Some days I miss the life I had (briefly) in New Mexico back in 2021. I lived near the best of friends, worked with the coolest people, and went to the National Forest all the time. I’ve been missing the familiar lately, so here’s to the good people and the good times in the Lincoln National Forest.
Views of the sky, camping with my dog, and everything in between. 2021 was a great year. I miss my old Outback and I miss my friends real bad but that’s what new Outbacks and visits are for!
I figured National Forest Week was still going on so why not share a little from one of my most frequented forests - Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. I work so close to the this one, at a field office, so I’ve been visiting it more often when I have some down time. Even before I worked near it on occasion, my aunt and I had made a trip to escape the heat of September in Texas. The fresh scent of pine makes us happy.
Lincoln NF has a variety of landscapes, from caves to tree lined trails. I camped, in the summer, comfortably at a place with small trees and walked a snow covered trail in the spring at 9000 ft just a couple of hours away. Such a fun, dynamic national forest. Enjoy some photos from the varying places within the Lincoln National Forest.
I saved my photos from Chugach National Forest in Alaska for today so they could live in a post just for them. Chugach would easily be my number one National Forest, but I have only been once and we will not be going any time soon as far as I know. Enjoy some photos from the family vacation in the Chugach National Forest a few years ago. We saw trees, flowers, glaciers, rivers, and other things in between.
I want to share a few more photos from my adventures in the forest - this time, the ones I’ve shared with some of my good friends. The forest can be the most amazing experience alone, but every now and then you want that adventure pal or pals with you along the way.
I had made the journey out to Phoenix to meet up with a longtime online acquaintance for a backpacking trip in a special canyon. The fear of a flash flood kept us out of the area, and we made a backup attempt in the Superstition Mountains within the Tonto National Forest. The whole thing didn’t work - rain, illness, etc - so we trekked back out and had pizza and beer. The silver lining of all of this was that a day was freed and the Salt River was calling. I had never kayaked. The adventure was fun, I tipped, which felt wonderful, and got to meet another longtime online acquaintance.
The pandemic was raging and I was in a cabin on the White River near Mountain View, Arkansas with one of my dearest friends. Life was good. We had drinks, we had a campfire, and we had a grill daddy. That’s as funny as it sounds. Nicknames. HA! Anyway, it was great, but only got better with a day trip to Blanchard Springs. The water was turquoise, the trees extra shade, and the streams cold as ice. It was a casual, lighthearted day of no agenda or plans.
A trip to the cabin rarely involves hiking - unless it’s across the frozen lake. This time, it was late summer, and we took the boat from the cabin to the landing to go for a little hike on the nearby Border Route Trail in Northern Minnesota. We packed our backpacks with beers, our hammocks, snacks, and headed out. There was NO ONE on the trail, so we strung our hammocks across it and had a little break.
It’s National Forest Week here in the USA. I vote to have National Forest Week every week, because they’re just that dang special! I’m going to share some photos of the forest and a couple of little stories for this Way Back Wednesday revival. I have not included EVERY ONE of my favorite National Forests, that would take days, but here are a few for your enjoyment. May the forest be with you!
(Header photo is Tonto National Forest in Arizona)
This place is special for many reason - namely the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This series of lakes stretches across Northern Minnesota and offers great adventure for visitors. I’ve only ever been to the east end, this photo is at Pine Lake, but I have big plans to make my way through someday. The second photo is the BRT (Border Route Trail) which follows the US/CAN border.
Since starting a job that takes me to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, I have found weekends in the Lincoln National Forest completely necessary and perfect. My aunt and I first visited before I took the job on a pre-fall trip, and I was hooked as soon as I smelled the Pine.
Visiting Santa Fe National Forest is a treat. You climb up, out of the heat and into the trees. I’ve adventured here twice and always want to go back. There are trails, trees, and so much more. Every time I’ve camped, it’s rained, but it was never dull.
For this little post, I thought I’d save one of my favorites for last. I feel a connection like no other when I’m on the Olympic Peninsula - including under the canopy of this forest. The National Park and National Forest go hand-in-hand out on the peninsula. From places in the forest you can view Mt. Rainier in all her glory and see the ocean and even Seattle, if that’s your thing. You can go hours without another soul to see or you can end up on a popular trail. There are endless waterfalls, rivers, and hills. It’s a paradise if you love the forest and less than tropical temps, usually. (My apologies if the photos overlap between NPS and USFS)
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Back in September of 2017, I visited the Ouachita National Forest in southeastern Oklahoma. This is a gem that sit only a few hours away from me that I need to revisit this year, FOR SURE. Enjoy some photos fro my morning that day and may you find the forest today and everyday.
A year ago this week, my other half and I visited the Santa Fe National forest in New Mexico. The city of Santa Fe is a colorful desert town, but the National Forest is burst of green trees and mountains on a completely different level. We stayed at the Holy Ghost Campground and explored around that area. Here are some photos of the forest to enjoy!
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