Big Views: Sleeping Beauty Hike

If your calves and quads were snoozing from the car drive to this remote Washington hike, they are bound to wake up as you ascend Sleeping Beauty. Short but steep, this 2.6-mile round-trip hike rapidly gains 1400 feet of elevation to pop out of the tree-tops. Featuring views of four mountain peaks (Adams, Hood, Rainer,

Hiking to God’s Thumb

Somethings are worth getting up early for – and this hike is one of them. With a heat wave rolling through the Pacific Northwest a few weeks ago, I was super lucky to already have a coast weekend on the books. My college friends all converged on Lincoln City for a long 4-day weekend. If

A Look Back at 2020: Adventures During a Pandemic

I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a hell of a year. Looking back on the last 12 months, I feel like it’s all a fog – a blurry merge of months, virtual meetings and happy hours, walks past the same houses, and long, lonely days spent indoors. And unfortunately, the hope

Canyoning in Sulfur Creek

Water is the lifeline of the desert. It brings vitality to dry earth, allows plants to sprout, and animals to flourish; even when temperatures reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. As a hiker (and a north-westerner through and through), I also love water for it’s beauty, refreshing spray, and fun trails. So while visiting Capitol

Strong, slow, and steady: Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

As the sun warmed our backs, its orange-red glow illuminated our path. Gravel, scree, and boulders were all we could see. From the soles of our dust-covered hiking boots to the white-wispy clouds in the sky, it never ended. We never gave up. The highest point on the African continent, Mt. Kilimanjaro is one of

Exploring the Tatoosh Range: Plummer Peak

While riding in the back seat of my dad’s Nissan Pathfinder truck up a curving road to cascade forests, all my childhood memories of hiking as a family rushed back. That amazing view from Tolmie Fire Lookout, the wildflowers and bees at Spray Park, hot afternoons, and cold camping nights. I definitely inherited the adventure

Mountain Biking the Wilson River Trail

Flying around a corner, the lush coastal forest trees a blur in my peripheral vision, I locked onto the trail dipping below the horizon. I gripped the handle-bars; white-knuckles. I kicked the pedals into gear. I found my balance. I grinned wide, even with the threat of trapping bugs. And then I sailed away, down

Hiking My First 14er: Mt. Evans via Sawtooth Ridge

Following a bubbling spring, we scrambled and bouldered down loose rocks and past big horned sheep on cliff faces to the valley floor. From the base, I looked up from where we came and out to where we had yet to go. It looked daunting. My legs were tired from hiking all weekend and running

Ski Park City Part 3: Park City Resort

Formerly mined for silver, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) today is rich with energy and snow-fans of all ages looking to have a good time. And with a great mix of slope styles, it’s not hard to do. Early miners wear the first to hit the trails around present day PCMR in the 1880s. They

Sneaking through Spooky Gulch Canyon

Sometimes the best adventures are unexpected. Turning off the scenic highway 12 in Utah, I ventured down a pot-holed dirt and gravel road for 25 miles into Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. No signs. No mile markers. No cell coverage. Yet in the midst of desolation – an empty desert – the sun and beauty break