Author: Anastasia Allison

06 Jan French Polynesia – Huahine

Posted at 02:41h in My Adventures 6 Comments

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land.” — Walt Whitman Our final stop on our 11 day French Polynesia trip was the island of Huahine (pronounced 'oooh-ah-hee-nay'). Huahine is actually two islands that are connected by a small sand bank at low tide. Huahine Nui is the, "big Huahine", and Huahine...

14 Dec French Polynesia – Bora Bora

Posted at 02:31h in My Adventures 2 Comments

“Time and silence are the most luxurious things today.” — Tom Ford This is my second installment in my series about our weddingmoon to French Polynesia. If you haven't done so already, go back and read about our first stop in the Tahitian Islands - Moorea. After spending an amazing four days (and getting married!) on Moorea, we headed to the airport for a 45 minute flight to Bora Bora. Our travel agent made all of the arrangements for us, but essentially, you buy an inter-island plane...

05 Dec French Polynesia – Moorea

Posted at 08:07h in My Adventures 7 Comments

When I met Aaron, I told him that I was never getting married. After essentially being a complete failure (in my mind) in the realm of relationships for the majority of my life, I had decided that there was simply no way that marriage was a good idea for me, or anybody else. Aaron is literally the best person on earth, and he never pushed me or pressured me into changing my mind. As our relationship developed, and as soon I stopped being completely ridiculous,...

28 Nov Wind River High Route – Post Script

Posted at 19:51h in My Adventures 5 Comments

“Humor is the good natured side of a truth. ” — Mark Twain If you've been following my blog, you will know that over the past several months, I've written a serial adventure chronicling our 9 days on the Wind River High Route. It was a major undertaking for me, because my typical adventure stories are relatively involved and emotionally charged - so it isn't something that I can sit down and spit out in an hour at the computer. Looking back on my Wind River High Route...

27 Nov Wind River High Route – Day 9 – Hiking Out

Posted at 19:28h in My Adventures 9 Comments

“Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.” — The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupery I started thinking about writing this final Wind River High Route entry into my blog on our very first day of hiking the route - in fact, I started thinking about it within the very first mile of setting foot on the trail. Honestly, it tormented me a little bit - there...

23 Nov Wind River High Route – Day 8 – On the Divide

Posted at 05:05h in My Adventures 8 Comments

“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers. ” — Rainier Maria Rilke The Wind River High Route does not "let you out" without a fight. As rocky and strenuous as day 7 had been, day 8 would prove to be just as challenging. We woke in our tent to a bitterly cold morning and a spectacular sunrise. Achingly familiar with our daily routine, we loaded up our packs (which were now, mercifully, much lighter), and...

30 Oct Wind River High Route – Day 7 – Did I mention the rocks?

Posted at 23:21h in My Adventures 6 Comments

“Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains?” — Jane Austen After a half-day rest and a good night's sleep, we woke up on day 7 feeling (somewhat) refreshed and rejuvenated - well, as much as one can feel rejuvenated on the High Route, at least. We were awake, I was able to eat my breakfast bar, and all of our limbs were functioning - the benchmark of a successful morning. We started early in the morning, so that we could ascend Blaurock Pass...

24 Oct Wind River High Route – Day 6 – Exhausted

Posted at 20:07h in My Adventures 2 Comments

“He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of this life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one’s waking life was spent watching one’s feet. ” — William Golding, Lord of the Flies The morning of day 6 dawned clear and frigid. We were sleeping in every single layer of clothing, so waking up posed a slight challenge - namely, it was way too cold. Over the years, I've come to realize that one of the hardest parts of climbing a mountain is getting out...

18 Oct Wind River High Route – Day 5 – Mountains Don’t Care

Posted at 07:36h in My Adventures 7 Comments

“No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied – it speaks in silence to the very core of your being.” — Ansel Adams We woke on day 5 and quickly moved into the familiarity of our daily routine - eat, pack the tent, and depart. Our annotated mapset merely showed us moving from page 4 to page 5 ...

30 Sep Wind River High Route – Day 4 – Out of the Fog

Posted at 23:33h in My Adventures 4 Comments

“Now is life very solid or very shifting? I am haunted by the two contradictions. This has gone on forever; goes down to the bottom of the world — this moment I stand on. Also it is transitory, flying, diaphanous. I shall pass like a cloud on the waves. Perhaps it may be that though we change, one flying after another, so quick, so quick, yet we are somehow successive and continuous we human beings, and show the light through. But what is the light?” —...