Jessica5 days agoAnkylosing Spondylitis Flare-UpsThere are as many disease courses as there are spondies with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Read more about my experience with AS disease flares.
JessicaMar 276 Great Easy Hikes Near Colorado SpringsSix easy, beautiful hiking trails in and around Colorado Springs to explore in any season!
JessicaDec 18, 2021New Year New Adventures - Planning Outdoor Adventures in AdvanceIf you want to visit popular parks or trails over the summer, the winter months are the ideal time to start planning that outdoor adventure.
JessicaNov 7, 2021What An Ankylosing Spondylitis Diagnosis May Mean for YouThough this disease is painful and can be debilitating, many are able to lead a “normal”, albeit altered, life. What might AS mean for you?
JessicaOct 16, 2021Hike to Interlaken Historic ResortRead about this lakeside trail at the base of the tallest peak in Colorado that leads to a late 19th century historic resort!
JessicaSep 17, 2021An Axial Spondyloarthritis Patient DictionaryAnyone else get lost in the slew of confusing and hard-to-pronounce terminology that comes along with an Axial Spondyloarthritis diagnosis?
JessicaJul 27, 2021Reading the Outdoors - Books by Three Big Names in Nature WritingLooking for some great nature, environmental, or adventure writing reads? Check out these three books from big names in the subgenre.
JessicaJul 16, 2021Exploring Eleven Mile Canyon Recreation Area in ColoradoEleven Mile Canyon Recreation Area, conveniently located an hour away from Colorado Springs, boasts many activities for the outdoor lover.
JessicaJun 17, 20219 Things to Consider Before Hiking with a Chronic IllnessI’ve learned to stop relying on trail ratings because the simplistic rating system is subjective at best and not meant for disabled bodies.
JessicaMay 20, 2021Arches National Park - Hiking Devil’s GardenIn the middle of our first Colorado winter, I could think of no better place to visit than the warm red rock wilderness of southeastern Utah
JessicaApr 15, 2021Ankylosing Spondylitis and the Digestive SystemGastrointestinal issues are some of the more common complications of Axial Spondyloarthritis that occur outside of the spine...
JessicaMar 15, 2021Climbing into the Past - Bandelier National MonumentStacia and I walked along the trail, poking our heads into Talus House, climbing wooden ladders into the few cavetes the NPS allows visitors
JessicaFeb 22, 2021Zapata Falls Trail - Five Reasons to Beat the TrafficOther than a quiet, peaceful hike, here are five reasons to get out early on your trek to Zapata Falls in southern Colorado.
JessicaFeb 5, 2021Identifying Trails for Hikers with DisabilitiesFebruary 4th, 2021 Identifying trails that are appropriate for the hiker with a disability is easier said than done, right? Finding easy,...
JessicaJan 26, 2021Believing Chronic Pain SufferersJanuary 25th, 2021 Here’s the deal - chronic pain is no joke. It’s nothing to shrug off, to downplay, or to disregard. But many of us...
JessicaJan 10, 2021Acknowledging the Good - Our Time Outdoors in 2020January 9th, 2020 I’m confident that 2020 will be a year to remember, for the most obvious reasons. The pandemic and the resulting...
JessicaDec 22, 2020Cheyenne Mountain State Park: Hiking in the Company of Mule DeerAs we walked slowly up the trail, eyes and ears on alert for more deer or wildlife, we saw the buck jump back on the trail and join the two
JessicaDec 9, 2020Diary of Things for Another Day with ASDecember 9th, 2020 Tomorrow is another day. Carpe Diem. Here today, gone tomorrow. There are lots of clichés and aphorisms out there...
JessicaNov 20, 2020Crested Butte’s Hiking Trails Will Leave You SpeechlessI wanted to spend the entire day on these trails, exploring along the river, then further up the hillside into the Aspen grove, then deeper
JessicaNov 9, 2020Living with an Invisible IllnessBut my friends cannot see my increased inflammation, my coworkers can not read my pain levels on any given day, my doctors cannot record the
JessicaOct 13, 2020An Autumn Hike in San Juan National ForestIn Hermosa, we followed a sign for the Haviland Lake State Wildlife Area to Wagon trail. A plaque at the trailhead explains how this trail
JessicaSep 21, 2020Camping at Great Sand Dunes National Park - Pinon Flats CampgroundGreat Sand Dunes National Park is absolutely stunning, and if you’re looking for a campsite that allows access to all of this park’s
JessicaSep 12, 2020Waking Up with Ankylosing SpondylitisMorning stiffness comes with an urgency to move, but also a hesitation to move and cause more pain. On other mornings, I wake with mild-to-
JessicaAug 25, 2020Hiking To HealthAs it turns out, hiking as a form of exercise has a lot more to offer than indoor exercise routines. So how does hiking affect your overall