One of the places I was most excited to visit in New Zealand was Mueller Hut in Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park. Like most of our experiences on the South Island, our overnight trip to Mueller Hut was affected by the weather. But this time, a weather delay actually worked in our favor!
Read MoreWhen we touched down in Queenstown, New Zealand the weather was beautiful. Blues skies stretched for as far as the eye could see and there was nary a cloud in sight. This seemed to bode well for the trip we had planned for the next day: the Routeburn Track. However, the forecast told a different story.
Read MoreAlex and I sat in our rental car at the Blue Pools Trailhead and listened to the rain patter against the roof. I let disappointment wash over me. The forecast for the day called for unabating rain but as we drove to the trailhead I still held onto some hope that the forecast would be wrong and the dark, foreboding clouds above us would miraculously dissipate. They did not.
Read MoreLast month we experienced an unseasonably dry and sunny November for Washington. Weekend after weekend the forecast was favorable so on November 17 Alex and I and a group of new friends took advantage of the weather with a snow camping trip to a place that’s been on our radar since we moved here: Gothic Basin.
Read MoreAfter Alex’s and my trip to Sahale Glacier we decided to head south for a quick mini-moon backpacking trip in the Sierra. We were hoping that we would have more luck than we did in Washington and that we would get to experience more fall weather. Well, it turns out our trip to Kings Canyon National Park was a repeat of our trip to the North Cascades, but that doesn’t mean it was a bust. Far from it! Once again we were able to experience the height of fall colors and then wake up to a fresh dusting of snow on the peaks.
Read MoreAt the end of September, Alex and I went on an overnight backpacking trip with our friends Alisha and Sean to a place we have been dreaming about for a couple years: Sahale Glacier camp. This backcountry campsite is one of the most sought after destinations in North Cascades National Park so, understandably, the competition for permits on weekends is fierce.
Read MoreAs Alex and I neared Jackson the sky grew dark and angry, sending down torrents of rain that our faulty windshield wipers had trouble mopping away. We were on our way to pick up our backcountry permits for the Teton Crest Trail, permits I had applied for the moment they became available for reservation on January 3, 2018. After nearly eight months of anticipation it became an increasing reality that the weather could foil the hike I had spent more than half a year dreaming about.
Read MoreIn late August Alex and I went on a road trip through Idaho and Wyoming to complete a few of our bucket-list backpacking trips. Our initial plan also included Glacier but the Howe Ridge Fire closed the west side of the park and we had to cancel our backpacking trip there.
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