how to survive: traveling on a budget

At the beginning of a new year, everyone seems to have the traveling bug.  The New York Times has posted their annual list of places to visit, blogs and businesses alike are jumping on to the top 16 of 2016 bandwagon, and if you live in the Northeast winter has decided to finally make an appearance.  As the mercury begins its daily struggle to rise above 30 degrees, warmer locales are looking mighty fine these days.   Mighty fine.  Travel isn’t cheap though and if you are like us (adequate but decidedly not fancy pants income + living in ridiculously expensive city + must go to all the places), you may find yourself with limited means to fund your latest weekend escape. Here are some principles we follow to in order to indulge our winter wanderlust.

- Find the Cheapest Seat - 

I am an equal opportunity traveler meaning I will take trains, planes, and automobiles as well as use my own two legs to get to where I need to be.  Usually to find the best deal, you need to be flexible with your travel dates.  Unfortunately with my current work/school schedule, this is not an option.  Instead I explore all my options before settling on one.  Kayak is great for flights (just don’t forget about Southwest) and I use Google maps to figure out what my public transit options are.  If you have some flexibility in when you are traveling, I highly recommend setting up airfare watchdog notifications for your intended destinations.  I’ve been able to book $130 round-trip tickets to Dallas this way.  NYC also has great bus options to semi-local cities, e.g., Boston, DC, Philadelphia.  If booked early enough a ticket can cost as little as $1.  Mind you time is money to me so maybe the cheapest method is taking a bus but it would require me to take a half-day of work off due to the extra travel hours.  If that's the case, I’m booking the flight or taking Frida out for a spin.

- Be Open to Creative Housing - 

I have surprisingly low standards when it comes to where I will lay my noggin to rest.  My criteria are basically no bedbugs and I have to feel safe (I know, vague…). This has led to a variety of lodging locales when traveling.  If possible, I crash with friends or family because a free place to stay will trump all other options – also bonus points for seeing people I love.  When Grace and I took an impromptu road trip to Montreal last January (how has it already been a year), we ended up crashing at a friend of a friend's sister's apartment and then Grace returned the favor during their visit to NYC.  My friend and I plan yearly getaways and take advantage of the cheap housing offered through her parents' timeshare.  This has translated into a two bedroom condo for a week at only $300 or so.  It requires a bit of flexibility in the travel location – our original plan to party up in Northern Idaho has been traded in for a desert destination – but the accommodations have always been perfect, i.e., hot tub on premise for soaking our tired post-hike bones.  Other more standard options include checking out what's available on AirBNB/VRBO-type sites or staying at hotels that are farther out from your intended place of stay.  A hotel in Brooklyn is cheaper than Manhattan and a hotel in Queens will almost always be cheaper than anything you can find in either of those boroughs.

 - Know Your Weakness - 

The last two times I have been responsible for picking up the rental car I have royally screwed it up.  As in having to call upon returning home and beg to have charges removed that I never intended to purchase (I'm looking at you overpriced and oftentimes unnecessary insurance).  There are things in life that I will never excel at – renting a car is one of them.  For all future car rental endeavours I will gladly hand off the responsibility to someone else, whenever possible.  I'm pretty good a procuring a cheap meal or finagling low cost flights so I'll save my energy for what's most helpful.  Recognizing what one's shortcomings and strengths are can go a long way in keeping travel costs low.

- Save Your Pennies -

There are no short cut around this - if you know you want to go away a few times a year, set aside money every month to fund your getaway.  It may sound simple yet it can be quite difficult to let your extra hard-earned cash just sit by its lonesome in a savings account.  I mean there are coffee dates to be had and bourbons to sip not to mention the late night I-don’t-want-to-make-anything-so-I’ll-just-order-sushi habit.  My current tactic to avoid spending my spare funds is to pretend that whatever is in my savings account doesn't exist.  That is barring a financial emergency what goes in does not come out until it is used for its intended purpose.  If transferring that money over from your checking requires too much willpower, you can set up an automatic transfer each month or have a separate savings account just for traveling.  Also, in the literal sense of saving one's pennies, I am a big fan of the putting pocket change in a jar travel fund.  It's like Christmas when I get to exchange all of those rolled up coins for paper currency to be used however I please on holiday.

