Squeezing Through the Slot Canyons of Escalante

“Where are we supposed to go? Do we go over or under these rocks?” Alex asked. I looked around at our surroundings, to either of our sides towering sandstone walls shot up from the ground and surrounded us, enclosing us into a space no more than a couple feet across, ahead of us was a pile of fallen boulders that looked impenetrable, it seemed we hit a dead end. I fished my phone out of my pocket and consulted my AllTrails route. A flashing blue dot that indicated our location was nearly on top of the waypoint marked “tight squeeze”.

Escalante, UtahSonja SaxeMay 10, 2018 Comments

Crater Lake Circumnavigation Attempt

In May of 2016 Alex and I visited Crater Lake for the first time. We hadn't done much research so we were surprised to find most of the park still buried in snow and the entire length of the rim road was not yet open so we were confined to the Rim Village and a few miles of road along the West Rim. We visited over Memorial Day weekend and it seemed thousands of others had the same idea as us as the park was filled to the brim with visitors.

Crater Lake, Backcountry Ski Trips, Winter Trips, OregonSonja SaxeApril 4, 2018 Comments

Photo Diary: Mt. Baker Winter Camping

Last Friday Alex, a few friends, and I ventured to the Mt. Baker wilderness to do some winter camping. The forecast called for overcast conditions with possible overnight snow flurries but instead we were treated to the most perfect bluebird day. Since we were heading out on a Friday afternoon there were very few people out on the trail and we were able to get our pick of campsites.

North Cascades, Backcountry Ski Trips, Winter Trips, WashingtonSonja SaxeMarch 24, 2018Comment

A Winter Wonderland in Mount Rainier National Park

I opened up the weather app on my phone and apprehensively scrolled to the tab for Ashford (Mount Rainier National Park) and saw a bright sun next to Saturday and Sunday—the weather window was holding and it was going to be a beautiful weekend in the mountains.

Mt. Rainier, Backcountry Ski Trips, Winter Trips, WashingtonSonja SaxeMarch 16, 2018Comment

Thanksgiving Weekend in Havasupai

Havasupai has been on my "must-visit" list for a couple of years now. In 2016 I missed out on the very short window of reserving permits so the hike was, unfortunately, out of the running for that year. However, I was determined to make it to Havasupai in 2017 so on February 1, when permits are available for reservation, I was on the phone and dialing the office.

Grand Canyon, Backpacking Trips, ArizonaSonja SaxeDecember 18, 2017 Comment

Rim to River to Rim: A Grand Experience in the Grand Canyon

Planning a trip for late fall can be tricky as the weather is completely unpredictable in most locations. In late November the Grand Canyon can see snow and ice or it can see warm, sunny days that call for shorts and a t-shirt.

Grand Canyon, Arizona, Backpacking TripsSonja SaxeDecember 13, 2017 Comments

Photo Diary: Day Hiking The Enchantments

In early October Alex and I decided to go larch hunting. Every fall I have seen posts about "larch madness" on social media but I had never had the pleasure of seeing these vividly yellow trees myself. With the weather forecast to be absolutely perfect, we set off to hike the 18 mile trail that connects the Colchuck/Stuart Lake Trailhead to the Snowy Lake Trailhead and traverses the Core zone of The Enchantments.

Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WashingtonSonja SaxeNovember 5, 2017Comment

Chasing Sunrises and Sunsets in Joshua Tree

Earlier this month the RV company, AdventureKT, gave Alex and I the opportunity to take one of their RV's for a spin through Southern California. We have never traveled in an RV before and AdventureKT's fleet is beautiful, so we immediately said "yes!" We flew down to LA, picked up our home for the weekend, and headed for the desert.

Joshua Tree, CaliforniaSonja SaxeOctober 30, 2017 Comments

Ice, Glaciers, and the Tundra: 8 Days Backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

I stared up at the ceiling of my tent and watched as a single water drop fell onto my sleeping bag. I immediately brushed it off but knew more drops were inevitable. It was the sixth day of my eight day trek through the wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Alaska's notorious weather finally caught up to us.

Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska, Backpacking TripsSonja SaxeAugust 26, 2017 Comments

Trekking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites

Finally we were there: Lago di Braies. It was the starting point of our 120km trek through the Dolomites in northern Italy. 6 months of anticipation, 4 months of Italian lessons on Duo Lingo, 2 lengthy plane rides, and 3 bus rides lead up to this point and everything suddenly felt surreal.

Dolomiti, Backpacking Trips, ItalySonja SaxeAugust 6, 2017 Comments