12 Hours in Joshua Tree National Park
Most of the time, I daydream about hiking in view of snowcapped mountains and beside towering pines. But sometimes, I make exceptions. The great American West is home to so much landscape I have yet to explore and California has
Whatcom Pass and Tapto Lakes: Backpacking the North Cascades
Sometimes, when you dream about visiting a place for so long, pouring over blogs and trail reports and staring at photo after photo, witnessing it with your own eyes can feel a bit surreal. Tapto Lakes is one of those
Summer in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness
So many things this year haven’t gone according to plan – mostly thanks to our good friend COVID-19. Without a coordinated national response, unfortunately we’re still trying to find a new sense of normalcy. The pandemic forced us to postpone
Trail Report: Ancient Lakes in Central Washington
Since the day quarantine started, it’s become a new ritual of mine to take long walks through the neighborhood we now call home. I didn’t know much about coping with isolation, but I did know that without routine, I’m not
Olympic National Park Roadtrip
Over just about every weekend for the past 6 months, Dave & I have hit the trails, but sometimes there are places so beautiful, you need more than a weekend to explore. For Labor Day, I knew the extra day
We’re Moving to Seattle!
Swear words. Crying. Jumping all over and smiling until my face hurt. My first few minutes after getting the call were a fantastical blend of all the parts of me. After a few months of interviewing, I’ve accepted a position
From Pittsburgh to Paris
To travel is to be uncomfortable. It’s been part of every adventure I’ve taken, but each time, excitement wipes my memory of past discomfort and I end up surprised when every moment of a trip isn’t sipping wine on sun-drenched
There and Back Again: Our Quick Trip to Washington, D.C.
We initially booked our semi-spontaneous trip to Washington, D.C. when we heard the original forecast for the cherry blossom peak. It happened to fall over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, which kicked off Dave’s week-long vacation. What a perfect coincidence! After
Abandoned PA Turnpike Tunnels
It’s 3am. We rubbed the sleep from our eyes and hesitantly checked the temperature. 27F. Dave and I groaned quietly, but, too stubborn and adventerous to give up on our late-night lightbulb moment, we got up, made coffee & breakfast