Anyone else fully consumed with planning this year's getaways?  How are you planning on funding your wanderlusting habit?

notes:

apparently we are not the only ones with budget travel in mind.  the ny times has this handy article on ways to save for travel. it would have been a helpful read before i booked a trip to vietnam during tet.  oh well, you live and learn.  also, who knew the times had a frugal travel blog?  you probably knew this but in case you didn’t you can find it here.

you may notice that credit card miles/points didn't make the cut for this list.  frankly, it's just too much of a hassle for me.  one credit card is more than enough for my brain to manage on a monthly basis.  however, should playing the rewards game be more your style, there are plenty of resources to help you out.  the points guy and nomadic matt are two relatively well-known blogs pertaining to these matters just perhaps pay attention to when they are being paid to espouse the values of certain cards.  cheers to capitalism.

happy new year

As the years switched over, I spent the early morning hours gently rocking a sweet, new babe.   There was something poetic about holding a new life as January 1st rang in.  She was a reminder to express gratitude for the past, stay focus on the present, and embrace the future.  

New Year’s Eve is not one of my most favorite holidays.  It ranks above Halloween but that is not saying much for someone who may still be intrinsically frightened by people with masks.  So much hype goes into New Years celebrations – the parties, the people, the resolutions – and by spending my days in New York City, it is a force that cannot be ignored.  Most years I opt out of hubbub by escaping to Long Island or some other locale and this year was no different.  As the final preparations were put in place in Times Square, I was in flight to the Lone Star State anticipating meeting a good friend’s latest addition to her family. 

Since my visit was a bit of a last minute plan, I tagged along with like-minded people to a lake house an hour or so east of Dallas.  Games were played, drinks were imbibed, and lounging was pursued in earnest.  As the minutes ticked closer to then end of 2015, a sort of group consensus was made that we would all rather spend the new year getting an extra hour of sleep than participating in the obligatory New Year’s cheers. While the rest of the group got themselves situated in their beds, I scooped up the tiniest member for some one-on-one time by the lingering fireplace embers.  As we bounced, rocked, and swayed our way into the new year, I couldn’t help but feel encouraged by the changing calendar despite what ever anxiety provoking moments the previous twelve months had produced.

I’ve mentioned before my distaste for resolutions but this year has me longing after some more concrete goals in my life.  Perhaps it was the influence of new life that has inspired me to set forth some personal pursuits and attempt to mix things up in 2016.  I’m not quite ready to formally refer to them as resolutions so let’s just be vague about this whole thing and say here are some things I am hoping to incorporate in my life that may make me a better, saner person. 

1. Write Thank You Notes

I am a bit ashamed to admit my shortcomings in this area of my life.  This pertains not only to tangible gifts I have received but also those in the form of thanking someone for sharing their talents or perhaps some deed that they have done that might otherwise go unnoticed.  Also, it is time to bust out the pen and paper because nothing quite compares to the handwritten note.

2. Budget Better and Continuing Conscientious Consumerism

I budget, sort of, as in I have a general idea of how much money I have and where it is going.  However I have some big plans in mind for the next two years and so I feel the need to financially prepare.  Also, I love me some spreadsheets and number crunching so I might as well use it for my benefit.  Along the same line, I’m working on maintaining mindful spending shopping habits and expanding it to other expenses.  I’m not sure what that looks like quite yet but the intention is there.

3. Intentional Outdoors

My current method of getting outside is to run for the hills (or beach… or mountains… or airport…) whenever I get to the point of not being able to cope with city living.  This generally occurs one to two times a week which isn’t terrible per se unless I have the impulse to escape and cannot do it because life and being a responsible human being.  I’m hoping that by setting aside some time each week in the great outdoors, I can avoid the midweek concrete jungle panic. 

