Last month Alex and I finally backpacked a trail we have long been dreaming of: the Kalalau Trail. We got our first taste of the Kalalau Trail when we visited Kauai back in 2015. We had only been backpacking once at that point and the idea of hiking a route that regularly pops up on “the most dangerous trails” lists didn’t seem like the smartest idea, so we only hiked the first two miles to Hanakapi’ai Beach.
Read MoreI read the route description in the guidebook yet again. Douglas Lorain writes: “Ahead of you is one of the supreme alpine wonderlands in Idaho, and, in fact, it is probably the equal of any alpine area in the country—and I’ve been to most of them.” Lorain ranked the Big Boulder Lakes in Sawtooth National Forest 10/10 for scenery and his words in the book elicited imagery of sparkling lakes nestled beneath jagged mountains.
Read MoreWe pulled into the North Cascades ranger station in Marblemount at 5:00am, two hours before the office opened, but as our headlights swept through the dark lot we saw that we weren’t the first to arrive. There were already two people waiting at the front door, their headlamps illuminated a map as they talked over their options. I parked the car, turned off the engine, and walked over to join them. We were all here hoping to secure a walk up permit for North Cascades National Park over Labor Day weekend.
Read MoreTank Lakes is one of those places that I’ve been dreaming about visiting for a couple years, but something has always gotten in the way. This summer I made it my goal to make it to this tough-to-reach yet wildly scenic spot in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Read MoreLast weekend Alex and I headed out on a quick overnight backpacking trip that we’ve had permits for since March. I’ve been wanting to spend a night in Royal Basin for a couple of years now but had never reserved permits ahead of time, and the walk-up permits proved tough to come by. This year I was able to snag a permit for the Royal Lake backcountry site the day they released, and Alex and I had been looking forward to it ever since.
Read More“So do we turn back?” I asked the group, disappointment echoing in my voice. Everyone averted their eyes, staring off at the horizon or down at their feet. I knew it was inevitable: we had to return to camp. It was simply too hot to hike, the brush too cumbersome to bushwhack through, our nerves too frayed by the fourth day of our trip, and our exhaustion too high. We turned around.
Read MoreOver Memorial Day weekend Alex and I headed to the Olympic Coast to embark upon our first Washington backpacking trip of the season. We had our sights set on Olympic National Park’s North Coast. The campsites along most of the coastline does not have a permit quota, but campers still have to show up at the ranger station and pick up a permit.
Read MoreThe final hike of Alex’s and my honeymoon in New Zealand was to Brewster Hut. The hike was another New Zealand classic: relatively short, but strenuous. In less than 3 miles we gained 3,200’ of elevation over gnarly roots and steep ridges.
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