“Regressing To Old Habits” (Kauai and Oahu – November 18, 2021 to November 26, 2021)

…it was that thing where we could be suffering from FOMO (fear of missing out), but then again, was it worth contracting COVID-19 by being within the action?

“Hvílíkur Dagur Part 2” (Iceland – August 12, 2021 to August 21, 2021)

…it’s hard to convey that awesome feeling that I was witnessing something special, and there were hundreds of other people that have made this hike…

“Hvílíkur Dagur Part 1” (Iceland – August 3, 2021 to August 11, 2021)

I was thinking that it might force us to recalibrate our 1-5 rating scale, and it certainly got us to reconsider our current Top 10 Iceland Waterfalls list

“Defeated Purposes” (Washington, Oregon, and Northern California – June 20, 2021 to June 30, 2021)

And in one moment, I made a misstep and actually fell on my butt in the logjam, which was also partially submerged in water so my butt was wet…

“Making Moments” (Great Basin and Southern Idaho – June 13, 2021 to June 19, 2021)

But the end result of my efforts was that a sharp tree protrusion gashed my left index finger, and it seemed to be bleeding pretty non-stop…

“Feel It All Around” (Southern Idaho, Oregon, and Northern California – April 1, 2021 to April 11, 2021)

Indeed, it really seemed like the Dream of the 90s that so endeared a lot of people to the city of Portland looked like it was dead as we drove through the downtown area…

“Risks and Consequences” (Santa Paula Canyon Falls – March 5, 2021)

But just as Mom and I were about to turn and walk downstream, Dad suddenly took a spill and fell belly-first next to the ground that we had stood on…

“Devious Intentions” (Etiwanda Falls – February 27, 2021)

The cop was still there issuing citations. I took the opportunity to ask him where the nearest legal parking spaces were. At first, he gave me a smug answer…

“Tying Up Loose Ends” (Carmel and Big Sur – February 5, 2021 to February 8, 2021)

So I made sure that each of my steps were sure and steady even though my face, legs, and arms were being whipped and scratched by the twigs of the fallen trees as I was scrambling…

“Whimpering Dogs” (Circle X Ranch and The Grotto Falls – January 30, 2021)

…we did notice another party with dogs that were also whimpering. There was something about this place that dogs didn’t seem to like apparently…

“Sin Mascara” (Bonita Falls – January 18, 2021)

Sure enough when we finally got to the familiar entrance for the Eaton Canyon Falls, we saw that the gate to its large parking lot was indeed closed…

“Remote Corners” (Northern California Coast – November 19, 2020 to November 23, 2020)

It was an unfortunate circumstance since the mood had now soured from what should have been a serene and peaceful hike through the forest in pursuit of another one of the waterfalls along the…

“An Out-of-Season Experience” (Paradise Falls – November 11, 2020)

Eventually at about 9:20am, Julie rushed us out of the house just as I was dialing into my meeting. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do any presenting though it would have been good to see…

“Off Peak Chancing” (Western Colorado – October 15, 2020 to October 19, 2020)

As I was climbing and getting a few final shots back down at the Devil’s Punch Bowl, I saw that there was a couple of jeeps making the death-defying drive down! I took this opportunity to…

“The Uncertainty of Outcome” (Western Wyoming, Northern Utah, and Southern Nevada – August 2, 2020 to August 12, 2020)

However, when I got to the other side of the river, I noticed that there was no trail and it was a straight bushwhack into the thickness of vegetation. Without pants, I realized that I probably…

“The COVID-19 Road Trip” (Colorado Rockies, Eastern Wyoming, and Western South Dakota – July 21, 2020 to August 1, 2020)

Maybe all the bad decisions in pursuing this falls finally caught up with me and I had to respect the limits that Mother Nature threw at me. I even wondered if I saw the Grizzly Bear Falls at all…

“Grounded in Summer” (Bonita Falls – June 12, 2020)

It was unnerving to see this many people out here on a Friday, and I’d bet that on the weekends, it would be even worse. Maybe lots of people were already out of school…

“Social Clustering” (Millard Falls – June 9, 2020)

In my mind, I was thinking that all the caution that we were practicing was essentially getting thrown to the wind the moment you start involving people who don’t take this seriously…

“COVID Mixed Signals” (San Antonio Falls – May 8, 2020)

Regardless, by the time we were driving on Mt Baldy Road, we were seeing on multiple occasions flashing signs saying ‘All Baldy Trails Closed’ and ‘Parked Vehicles Will Be Towed Away’…

“Forbidden Social Distancing” (Rubio Canyon Falls – April 14, 2020)

Julie was fearful that they might get reported to police so they stayed behind, but now that planted in my mind that perhaps there was a time limit for my exploration before the cops would show up…