mountains

Enough Already?

 in China / Travel tips  tagged China / churches / European churches / Jiuzhaigou National Park / mountains / travel / waterfalls by

A fellow traveler to China’s Himalayan foothills explained his disinterest: “I’ve seen mountains.” That was ten years ago, and I’m still horrified. Why did the man, who’d surely seen most everything there is to see, bother to wake each morning? As a native Coloradan and avid camper/traveler/hiker, I’ve seen some mountains. Many of them over and over, again and again. They still wow me with their wiles. The mere rumor of a waterfall sucks me in like a riptide. Before I toured China’s Jiuzhaigou National Park, I may have seen a thousand falls, but I’d never seen one that moved […]

Treeline

 in Colorado  tagged Acadia National Park / Colorado / Maine / Mount Desert / mountains / timberline / treeline / trees by

As a Colorado girl I learned about treeline or timberline, a high altitude border somewhere between 11,000 to 12,000 feet on the mountain where conditions get so harsh that trees can’t grow.  A little over a year ago we visited Acadia National Park in Maine, and a ranger talked about Mt. Desert — so named because trees don’t grow on top of it.  Mt. Desert can’t be more than a hundred feet above sea level.  How can it have a treeline? Since then I’ve been noticing tree lines everywhere.  Some run along the top of a hogback leaving one side […]

Alaska’s Diva Mountains

 in Alaska  tagged Alaska / cruise ships / Denali / glaciers / Haines / Hyder / Kenai Fjords / Mount McKinley / mountains / Valdez / waterfalls / wilderness by

Much as we Coloradans love our Rockies, Alaska’s mountains have ways of kicking infinite majesty up a notch.  Cloud boas, shimmering falls, and glacial bling are de rigueur for Alaskan summits.  Add lush wilderness settings, and there’s just no contest. Sadly cruise ships often miss the best mountain views.  We found stunners in Haines, Valdez, and Hyder, but cruise ships seldom pass their way.  Cruisers who take the Denali extension will get great views, but Mount McKinley itself is likely to be shrouded in clouds.  If diva mountains are a priority for you, book a cruise that includes the Kenai Fjords.  OMGs guaranteed.