4. Run a Race

I was all set for running a marathon this past September and then managed to injure myself (unrelated to any exercise activity), which sidelined me from hitting the trails for a solid four months.  Slowly but surely, I am working on building back up the miles.  Ideally my return to racing would be a family-centric Ragnar but I’ll take what I can get.

5. Limited Screen Time

Somehow in the past year I have become increasingly addicted to my phone.  As I sit here typing, this blue rectangle of distraction is nestled lovingly next to me, pretending to be more of a benefit than a burden.  My current waking and sleeping routines involve me staring into its glow until I can convince myself to get out from under my covers or until I can no longer keep my eyes open, depending on the desired goal.  This cannot be healthy and I know I am not alone in the must-distract-myself-from-all-thoughts mentality.  I’m looking into switching my bedroom over to analog and quitting this habit cold turkey.  Wish me luck.

They’re not the loftiest of goals by any means but they’re where I am at and, fingers-crossed, attainable.  Alright 2016, it may have taken me a couple of weeks but I’m ready – let’s do this.

note:

i know. only three pictures and they are seemingly unrelated to this post. at the beginning of a new year, it has become a tradition of sorts for me to meander through heckscher state park, with an adorable pup (not mine), and ponder all the january thoughts.  while these musings are from texas, the photos are from new york.  in fact, i took only one picture in texas.  when the fall semester finally came to a close, i found it necessary to take a break (excluding job obligations) from all internet related activities. so i did.

gift guide for the last minute gift giver

​Two thousand fifteen, you have been a doozy of a year.  We’ll get into this more later (I know. Get excited.  It’s just what you wanted for Christmas – me harping about the last 365 days) but for now let’s just acknowledge that maybe things didn’t go as planned for you this holiday season.  Perhaps you found yourself a tad bit overwhelmed and a hair underprepared and now you are very close the ‘F it’ stage of holiday cheeriness. Should you find yourself in a similar predicament, here’s a handy gift guide for those of us that are down to the wire.

DIY

Source: knitting

Chore Coupons

Everyone loves having someone else do the things they would rather not do.  (Ten points if you followed that thought).  Some coupons could be cooking dinner for your takeout junkie, tour guide of a new/infrequently visited neighborhood for your new to the city bud, a night of babysitting for your post-knocked up loved one, and cleaning/organizing a room for your messy bestie.

Dinner + A Show

Two options with this one – you can go all classy and choose a restaurant followed by a show that requires you to sit in a theater (I call dibs as your date if you can manage to find tickets to Hamilton) or you can do my personal favorite of popcorn, favorite candy (if you don’t choose sour patch, you’re dead to me), and some quality streaming.  If you choose the latter, you can spruce it up a bit by wrapping up a jar of popping corn (stove popped > microwave popped) and a bottle of booze. 

Arts + Crafts

Nothing says love like something homemade, right? Right.  For those of us that aren’t too artistically inclined, knitting a scarf is pretty straightforward.  You don’t even need needles.  Also this gives you a reason to plop yourself in front of some Christmas classics all in the name of giving.  If you’re short on time, throw some salt and essential oils in a jar and call it bath salts (1/2 c sea salt + ½ c Epsom salt + ¼ c baking soda + 10 drops of essential oil).   My favorite is lavender - it looks extra pretty if you happen to have some dried lavender to mix in with the salts.  Or if you have a succulent lying around, bedazzle that jar instead and throw a clipping or two in it.  Just be sure to include instructions on how to care for it, i.e. don’t leave it in the closed container.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

The Classics

You know that book sitting on your shelf that you’ve read at least seven times?  The one that’s quoted all up on your social media?  That you enlighten others with its wisdom after one too many drinks?  Write a thoughtful note in it, wrap it up, and gift it to someone you think will appreciate it as much as you.  Embrace its worn cover and dog-eared pages.  These are just signs of love.  Also if anyone questions your motive of gifting a hand-me-down book, just explain to him or her that it’s for Mother Nature.  No one can argue with that.

