Sierra's Traverse 
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Labor Day weekend seemed to be the last opportunity we had for a “big” trip this summer. The weather forecast was promising, so we went ahead and decided to trek the long-awaited Grand Pass Loop in Olympic National Park. This would be 46 miles and 12,600 feet of elevation gain over three days and two nights. I read the trip reports, studied the chapter referencing this trip in my backpacking book, and… Read More
There are endless loops in Mt Rainier National Park that will allow you some challenging day runs/treks and boast fabulous views. This 13.5 mile loop doesn’t warrant a long entry, but is certainly worth mentioning, and showing off a few photos of the lovely views that pop up here and there! The best route to take is clockwise, starting at the Kautz Creek trailhead. There is 4,000 feet of elevation gain on… Read More
We had two adventures planned for our week-long stay in Alberta. I don’t think we realized how much the Rockwall would take out of us. Our next traverse was through Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park and in Banff National Park with more long days and multiple passes to climb. The weather was starting to look sketchy. We had an opportunity to stay another evening in Canmore after the Rockwall trek in an awesome… Read More
When I was first told about the Rockwall traverse in Kootenay National Park (Alberta, Canada), it really didn’t register how incredible this trek would be. I’m always up for adventure, so I was just excited for the invite and figured I’d do some research as we got closer to the date. Soon I found out some more details, like we were fastpacking 34 miles in two days, and each day we had… Read More
Once again, we had multiple options for this day’s excursion. We had high hopes for a scenic loop in Mt Rainier National Park, but the weather seemed sketchy and we weren’t in the mood for the early morning rise that was needed to ensure we would have the time needed for the drive to and from the park. A closer option with fewer miles was a 13 mile loop that would take… Read More
It seems that the more you change your plans the harder something is to plan… go figure… but in the end it always seems to work out! This traverse had been re-planned probably three times before we finally just walked into the Ranger Station in Leavenworth and started asking about trail conditions. We saw a few loops that looked interesting, and finally settled on a loop that started with French Ridge, that… Read More
The Columbia River Gorge is breathtaking any way you look at it. I am lucky enough to live within a half day’s drive to Oregon, so exploration of endless loops and treks in the area are at my fingertips. Eagle Creek is one of the most popular hikes in the Gorge, rightfully so. Last year we planned a trip up Ruckel Ridge with hopes of running down Eagle Creek, but due to… Read More
A few weekends ago I was lucky enough to be able to test my technical skills over a mere 6 miles of the extensive Silver Star Scenic Area in southern Washington. Not only trail running skills, but driving skills as well! I’ve seen warnings written in trail reviews before regarding road conditions to the trail head, and I believe this is the first time I felt they were understated. I certainly put… Read More
Pensée: a thought or reflection put into literary form; an aphorism. I seem to have a lot of these type of thoughts lately. I am a 36 year old woman, live alone, have no children, and don’t even have a pet to care for. I love adventure running, backpacking, biking, healthy food and craft beer. There are many reasons for my current lifestyle, but that is a story to be told in… Read More
My last installment was speaking to my love for trail running, how it helps me on so many levels, and that I was curious how I would do in a half marathon I was considering to run in February. Two months later I’ve made time to write about that run, and what I learned from it. I purposefully didn’t sign up for the half marathon ahead of time because I really wasn’t… Read More
