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Foothills Loop Trail Kartchner Caverns State Park-099

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Daniel Gillaspia

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« Foothills Loop Trail | Kartchner Caverns State Park, Arizona

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parkflo_az

Well Tucson, it’s been three of the best years o

Well Tucson, it’s been three of the best years of my life but we are on to a new journey very soon.

Over the past three years, the mountains and desert scapes of Tucson gave me more than I could’ve ever asked for.

I went from a clueless hiker to a weekly regular on the trails and it had a radical impact on my life.

First, just learning how to prepare for the outdoors was invaluable.

It’s insane how much more enjoable hiking is once you get the basics down like navigation, what to wear, and get semi-comfortable with the fact that you’ve probably been stalked by a mountain lion at least once.

The hikes became a weekly anchor that centered me mentally, spiritually, and physically. I broke through funks, re-charged, and worked through problems.

On occasion, I found myself going a little too far. A couple of “come to Jesus” moments on mountains like Rincon Peak, but still, moments I wouldn’t take back for anything.

Ultimately, I formed a deep bond with these wild and rugged landscapes. The blood, sweat, tears (and other things of the projectile variety) left out there are a testament to that and to nature’s beauty and fury.

But maybe most telling, for the first time in my life I’m leaving a place where I don’t feel like I’m running from something.

That’s largely because of the great relationship with my husband, a relationship by the way, that blossomed thanks to countless hours spent trekking together in the wilderness.

But it’s also because these mountains, canyons, and waterfalls have always been there for me. Ok, maybe the waterfalls were a bit fickle but when they showed up it was always epic!

With nature, I haven’t always been given what I wanted but usually what I needed.

I learned to be present, how to put adversity into its proper perspective, and how to appreciate everything from the grandest landscapes to the smallest bits of nature.

But perhaps the biggest gift I’ve been given is the confidence to take on new challenges even if they scare me and I have my doubts.

These are lessons that I will never forget. So thank you, #Tucson, for making me feel so alive. You will be missed. ♥️ 🌵 ⛰️

That moment on the summit when it’s time to head

That moment on the summit when it’s time to head back down. One last look!😀
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

Just couldn’t justify putting any music on this

Just couldn’t justify putting any music on this reel. The sound of those aspens quaking on a breezy day is just too perfect! Fall is officially here!
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#flagstaff #arizona #hikeaz #hikeaztrails #aspentrees #landscape #landscapepainting #fallcolors #fall #fallvibes #autumn #autumnvibes🍁 #autumncolors #outdoorphotography #naturephotography #naturephotos #naturephotographer #natureshot

Storm coming down in the Grand Canyon tonight. Hop

Storm coming down in the Grand Canyon tonight. Hope these hikers stayed dry!
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#onlyinaz #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #capturearizona #explorearizona #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #GrandCanyon #GrandCanyon nationalPark #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

Sabino Canyon under a full moon. 🌝 Have you e

Sabino Canyon under a full moon. 🌝

Have you ever hiked under a full moon?

It’s not as bright as this photo captured but it’s still pretty crazy how illuminated the landscape can be.

Looks like a street light is lighting the grounds and you can get away without a headlamp.
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

Beautiful hike to Blackett’s Ridge this AM. One

Beautiful hike to Blackett’s Ridge this AM. One of my faves, for sure.

We started at like 4:30am and there were already quite a few hikers way up on the ridge.

Sabino is truly the canyon that never sleeps!
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

I’ve got mixed feelings about monsoon season eve

I’ve got mixed feelings about monsoon season every year but one think that can’t be denied is how beautiful this time of year can be.
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

Loved these low lying clouds in the Santa Rita Mou

Loved these low lying clouds in the Santa Rita Mountains this morning. Completely different vibe out there!
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

A beautiful day in Glacier Bay National Park! . .

