TrailChick

The Mt Clifty Adventure

My friend Annette and I have a track record of adventurous outings that never end up ordinary. With our crazy 3 dogs in tow we set out for Mt. Clifty, deep in the Cle Elum Ranger District to bag a peak for Sahaptin Outfitter's "Summit the District" contest. We had no idea it would turn into a 20-mile, all day outing!

Travel

Cuzco

Cuzco is a beautiful Unesco World Heritage site that introduces you to the fun effects altitude can have on your body. Did you know your body can stop breathing when sleeping at altitude? And Coca tea, commonly drank in Peru to combat the effects of altitude sickness, really IS cocaine in a cup. Ok, not really, but don't take a drug test after consuming it.

Travel

Visiting Christchurch

Sunday afternoon at the Brisbane airport, I could barely sit still I was so excited. I was campervan'ing New Zealand for the next 12 days!!

Travel

Campervan’ing Tasmania: Hobart and The Tasman Peninsula

What I knew about Tasmania was superficial: it's home to the Tassie devil and the butt of a lot of Australian jokes but has stunningly beautiful geography and wonderful, friendly people.

Travel

2 days in Sydney

For weeks I was agonizing about what to do with my free week between Fraser Island and Tasmania. The Little...

Travel

You MUST visit Fraser Island

It's no small feat to get to Fraser Island, but you MUST put it on your destination list. I've seen amazing wildlife and dingoes aplenty. I've walked on the softest sand in the world and been jostled on rough inland sand tracks. Fraser has a lot of adventure and relaxation. It's got everything.

Essays

The 2012 Ragnar and Ironheart Racing

Lately I've been doing a lot of race reports. This isn't so much a race report but more a story about the amazing people you meet along the way while participating in races and events and crazy relays. This year after volunteering at the Ragnar for a group of friends I met on last year's Ragnar relay, I realized they're just the sort of people that define "amazing".

Travel

A New Continent: South America

For as long as I can remember Machu Picchu has held the #1 spot on my travel list. Every year I end up somewhere else but there. I had barely been back a week from my six weeks in Australia and New Zealand when LAN airlines advertised a $499 RT special to Lima from LA. How could I say no?

Travel

Campervan’ing Tasmania: Wineglass Bay

Tasmania has some of the most gorgeous white sand beaches I've ever seen! This place is a surprising beach paradise with some amazing food as well. Love it!

Travel

The Phillip Island Penguin Parade

Phillip Island, about an hour and a half south of Melbourne, Australia is infamous for penguin research and the "Penguin Parade". Thousands of Little Penguins, the smallest penguin species in the world, waddle up the beach shores at dusk to return to their inland burrows after a hard day at sea.

Travel

Lady Elliot Island

I have always dreamed of visiting the Great Barrier Reef and snorkeling there has been on my bucket list for...

Travel

Fantastic Fraser Island

Fraser Island is a World Heritage site off the eastern coast of Australia and is the largest sand island in the world. It's also the only island in the world with a rainforest. The driving is adventurous, the views are stunning, the water is crystal clear, and we've already seen lots of wildlife. It's heaven on earth!

Thrapp Mountain Lookout Site

McClure Mountain Lookout Site

Bridge Creek Lookout Site (aka Fenceline Peak)

Goldmyer Hot Springs and Forces of Nature

Finding Community at the Altai Skis Backcountry Festival

An Inside Look at King County Search and Rescue

An Off-Grid Airstream Winter

Investing in Energy Independence

Off-Grid Lessons: When Winter Says “Nope!”

The Mt Clifty Adventure

Cuzco

Visiting Christchurch

Campervan’ing Tasmania: Hobart and The Tasman Peninsula

2 days in Sydney

You MUST visit Fraser Island

The 2012 Ragnar and Ironheart Racing

A New Continent: South America

Campervan’ing Tasmania: Wineglass Bay

The Phillip Island Penguin Parade

Lady Elliot Island

Fantastic Fraser Island

Backpacking the White Pass/Pilot Ridge Loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Backpacking to Heaven on the Devils Dome Loop

Washington State Hot Springs

Hiking Beehive Basin—With a Surprise

Hiking the Grand Canyon’s Rim to River and Back in a Day

Goats Rocks Loop: Goat Ridge and Hawkeye Point Lookout Sites