Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

I was going to share photos today from my April backpack in Grand Gulch, but I realized there were too many fun shots from the roadtrip parts of the journey, so I'm starting there. On April 15 I left Seattle, headed to southern Utah via Salt Lake City airport, where I picked up my friend Gretchen. We had a half day extra before meeting other friends to backpack, so we visited Little Wild Horse Canyon, a beautiful slot canyon where I was very careful not to hurt myself.* *See report from last year on my spring trip to Utah . On the Road I do love me a good road trip. Leaving Seattle in the dregs of winter and heading into the Canyon Country is a special bonus. Made it over the Cascades with only a few snow flurries, and could enjoy a look back at snow-covered mountains and interesting lenticular clouds. Rest stops can be interesting. I was intrigued by the truck they had to invent in order to transport windmill vanes to the wind farms. I camped the first night in a state park in Ore...

The last couple of weeks I've been writing about the dayhikes of September. Today, we're strapping on the big packs and heading into the Cecil D. Andrus/White Clouds Wilderness, just across the road (as it were) from the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. I did this hike with my brother-in-law  Tom, of Photoseek.com, where you can find far better photos than I take (and buy them)! (No, I don't get a commission, but yes, I am willing to shamelessly promote friends and relations). Day 1: A slow start We deliberately took our time on this day, double-checking our packing and enjoying a glorious breakfast at the camper (big thanks to Carol for doing most of the cooking!), then lunch, before we began the hour's drive to the TH. The turn-off was only a few minutes down the road, but the Fourth of July Creek road runs a long, gravel/dirt way into the mountains to give hikers a good start on the good stuff. Heading to Washington Lake, then on to Chamberlain Lakes Signs and maps offe...