Beloved Feist, my thirteen-year-old terrier is still keen, enthusiastic, and delighted to be adventuring together...she just adventures as a vigorous trundle, rather than an unbridled sprint.
Adventures to Accommodate our Aging Pup
2021: Where Do We Go From Here?
It's a new year, I feel excited, cautious, optimistic, and weary. I'm trying to leave space for all the emotions. 2021 is going to be another big, chaotic year (and, hopefully, moving towards reconciliation and healing, rather than divisiveness and rage), and I suspect that my annual themes are going to be even more important … Continue reading 2021: Where Do We Go From Here?
Top 5 Adventures of 2020
2020: the year of gratitude and grief! Last year when I was writing my Top 5 Adventures of 2019 I said: "I’m looking towards 2020 feeling that I have my life where I want it, and I’m ready for whatever new adventures I’m thrown"...I don't think I was quite ready for what was coming. And … Continue reading Top 5 Adventures of 2020
7 Inspirational Non-Fiction Books for Outdoorsy People
This summer has been a weird one. Or maybe one that is so simple we don't know what to do with ourselves without unnecessary opulence. The 'back to basics' approach we are experiencing here in British Columbia is really working: lots of cooking at home, time with family and close friends, no big crowds, and … Continue reading 7 Inspirational Non-Fiction Books for Outdoorsy People
2020: Same Goals, Renewed Focus
Cultivating community might in fact be my theme for 2020, and I have found it to be both easier (kinda) and way more important than before. I have experienced a glut of people keen to join me, because their usual entertainment has been thwarted, so I am no longer choosing between hiking and spending time with friends. I'm also learning to be more patient, and adjust the adventures to accommodate my companions...and my companions have surprised me with their grit and tenacity.
Welcome 2020: New Goals, New Year, New Decade
I feel that 2020 is the year of driving towards new and different adventures and being open to the universe. To that end, I have identified three themes that will move me in said direction...
Top 5 Adventures of 2019
I am not ending 2019 where I started it, and I am very grateful for that. 2018 was a year of turbulence, opportunities, growth, and change, so I entered 2019 prioritizing stability, consistency, and balance. And what a year it was!
Picking the Perfect Hiking Boots
Hiking boots are the crucial piece of gear for any hiker or backpacker. Your feet are carrying you tens, hundreds, or even thousands of kilometres after all, preferably through questionable terrain, and it's important that you are safe and mostly pain-free. That being said, a good pair of hiking boots can be pretty expensive and … Continue reading Picking the Perfect Hiking Boots
Holiday Gifts for the Aspiring or New Hiker
What is the perfect gift for the new or aspiring hiker in your life? Before we dive into gift ideas, let me describe a bit of gift giving (and receiving) ethos. I'm a huge fan of gifts that achieve three key functions: (1) the gift is something I probably wouldn't get for myself, (2) the … Continue reading Holiday Gifts for the Aspiring or New Hiker
Socks: The Most Underrated Piece of Hiking Equipment
Picking the right socks can be an art because he socks you chose to wear on a hiking or backpacking trip can make or break your experience. Socks have the magical power to gently swaddle and comfort your feet as you pound along on the trail for days on end, or to rub, chafe, blister, and generally allow you to devolve into foot-pain driven madness in a matter of hours. If you think I am joking about foot-pain driven madness, you have clearly been lucky enough to avoid such a fiasco, and I applaud you. I, however, have not been so fortunate.
Barefoot in the Backwoods 