spend little, work less, experience more
After Greg and I took 10 and 13 year breaks, respectively, from the grandest canyon on the planet, we went to bask in her presence again, “before it gets too hot”. Joke’s on us, it started snowing outside of Flagstaff and by the time we got to the South Rim it was 30°. The […]
Read MoreGreg and I love heavy pack, set up camp, snuggle all night in a cold tent backpacking, but having a roof over our heads in the backcountry is an unbelievable luxury. After we hiked the Laugavegur and Tour du Mont Blanc trails in 2016, I started researching other hut hikes around the world. And by […]
Read MoreG.Hammer and I were married August 10, 2013, and spent our honeymoon backpacking through Montana’s Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, then climbing Montana’s highest mountain, Granite Peak. We agreed then we should be in the backcountry for all our anniversaries, too. In 2014 we were backpacking in Glacier National Park and Greg surprised me by packing in his […]
Read More
I don’t know when I first heard about Iceland’s most popular hiking trail, but it had been on my travel wish list for some time. It’s just under 51 miles long, and the FI (Ferðafélag Íslands, or the Iceland Touring Foundation) maintains five huts conveniently located within 7-9 miles of each other along the way. There […]
Read MoreHahaha just kidding. Iceland is not a budget destination, so just put that out of your head now. But… there are ways around the high price tag if you’re flexible and have a sense of adventure! It’s ironic, you can fly on WOW air from the States for $99 each way, but you’ll pay $150/night for […]
Read MoreBe sure to check out Parts One and Two first! Day 5: Valentine Lake to Hooker Valley, 6.0 miles We seemed to have hit the jackpot with weather in the Winds. We met several groups of hikers who told us this was the best time to be there, just after school started and before […]
Read MoreBe sure to check out Part One first! Day 3: Day hike to Texas Pass and around Lonesome Lake, 5.72 miles We awoke our third day to brilliant blue skies. Seriously, we could not have paid for better weather. We made pancakes and bacon and drank our coffee and Earl Grey in the sun. We […]
Read MoreMy mother spent her formidable years in Wyoming, between Riverton and Dubois. If you’ve ever been to that part of the state you know how utterly gorgeous it is- rivers and buttes and peaks and grizzlies. Mom’s parents had a cabin built on the east side of the Wind River Range, with a picture window […]
Read MoreThere’s a bunch of other stuff we love to take backpacking, aside from our sleeping and cooking gear, and clothing. This is where weight really starts making a difference because food, shelter, and clothing are necessities, whereas all this stuff could be considered luxuries. For starters we both carry bear spray when we’re hiking in bear […]
Read MoreClothing is obviously a very personal choice, so I’m just here to share what we wear and love. It doesn’t matter what the weather report says; if we’re going out for a night or more we pack clothes for all temperatures and conditions. The number one clothing item you pack should be a waterproof […]
Read More