After some record setting snowfall… it’s finally (officially) spring!
This winter was really, really busy.
And really, really snowy.
It wasn’t quite as busy as last winter — most of which I spent working and recreating out in northern California, with a big trip back to both Chicago and Michigan — but I still kept myself fairly occupied in and around Arizona, and even snuck in an extended weekend trip to Colorado.
I’m going to preface with this: If you’re looking for high-quality photos and videos of Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, this is NOT the place. We had cheap ($140) side-view nosebleed seats and I BARELY took any photos because I was way too busy singing and dancing and screaming and oohing and aahing and loving every single second of Taylor’s three-hour-long 44-song setlist in Glendale, Ariz.!
BUT, I’m very much still on my Swiftie high, so I wanted to write about how incredible the Eras Tour Glendale concert was!
OOOO I am tired.
But I can tell you all about National Incident Management Response framework and how it relates to the Incident Command System!
I just wrapped up five days of classes at Arizona Wildfire and Incident Management Academy for the second year in a row.
I read two books during February. I’m a little behind schedule, but I guess I’m at least two books closer to my goal of 50 for the year!
I spoke too soon!
Ryan and I were driving back to Flagstaff yesterday after a weekend spent backpacking through the Tonto National Forest’s Superstition Wilderness Area, and he asked how I thought the weekend went.
Despite an unexpected hailstorm we got caught in mid-hike out, despite the Maricopa County search and rescue team that approached us first thing Sunday morning and despite the high-velocity winds and rains that soaked through the bottom of our tent and into our sleeping pads, I said the trip was great.
“Nobody called search and rescue for us, I didn’t twist an ankle, I didn’t vomit at any point and I didn’t get any blisters. I’d call that a success!”
Except… again. I spoke too soon. I have a MASSIVE blister on the bottom of the ball of my foot that I somehow didn’t notice until this morning.
Regardless, I still think that our past weekend backpacking the Superstitions was a success!
If you missed it, I recently spent a weekend out at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area camping overnight on the bank of the Colorado River by the Arizona Hot Springs!
I detailed it in the post, and — while the trip didn’t meet my snobby wildland fire expert Hotshot’s definition of “backpacking” — it was MY first time hiking all my gear several miles off a trailhead to stay overnight.
Happy Tuesday that feels like a Monday!
Ryan and I took advantage of yesterday’s federal holiday, and spent this past weekend exploring a little bit of southwest Colorado.
Some cool shit I’ve been liking lately, including a new restaurant in Flagstaff, some new fancy candles, Sedona hikes and fitness classes.
New year, new books!
My legs are SORE.
I spent this past weekend hiking out to the Arizona Hot Springs — a little gem located near the bank of the Colorado River where it straddles the Arizona/ Nevada state line in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area — with several of my Flagstaff friends for an overnight camping trip.
