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Sarahmarie Specht-Bird

tales, trails, and travels

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AT 2019
JMT 2017
Gallatin Crest Trail 2021
OH + KY
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Antelope Canyon, April 2018

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Appalachian Trail Arizona Backpacking Books Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Hikes Climbing Gallatin Crest Trail Hike and Gear Prep Hiking John Muir Trail Kentucky hiking Local hikes Montana Ohio Hiking Ohio State Forests Ohio State Parks Sheltowee Trace Thru-Hike Travel Uncategorized

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My family and I (Emma included, naturally) decided at the last minute to take a little vacation at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. So far it’s been great! Sandstone Falls in the evening was lovely. Castle Rock and Grandview Rim Trails were rhododendron-licious, filthy with cool mushrooms, and virtually devoid of other people. It’s fun to check out a new place, especially one that has so much oxygen in the air after two weeks in the west!

I’m not sure what I was expecting from Yellowstone, but it exceeded everything I could have imagined. It’s obvious why this is the oldest and one of the most heavily visited National Parks. I highly enjoyed the colors of the pools, the steam, the bison, the elk, getting to see Old Faithful erupt at sunset, hiking to Mystic Falls, and marveling at Grand Prismatic Spring from the overlook. There are too many wonders to name and too many parts of the park to see at once! I’m sure I’ll be back someday soon.

The Tetons were so very grand. ✨

It was bizarre, but gratifying, to finish the Gallatin Crest Trail last Friday and go straight to wedding festivities for Corey @corita207 and Greg! I stayed at a glorious Airbnb with @laur_eliz17 and we enjoyed getting to know all the cool folks in town to celebrate. There was a hike to Beehive Basin, a frigid plunge in Ousel Falls, multiple delicious dinners, and, of course, the absolutely beautiful ceremony. It was an incredibly fun whirlwind weekend with friends old and new. Now we are off exploring Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Such adventure!

Here, in no particular order, are some scenes from day 3 on the Gallatin Crest Trail: Thursday, July 15. It was maybe the wildest day on the trail, and one of the more eventful of my hiking career.

For the past few days I’ve been hiking the Gallatin Crest Trail, also known as the Gallatin Divide Trail, which runs along the spine of the Gallatin Range between Bozeman and Big Sky, Montana. It’s been my first multi-day solo backpacking trip, and it’s also grizzly country. That means carrying bear spray, a canister, and wildly yelling “HEY BEAR!” every time I’m in the trees. It has been very difficult, hard to find the trail at times, and odd to be the only person on the trail on any given day. That being said, I feel like a total badass and I have really been enjoying the spectacular mountains, meadows, valleys, sunrises, sunsets, and fields of wildflowers. Onward through this beautiful state!

Recent Posts

Gallatin Crest Trail Day 4: Friday, July 16 July 29, 2021
Gallatin Crest Trail Day 3: Thursday, July 15 July 25, 2021
Gallatin Crest Trail Day 2: Wednesday, July 14 July 20, 2021
Gallatin Crest Trail Day 1: Tuesday, July 13 July 19, 2021
Gallatin Crest Trail Day 0: Monday, July 12 July 17, 2021

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Blaze: A Zine About Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Blaze is the story of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 14 sections, one for each state on the AT. US orders only, please!

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