“We’re ahead of schedule, get your stuff ready to go. Now!” One of the deckhands appeared out of nowhere and startled us. Alex and I hadn’t finished eating our lunch yet so we scarfed down the last few bites of our sandwiches and quickly headed to the deck below to gather our 13 dry bags and 3 stuffed-to-the-brim bear canisters. Standing at the bow of the boat, with a pile of gear at our feet Alex started up his camera and pointed it at me, “how are you feeling?”
Read MoreThe main goal of Alex's and my trip to Escalante was to tackle a backpacking route we’ve been wanting to do for awhile: Coyote Gulch. The gulch is 25 miles long and drains into the Escalante River which in turn drains into the Colorado River. Coyote Gulch is located in central, southern Utah so it had some similarities to the Paria Canyon hike but it was also different enough that it didn't feel repetitive.
Read More“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”.
Read MoreSince I get many questions from readers asking how they can begin backpacking I've decided to put together a "Backpacking 101" series where I will share posts that will hopefully make the overwhelming process of getting into backpacking just a bit more manageable. Last week I shared all of the gear I use backpacking and this week I will share all of the mistakes that are easy for beginning backpackers to make so you can avoid them!
Read MoreOne of the more frequently asked questions I receive is "What gear do you take backpacking?" My gear closet is a constant evolution, I'm always trying new pieces (I still am not sure I have found a water filtering system I love) and upgrading old, heavy gear I bought when I first started backpacking. However, I know how overwhelming it can be when you walk into REI to buy backpacking gear for the first time only to discover the store feels like a bottomless pit and wait, there are how many different tents?!
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreLast 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.
Read MoreI 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.
Read More
