.july.

I spent most of July traveling. There are places that feel extra special in certain seasons/months/transitions but I love summer everywhere. 

I left the hot muggy summer thunderstorms of Western North Carolina for the arid summer heat and wildfires of Central Washington. I grew up in Central Washington but having spent many summers now in humid heat and it struck me this time going back the way dry heat radiates from the earth. On a hike in the sage hills I could feel the heat radiating from the dusty cracked earth, heating me from the feet up. 

I travelled to my favorite lake - bathing in the crisp crystal clear alpine lake, saw the dense smoke from wildfires across the hillsides and went to my favorite hikes collecting sagebrush. It always feels like home, the pulse of land is the strongest there.

The next stop was Boston for a few days to teaching a jewelry workshop. The city felt so loud and chaotic after time in the quiet vast west. I was thankful for the fun of summer nights biking thru Harvard Square with girlfriends and also the reminder of the space I need to feel free. After the weekend workshop I headed north for a week long camping adventure staring in Southern Maine and ending in New Brunswick. 

I’ve been curious to explore Acadia for the past 3 summers, but timing was never right. It’s July and the chaos of the tourism season is in full swing but it was beautiful and wild. A new rugged Maine I’d wanted to meet. 

We hiked as many trails as possible, swam in the freezing ocean and forage for wild blueberries. I can’t wait to go back sometime in the Fall when it’s a little less chaotic.

The surprise of the trip was New Brunswick, Bay of Fundy to be exact. En route driving thru the city of Saint John the fog was so thick we couldn’t see anything but a small patch of road in front of us so when we finally arrived to Fundy National Park the lush wilderness, rugged coastline and the 55 foot tide drop leaving inlets dry at low tide felt so dramatic. We could’ve stayed a week without running out of things to see. Each part of the park offers different landscapes and flora. One hike paralleled the Salmon River, it’s wide open pebble beaches felt like Montana or Idaho. Another hike follow the coastline with fern lined paths and amazing rocky lookouts felt like the Oregon Coast and at low tide exploring the ocean floor I found the most perfect flat and smooth red jasper! I was daydreaming about buying a small cottage near there and taking morning walks to gather stones and inspirations before an afternoon in a studio with an ocean view. Sigh.

The last night was spent at Cobscook Bay in Northern Maine. It was the most peaceful state park I’ve ever stayed at. The sites are isolated and peaceful, most you have to drive down a long driveway before it opens up to the site. We enjoy a totally secluded site sheltered in trees and surrounded by the bay on 3 sides. The low tide was dramatic, totally emptied out the cove at low tide leaving only the cracking sound of clams and a few birds pecking in the muddy ocean floor. 

I’ve mostly spent time in Southern Maine but really loved the wildness of Northern Maine, it felt like a new perspective on the state. 

I’m back in North Carolina already missing my dear ones and counting down for another camping adventure before summer is over.