mountainhare
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A Little About Me
The fall season has arrived. The growing distance from this past spring - and the notable instances of triumph and of desolation that it brought - has given me greater chance to reflect. There is a saying that goes something like "Do not cry because it ended, but smile because it happened." At some unmarked point in time afterwards, the burden should shift from those who knocked someone down, to someone's ability to stand back up. That burden has long since transferred to me. Even if I assign it to cumulative effects, the failure to rise is my failing alone.
Certainly I could make my feeble niche in capitalist society by following its inherent customs of repetitive aggregation and consumption. After all, I am certified and licensed as a professional in a white-collar field. But to do so inside of a perpetual solitary gloom would be utterly senseless and pointless as I see it. That is not to guarantee that chasing dreams and adventures will necessarily lead me to vitality. But there is life at least within the pursuit.
And so, I have changed directions. I am currently pursuing a new and unique adventure. No one knows of it and few, if any, would ponder it long enough to figure it out. I am doing this without concern of possible recourse should events not turn out positively. And why not? There is truth to the cliché that touts the merit of burning out instead of fading away.
Additions & Updates Forthcoming:
I traveled a little bit recently - there may be a few quality pictures from it I can soon post. I do not expect to create an associated narrative though. The possibility always exists that I could develop a spontaneous objective and travel accordingly, but apart from that, this small assortment of random pictures may be all the additions coming in the near future.
Index for Pictured Trip Reports:
"Discovering My Calling in the Smokies" - My first real introductions to the mountains, in the Appalachians of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.
"Grading the Midwest - On A Curved Scale" - An article-style summary of numerous regional trips around my Midwest roots, containing my opinions on the best of the region.
"First Venture to the Rockies & Wild West" - An eager trip to my first taste of hiking in the majestic Rockies and Intermountain areas of the western states.
"A Tour of West Virginia" - I wanted to find out what the Mountain State was all about, so I set off to explore its most famous areas on an extended weekend.
"Canyon & A Beach Down South" - Combined summaries of a late autumn canyon trip and an early winter beach wilderness vacation to the warm Southeast.
"Learning Indiscretion from Persistence in Maine" - I ran myself into my first bout of serious adversity on this spring trip to mountainous New England.
"Contrasts in Ozarks & Wichitas" - A comparison of two trips to the Arkansas/Oklahoma region, with two very different mindsets and outcomes.
"My Oregon Trail to Washington" - On a mission to a full week of backpacking in the Pacific Northwest, I followed the general route of the historic Oregon Trail.
"Heights & Borders of Texas" - A full west-to-east navigation of the Lone Star State, from desert mountain ranges to brush country to the gulf seashore.
"Life in My Tent - Journal Excerpts" - My most personally significant work, packed with memorable stories. I spent months traveling the country living out of my tent.
"Quick Islands-to-Highlands Weekend" - An effort to cram as much hiking and sightseeing as I could into one ordinary weekend, from Lake Erie to the western Appalachians.
"Lesser-Traveled Appalachian Holiday" - A successful objective to enter the heavily-visited southern Appalachians, on a holiday weekend, and still avoid the crowds.
My 20 Favorite Pictures:
20. Big Bend, Texas
19. Little River Canyon, Alabama
18. Cumberland Island, Georgia
17. Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania
16. Pictured Rocks, Michigan
15. Steens Mountain, Oregon
14. Yellowstone, Wyoming
13. Apostle Islands, Wisconsin
12. Mount Olympus, Washington
11. Black Ridge Canyons, Colorado
10. Acadia, Maine
9. Glacier, Montana
8. Great Basin, Nevada
7. Olympic, Washington
6. Red River Gorge, Kentucky
5. Canyonlands, Utah
4. Nantahala, North Carolina
3. White Sands, New Mexico
2. Wind River Range, Wyoming
1. North Cascades, Washington
