— 2019 —
portugal
by our third day in the azores, alex, val, marcus and i silently decided none of us would say anything good about this place. this place felt like a quiet, semi-secret gem that we wanted to keep that way. at that point, it was becoming very clear we were on a special, rare trip. i have a hard time absorbing and getting a feel for a place when it moves quickly. but the azores moves pleasantly slow.
eagle lake
i'm four years strong on this birthday backpacking tradition i started when i turned 24. for no good reason, i've managed to spend 3 of the 4 years at sequoia national park. this trip was much snowier than every other time. there were 12 of us, perched up next to a half frozen lake that's usually melted this time of year, with an icy waterfall out in the far distance that we would eventually trek to see up close.
salt point
salt point state park is a wild, coastal nest - 6,000 acres of grassy headlands framed by pacific ocean sandstone cliffs. it's a 2 hour drive from san francisco, a breezy, mostly sunny getaway with lots to explore, hike, and boulder. many of us came here to do some combination of the three.