Have you ever gotten back from a trip and realized you could have made more of it? That you could have had a richer experience? I hate that and sadly it's happened to us more than once. A few months ago we traveled to Mexico and stayed in the beach town of Playa Del Carmen. It's super close to Cozumel so we were going to go over there to dive. We didn't end up going. Instead, we pretty much just sat in our hostel reading books and eating cheap food from the mini mart down the road. We're still filled with shame just thinking about it!
Read moreEver wonder why we do this kind of stuff? Why you do this kind of stuff? Seriously. We could just drive somewhere epic, but we choose to walk for days. We could be at home going out for a nice dinner and coming home to a hot shower, but instead we cook some ramen at the end of a long day and crawl into our sleeping bags caked in sweat. There's blisters, rain, intense heat, unexpected snow storms, and usually some serious B.O. I've lost toe nails, hoisted a pack onto bruised hips day after day, woken up to find ice sheets on the inside of our tent from our condensation, and nearly cried a few times. I don't know about you guys, but we do it because we can't imagine how boring our lives would be if we always did things the easy way - only focused on living a comfortable life.
Read moreWe left Friday evening and drove up to Leavenworth (WA) which is the nearest town to the Enchantments. The Enchantments is not a loop, so it can be hiked either direction from two different trailheads. We decided to hike straight into the Upper Enchantments via the Stuart Lake trailhead since this route reduces the total elevation gain by 2,600 ft. The bad part is that you have to climb Aasgard Pass, which rises 1,900 ft in less than a mile. Regardless of which route you take, to reach even one lake the minimum price is a seven mile hike with at least a 4,400 ft elevation gain. The Enchantments are not for the faint of heart.
Read moreThis October we had the privilege of backpacking part of the Enchantments, a series of alpine lakes located in Washington. They were so magnificent that we decided to compile a list of tips to encourage other people to get out and experience them!
Read moreA month ago I decided to take a rather impromptu trip to Australia to visit my sister, Bri, who lives in Brisbane. I'd visited her when she lived in Perth and we'd eaten our way around the city. We had delicious Aussie breakfasts like eggs and avocado on toast, decadent coffees, and visited a fish and chip shop in which sheets of newspaper were laid on our table onto which the chips were poured. That was three years ago and I was determined to make a trip out to see her life in Brisbane. When she found out I was coming she assured me that like before, we'd eat our way across the city.
Read moreRiotous colors, sweeping architecture with an intricacy that has been lost by the modern world, sleek displays of wealth and burgeoning technology. And yet in the same day, images of desperate poverty, a constant scent of manure and sweat, piles of garbage getting trampled down in the street. This extreme juxtaposition will remain my greatest impression of India. What a country. It has it all - both good and bad - and managed to flood me with almost every emotion. Wonder, fear, sadness, helplessness, anger, excitement.
Read moreA few months ago we embarked on a trip to Mexico with my sister and brother-in-law, Bri and Linden. We picked Mexico because for our dates and starting point it provided the cheapest airline tickets which we agreed would be the deciding factor on where we were going to go. I'll be honest that at first I wasn't completely excited about going there. Mexico just seemed so typical and brought to mind images of partying college students. With a desire to avoid crowds we decided to travel to Playa Del Carmen (a town about 45 minutes south of Cancun) and then head further south to the little town of Tulum once the rest of our party arrived.
Read moreYou've been flying for ten hours and you're bored and hungry. You're stoked when you notice the flight crew getting the service carts ready to serve a meal. Finally. Better yet, since you're vegetarian they bring you your food first. You eagerly tear off the tin foil and are greeted by something tan and pureed. Beside it are some wilted spinach leaves. And these aren't the good old days where you got the full can of your beverage of choice. Instead you get a small glass with mostly ice. Your neighbor's "regular" food doesn't look much better, but at least he gets a bread roll. You're filled with jealousy and what's even worse is that he doesn't even eat it! You think about asking him for it before the trays get picked up, but no - that's too desperate.
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