Heli rides

Olympia was interesting to say the least. We hung out in downtown Olympia quite a bit and also did some hiking in Olympic National Park. The highlight was the helicopter rides with our friend Keith. Check out a couple of the videos below.

We're in Seattle now with our friend Sasha. Tonight we're going to meet up with my friend Nick who I hiked the Appalachian Trail with and tomorrow morning we're going to Pike Place market to check that out. We haven't planned much farther in advance than that but keep checking in with us.

Zach and Nicole

Washington

Whew! Amazing that we're already in Washington state! After leaving Yellowstone National Park, we headed to Bozeman, Montana. One of our favorite stops thus far! Bozeman is a very cool town, with the best co-op I've ever been to (sorry Tidal Creek, but it's true), awesome restaurants, very bike-friendly, and the most warm and helpful people we've met. Then we slowly made our way to Glacier National Park, in the northernmost part of Montana, camping along forest service roads and reservoirs. By the time we made it to Glacier, Nicole developed an awesome cold from camping and hiking in all the cold, wet weather we've had. Of course once we got to Glacier it was once again rainy and cold, so we only spent a day there, checking out all the highlights that were accessible, since so much of the park is still covered in snow.

After almost a week in Montana, we finally left and headed for Washington state, to visit Sasha, Keith and Nick and Rachel. We're currently in Olympia, staying with Keith for a couple days, and then up to Olympic National Park and Seattle for the rest of the week. Check out the new photos!

~Nicole & Zach

Buffalo, bears, and moose, oh my!

Since our last post, we've been exploring the wonderful wilderness of Wyoming! After driving through Jackson, we headed for Grand Teton National Park. We spent 3 days and 2 nights backcountry camping, hiking, and biking around the park. The morning after our first night of camping on the shore of Phelps Lake, we stumbled upon a black bear (which wasn't really black at all), eating a moose calf and then taking a nap under a tree. We also saw moose and a ton of yellow-bellied marmots along the way. When the rain finally stopped and the sun came out, we jumped on a chance to bike to Jenny Lake, and then hike a loop trail to our next campsite, at Bradley Lake. The next morning, we woke up early, hiked back to the car, and headed for Yellowstone National Park. Woohoo!

Yellowstone was full of geysers, buffalo, elk, and more rain, unfortunately. Once we arrived in the park, we got a backcountry permit, and then headed for the Old Faithful Lodge, for some hot chili and a view of the geyser. Then we meandered through the park, checking out the colorful pools and thermal spots lining the roads. The plains in the park were covered with more buffalo than we ever imagined - we had several approach the car, and many of them took their time crossing the street or walking right next to the car. All the while Zach was yelling "Tatonka, Tatanka!", from the movie Dances with Wolves. And speaking of which, as we were leaving the park this morning, we took a walk on a boardwalk that paralleled the Madison River, when we spotted a wolf on the other side making its way toward a group of elk.

Now that the sun is finally out, and the temperature might break 60 degrees (for first time since we left Utah), we are leaving Yellowstone for Montana! We plan to spend a couple days wandering around the big sky state before we head up to Glacier National Park.

~Nicole & Zach

P.s. - No more poison ivy or altitude sickness for either of us! Check out the new photos in the album below!

We love Arches

Wow, it feels like we just flew through Utah. After leaving Colorado we headed for Arches National Park hoping to get a backcountry permit before the visitor center closed. We made it to the park with a few hours of daylight to spare and secured a permit in an isolated area of the park. Ironically, there was one car at the trailhead and it was also from Maryland...strange. We hiked about an hour into one of the many canyons in the area and set up camp on a rock outcrop above the river. Finally, our first night out of the car or the comforts of a bed. We fell asleep to a clear sky and the sound of bats in the canyons.

We woke up (yesterday) at 6:15 to get an early start to the Memorial Day crowds. We hiked back to the car and drove/biked to some of the highlights in the park like Balanced Rock and The Windows but our favorite spot in Arches NP was Delicate Arch. We didn't want to follow the crowds up the trail that takes you directly to Delicate Arch so we opted for a trail that led to a view of the Arch and it was well worth it. Not only did we have the place to ourselves but it also provided for the perfect opportunity to ask Nicole to marry me! She said yes, thankfully, and now we're engaged! The rest of the day was kind of a blur. We eventually made it to Canyonlands National Park but not before stopping at a brewery in Moab, Utah to celebrate. Last night we found a great camp site on the edge of a canyon. We woke up to cattle ranchers asking us if we had seen their cows anywhere. We were apparently in an open range area where cows roam free.

We left Canyonlands this morning and drove through Flaming Gorge in Northeast Utah, and did a short hike to the gorge. We're just north of Flaming Gorge in Wyoming and planning to drive north to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for the congratulations! We'll update our photo album as soon as we are able.

~Zach & Nicole