The “Fallen Monarch” (pictured at right) has lain in state for centuries, and the trees around it will grow for centuries more. I think I’m ready for another visit to Yosemite. Updated from February 10, 2010. Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/09/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/09/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:25:55 +0000 Heather Dugan http://heatherdugan.com/blog/taking-the-kids/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/09/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/feed/ 17 0:03:44 Bryce Canyon has lingered as a treasured still-shot in my memory for some thirty years. One of those "perfect moments” from childhood that somehow attaches itself to your life and becomes a trailing accessory to it… Bryce Canyon has lingered as a treasured still-shot in my memory for some thirty years. One of those "perfect moments” from childhood that somehow attaches itself to your life and becomes a trailing accessory to it… Canyons, Extremes, Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/19/colossal-cones/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/19/colossal-cones/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:14:50 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=4003 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/19/colossal-cones/feed/ 6 0:00:48 Surrounded by trees extending almost three hundred feet straight up, I had an understandable urge to look skyward as we wandered through the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. Fortunately, a young boy showed me what was lying right at my fee[...] Surrounded by trees extending almost three hundred feet straight up, I had an understandable urge to look skyward as we wandered through the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. Fortunately, a young boy showed me what was lying right at my feet: giant sequoia cones... Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/12/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/12/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:47:17 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/taking-the-kids/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/12/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/feed/ 11 0:01:12   The Capitol Gorge spur road revealed no more than its next winding turn, one intriguing twist at a time. The vistas were vertical. Rocky skyscrapers of Wingate sandstone towered dramatically, enclosing us in a one-way maze. The pitted gravel road[...]   The Capitol Gorge spur road revealed no more than its next winding turn, one intriguing twist at a time. The vistas were vertical. Rocky skyscrapers of Wingate sandstone towered dramatically, enclosing us in a one-way maze. The pitted gravel road offered few options but “forward” with measured care and speed. Every so often I slammed into my sensory limit, shifted into park and cautioned the kids to watch for non-existent cars out the rear window while I snapped off a couple of pictures. Finally parked at the road’s dead end, we set off on foot down a Mormon pioneer trail. In the hush, it wasn’t hard to imagine the distant creaking of wagon wheels. Evening would soon sheath the canyon area in utter darkness, but we walked the first part of the trail -sadly noting petroglyphs marred by not-so-ancient vandals. Further along the trail is a Pioneer Register with the scratched signatures of long ago passers-by. Approaching darkness would have prompted those turn-of-the-century travelers to set up their night’s camp but sent us on a reluctant trek back to our car and a slow winding drive in dimming light.       Updated from November 28, 2008. Canyons, Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/02/two-mile-tunnel/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/02/two-mile-tunnel/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:05:37 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=5309 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/02/two-mile-tunnel/feed/ 7 0:00:58 Once our lunches and camera bags had been searched (it turned out that my turkey sandwich was not a security risk), we boarded the bus that would carry us to the base of the Glen Canyon dam. Once our lunches and camera bags had been searched (it turned out that my turkey sandwich was not a security risk), we boarded the bus that would carry us to the base of the Glen Canyon dam. Extremes Heather Dugan no no