Isle Royale National Park

  Far, far away, in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, lies a little-known paradise known as Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royale is the largest island in the largest lake in the world and one of our most favorite places. It’s home to birch and maple, warblers and loons, and moose and wolves, which […]

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20+ Ways to Work Less This Year

  It’s not that Greg and I don’t like to work, it’s just that we want to work on our terms, in between big chunks of time off. Since 2013 we’ve averaged just 7.8 months of employment a year, and that’s including {{{shudder}}} an entire year working full time. Side note: In that year we […]

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Tour du Mont Blanc

G.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 […]

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Laugavegur Trail, Iceland

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 […]

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Iceland on a Budget!

  Hahaha 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 […]

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Lizard Head Loop: Valentine Lake to Big Sandy Trailhead

Be 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 […]

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Lizard Head Loop: Cirque of the Towers to Valentine Lake

Be 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 […]

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Lizard Head Loop: Big Sandy to Cirque of the Towers

My 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 […]

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Teton Crest Trail: North Fork Cascade out Paintbrush Canyon

Be sure to check out Death Canyon to Alaska Basin and Teton Creek to North Fork first!   Day 5: North Fork Cascade group site to String Lake Outlet trailhead, 12.3 miles, hot, cold, windy, rainy. Alarm went off at 5:00a again but no one could quite manage it. Rough morning for everyone and our […]

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Teton Crest Trail: Teton Creek to North Fork Cascade

Be sure to check out Death Canyon to Alaska Basin first!   Day 3: Teton Creek to Sunset Lake, 2.5 miles, warm and intermittent rain all day. Slept in until 7:45a, and a slow morning. I made my favorite trail meal- bacon and pancakes. We pack in pre-cooked bacon, complete pancake mix, a bit of coconut […]

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