In case you missed it... it's official, I LIVE IN A VAN!! After months of tireless organising, coordinating, packing, selling, and about 60 Amazon parcels, Dan and I hit the road on Wednesday for the first 4-month leg of our 2-year van adventure— we are beyond excited to finally be travelling ful[...]
Protecting nearly 350,000 acres of red rock canyons, sweeping mesas, towering rock arches, and sand-sculpted spires in southern Utah, Canyonlands National Park continues the grand traditional of Utah's Mighty Five and offers yet another unique perspective of the state's otherworldly landscapes.[...]
Boasting over 2,000 natural rock arches, each the product of millions of years of violent wind, salt, and ice erosion in south-eastern Utah, Arches National Park certainly earns its name. And no two arches are alike— spectacularly thin bridges of rock stretch over desert landscapes, isolated ribb[...]
Situated in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountains and sculpted by glaciers over millions of years, Yosemite is one of America's most distinct national parks, its granite domes and towering sequoia unlike anything else in central California (or the country, for that matter). It's no wonder, then,[...]
Of all Arizona's incredible natural marvels and vibrant geological wonders, The Wave is truly one of the most spectacular, an otherworldly swirl of ancient sand dunes located out in the remote North Coyote Buttes near Page. This is undoubtedly one of the most coveted views in the entire southwest,[...]
Continuing the Four Lakes Loop past another 3 sparkling lakes in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, the next two days on the trail bring more smoke-free, sunny days and only further cement the impression that this is one of California's best hidden gems. From our summit of Siligo Peak to a refreshing dip[...]
After getting smoked out of Mt Whitney and frantically scrambling to plan an alternative backpacking adventure for the start of our Mountain West/SW road trip, Dad, Eileen, and I ended up driving north from Sacramento this week to explore the Trinity Alps, a subrange of the Klamath Mountains and th[...]
Alpine Lakes Wilderness never fails to impress, particularly during the magic of mid-autumn when all the leaves have turned varying shades of orange and the larches glow an otherworldly gold. And just as promised, this protected area within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is a mecca of alpin[...]
Following an eventful two days on the trail with multiple summits and millions of golden larches, our adventure in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness continues to Lake Juanita, up Boulder Butte for sunset (day 3), and finally culminates with a brutal 1,800m descent down into Stehekin on day 4.[...]
For only a few spectacular weeks every autumn, the otherwise unremarkable alpine larch trees in the Pacific Northwest turn a vibrant gold before dropping all of their needles for the winter. It’s the small geographical window, as well as the very narrow timeframe (and unpredictable weather this t[...]
Following a spectacular day along the Maple Pass Loop trail yesterday, we've left the crowds behind to trek towards (and hopefully summit) Black Peak today, a task whose difficulty is somewhat magnified by the recent snowfall. We are rewarded for our efforts with an almost unbelievable pocket of go[...]
As one of the most popular day hikes in Washington, Maple Pass Loop makes nearly every "best of" and "top hikes" list, grabbing my attention fairly instantly with promises of autumn colours and alpine lakes set against the backdrop of the snowy North Cascades. Maple Pass was therefore an early pick[...]
Located in the far northeast of Washington State, about 1hr from the Canadian border and just beyond North Cascades National Park, Pasayten Wilderness is a protected mecca of snow-capped alpine peaks and sparkling glacier lakes. Hoping to savour some of the vibrant autumn colours (and possibly even[...]
An indisputable Seattle icon and Washington's best-known peak, the snowy summit of Mt Rainier (originally called Tacoma by native Americans, meaning “the source of nourishment from the many streams coming from the slopes") provides a dramatic backdrop for countless local adventures, international[...]
On what would originally have been our penultimate day circumnavigating the Bull's Tooth before returning back to Stevens Pass but has now become our last day on the trail due to nearby bushfires, we hike the short distance to Frosty Pass before descending steeply to Whitepine— not without a[...]
Our second day of what we've termed the Bullseye Traverse (in the spirit of all the bull-themed waypoints) brings us over Bullseye Pass, past the Bull's Head, and to the base of the Bull's Tooth, our summit for this trip through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. There's not a great deal of trail kilomet[...]
After an incredibly painful 6 months of lockdown in Melbourne that recently restricted all outdoor activities to 1hr per day within 5km of home, I packed up and flew (fled) to Seattle last week to spend the remainder of 2020 enjoying relative freedom stateside. First on the agenda was just getting[...]
There are few better ways to acquaint yourself with a new country than through its cuisine, and sampling traditional street food is always my favourite way to experience unique flavours and local delicacies as soon as I arrive. Unfortunately, I found myself fairly underwhelmed as I travelled throug[...]
After an agonising 19-month wait (and absolutely zero communication from Home Affairs), I finally became an Australian permanent resident this week, receiving my 820 (temporary) and 801 (permanent) Partner Visa grant about 30 seconds apart. I was so surprised that I burst immediately into tears—[...]
Situated between the balmy Caribbean coast and the soaring Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, you'll almost certainly find yourself passing through Colombia's oldest surviving city during your travels. And while it's far from the prettiest or most exciting destination in and of itself— easy[...]