Refined Apparel

We all have those articles of clothing taking up space in our closets that we swore we would wear.  And by we I mean I but maybe you do too?  As I type this, there is a secondhand Rag & Bone sweater that has never left my closet since it arrived here 3 months ago.  Pieces like these are begging to be packaged up and gifted to someone who will love them properly.  You can even call it vintage and then congratulate yourself for cutting out the middleman.  Look at you being thoughtful and thrifty.

FOOD

Sources: hot cocoa, gingerbread folk, honey

Christmas Cookies + Hot Cocoa Mix + Marshmallows

Some crowd-pleasing favorites include Dipped + Crisp Peanut Butter Cookies, Gingerbread Folk, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Snickerdoodles.  You can pair your platter with the ready-made, prepackaged hot cocoa or be all fancy pants and put together your own mix.  You can even do the same with the marshmallows - I have holiday date with this recipe.

Tea + Honey + Biscuits

I came across this recipe for infused honey and I now have big plans for a couple of special ladies in my life.  Pair it with your favorite tea and biscuits for a complete treat.  If you have some time to twice-bake, you could even skip the biscuits and made some biscotti instead.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Hit the Slopes

If you know of a fellow slalom aficionado, perhaps someone you would even want to snuggle up next to after a day on the slopes, a lift ticket is the perfect gift.  This can be a pricy gift, so consider hitting up smaller mountains.  For example, a day at Killington is $94 but around the corner at Pico it’s only $72 (ha, I know… only).  Be sure to claim your student discount should that apply to you – 15% off is no joke.

Daytripper

There are numerous hiking trails within an hour or two train ride of NYC that are practically begging to be explored.  Create an itinerary complete with trail map and  mix.  If you need some trail suggestions, check out our previous trips or pretty much anything from this dude. 

Boulders + Booze

Ideally, you would have your own gear and head out into the woods to scramble up some rocks and follow it up with some congratulatory drinks at a local bar or at the very least a swig from your flask.   In case the cooler temps and damp weather have you wishing for something indoors, there are a multitude of climbing gyms to visit with gear to rent.  Chances are beer can be found nearby.  I recommend Brooklyn Boulders followed by a cold one at Threes Brewing.

Merry Christmas, folks! 

notes:

you may notice an abundance of jars being used throughout this post.  maybe you have a collection of weck/ball/mason jars in your home or you can be savvy and pull that tomato sauce jar out of your recycling.  give it a good scrubbing before gifting it though – no one likes the tacky glue residue.  no one.

need more gift ideas? check out last year’s guide here.  or check out our pinterest if you prefer to visually peruse.

thankful in new york city

Forward: I intended to write this post a month ago. Or a year and a month ago, when my family came to spend Thanksgiving in New York City and I was going to share all the things you should do. The thing is, I got caught up doing them. And then it was Christmas, and there are so many Top 5 Lists of Best Things To Do fighting for 10 seconds of your eyeballs’ time all over the internet, and I didn’t know if the world neeeeeded another. So, of course, I planned to do it this year (since I knew all the things you should do), and I have alas failed again. Meg has been holding down the Lupine fort (I’m very grateful—even though she’s super busy) while I’ve been in a transition the past few months taking on some more clients and work projects. I’m thankful for the work and the opportunities, but when you work in social media and creating online content, I’ve been a little adverse to wanting to spend more time on the internet or in front of a screen in my downtime. I’ve had some Lupine adventures and many many thoughts (I have all the feelings), and I’m hoping to start sharing those again here over the next few months. Finding balance is key— and Lupine is a kind, peaceful, inspired sharing space— not our jobs. (maybe someday? #dreams) So for some catch up and that Thanksgiving post… 