A beautiful day in Glacier Bay National Park!
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#nationalpark #nationalgeographic #nationalparks #nationalparkservice #nationalparkgeek #outdooradventures #wildlifephotography #glacierbaynationalpark #glacierbayboats #glacierbayalaska #alaskacruise #alaskalife #alaskaphotography #alaskaadventures #alaskasummer #alaskawildlife #naturelovers

Great hike this morning before the heat hit! . . .

Great hike this morning before the heat hit!
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

The sky was busy last night! Were you able to catc

The sky was busy last night! Were you able to catch any of it?

16 layered images from last night taken over the span of a couple of hours. Many more faint streaks were captured it I left those out.

15 second exposure
ISO 1600
Canon 6D
16mm
F/4

#arizona #meteor #meteorshower #meteorshowers #astro_photography #astrophotographer #timelapsevideo #timelapse #milkyway #milkywaygalaxy #milkywayshooters #tucson #tucsonarizona #tucsonaz #tauherculids #tauherculids2022

The Tau Herculids meteor shower was pretty nice la

The Tau Herculids meteor shower was pretty nice last night! Spotted a lot through the night and a handful of them were dazzlers and really awesome to see burning through the atmosphere!

And of course a Milky Way appearance is always special!

Here’s a time lapse. Lots of the good ones were out of frame but watch in a dark room and you can see several crossing the frame.
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#arizona #meteor #meteorshower #meteorshowers #astro_photography #astrophotographer #timelapsevideo #timelapse #milkyway #milkywaygalaxy #milkywayshooters #tucson #tucsonarizona #tucsonaz

You never know what you’re gonna come across hik

You never know what you’re gonna come across hiking in the Sky Islands!
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

Gorgeous morning in the Wrightson Wilderness. . .

Gorgeous morning in the Wrightson Wilderness.
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

A perfect weekend on Mount Lemmon. . . . . . . #

A perfect weekend on Mount Lemmon.
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

“You should spend 20 minutes in nature a day, un

“You should spend 20 minutes in nature a day, unless you are busy. Then make that an hour.”
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

“See things as they are, but not worse than they

“See things as they are, but not worse than they are. Then, see things better than they are, and develop a plan to get there.”

-Jordan Belford
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#onlyinaz #arizona #arizona🌵 #ig_arizona #azfamily #iloveaz #w2az #westbysouthwest #aroundarizona #arizonacollective #arizonaisgorgeous #idhikethat #capturearizona #explorearizona #hiking #hikingtrails #hikersofinstagram #hikinglife #azliving #outdoors #mountains #arizona_landscapes #arizonaphotographer #arizonatrail #forestphotography #hikers #arizonalife #arizona_landscapes

We’ll, we scored a permit for the cables on Half

We’ll, we scored a permit for the cables on Half Dome!

A little nervous because I’m sidelined right now due to some health issues so the training window is going to be much smaller than I would like.

At the same time, having a goal like this might just be the focus I need to get my body right. 💪

Hope some of you got lucky, too!
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#yosemite #yosemitenationalpark #yosemitevalley #yosemitefalls #yosemite_national_park #yosemitenps #yosemitenp #halfdome #halfdomecables #halfdomeyosemite #halfdomehike #hiking #landscapephotography #landscape #photography #outsoorphotography #trails #hikingtrails #nationalpark

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."

- Douglas Adams

- also me (on hikes 😂)
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#newmexico #whitesandsnationalpark #whitesands #whitesandsnewmexico #nationalparkobsessed #nationalparkgeek #nationalpark #nationalparkphotography #newmexicophotography #newmexicophotos #newmexicohiking #newmexicohikes #outdoors
#desertbloom

Had an amazing Sunday at White Sands National Park

Had an amazing Sunday at White Sands National Park.

It was our first time at the park and we did every trail in one day (not very hard to do)!

It just feels like a different world out there!
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#newmexico #whitesandsnationalpark #whitesands #whitesandsnewmexico #nationalparkobsessed #nationalparkgeek #nationalpark #nationalparkphotography #newmexicophotography #newmexicophotos #newmexicohiking #newmexicohikes #outdoors
#desertbloom

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