Moving at a much slower pace due to my broken toe, I spent most of this week working to finish a large consulting project related to my research while Dan hiked in the Wind Rivers. By the weekend, though, we were in Colorado's colourful capital hopping between some of the best breweries in the coun[...]
We spent this week exploring the country’s oldest national park, and despite both having been to Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana previously (as well as Dan having been to Yellowstone), we were suitably blown away by autumn in Big Sky Country. The colours were amazing, the camping was unbeatable,[...]
Out of Washington and into new territory, we spent the week hiking and exploring through Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness, stopping to restock in Boise, Idaho and then finally arrived in West Yellowstone. With autumn right on our heels, the scenery was unbelievable and the crowds were greatly thinne[...]
This week, we finally rolled out of Seattle and onwards to new adventures! It’s been amazing exploring the PNW for the last 2 months, and we’ve ticked some major things off our outdoor bucketlist lately, but all the long mountain trips have also left us missing our little home on wheels and we[...]
Frequent readers may have noticed that I haven’t published a single “Vanlife diaries” update since we were in the Sawtooths in late June, and that’s because we’ve been back in Washington for the last 2 months, spending as much time out of the van as we have in it— on various mountaineer[...]
Stretching 700 miles from southern British Columbia to northern California and comprising more than 3,750 named peaks, the Cascades are undoubtedly one of the continent’s most spectacular mountain ranges— and Washington’s Cascades are the very pinnacle. The summits are taller, the lakes are b[...]
Pioneered in 1938 by the Ptarmigan Climbing Club, a group of 4 climbers out of Seattle who summited 12 peaks and put up half as many first assents over just 13 days, the iconic Ptarmigan Traverse represents Washington mountaineering at its very finest. Each day brings high passes, steep glaciers, w[...]
Among the most popular photo vantage points in the entire North Cascades, Sahale Glacier Camp is simply breathtaking. After hiking an incredibly gentle trail to Cascade Pass and then continuing through the heather to ascend a much steeper, rockier route to Sahale Arm, the entirety of the range seem[...]
Standing at the base of central Idaho's towering snow-capped peaks, their serrated silhouette dramatically backlit by the summer sun, it's truly impossible to understand why the Sawtooth Mountains aren't more popular. They have all the grandeur of the Tetons, even greater accessibility than the Nor[...]
Growing up in the shadow of Mt Rainier, the most glaciated peak in the continental US, it seemed only fitting that this be my first major glacier climb— what I hadn't anticipated was just how incredibly technical, physically exhausting, and mentally demanding it would be. This week, I set[...]
Idaho locals would have you believe there’s nothing particularly special about this landlocked western state (their licence plates say “Famous Potatoes”, need I go on)— turns out they were just trying to keep the gem state all to themselves this entire time. And honestly, who can blame them[...]
As one of the country's most popular parks, it should come as no surprise that Zion National Park in southern Utah is literally overflowing with amazing things to do— but unlike other destinations that can be checked off a bucket list after a few days, Zion is the kind of place that takes a[...]
Nestled between towering sandstone cliffs and extending along lush riverbanks, Zion National Park preserves an extensive network of canyons, desert towers, thriving forests, and altogether unlikely landscapes in southern Utah that truly defy comparison— in a state whose claim to fame is the[...]
Awed by the dramatic beauty of the Sawtooths and with absolutely no plans to leave anytime soon, the week quickly passed with another handful of hikes in central Idaho’s mountain paradise. This just might be the highlight of our entire trip! What we've been up to this week We started off th[...]
After spending the better part of 5 weeks in Utah, we left our little southwest paradise behind and ventured north into Idaho, where we’ll be spending the remainder of the month hiking and climbing everything in sight. I spent an awesome few days in the Sawtooths last winter and Dan spent a coupl[...]
Finally heading north and leaving the desert behind, we spent the week exploring Utah's Wasatch Mountains on long day hikes and then checked out Salt Lake City when temps soared into triple digits. We were both incredibly impressed by our time in central Utah and can't wait to come back! What we[...]
Canyoneering is the quintessential Utah experience, an intriguing blend of hiking, scrambling, climbing, and rappelling that takes you deep inside narrow desert canyons and demands just as much mental energy as it does physical exertion. And for a sport pioneered right here, you truly haven't exper[...]
After some much-needed rest and relaxation at the start of the week, we ended up enjoying another string of busy days, joining several awesome canyoneering tours around Zion, then hanging out on the shores of Lake Powell, and finally squeezing in a few hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park. [...]
Located in the vibrant desert of southern Utah, Zion National Park protects an extensive network of slot canyons, dramatic sandstone towers, lush riparian ecosystems, and wildflower-encrusted forests, each diverse square of the park more spectacular than the last. A whopping 84% of Zion is further[...]
The towering canyon walls of Zion National Park boast what are arguably southern Utah’s most spectacular trad and multi-pitch climbing routes, drawing experts from around the world to its red sandstone towers. You can often watch the microscopic progress of these rock climbers all the way from th[...]