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/2012/01/30/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/2012/01/16/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/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/2011/08/08/stellers-jay/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/08/08/stellers-jay/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:22:51 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=2143 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/08/08/stellers-jay/feed/ 13 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/27/emerald-pool/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/27/emerald-pool/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:37:51 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=4350 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/27/emerald-pool/feed/ 7 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/24/vernal-fall-at-yosemite-national-park/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/24/vernal-fall-at-yosemite-national-park/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:00:05 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=4344 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/24/vernal-fall-at-yosemite-national-park/feed/ 7 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/10/above-crowd-level/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/10/above-crowd-level/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:24:22 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=3145 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/06/10/above-crowd-level/feed/ 15 0:01:27 One of the best ways to avoid crowds is to go where the crowds won't go. This is not a suggestion to frequent dark alleys and condemned restaurants but rather a prodding to allow yourself the full wilderness experience when you venture into the wild[...] One of the best ways to avoid crowds is to go where the crowds won't go. This is not a suggestion to frequent dark alleys and condemned restaurants but rather a prodding to allow yourself the full wilderness experience when you venture into the wild. If the trail is paved and/or easy to follow, you haven't gone far enough... Extremes, Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/05/20/twisting-through-tioga-pass/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/05/20/twisting-through-tioga-pass/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 11:07:17 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=1935 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/05/20/twisting-through-tioga-pass/feed/ 12 0:00:43 ...Abrupt curves and swerves lend drama to an already riveting landscape of steep stark mountains and jagged drop offs.  Patches of green flag the more hospitable lower altitude spaces; rubbled rock and icy snow claim the upper realms. ...Abrupt curves and swerves lend drama to an already riveting landscape of steep stark mountains and jagged drop offs.  Patches of green flag the more hospitable lower altitude spaces; rubbled rock and icy snow claim the upper realms. Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2010/03/28/vernal-fall-and-emerald-pool-photos/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2010/03/28/vernal-fall-and-emerald-pool-photos/#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:00:09 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=4427 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2010/03/28/vernal-fall-and-emerald-pool-photos/feed/ 4 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2010/02/06/into-yosemite/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2010/02/06/into-yosemite/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:08:23 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=3941 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2010/02/06/into-yosemite/feed/ 4 0:01:19 With a roughly 3:1 ratio of road miles to trail miles, Yosemite National Park could never be properly seen from a vehicle. Not to say that there won’t be some stunning images framed by your open car window, but these are but teasing hints of[...] With a roughly 3:1 ratio of road miles to trail miles, Yosemite National Park could never be properly seen from a vehicle. Not to say that there won’t be some stunning images framed by your open car window, but these are but teasing hints of what lies beyond.  Shuttered blinks of glory.  For anyone who loves the outdoors, the urge to park the car and escape into the wilderness on foot will be as compelling as the first drawn breath of a diver breaking surface water. Wilderness tracts such as Yosemite call for complete immersion, or at the least, a little strategic planning.  Last summer, lacking the time I’d normally devote to such an experience I researched, vowed to appreciate all Yosemite could share in my short time there, and promised to return. An overnight stay in Merced, California put us within an easy morning drive of the park’s Arch Rock entrance.   Our gas stop in the teensy but functional town of El Portal provided an opportunity to stock up on water and food.  Gone were the towering buildings of San Francisco and the suburban amenities of Pleasanton, California.  It had been but 150 easy miles according to MapQuest, a distance that belied the actual journey.  And the narrow road into Yosemite promised to take us much further… Heather Dugan no no