Hello friends,

As I type, I am comfy cozy on a couch, warm by the nearby fire, in the countryside of Wisconsin. Maybe you’re wondering why I’m not in Minneapolis? Well, for President’s/Valentine’s Day weekend, some girlfriends and I decided to escape the city and enjoy a quiet weekend in the woods. There is a no more romantic way to spend Valentine’s weekend than by snowshoeing across the lake, doodling, playing board games, eating chocolate, and watching French films.

I went snowshoeing this weekend! This is me very excited to be outside. XD

In my last post, I told you about my adventures to Point Reyes National Seashore with a fellow Couchsurfer and my twin sister, Colleen. After we got back, the very next day, I woke up with my foot in terrible pain! It hurt to put pressure on the ball of my right foot. (Only recently did I go to the doctor and found out that I have a swollen metatarsal bone and slight tendinitis. Yikes! Told me to stay off it for 3 weeks…).

How did this happen? Well, after urban and trail hiking 30-40 miles in old keen sandals (and possibly playing ultimate frisbee in old cleats and whole other list of reasons), my feet decided that they had had enough! So, for 2 days, I lied low and relaxed with my sistas. I also met up with an old friend of mine named Kerry! In college, we went to Ecuador together for a study abroad and then we went on a camping trip along the Oregon Coast. I was so happy to see her and reminisce (we also went to a SketchFest NPR show called Ask Me Another.)

My friend Kerry during our Oregon Coast camping trip. We spent a week hiking Oregon’s magical coastal trails. (2012)

Half Moon Bay Diner. Our pre-hike meal.

On the third day, my foot felt a little better, so we rented a car through RelayRides and drove south along Highway 1.  We decided to go on Highway 1 because Colleen had never been on it before and wanted to see what all the hype was about! Well, it was a beautiful drive. The ocean to our right and steep cliffs to our left, there was never a bad view. We even stopped in a small town and got breakfast at a diner (and picked up donuts from a nearby bakery…mmmm).
After eating brunch, we wound our way up to Big Basin and idled our time with improv games. We nearly crashed because I made Meghan laugh so hard. The higher up we went, the more evident it became that we were entering a redwood forest. The tree trunks became larger and the forest’s color changed from brown to a deep dark red. Though I’ve seen redwood trees several times in my life, seeing those magnificent red trunks just never gets old.

On the trail in Big Basin. It was slow moving during our hike (due to my foot), but I tried my best to ignore the pain and appreciate the environment.

We spent 2 hours meandering through the forest. For most of the hike, I stayed behind my sistas, looking up to the tall redwoods or going a little off trail to touch the bark and identify different trees. It was a good time. Doing science-y things was fun, but being able to spend my last full day in San Francisco with my sistas was the best part.

ze trees!!

My sister, Meghan, and I holding hands. So adorable.

My sistas! <3

And that is my 2 week San Francisco trip in a nutshell. I think 2 weeks was a good amount of time to spend in SF. It’s enough time to eat all the food you want and see all the people and places you want. Not to mention that it’s enough time to become comfortable in a new part of the city.

Well, I’ll have to update you later about my life. For now, it may be a while till I post again because RootsRated asked me to do a couple features (which I’ll post about no worries!). But, when I do write it’ll be about about my upcoming trip to Sandstone and Tettegouche State Park! I’ll be ice climbing and back country skiing! How fun. : )

Much Love,

-Molly

We were pretty hungry after our Big Basin rendezvous. This is Colleen.