Best of 2014

It’s time for what has become a favorite tradition of mine – the few dozen photos that sum up my year! 2014 was full of travel, new friends, adventures, and a healthy dose of uncertainty and challenge. Everything kind of fell into place for me this year, and I finally feel like I have a post-college life plan: a new national park this summer, then graduate school for environmental policy. I have no idea where these plans will take me, but I can’t wait to find out! 

In 2014 I:

• Traveled in 2 foreign countries 
• Spent time in 9 states
• Took 26 flights (including one emergency landing due to engine failure!)
• Hiked/ran about 500 miles
• Read 15 books

JANUARY

2014 began with a welcome (and very scenic) move home to Washington from North Carolina. 

Because I’m spoiled rotten, both my parents let me pick a destination for a trip as a college graduation present. First, my mom and I headed to the incredible Hawaiian island of Kauai! 

Most of our vacation was spent exploring stunning beaches. This one, Hanalei, was my favorite - what a backdrop for swimming, reading, and relaxing.

This amazing shoreline, the Na Pali Coast, is one of the main attractions on Kauai. It can only be accessed by boat so we took a catamaran tour, did some snorkeling, and saw dolphins and even whales.

The coolest swimming hole ever, Queen's Bath. 

Take me back. 

Our last sunset - it was a beautiful, fun, and most of all relaxing trip.

FEBRUARY

After a quick turnaround, I headed to Chile with my dad! We spent a few days in the capital, Santiago, before flying to the Argentina side of Patagonia, a stunning mountainous region at the bottom of South America. Our first hike was at breathtaking Mount Fitz Roy - we regretted only having one day there.

We headed back to Chile to Torres del Paine National Park, the main attraction of our trip. A five hour hike got us to these amazing towers that have been on my bucket list for years. They did not disappoint. 

We spent two more days sightseeing, taking in the crazy multi-layered mountains.

There were crazy blue glacial lakes all over the park.

The Torres del Paine massif was even more impressive from a distance. What a place.

We saw these wild guanacos everywhere. I quickly became obsessed with them for obvious reasons.

We took a boat ride by this amazing glacier and back to the main town. We spent a few days there, including a trip to a wildlife refuge where we got to see wild penguins! 

Next stop: colorful Valparaiso, a UNESCO world heritage site. This is easily one my favorite cities. It stretches across a dozen steep hills, accessible by historic funicular lifts, surrounding a bay. The streets are a maze of winding alleys, stairs, and passageways that feel secret. It's the perfect place to get lost. The city is most famous for being literally covered in art - there's a mural on nearly every building. It was a paradise for urban exploring!

An example of the incredible urban art all over Valparaiso.

MARCH

My dad headed home while I stayed in Chile to travel on my own. Our whole trip was much more challenging than I expected (I got sick and struggled with the language and food) but I hung in there and finally hit my stride. I spent a week in the town of Pucon, a hub for adventure tourism and young travelers. I met some cool people and explored the town, lake, and hot springs nearby. But the main draw, of course, was Volcan Villarrica, the active volcano that looms over town.

So naturally, I climbed it. It was similar to snow hikes I had done at Mount Rainier so though it was a workout, I was still able to enjoy it. 

The view at the top was out of this world. You could see and smell steam coming out of the lava lake in the crater - one of only five in the world. The last lava eruption was in the 1970s!

After a month of traveling I was happy to return home to San Juan Island. I had a flurry of interviews and was offered two summer park ranger jobs: one back at Mount Rainier, and one at Zion in Utah. I agonized but decided on Rainier - I felt like there was more I needed to do there. I'll never know what Zion would have been like, but in hindsight I'm very happy with my choice. 

APRIL

I had six weeks before starting work at Rainier, so I relaxed, enjoyed time with my mom, and explored the islands. On this fateful day on top of Mount Constitution I started chatting with a guy named Mitch, who would become my main adventure buddy of 2014.

I did a lot of great hikes and local exploring, but the tulip festival is probably the most scenic.

I packed up my car and set sail for Mount Rainier - so the next chapter of my year began!

MAY

I settled into my new house at Mount Rainier, two doors down from the summer before. Longmire is home to about 50 summer employees and a hotel, small store, visitor center, and offices. There's no cell service and slow wifi at a communal building, so it’s a very social community. I was happy to be back – it felt like coming home. 

