Huntress of the High Desert – 10.5.15 – Mountain City, NV

If you know my hunting past, you know that I have never had mule deer tag soup. Every hunt that I have gone on, I have harvested an animal, whether it was a buck or a doe. Okay, so the does were when I had a junior tag. Proud to say I’ve shot all bucks since then!

And I wasn’t going to let this hunt stop that streak. After not having shot anything since 2013 when I shot my first antelope, I was itching to feel that uncontrollable joy of harvesting an animal. I didn’t care if it was a trophy 4×4 or dinky forked horn, I was going to get something. I even packed my lucky beanie that I wore 15 years ago on my first hunt ever. I was determined.

Lassen Volcanic National Park – 9.7.15 – Lassen, CA

It had been almost 20 years since I had been into the park. And even then, we went 2 miles in and turned around. This time though, I got to be able to drive through the entire park and it was amazing. If you remember back in December (here), my boyfriend and I only made it a little ways in because the snow had the park closed down.

I was beyond excited that it was a gorgeous day to go visit. It was an impromptu trip, so we weren’t prepared to go hiking at all. It was more of a get-out-and-snap-photos type of trip. But it was the best. Matthew and I had made a pact that we would visit every national park that there is in our lifetime. This was the first one to cross off our list! We went into the museum and store at the Loomis Ranger Station, where we picked up a patch and a passport book for the national parks. Stamped it and now it’s onto the next!

Hiking with the Pups – 5.23.15 – Tahoe National Forest, CA

A year ago, I would’ve been exploring the lovely state of Iowa. This year, I kept it close to home. Matt was home for the weekend and we needed to take the dogs out for a run/walk. He wanted to take me to a little river he walked a few times with the dogs before.

Finding History in Nevada – 3.21.15 – Winnemucca Lake, NV

It all started with an article called “20 Truths About Nevada You Never Would Have Guessed“. I knew quite a few of them having lived in Nevada for 19 years now. But I never knew about the petroglyphs that were so closed to where I lived. They intrigued me. I had to see them. What a great part of history that was so easily accessible and fascinating. I had convinced my dad and boyfriend to go with me.