Cirque \ˈsərk\ noun 1. circle; ring. 2. a bowl-shaped, steep-walled mountain basin carved by glaciation, often containing a small, round lake.

Perhaps, I could say Cirque of the Towers
is one of the most incredible places I have ever visited.
Perhaps there is no perhaps.....
It makes the top three with no doubts.

After Banff I finally made my way to the lower forty-eight to meet up with my friend Evan. We headed out to the Cirque for a week of just amazing beautiful scenery, endless amounts of hiking and alpine climbing....truly just amazing!

Perfect weather for the first half of the week,
and afternoon hailstorms for the second half....
little did I know it hailed so much in Wyoming.

Evan being a goofball! I think this was just after one of the hailstorms....
Did I mention it hails in Wyoming?

Evan cruising the K Cracks up Pingora.

Walking the plank on Wolf's Head.....Easily I could have spent another week there, and most certainly it is on the list of places to return. It was an amazing first time in, recon-ish, getting a lay of the land.....routes still ride heavy on my mind.....till next time!

Some Scrambling up Castle Mountain and Mt Rundle - Banff, Canada

So Nadine had to take off, and I was left with a few days all to myself....it was nice to have some down time after the long drive, sometime to digest everything that was going on, and some time to play as hard as I could.....And I got worked!

I headed out to Castle Mountain where once again the views were just incredible. Afternoon showers filled the sky which gave way to just amazing photo opportunities.....

The next day I headed up Mt Rundle....I thought it would be an easy scramble...technically not so challenging, but pretty steep! And my legs were certainly tired from the day before! Enjoy the slide show of Castle and Rundle!

Mount Cascade and a Korean Rescue!

The last time I was in the Canmore/Banff area it was an in between season, so I was pretty excited when Nadine agreed to come north and meet up for a "international" holiday! (Above photo of Mount Cascade from town.)

It feels like there are 1,000 of peaks to choose from in the area....But as we ate our dinner on the rooftop of a local restaurant we deiced to head up Mount Cascade. We had perfect weather - Sunny and Hot!!

Once we got above treeline the views just were incredible. We picnicked along the way, stopped for photos, basic girl catch-up-chat-chat time.....

We made it to the top in fine style...it was on the way down when the excitement began...I won't go into all the details, but story in short, we met up with a young Korean man who took the wrong trail up, and was pretty wrecked...he was so close to the top, we told him go bag the peak and we will wait for you....as we waited, we ran into a second lost Korean man! A couple of helicopters later, a semi-park ranger rescue, and a mob of concerned Koreans at the trail head.....we made it down the mountain!

Once again, thank you Nadine for making the trip north!! It was truly great to see you!!

So many things to see when your driving down the Alaska Highway!

A couple days later than expected, I finally got on the road with a Milepost in my hand, and ready for the adventure to begin. Crazy to think how intimidated I was about driving up to Alaska - bad roads, car breakdown, lack of gas stations - but now, it doesn't seem to phase me at all...and I actually look forward to the drive, the sites, and perhaps the challenges. Heading into the interior temps reached the upper 90's. I stopped at Laird Hot Springs for a quick dip. Spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to pack raft the rivers. Went on a run here and there....Three days to Banff without a problem!

A Quick GinnyLynn Update and a Little Glimpse of Hatchers Pass

Hatcher's Pass has got to be one of my favorite places on earth...and even though Archangel Road ate my car and left me stranded, it is impossible to be angry....I guess it just wasn't time to go.

And now my next chapter begins with an extra couple of days in Hatcher's: roaming around, breathtaking views, and blue bird days. I begin to feel myself center and reflect....I feel like one of the luckiest girls alive......

Once the car is fixed, I have approximately two months to drive across country, reconnect with some old friends, explore new territory, and find a place to live before nursing school begins.

Maryland will be different, that is for sure, but looking forward to being close to family and seeing the area I grew up in through adult eyes......School will be challenging, but there is a huge light at the end of this tunnel!! As always looking forward to seeing where life takes me!! May everyone have multiple early retirements and may your own adventures be endless......!