I started work! I did the same job as last summer but paid this time – working in the visitor center, giving walks and talks to the public, and hiking trails and talking with people. It meant so much to me to work in the park where my parents worked, wearing that uniform. It really was a dream come true. 

There was a lot of this. 

My first few weeks were hard because barely anyone had arrived yet; it was lonely, cold, rainy, and my house was infested with mice. I persevered and people started arriving, the weather got better, and before I knew it I was taking in a snowy sunset with old friends.

Dahlia and Steve got married in New Hampshire! Dan and I celebrated too much to actually go see the White Mountains - what can you do. I did get to visit Claire on my way to the airport though, such a treat!

JUNE

I hiked most days training to climb the mountain later in the summer. This became much more enjoyable as the snow melted, the flowers bloomed, and I found people to come with me.

Davis, Megan, Eli, and I chose the most difficult destination at Rainier for our first backpacking trip of the summer - Camp Muir, a snowy slog up 5,000 feet over 5 miles -  and went after work just to keep things interesting. The sunset kept us company and we were in our tent with dinner by a respectable 1 a.m. 

Megan and Eli hiked down to work in the morning because they are beasts, while Davis and I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in and lounging in the sun at camp. Summer had officially begun.  

JULY

The best ranger perk at Rainier is staying in the historic fire lookout towers, which are closed to the public. We kicked off summer by cramming 7 people into Shriner Peak, and, well, what happens in fire lookouts stays in fire lookouts.

Spotted: a happy mountain girl. 

Fire lookout life, summarized in a photo.

Rainier at sunrise - I think this is my favorite picture I've taken of the mountain, which is a very bold statement. 

After closing the visitor center Davis, Eli and I hiked out to Snow Lake, camped, and then hiked in to open the visitor center the next morning. That kind of lifestyle is what I love so much about Rainier. 

After 4 months of training, my climb with RMI Guides arrived. I had signed up to go with guides and a group of strangers because I wasn't sure that I'd be able to find friends to go with. Unfortunately the weather was so bad that we didn't even leave Camp Muir. I was really disappointed, but fear not - the story doesn't end there. 

Devlin and I hit the second fire lookout of the summer, Gobbler’s Knob, and were rewarded with quite the sunset. 

AUGUST

Climb attempt number two! Devlin, Mitch, and I had a beautiful day to head to Camp Muir. Ultimately I was glad my trip with the guides didn’t work because it was so much more fun to go with friends and know that I carried all my own equipment. 

Unfortunately our climb was foiled by altitude sickness, but we stopped on the way down to enjoy sunrise at Ingraham Flats. Even though we didn’t make it very far past camp, being on a glacier for the first time was such a thrill and gave me more confidence for the next try. 

Tiny Camp Muir across the Cowlitz Glacier, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens above the clouds. 

The flowers finally bloomed! These are lupine with the visitor center where I worked behind. 

Probably one of those “I can't believe they're paying me to wander around here” moments.

Fire lookout number three: Mount Fremont with Mitch. I had been here two times before but never on a clear day, and wow, what a view. We drank a lot of whiskey to celebrate. 

That morning I woke up, saw 17 mountain goats, hiked out, saw 3 bears cross the road on the drive home, and then went to work. Yep, that was a good day.

My coworkers and I all dressed up as historic characters for the annual “Shadows of the Past” lantern tour. I had the distinct pleasure of playing Fay Fuller, the first woman to climb Mount Rainier in 1890. 

In preparation for my third summit bid, Davis gave me some very helpful midnight mountaineering lessons. 

Davis, Mitch, and I left camp for my third summit attempt at 1 a.m. We saw the Northern Lights from Ingraham Flats (when it became clear the universe was smiling on this trip), slogged up the Disappointment Cleaver, and watched the sunrise from the Emmons Glacier at about 13,000 feet. It was hard - the hardest thing I've ever done, although not as hard as I had braced myself for - but we plodded along and finally, after seven more or less nonstop hours of climbing, we reached the summit crater rim!

I realized when we reached the summit crater that deep down I really didn't think that I could do this. It was the only time I've felt overcome by emotion - especially after 3 tries, I was so proud of myself. Mount Rainier has quite literally shaped my life since I grew up there and it's a symbol for me of my family and what I hope to do. It was one of the most powerful experiences I've ever had. I felt like my time at Rainier was complete. 

On top of the Pacific Northwest at 14,411 feet! 9,000 feet above the trailhead. I'm sorry, knees.