| Biography: | My name is Robby Easton, originally of central Illinois. This home page is my collection of amateur photography and narratives from nationwide travels. My most dependable source of fulfillment, I have found, comes from wild natural areas and mountains in particular. Over time, my pictures and narratives really serve to illustrate my steady progression - one from uninformed tourist of the busiest national parks to wanderer of the most unspoiled areas I can discover. I can find contentment within special places at lower elevations as well, by hiking or backpacking in forests, deserts, or beaches. In addition to the backcountry, my hobbies include coaching youth baseball, working out, bike riding, statistics, and reading history, science and philosophy. It is within these activities that I generally live a nonconforming, perhaps eccentric lifestyle, free of the fear that too often accompanies the idea of being different. |
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| Some of my favorite scenes: | Chimney Tops - Great Smoky Mountains NP, Tennessee Grand View Point - Canyonlands National Park, Utah Baxter Peak of Katahdin - Baxter State Park, Maine Wolf Creek Overlook - Little River Canyon Preserve, Alabama Kiger Gorge Overlook - Steens Mountain, Oregon Blue Glacier of Mount Olympus - Olympic NP, Washington Sahale Mountain - North Cascades National Park, Washington Chisos Mountains South Rim - Big Bend National Park, Texas Harney Peak - Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota Cloud Peak - Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming Titcomb Basin - Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming Currant Mountain - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada Mount Moriah stargazing - Humboldt-Toiyabe NF, Nevada Whiterock Mountain - Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina Tofte Overlook of Carlton Peak - Superior NF, Minnesota Sunset Point - Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah |
| Some of my favorite trails: | Rock Glacier-Bristlecone Trail - Great Basin NP, Nevada Abol Trail to Baxter Peak - Baxter State Park, Maine North Crater Trail - Craters of the Moon NM, Idaho Hoh River Trail - Olympic National Park, Washington Cascade Pass Trail - North Cascades NP, Washington El Capitan-Guadalupe scramble - Guadalupe Mtns NP, Texas Ozark Trail - Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri Kite Trail - Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma North Country Trail - Pictured Rocks Nat. Lakeshore, Michigan Sherd Lake Loop - Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming Mistymoon Trail - Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming Rattlesnake Arches Trail - McInnis Canyons NCA - Colorado Bartram Trail - Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina Auxier Ridge Trail - Red River Gorge, Kentucky North Loop-Mt Charleston Wild. - Humboldt-Toiyabe NF, Nevada |
My Images
My Trip Reports (12)
- A Tour of West Virginia Seneca Rocks
- Canyon & A Beach Down South
- Contrasts in Ozarks & Wichitas Wichita Mountains
- Discovering My Calling in the Smokies Chimney Tops
- First Venture to the Rockies & Wild West Canyonlands National Park
- Grading the Midwest - On A Curved Scale Red River Gorge
- Heights & Borders of Texas Big Bend National Park
- Learning Indiscretion from Persistence in Maine Katahdin
- Lesser-Traveled Appalachian Holiday Great Smoky Mountains
- Life in My Tent - Journal Excerpts
- My Oregon Trail to Washington Olympic Range (WA)
- Quick Islands-to-Highlands Weekend Laurel Highlands
Climber's Logs I've Signed (34)
Mountains & Rocks (34)
- Mummy Mountain (NV) Spring Mountains
- Fletcher Peak (NV) Spring Mountains
- Frenchman Mountain Southern Nevada
- Capulin Volcano New Mexico 1k Prominence Peaks
- Mount Trudee Sawtooth Range (MN)
- Carlton Peak Sawtooth Range (MN)
- Auxier Ridge Red River Gorge
- Coosa Bald
- Jones Knob
- Scaly Mountain (AKA Big Scaly Mountain)
- Clingmans Dome Southern Sixers
- Mount Kephart Southern Sixers
- Charlies Bunion Great Smoky Mountains
- Mount Moriah (NV) Nevada 2,000 ft Prominence Peaks
- Currant Mountain Nevada 2,000 ft Prominence Peaks
- Avalanche Peak Absaroka Range
- Cloud Peak Big Horn Range
- Black Elk Peak / Harney Peak U.S. State Highpoints
- Elk Mountain Wichita Mountains
- Twin Rocks Mountain Wichita Mountains
- Bell Mountain St. Francois Mountains (MO)
- Tri-State Peak
- Guadalupe Peak Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Steens Mountain Oregon County Highpoints
- Inferno Cone Craters of the Moon National Monument
- Scotts Bluff National Monument US National Monuments
- Katahdin Katahdin Group
- Seneca Rocks Allegheny Mountains
- Spruce Knob U.S. State Highpoints
- Lily Mountain Rocky Mountain National Park
- The Escarpment Porcupine Mountains
- Mount Magazine-Signal Hill U.S. State Highpoints
- Mount Mitchell Black Mountains
- Chimney Tops Great Smoky Mountains
My Lists
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Messages I Posted/ Editable Objects
Reviews I Posted/Reviews Posted to my Gear
Objects Others Have Attached to My Objects
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Photos Others Have Attached to My Objects
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