Great Basin National park is home to the highest peak in Nevada, the oldest non-clonal trees on Earth, and some of the darkest night skies in the contiguous U.S. We spent 2 days / 3 nights in Great Basin National Park. We arrived in the late afternoon and drove up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive to our reserved campsite at Wheeler Peak Campground. A ranger told us that this campground is commonly thought of as the prettiest campground in all the national parks, and I can see why. Some …
Hiking to Annapurna Base Camp
As we started the final section of our hike to Annapurna Base Camp, a thick eerie fog rolled in. For most of this last stretch, we couldn’t see more than 50 feet in front of us, much less the giant white peaks we were hiking towards. As we walked up the final hill, the clouds began to lift and open up a bit. We could spot the lodges and portions of the towering mountains behind. We had finally made it to Annapurna Base Camp! We hiked a total of 8 days up to and back …
Nepal: Chaotic Kathmandu and Peaceful Pokhara
While traveling in Nepal, we explored the chaotic city of Kathmandu, enjoyed the peaceful lakeside city of Pokhara, and hiked through tiny villages to Annapurna Base Camp. This post shares our time in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Kathmandu provided Hindu and Buddhist religious sites and the UNESCO world heritage site of Bhaktapur. Pokhara was relaxing, offering restaurants with views of the picturesque lake, good food, and a few sights. The perfect recovery after a long hike. …
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Travel Ethiopia Part 2: Hiking in the Simien Mountains, Climbing up to a Cave Church in Tigray, and Exploring Lalibela’s Rock-Hewn Churches.
Part 2 of my travels around the northern circuit of Ethiopia in 2020 included hiking in beautiful mountains, rock-climbing up to a church in the sky, checking out the extremes of the Danakil Depression, peering into an active volcano, and exploring the UNESCO rock-hewn churches in the little town of Lalibela. The Danikil Depression and Erte Ale volcano have their own blog post: The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia. The rest is described here. To read about the first half of the norther circuit, …
Travel Ethiopia Part 1: The Capital of Addis Ababa, Monasteries and the Blue Nile Waterfall in Bahir Dar, and Castles in Gondar.
We are jumping back to January/February 2020, before so many borders closed due to COVID and before Ethiopia's civil war in the Tigray region began. During my first week traveling in Ethiopia I saw the busy city of Addis Ababa, the monasteries and Blue Nile Waterfall in Bahir Dar, and the castles of Gondar. Addis Ababa Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia and where most people fly into the country. I spent just 2 1/2 days here and mostly was regrouping and resting up for the rest of …
The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia
The Danikil Depression... what an experience. Salt flats, unworldly colorful landscapes, and hiking to the rim of a volcano is quite the adventure. We are jumping back to February 2020, before so many borders closed due to COVID and before Ethiopia's civil war in the Tigray region began. This is in the remote Afar region that many countries advise their residents not to travel to due to safety. So I debated visiting, but my curiosity won out. Leaving from the town of …