Spring Protection: Larkly Mineral Sunscreen

The older I grow, the more conscious I get about taking care of my skin – and for me it all starts with sunscreen. I’m naturally fair, burn easily and haven’t always been the best at lathering up before heading outside. But even in spring when it may be overcast and gray, it is important

Hike Highlight: Savage Lakes

A 3.8-mile round trip hike, the Savage Lake trail is a steep yet moderate hike in the heart of the Colorado Rockies. Leaving cell phone service long behind in the Roaring Folk valley, follow the babbling Frying Pan River for approximately 27 miles high up into the Holy Cross Wilderness for this picturesque hike. Starting

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

Kayaking into the Silent Wilderness of Patagonia

It’s hard to imagine – and even harder to describe – a place like Bernardo O’Higgins National Park. I’ve started and stopped this blog post about fifteen times in two days, trying to find the right words.  It is true undeveloped, wildly remote, vast wilderness. Covering an area of over 8.7 million acres (that’s bigger

Riding “The Wave” at Valley of Fire State Park

The desert can be a deadly and desolate place. However, in the heat and extreme landscape comes surprising beauty. In Nevada’s first state park, the Valley of Fire, rugged formations of bright red Aztec sandstone jut out of the earth; some with rough edges from thousands of years of erosion from the power of the

Experiencing the Power of Nature on the Red Castle Lake Trail

As a spider web of lightening illuminated the green and gray rain-fly of our Nemo tent and the rain soaked the ground, my chest tightened in panic. I hope we don’t end up like those 300 dead reindeer in Norway, I thought. The rain continued to fall from the angry sky; the water creeping closer

Make it a historic summer weekend in Astoria, Oregon

“Let’s escape the heat and head to the coast this weekend,” says everyone this summer as we enter another week of 90+ degree weather. And while I agree that the cool sea breezes feel wonderful, I don’t like to share the beach with the crowds and arcades. So a few weeks ago, I had the

Lake Agnes Hike

What do you get when you combine freezing temps, blue skies, silky white snow, and alpine lakes in the Canadian Rockies? A fantastic and rejuvenating day of hiking. Starting out at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, we grabbed a cup of hot coffee to watch the sun rise over the frozen lake and illuminate the surrounding