This weekend, instead of grilling corn and watching fireworks for Fourth of July, we headed to Mt. Rainier National Park to backpack. We were originally going to explore Glacier National Park but I had a bit of a fit when I read that berries were peaking along the best backpacking loops leading to near daily grizzly sightings. Don't get me wrong - I don't want any animals to go extinct - but I was happy to read that it is believed that there are no longer any grizzly bears in the Mt. Rainier region. When it comes to bears and cougars I'm very faint of heart. In our usual style we arrived in the park at 2:00 AM and slept for a few hours in a parking lot. Around 6:00 AM we began our "sit in front of the ranger station hoping to score a walk in trailhead permit" vigil.
Read moreBackpacking Yosemite
Shortly after we moved to California for Justin to attend medical school, we found ourselves on the cusp of a highly coveted long weekend with no plans. As we sat on the bed discussing what a crime it would be to waste the weekend without having any adventure, a plan began to emerge. We would go to Yosemite to backpack. That night. It was already evening and the drive would be six hours so there was no time to hesitate.
Read moreOur Travel Bucket List
This year we were able to tick off one of my bucket list destinations: Nepal. And it was as spectacular as I had imagined. We intend to criss cross the globe and can conceded that just about every place has a certain charm. However, there are certain places and trips that really speak to us and they are as follows...
Read moreMalawi: Climbing Mt. Mulanje
In December of 2012 Justin and I headed to Africa to visit his family. At the time, they were working in Malawi, a small country that consistently ranks in the ten poorest nations in Africa. In wonderful juxtaposition to that is the fact that it is commonly known as the "Warm Heart of Africa" with regard to its welcoming atmosphere. When we arrived we learned that they had made arrangements for us to climb Mt. Mulanje, a massif east of Blantyre rising to nearly 10,000 ft from the tea field laden valley floor. Needless to say, we were thrilled.
Read moreYoung Lake - Paradise in Yosemite
We finally had three days off work at the same time. Definitely ready for a little adventure! We thew some gear together and headed six hours north to our favorite part of California. Hello Yosemite National Park. Yes, it may get congested with tour buses and families eating ice-cream, but it is also a backpackers paradise!
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