Hello Everyone! I know it’s been two months since last I wrote, and I’m sorry for the long pause between posts. As my tour season wore on, I began to wear out and had less and less energy to focus on anything but the job at hand. While not an exceptionally long season time-wise at six months, I ran 18 tours since May which was significantly more than I normally would. Some tours were 2-3 weeks as they would have been in the old days, but many were only 2-6 days. Each tour has a life of its own and shorter tours require a burst of energy which never really settles into a comfortable rhythm. Looking back at this past season, as I sit here warm and cozy on the other end of it at my mother’s dining room table here in Washington DC, it was amazing. I met hundreds of wonderful people from all over the world and took them to some truly awesome places. I got to see some old favorites and had plenty of new experiences as well. The summer was full of laughter and stories and joyful poses in front of the camera after long hikes led us to spectacular vistas. I found nothing but support and understanding from my new company and am already looking forward to working for them again next season. But first I have a winter full of my own adventures to plan and enjoy as I have no intention of going back to work before May.
When last I wrote, I was preparing for a 6 day tour through Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Yosemite gave us an easy and familiar start, and the smoke from summer fires had finally cleared from the valley. From there, we travelled to Sequoia National Park which had some beautiful vistas but was horrifically scarred by major fires in 2020 and 2021. I felt like a government fire assessor as we hiked through burned out forest to the lookout on Big Baldy and one of my passengers commented (humorously) that it felt like “hiking through Armageddon”. Our drive down into Kings Canyon was excellent, though, and I enjoyed this short tour with a small group of just four people.
My next trip brought me on another 6 day adventure, this time to Napa and Sonoma for a “walking and wine” tour. Eight of my nine passengers on this trip were a group traveling together from New Jersey which made for an interesting dynamic. They were all wonderful people, but it was definitely different to have such a big group within my group. We did some magnificent hikes though, especially out to Tamales Bay on the coast where we spotted coyotes and elk along the way to fantastic overlooks of the Pacific Ocean. I also enjoyed getting back to Muir Woods after many years away on this trip. I found us some delicious places to eat out in wine country and my group enjoyed several wine tastings as well.
The final trip of my season took me back to the desert for a nice eight day loop taking in Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. We spent Thanksgiving in Grand Canyon and were treated to a real feast at Yavapai Lodge. I also had the opportunity to climb Angels Landing in Zion, a hike I haven’t done in many years. There is a permit system in place now which is issued by a lottery the day before. Even with this system to limit the number of climbers, it was busier than I’ve ever seen it in the dozens of times I made that climb in the past. It was nice to be there, though, and I was grateful for the opportunity. With the shortness of the days this time of year, we were also able to catch a lot of sunrises and sunsets which are the highlight of any trip to canyon country where the edges of the day bring out the most magnificent light on the red rock.
After this final trip came to a close, I made the long drive back to San Francisco from Vegas and wound up my season with dinner at my favorite Pakistani restaurant and a few beers at Chelsea Place. The next day I said goodbye to San Francisco for the year and headed out to scoop up Shadow Catcher from her storage facility in Livermore and head out into Central California. We spent two nights in small but pleasant Lodi, where I got my things put away and organized and sampled a few local wines and beers. Then I made my way out to Sacramento and had a blast on the History Museum’s Underground Tour and exploring Old Sacramento which has been restored to some of its Gold Rush glory. Finally I headed up to Lincoln just north of Sacramento to hang out with my old friend Dave who is graciously watching Shadow Catcher while I’m away from California. We had a good couple of days catching up, eating sushi and watching movies before he kindly drove me to the airport to catch my flight east.
Since arriving home last weekend, we’ve been busy taking in the many delights of the holiday season here in our nation’s capital. We took a drive out to see the light displays at Seneca Creek State Park and at the Mormon Temple, both of which were fun and festive. We’ve been to see the outdoor train exhibit at the U.S. Botanical Gardens and both the National Christmas Tree and the Capitol Christmas Tree. We saw wonderful music performed at a Celtic Christmas in Georgetown and even went with my little buddy Mason and his family to ZooLights at the National Zoo. Our tree is up and decorated and my mother has been busily cooking some of our favorite holiday cookies.
Interspersed with the holiday festivities, I’ve been to see the doctor and the dentist, neither of which resulted in any overly exciting news which I’m very grateful for. And I’ve also been busy getting my things together for a 7 week trip to Europe which I will leave for before the New Year. It’s been too long since I’ve been out of the country and the pandemic really put that in perspective for me. There are so many places in this world I’d still like to see and so many people I need to catch up with and I’m certainly not getting any younger. This winter’s trip will be more about seeing people than exploring the world, but it’ll get my feet wet and hopefully remind me of the joys of international travel. I’m mostly going to be in England and Wales, where I’m looking forward to catching up with a whole slew of former passengers, retired tour guides, old dive buddies and even a friend I went to Penn State with many years ago. It’s going to be fast and furious as I whip around the isles but it will be so great to see so many familiar faces as well. From there I will head over to France to meet up with my good friend Gillian in Paris and then pop over to Belgium to hoist a few beers with my friend Jef who I haven’t seen in 21 years. It’s been years since I’ve been backpacking, so I’ve been busy gathering the right gear to make sure I have exactly what I need, and nothing more. I spent much of my twenties exploring the world this way and I’m very much looking forward to getting back out there.
I’ll be home here in Washington for Mardi Gras and then I head back to California in mid-February. That will give me a few months to do some exploring, blogging and photography in Southern California and Nevada and hopefully some multiday hikes in the parks of Arizona and Utah before returning to work in late May or early June.
This week we have more holiday activities planned which I hope to tell you all about next week. We’ll be heading north to New Hampshire next week to spend Christmas with my brother and maybe even see some snow. I hope wherever you are and whatever and however you celebrate that you are enjoying the season as much as I am. It really is the most wonderful time of the year, at least here in Washington. I will definitely write again next week so I’ll see you then.
Happy Holidays,
-Mike