This year I created my own Thanksgiving in New York City, deciding to see my family at Christmas. Last year we checked NYC Thanksgiving off our #FreemanAdventure bucket list and drank hot cider at the Macy’s Parade on the Upper Westside in the rain, saw the balloons being blown up the day before at the Museum of Natural History, gazed at all of the holiday windows on 5th Avenue, strolled the Christmas markets in Union Square, walked the Highline, ate at our favorite spots, and of course saw a few Broadway shows. (support live theatre people!!) Unfortunately it was cold and rainy most of the time, but we enjoyed it anyways…it’s hard for NYC to NOT be magical during the holidays.

A year later, of course the weather was unseasonably warm, and they are not here to do all of the things! Ha! Instead, I slept in, hopped to my couch at 9am to watch all of the Broadway performances at the top of the Macy’s parade in my pajamas. My boyfriend and I slowly got ourselves out of the house and biked/skated over a few avenues and caught the end of the parade as it headed down 6th Ave from Central Park. This is the way to do it— performances on TV at home, and then the last few balloons in person. Quite a few people who had probably been lined up since 6am were heading out by the time we rolled up around 10:45, and it was such a chill crowd. And 20 minutes later, Santa rolls by, and we have the streets to ourselves, so we decided to head up into Central Park.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect, what all of the tourists could only have imagined New York City to be in the Fall… the sun was out, the colors were vibrant, and the leaves were slowly floating down as we moved through the park. There wasn’t a person without a smile on. We cheered during “showtime” in front of the bandshell, laid in the grass and looked up into the sky, and grinned at the local sax player- he just makes my heart so happy. We picked up a few last minute ingredients on our way back home to make some family favorites, cooked the rest of the afternoon, watched holiday movies, had friends stop by, and of course ate way too much. (you HAVE to.) The day was so surprisingly calm and savory. Thanksgiving was different than last year, but I’m still grateful for both. Did I mention I woke up to a small real Christmas tree in my apartment my boyfriend threw in the back of an Uber with a Radio City Christmas Spectacular santa hat on top several nights before? 

Moral: Celebrate Thanksgiving? Eat food with those you love?

Today marks a year since a small/giant miracle happened. I’ve officially been in my own apartment that I won in the NYC Housing Lottery for an entire year…ahhhh. I think it took about 9 of those months for me to actually believe they weren’t going to call and say, “Ooops! We made a mistake!” or “You forgot to do XXX so unfortunately…” and kick me out. I started to settle in and create a new home and new season of life of my own. I finished off my year of being #twentyGREAT and turned #twentyFINE at the beginning of December. I met my boyfriend in the Village the night before my birthday and we went to a bar hidden on top of a Five Guys where my friends surprised me with jazz hands, smiling hearts, and pink cupcakes. I’ll tell you, it’s really awesome to have a group of friends that know you and love you. That’s what we all actually want— to be known. And loved. Really loved, because they actually know you. Not just love the idea of you or what you often pretend to be. It’s rare to find. And it’s a lot of work, and long nights, and desperate phone calls, and waiting rooms, and bottles of wine, but it’s oh so worth it. Your tribe is the best thing you can invest in. And I’m so thankful for this intimate community I have; it’s what makes my life rich. 

Each year I choose a word or a mantra to focus on - to heal, to be happy, to be free, to go do all of the things - and I’m thinking #twentyFINE will be a year of action. A year of creating and fulfilling all of these plans and dreams and wishes we keep talking about. I follow-through on ideas for my clients and work projects, and I’m working on building a creative lifestyle where I also have just as much (if not more) creative energy and focus to invest in my own work. I have too many ideas that I haven’t followed-through on; what am I waiting for? I’ve spent some time away from the dance community to hear my own thoughts instead of just following the herds. So, now that I’ve found some clarity and rejuvenation, it’s time to do something with it. #twentyFINE (like a glass of wine) = to CREATE. Create art, dances, stories, relationships, community, experiences, journeys that I believe in. Ones that matter. 

