Update prior trips

content/blog/2022-08-16-grand-canyon/index.md

@@ -4,14 +4,18 @@ date: "2022-08-16"
 archive: false
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-We landed in Las Vegas, and drove through the night to catch sunrise at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, AZ.
+We first landed in Las Vegas, and drove through the night to catch sunrise at the **North Rim** of Grand Canyon National Park, AZ.
 
 ![gc_north_rim_1.png](gc_north_rim_1.png)
 
-This is me sitting on the edge of the canyon, a bit more up-close and personal with the canyon.
+Here I am on the edge of the canyon, a bit more up-close and personal with steep drop.
 
 ![gc_me.png](gc_me.png)
 
 Another view of the North Rim for good measure!
 
 ![gc_north_rim_2.png](gc_north_rim_2.png)
+
+The North Rim and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon have different entry points depending on how you approach the park. It's worth noting that the South Rim is the more "touristy" side, and the North Rim is a little quieter (but no less spectactular). There's also cabin accomodation and a restaurant with views over the canyon.
+
+One can hike down and through the canyon to the other side, but this isn't typically a day hike. Check conditions and plan to split the hike over two days, the inclines on the North Rim are brutal, and I'm confident the South Rim wouldn't be much better! Still, worth doing if you have the ability.

content/blog/2022-08-22-mt-whitney/index.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ archive: false
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 Reaching the summit of Mt. Whitney is one of my favourite personal achievements. For context, Mt. Whitney (14,505ft) is
-the tallest peak in the contiguous (lower) 48 states in the United States and is located in Inyo National Forest, CA.
+the tallest peak in the contiguous (lower) 48 states in the United States and is located in Inyo National Forest, CA. Compared to Australia, Mt. Whitney is almost *double* the height of our tallest mountain, Mt. Kosciuszko (7,310ft)!
 
 ![mt_w_c_h.png](mt_w_c_h.png)
 
@@ -27,5 +27,6 @@ and had hiked through the night.
 
 ![mt_w_summit_view.png](mt_w_summit_view.png)
 
-There were moments along the way: we lost the trail at one point, Carl started to have symptoms of altitude sickness the night before we went for the summit, and
-I had issues with my shoes that same day. Despite the challenges and moments, we made it up and down in one piece!
+There were some fun moments along the way: at one point we completely lost the trail, Carl started to have symptoms of altitude sickness the night before we went for the summit, *and* I had issues with my shoes that same day. Despite the challenges and moments, we made it up and down in one piece!
+
+You can do the day hike from Whitney Portal, but this requires a permit and is a very challenging route. Start times varies from about 9 PM the night prior if you were planning to catch sunrise from the summit. If you have the flexibility, I would recommend taking a day or two extra to reach the summit.

content/blog/2022-08-25-half-dome/index.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ date: "2022-08-25"
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-Half Dome was easily the biggest adrenaline rush I had during my time in Yosemite National Park. I was fortunate enough to get lottery
+Climbing Half Dome was easily the biggest adrenaline rush I had during my time in Yosemite National Park. I was fortunate enough to get lottery
 passes to do Half Dome after applying only a day or so before!
 
 ![hd_me.png](hd_me.png)

content/blog/2022-11-19-joshua-tree/index.md

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ It was an amazing experience being so isolated with such a beautiful landscape a
 ![jt_tree.png](jt_tree.png)
 
 The following day, I hiked around 8 miles to exit the park. I then headed to an interesting little trail that went
-inside one of the large rock piles around the park and through what was known as the "Chasm of Doom". I was drawn to
+inside one of the large rock piles around the park and through what was known as the **"Chasm of Doom"**. I was drawn to
 this partly due to the name, but also the challenge - you needed to squeeze yourself through a gap between two rocks
 hardly 1 foot apart!