Chestnut Mocha : Impressionist Lifestyle Blog: LOTM

Showing posts with label LOTM. Show all posts

Thursday, January 31, 2013

LOTM: Mountain Lady decor inspiration

Mountain house.. it makes me think of a cozy cabin. I see wood, blankets, baskets, socks, hot chocolate.. and a fireplace of course! In this case I think a few photos are better than many words, here's what I'd love to have in my mountain house:

photos via Pinterest

Be sure to check out the other mountain ladies and their decor inspiration:

Thursday, January 17, 2013

LOTM: a winter activity

This is my first winter in a small town and in the mountains. Ben and I decided to dedicate this season to skiing! We chose cross-country ski because I'm afraid of downhill skiing :-) For some reason I'm sure I'd fall all the way down the mountain and break everything possible. I prefer flat surfaces. This weekend we went to Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge to ski. If only I'd known how long the trail was!! We spent 4 hours there. Almost non-stop. It got dark after 5pm and the last part of the journey took us through a pitch-black forest. Other than that it was lots of fun: fresh air, beautiful mountains, elk and deer on our way, crackers and smoked oysters for a mid-way snack... After the adventure we had a rewarding dinner at a local brewery and then drove home. Skiing is pretty hard, it's like running, but it feels really good to know you went all the way through and spent some quality winter time outside. What is your favorite winter activity?

Be sure to check out the other mountain ladies and their winter activities:

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Ladies of the Mountains: A Dream Hike

Today I am joining the lovely Ladies of the Mountains as a guest blogger for their post called "A Dream Hike"! My dream hike is the Kalalau Trail in Kauai, Hawaii. The reason for my choice is pretty simple: it's not as cold there as it is in North Idaho! Also Hawaii has no snakes or large carnivorous mammals.

I've never been to these islands, but they're definitely on my to-go-asap list. Both Ben and I are pretty active, so I don't see us spending the whole vacation laying on a beach, sipping cocktails. We'd want to take hikes to explore wild parts of the island, see the tropical jungle, discover local flora, awe at the beautiful vistas and maybe camp on a beach with the Western Pacific before us, reflecting the setting sun..

via National Geographic

via Pinterest

Round-Trip: 22 miles, 3 to 5 days

When to Go: May to September for drier weather; April or October for more solitude.

According to the Guide of Hawaii: "Labeled 'the' hike on Kauai, the Kalalau Trail is a 11 mile trek into paradise. A vast array of verdant valleys, waterfalls, sea caves, and gorgeous vistas lay ahead of you." -- doesn't it sound like a perfect hike? I'm ready to go right now!