Andddd I just spent the last two weeks in the Swiss Alps and German Christmas Markets…so let the games begin! (don’t worry, you will be flooded with all of the german-austrian-swiss stories very soon. hint: it’s true, the hills ARE alive.)

Let's kick Christmas ass, shall we? 

And one last parting gift from the goddess Cheryl Strayed:

“Stop worrying about whether you’re fat. You’re not fat. Or, rather, you’re sometimes a little bit fat, but who gives a shit. There’s nothing more boring and fruitless and than a woman lamenting the fact that her stomach is round. Feed yourself. Literally. The sort of people worthy of your love will love you more for this.”

Happy Holidays!

mohonk preserve, ny

We knew it was bound to happen when the plan was made or at least I knew it was bound to happen.   I have a tendency to come up with grand adventures but sometimes the certain logistical details get lost in the shuffle. In this case it was the timing of our arrival at Labryinth in Mohonk Preserve – it was noon on an unseasonably warm and beautiful fall weekend. 

Already Grace and I were stuck in a queue amongst strangers on the side of a cliff.  The murmurings behind us were mostly comprised of teenage daughter stating why her friends are ‘the worst’ and midlife crisis dad wanting to take any path but the one marked.  Oh and I should definitely not leave out the ceaseless whining from the entire family because another thing that’s ‘the worst’ is waiting. 

As we stood there attempting to ignore the background bickering, the sound of a young girl giving out a quick yelp rang out followed by tears.  I uncontrollably let out a small sigh.  This was the proverbial icing on the cake.  After a morning of scrambling over, under, and sometimes seemingly through rocks pretty much by ourselves, all I wanted to do was climb.  This new situation caught me a bit off guard and not necessarily in a positive way.  But before I could get too discouraged (read: grumpy), the little girl’s mother offered some encouraging words and with that she was off happily scampering up and over the path’s boulders as though the fall had never happened. 

There are moments in life when I really want to have a bad attitude and this was on of them but the group behind us just wouldn’t let me.  They were a sot of blessing in disguise because when you hear a constant stream of someone else’s grumblings it forces you to acknowledge how unattractive it is.  Being surrounded by other human beings all working toward the same goal was not a problem.  We were not racing to the top; we were there to enjoy some fresh mountain air and attempt to catch the changing leaves before winter sets in.  As for the temporarily upset young girl and her family in front of us, they ended up being this amazing group of four that just loved each other so much you couldn’t help but smile. Had I allowed myself to get wrapped up in my own little world, I never would have known the greatness in front of me. 

So get yourself outside this weekend.  Take the time to explore the Preserve and embrace the craziness that is a weekend fall day at Mohonk.  It’s worth it and you never know whom you’ll meet. 

If you want to avoid paying a whopping $26 per hiker and are up for a 9-10 mile trek, here’s how we made our way to Labyrinth and Lemon Squeeze:

-       Park at West Trapps Trailhead and pay the friendliest attendants $12 per hiker.

-       Follow the Undercliff Trail for about 2 miles until it feeds into Laurel Ledge Road.

-       After about a ½ mile, turn right on to the blue Giants Workshop Trail.  Climb up and over and through the various boulders.

-       When you reach a rock slab viewpoint, continue up and to the right on the red Humpty Dumpty Path.  It may be a bit difficult to see initially – trail blazes are affixed to trees and painted on rocks.

-       At the end of the scrambles, you’ll reach the Humpty Dumpty Road.  Turn right and stay on this path for about ¼ mile.  The trail branches into the Long and Short Woodland Drives.  Take the short one to the left unless you want too add some extra mileage to your legs.  On your left you will pass Lake Shore Path and Woodland Path.  Both of these will lead you to Lake Shore Road but you can also stay on Short Woodland Drive to get there. 

