Journal
Essays and trail journals by Leah LaRocco.
October 27, 2014
This past weekend, we had a camping adventure with some friends. We went up to Tracy City, TN and stayed at the CCC campground right next to the Fiery Gizzard Trail. On Saturday we hiked 11 miles round trip to Raven Point on a trail that has a difficulty rating Read More
March 24, 2014
We were supposed to have rain this weekend, but thanks to the inaccuracy of the meteorologists in our area, it was sunny. I headed to Cheekwood on Sunday for my first visit of the season. Upon pulling up to the gate, I heard a shriek that sounded like a cross Read More
November 26, 2013
Burnout is a real thing. After two weeks of doing something every single night, double booking the calendar, squeezing things in right after work or in the early morning just so I could keep up with friends, I wearily said goodbye to the kitties and left for Los Angeles to Read More
November 17, 2013
One day a couple months ago, a friend started talking about how breathtaking Tennessee sunsets are. Rob was nearby while this was being said and he said he could practically hear my eyes rolling. I am partial to seaside sunsets and the ones I've seen at home on Long Island Read More
November 4, 2013
For our our second day in GSMNP, we decided to do the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail before heading into the main part of the park. It's a six mile loop just outside of town that you can drive through for lovely views of mountains and rocky streams. The thing Read More
November 3, 2013
Rob’s birthday is coming up and I wanted to make a memory as opposed to struggling to find him a gift he might not use, so I thought it would be fun if we went up to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to go hiking and see some Tennessee fall Read More
August 11, 2013
Since July is peak wildflower season in the Rocky Mountains, we constantly found ourselves saying how pretty all the flowers were, immediately followed by, "I wonder what it's called." So I took pictures of what I could and found this awesome wildflower website with names and images of the flowers Read More
July 25, 2013
Today there was a very high chance of rain in the afternoon, so Ashley and I headed to Boulder to the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory and took our tea-loving selves on their free tour. It was pretty great, but we were having major RMNP withdrawal so we quickly headed back Read More
July 24, 2013
Yesterday, Ashley and I took the Trail Ridge Road up the Rocky Mountains, and if we were astounded hiking the lake trails, it barely scratched the surface of what we felt yesterday being surrounded by the majesty of these mountains. I've never seen anything like this. We were on a Read More
July 23, 2013
I'm in Heaven. I mean, I might as well be because I'm so freaking high in the air. Altitude sickness is awful. When Ashley and I got to Estes Park, CO yesterday we felt sort of drunk and queasy and dizzy and headache-yick. But we woke up this morning and Read More
May 30, 2013
Tonight was officially the second night the Bruce Munro light exhibit was open at Cheekwood and we were dazzled. I brought Rob down there with me, we sprayed a healthy dose of bug spray on ourselves, and walked into a wonderland of light. This is only the second time this Read More
April 27, 2013
Ah, lovely Shelter Islandimpossibly beautiful, quiet, simple, quaint, and utterly peaceful. I've gotten into the habit of paying the $2 at the ferry terminal to walk on the ferry, hang over the edge of the boat, and turn my face to the sun like a dog with its head out Read More