Leave No Trace

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It's been a rough couple of weeks with Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and over 35,000 acres of Oregon's Columbia River Gorge are still on fire. The saddest part is the fire could have been avoided. A group of teenagers went into the woods and threw fireworks into a ravine immediately sparking a fire. They walked off doing nothing about it, but luckily they were seen and caught. Ash coming from over an hour away, has covered all of Portland. Even though we are known for our rains here in Oregon, we have very dry summers where fires can start on their own. With all the natural disasters happening right now, lots of people are in disbelief that something deliberate like this has happened.

Since the influx of people moving here to Portland, I've seen our gorge attract lots of new visitors to it like a playground. Sadly, I've also seen our nature spots being treated like a dumping ground too. The trails where you would rarely saw someone, now have parking issues and crowds of people. Some trails are still low traffic but the popular trails have some trouble with trash. I've seen leftover piles of garbage left at trailheads, soaked "pee" napkins left near where cars were parked, diapers shoved in crevices of hillside rocks, beer cans in the river, dog poo bags left on the side of the trails and cigarette butts everywhere near where people have parked. It's sad.

Littering begets littering. It's everyone's responsibility to take care of our planet. The teenagers who thoughtlessly tossed fireworks into a dry forest, know better. Most of the people on the trails are adults and know better. Let's teach our children well - taking care of nature is important for us and future generations. Here are some helpful tips about "Leave No Trace" when you are in nature at wilderness.org . If you would like to help by donating or volunteering, you can at gorgefriends.org/firfaq

❤

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Hot Spring Soak

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There's less than 4 weeks left of summer and if you haven't gone anywhere or done something special for yourself - go do it! Even if it's a day trip or just an hour of your time - take the time to take a new road and try something new. We are having unusually hot weather for the summer's end here in Portland, so it's reminding me to try to squeeze a couple more fun things. Lately, I've had hot spring soaks on my mind. We have several natural hot water springs that are heated by volcanic activity. Not many people know this, but those pointy mountains we see here are volcanoes. Oregon is peppered with them. Some are dormant, some are active. At the very least, there are waters that bubble up to the surface and people have found some natural baths we can safely soak in. Have you been to a natural hot spring? I would love to know where you went! Come share in the comments on my instagram.

Eclipse Energies and Intentions

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Whether you were in, near or far from the path of totality; I'm sure you heard about the buzz and maybe even experienced a buzz from Monday's total solar eclipse. Apparently there hasn't been one since June 8, 1918 where you could see it in The United States. I remember seeing a partial solar eclipse in New York back in 1994 and that was pretty fun. Eclipses not only effect the planets energies but it affects our body energies as well. People have intense emotional reactions, so if you cried, got spooked or shouted with sheer crazy joy; it's totally normal. I wanted to find out more about eclipses and how it energetically effects us. So, I found out the mystical meaning and what an eclipse does for us:

Because we are in a New Moon phase, this is always the time to set intentions and turn them into creative action. Don't worry if you don't act right away, setting intentions are good enough. When there is a total solar eclipse happening with the new moon, the sun ushers in a more positive vibe. So if you've had your heart or mind set on something and don't feel quite ready, this eclipse with push you towards it anyway - and for the good. It's not a time to prove anything or demand anything of ourselves but you will feel compelled to try something new, step outside of your comfort zone, take a new offer you hadn't considered before. Basically embracing change, with an open heart and an open mind. Ready or not, here you come!

Happy Wednesday

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Camp Out

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Summer is almost ending and we managed to fit in our annual camp trip with a group of friends. Some of us in the group do some glamping and some just simply set up camp. Whether you back back deep into the woods or drive right up to where you sleep, it's nice to break the routine. For us, it's good cheap fun for a couple of days in the woods by the river to connect. Do you camp? I'd love to hear where are your favorite spots over on my instagram.