Spending a weekend camping at 10,000 on Mount Rainier sure is a good one! Talk about some stunning views, wow!!
One of these days I'm convinced I'll go on a hike with easy trails and warming huts with coffee. This was not one of those days.
My first ever attempt to get to Camp Muir at the 10,080' level of Mt Rainier was successful! We enjoyed a gorgeous day under blue skies despite a fierce wind. Mt Rainier sure put on a beautiful show with some amazing morning clouds. Pretty lucky for December!
Ironic isn't it that I ran the coldest trail race I've ever done at one of the hottest places on earth? Go figure. No one believes me when I say I almost froze to death in Death Valley.
Not to be deterred by one of the worst September storms Seattle has ever seen, I packed my rain gear and met up with my crazy friend Annette to bag a peak on Sunday. Sounds like a perfect outdoor hiking weekend, right?
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!
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".
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.
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?
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!!
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!
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.