All too soon we had to head down. This is at the bottom of the Disappointment Cleaver, looking at the impressive crevasses in the Ingraham Glacier. 

What. A. Thrill. 

After a close call with a large falling rock we got back to camp, took the best nap in the history of naps, and eventually rallied and hiked back down to the car. We basked in our dirty, sunburned glory, drank some beers, and celebrated with a fancy dinner at the Paradise Inn. A day I will never forget. 

SEPTEMBER

I continued loving work and dorking out in my uniform. 

Fire lookout 4/4: Tolmie Peak with Mitch. I didn't intend to get to all the lookouts again this summer but I'm glad I did! 

Rainier above Eunice Lake - we spent a solid afternoon swimming and laying in the sun. 

As usual, an epic sunrise. 

Pancakes with huckleberries we picked on the trail - best backpacking breakfast EVER. Then we went on a trail run to Spray Falls and Spray Park and spent a second night in the Mowich Lake patrol cabin before going back to work. 

My mom came down to receive an award for some of her work at Rainier and we took the most adorable picture ever taken. 

Fall arrived on the mountain. 

Mitch and I backpacked to Hidden Lake fire lookout for views of the North Cascades and instead got soaking wet, saw a lot of fog, and played some intense Egyptian Ratscrew. We had fun anyway.

The next day we saw some very quick highlights of North Cascades National Park - I had never been there so great to check it off my list!

OCTOBER

Casey and Shenon and I enjoyed the last warm sunny day of the season with a mellow hike up Plummer Peak. 

On my last weekend at Rainier I went on a long hike by myself to reflect on the summer - it was great to bookend the summer the way I started it. I had been wanting to go to Summerland and Panhandle Gap for a long time and was not disappointed.  

I had breakfast with my mountain on my last day of work. 

It was an honor. 

I was sad to say goodbye, but I'm so thankful for all the great times I had and friends I made in the elapsed 10 months I spent living past that gate. I feel like I've done everything I need to do there now, and I know the mountain will always be there when I want to come home. 

I headed to the east coast for a few weeks to visit friends and family. My trip began with a few days on the beach in South Carolina with my mom and 6 of my lovely aunts and cousins.

Next I visited Dahlia and Steve in North Carolina for a week, including a great weekend getaway to Charleston. 

Onwards to New York!

My dad and stepmom happened to be in New York too, so we went to the town where we lived when I was 6-13. This house (which, by the way, is the historic gatekeeper's house at Vanderbilt National Historical Site) is the closest thing I have to a childhood home, so it was special to be back to see it.

Then I spent a very fun week in New York sightseeing and visiting with Amy, Lauren, and Dan. I absolutely fell in love with the city. 

Also got to see 3 Broadway shows: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Book of Mormon, and Kinky Boots.

I celebrated Halloween Rosie the Riveter style. In a clear lapse in judgment Amy and I had signed up for a 5k the next morning, and in another major lapse in judgment we did it anyway, which was possibly the most painful experience of my life. 

NOVEMBER

After 6 months away I returned home to San Juan Island to figure out what to do next. I'm so glad both my parents live in such beautiful places for when I need a home base!

Mitch and I returned to Hidden Lake with a vengeance - perfect visibility but this time we faced down snow, wind, and temps in the teens. It was an adventure, including a three hour hike out in the dark, but so worth it to see what I missed the first time!

Hidden Lake fire lookout at sunset.

A favorite picture of the year. Easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Mitch made a great video of this trip here.

Devlin and Alix and I made a quick foray to Olympic National Park - great to check Hurricane Ridge off my list. 

In keeping with the theme of cold fall hikes, Mitch and I found some ice at Gothic Basin. Another great video of this trip here.

I spent two weeks at my dad's in central Oregon around Thanksgiving. Had some quality family time, relaxed, and did some nice hiking and skiing as well!

DECEMBER

I rounded out a year of exploring at Big Four ice caves with Mitch and Julie. Last but not least, a video of our trip here. The next day I started working as a barista on the island, which will be great to make some money until it's time to park ranger again.

I spent most of December in New Jersey and Maine with family. Unfortunately my grandma died early in the month, but we still had a nice Christmas and I was glad to have so much time with family I don't get to see often. I turned 24, got some quality time with Dahlia and Dan, and rang in the new year in Seattle with Juliya, when we learned that it is possible to slice open a bottle of champagne with a butter knife. 

Bring it, 2015!