Yesterday afternoon, I decided to take off down the Hankinson Hills Trail. It is an 8 miles loop that passes right by the campground I have been staying at. Passing through long grass prairie and woodlands, it’s an enjoyable hike. With some wrong turns, I even got to see some of the sand dunes, and hiked a total of 10 miles.
Author: Derek Honeycutt
Visiting Family and into North Dakota’s Sheyenne National Grassland
It has been a while since I updated the blog now, as I spent a lot of time bouncing around with family. From Badlands NP, I headed further East to visit with family in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. A couple weeks of that, and I headed back out on my own. I scoped out several areas in Sheyenne National Grassland of North Dakota, and I ended up, specifically at Hankinson Hills Campground.
Updated Living Setup
I updated the Living Setup page on the blog! Check it out for details on how I live this lifestyle, living full time out of a Subaru Outback.
To South Dakota: Through Wyoming, Devils Tower, and Badlands National Park
After 2 weeks in Idaho, I finally reached the time to start heading East again. With it being Memorial Day Weekend, I had a whole extra day of travels, so I took my time traversing Wyoming. Discovering wonderful free camping. Crossing the Continental Divide. Stopping at Independence Rock. Camping and getting drunk with locals on the North Platte River. A night at Devils Tower. And driving through the Black Hills to arrive at Badlands National Park. It was a wonderful weekend!
My Rules: 14. Leave No Trace
“Once destroyed, nature’s beauty cannot be purchased at any price.” – Ansel Adams
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.” – Edward Abbey
Any outdoors person is probably familiar with the Leave No Trace principles. “Take only memories, leave only footprints,” is a basic summary. While those principles are an important part of my daily life, I prefer to go beyond Leave No Trace, and apply it beyond the intentions of what the usual principles really ever intended to cover. From simple outdoor ethics to minimalism and constant learning, this rule is a cornerstone of my lifestyle.
Things Going Wrong, Ending Up In Idaho
I ended up with one hell of a crazy weekend! Everything from a broken camp stove to a flat tire, I ended up traveling the remainder of US-395 and the majority of the Nevada section of The Loneliest Road in the US, US-50. Stopping at multiple sites along US-50, including Great Basin National Park, I finally turned North in Utah, finding a wonderful campsite in Idaho for the week.
My Rules: 13. Never Give Up On A Dream
“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” – Henry David Thoreau
This is one of my rules that is remarkably simple. Dream. Dream often. Never stop dreaming. Grab onto the dreams you dream and chase them unceasingly. Unwavering and stubbornly. When your dreamsĀ seem to run away, you run faster. Never give them up.
Death Valley and Owens Valley
Yesterday, after finishing my work for the day, I decided to go grocery shopping and then bail out of the general Las Vegas area. I ended up driving through Death Valley to get to Owens Valley. After one night stay at the magnificent Alabama Hills, I headed north towards Bishop to stay at the Volcanic Tablelands.
My Rules: 12. Embrace the Unknown
“People don’t want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.” – Chuck Palahniuk
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
There is this common thing I hear some times about people fearing the unknown. This rule calls to put such fears behind and embrace whatever that unknown is. By embracing it and heading into it with arms open to it, I allow it to unfold in its purest, most beautiful form.
An Adventurous Day on the Road
Yesterday morning, I left Blair Valley without any real plan of where to go. I just packed up and hit the road. I explored some areas around Joshua Tree National Park before deciding to head north, eventually ending up at Lake Mead once again.