As 2025 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on a year that felt both expansive and deeply personal. This was a year of covering serious ground—across deserts, alpine basins, canyons, glaciers, and international borders—but also a year of slowing down enough to truly be in each place. From solo desert miles to shared summit views, 2025 reminded us why we keep returning to wild spaces: not just to explore them, but to let them shape us.
This year wasn’t about chasing quantity alone, though the miles certainly added up. It was about depth—returning to places we love, pushing ourselves into new terrain, and saying yes to trips that required planning, patience, and a little courage. Whether it was a solo backpacking journey through Coyote Gulch, technical canyoneering in Utah, or standing beneath towering waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies, every adventure added a new layer to the story.
We balanced familiar trails with first-time experiences, local hikes with bucket-list destinations, and solo moments with shared memories alongside Bill, Greg, dear friends, and the dogs. Looking back, 2025 feels like a year where everything we’ve been building toward—skills, confidence, curiosity—came together.
Day Hiking Trips
With 30 day hikes spread across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, and Canada, day hiking was the heartbeat of 2025—often spontaneous, sometimes iconic, and always grounding.
Highlights included:
- Colorado favorites: Bierstadt Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, Mt. Margaret near Red Feather, and multiple alpine routes shared with Greg.
- Telluride magic: Bridal Veil Falls, Bear Creek Falls, and riverwalks through town with my dear friend Irene.
- Wyoming wonders: Curt Gowdy State Park, Medicine Bow lakes, and geothermal marvels throughout Yellowstone National Park.
- Canadian Rockies: Iconic hikes in Banff, Jasper, and Yoho—including Lake Agnes Tea House, Larch Valley, Moraine Lake Rockpile, Pyramid Lake, Athabasca Falls, and Takakkaw Falls.
- Desert gems: Jacob Hamblin Arch, White Pocket, Maze Rock Art Site, and Wrather Arch Overlook in Vermilion Cliffs—raw, remote, and unforgettable.
Camping Trips
Over the course of 11 camping trips, we slept under desert skies, alpine forests, and international nightscapes—rotating between truck camping, tents, the camper, and the rooftop trailer depending on the terrain and the moment.
From solo nights along Hole-in-the-Rock Road to iconic campground stays in Banff, Jasper, and Yoho, our campsites ranged from quiet desert pullouts to well-loved national park campgrounds. Highlights included Rawah Wilderness, the La Sal Mountains, Yellowstone’s Madison Campground, and multiple unforgettable nights in Canada’s national parks.
Backpacking Trips
Backpacking brought some of the most meaningful moments of the year.
- A solo backpacking trip through Coyote Gulch via Hurricane Canyon—quiet, challenging, and deeply grounding.
- Mirror Lake backpacking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park with Greg, combining alpine beauty with shared miles and meaningful time together.
Both trips stand out as favorites, each for very different but equally powerful reasons.
Canyoneering Adventures
2025 was a year of growth and confidence in technical terrain.
- Slideanide Canyon – North Wash
- Constrychnine Canyon – North Wash
- Pleiades Canyon (Moab) – a milestone as my first technical canyon in Moab
- Cluster / Entrajo Canyon – Moab
Each canyon sharpened skills, built trust, and reinforced why this type of adventure continues to draw us back.
Off-Road & Overlanding Adventures
Our Jeep carried us deeper into Colorado and Arizona backcountry:
- Moody Hill and North Middle Mountain day trips in Colorado
- A multi-day Vermilion Cliffs National Monument route, combining remote terrain, iconic landscapes, and quiet desert nights
Winter Adventures
Winter brought its own kind of magic:
- Snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Backcountry Nordic skiing in Poudre Canyon
Girls’ Trip Highlight
A special Telluride girls’ trip with dear friend Irene included hiking, farmers markets, gondola rides to Mountain Village, downtown wandering, and a relaxing side trip to Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs.
International Adventure
Canada: Alberta & British Columbia
A true bucket-list journey through Banff, Jasper, and Yoho National Parks—filled with glacier walks, turquoise lakes, towering peaks, and some of the most dramatic landscapes we’ve ever experienced.
And for Bill, 2025 included two international trips—both to Canada—including a guys’ fishing trip to Manitou Lakes in Ontario.
Scenic Drives
Some of the most memorable moments came from behind the wheel:
- Trail Ridge Road
- Icefields Parkway
- Vermilion Lakes Road
- Firehole Canyon Drive
- Pingree Park Road
- Northern Colorado’s Rustic and Rawah Wilderness areas
- The drive south through British Columbia toward the U.S. border
Unique Experiences
These moments defined the year in quieter, lasting ways:
- Visiting Jacob Hamblin Arch
- Watching Old Faithful erupt—Bill’s first time
- Walking on the Athabasca Glacier and drinking glacier water
- Visiting Spirit Island
- Seeing the train travel on the Spiral Tunnels in Yoho
- Standing beneath Takakkaw Falls, the second tallest waterfall in Canada
- Spotting California Condors in Arizona
Looking Ahead
As we look toward 2026, the sense of anticipation is strong. Permits are secured, maps are open, and plans are quietly coming together for a couple of truly special adventures—one deep in canyon country, another far north where the road stretches toward something wild and remote.
We’ll keep the details under wraps for now, but one thing is certain: the next chapter is already calling.
Thank you for being part of our journey—reading along, cheering us on, and sharing in the love of wild places.
Here’s to another year of trails, canyons, campfires, and unforgettable moments.
Western Wanderlust Chronicles 
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