-       The entrance to the Labyrinth is off of Lake Shore Road near the Mountain House (you can’t miss it).  There are multiple access points but it is best to start at the very beginning just don’t be surprised should you see interlopers.

-       The path to Labyrinth and Lemon Squeeze is straightforward, especially compared to the scrambling at Giant’s Workshop.  Make sure to continue all the way up to the top of the tower – the view is worth it.

-       To get back to the West Trapps Trailhead, the quickest route back down is the Sky Top Path.  It’s a dirt trail off the main Sky Top Road to the north of the Tower (when you exit the Tower, it is on your right). 

-       The Sky Top Path leads back down to the Lake Shore Road.  The rest of the trails are old carriage roads: Lake Shore Road (turn right on to it) to Old Minnewaska Road (straight ahead) to Rhododendron Bridge (on the right) to Overcliff Road (straight ahead) to West Trapps Trailhead.

notes:

if you are afraid of heights and/or unsteady on your feet, stick to the trails and off of the scrambles, especially the non-labyrinth/lemon squeeze ones.  also avoid these trails in inclement weather because wet rock and giant gaping holes to plummet to one’s death just don’t get along. mohonk closes down sections of the preserve, including the scrambles, depending on the weather and season. call ahead to make sure they are still open for all of your adventuring plans (845 256 2197).

check out this dude’s blog for trail suggestions/descriptions at mohonk.  it even links to this handy map in case you’re the type to plan ahead as well as some post-hike grub suggestions. 

geocaching in the san jacinto mountains

I fell in love with geocaching over the summer during my family’s epic annual camping trip.  One cloudy morning up in the Adirondacks, my cousins and I loaded up the kayaks and canoes and made our way around the various lakes and islands in search of caches. 

In case you have never heard of geocaching before, it is basically a worldwide scavenger hunt.   There are millions of caches from in all different locations – airports, cities, woods, beach.  The easiest way to geocache is download the app.  (Yes, it costs some money and no, I have no stock or relatives or the like in the company.)  For each cache, the longitude and latitude pinned to its location.  Keep in mind that that there is a range of distances, usually within 10 feet, as the pin is only as good as your GPS.  Once you find the area, search all about for a little box or canister.  People are clever so the caches are not always easy to find.  Each typically contains little trinkets to be swapped and traded, i.e., don’t take something without leaving something, as well as a pad of paper to record your date, name, and sometimes a little message.

This past weekend, I headed up into the San Jacinto Mountains with some friends.  While we were hiking, I literally stumbled upon a cache.  It was right under my toe in the above picture (I also fully support nonsensical photo taking, obviously) and tripped me up a bit.  A wiggling of some wood jammed in the tree stump and lo and behold there was a box.  Remembering that I had downloaded the app this past summer, we continued on our way finding all sorts of treasures along the trail. 

I realize that some of you may roll your eyes at the idea of grown people running all over the trail trying to find teeny troves of treasure.  And maybe this isn’t for everyone but don’t knock it until you try it, okay?  There are many options for fellow scavenger hunters, especially along the trails in close proximity to Idyllwild.  We did a relatively easy 5 mile out-and-back along the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail.  Since we started on the earlier side, around 10 am, we only saw a few people on our way out.  However, by the time we were on our way back there were many people taking advantage of the cooler weather and cloudless sky. All in all a perfect little adventure for a day spent up in the San Jacinto Mountains.  

notes:

the ernie maxwell scenic trail has about 600 feet of elevation change.  if you would like to hike uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back, park on tahquitz view drive.  it’s a dirt road but i doubt any vehicle would have trouble with the terrain.  if you are having trouble figuring out how to get there or are interested in a ascending one the nearby peaks, stop by the idyllwild ranger station in town.  the lovely people there are always happy to help.

the weather in the san jacinto mountains can vary by 10s of degrees so be sure to pack layers (along with your other essentials).  it reached the high 70s while we were there but i’ve also been here around the same time of year an woken up to snow.