Travel Articles About hiking

Mountain goats on the McCullough Gulch Trail hike in Colorado

Posted on September 12, 2023September 12, 2023By Heather

Something always stands between me and the goats. I haul all my stupid, heavy photography gear on my back for miles into thinning air, hoping … Continue ReadingMountain goats on the McCullough Gulch Trail hike in Colorado

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park

Posted on August 23, 2023September 12, 2023By Heather

Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air conditioning and plumbing, strap 40 pounds of gear onto their … Continue ReadingRiver reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park

Abroad

Spring Comes to the Netherlands: Exploring Scenic Landscapes Outside Amsterdam

Posted on May 18, 2023May 29, 2023By Heather

My trip to the Netherlands began and ended in its busy capital, Amsterdam. I spent days walking the assortment of brick, cobblestone and asphalt along … Continue ReadingSpring Comes to the Netherlands: Exploring Scenic Landscapes Outside Amsterdam

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Peru Creek: Crapping in a Bag & Other Stories

Posted on December 25, 2022August 8, 2023By Heather

This is a story about defeat, joy, and grief. It is full of adventure and misadventure, with a touch of prescience. Twists and turns. Bathroom humor. Summit season 2022 was unsuccessful, but mountain season was a hit. Buckle up; it’s a ride. … Read More >Peru Creek: Crapping in a Bag & Other Stories

Domestic

Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota

Posted on August 8, 2022August 25, 2023By Heather

It appears that 2022 is the year I visit national parks experiencing extraordinary flooding events. In the spring, massive flooding washed out vast parts of … Continue ReadingVoyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota

Dog-Friendly Domestic

Paradise Valley, Montana: A Cabin at the Foot of Emigrant Peak

Posted on June 25, 2022June 25, 2022By Heather

This story is continued from Western Kitsch: The Black Hills of South Dakota. After our gripping adventure rerouting several hours out of our way from … Continue ReadingParadise Valley, Montana: A Cabin at the Foot of Emigrant Peak

Domestic Hiking

Western Kitsch: The Black Hills, South Dakota

Posted on May 21, 2022August 25, 2023By Heather

We daydreamed about visiting Badlands area for years. We were drawn by the mystique of its wide open spaces, curious about its strange, striated western … Continue ReadingWestern Kitsch: The Black Hills, South Dakota

Domestic Hiking

Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on March 20, 2022September 10, 2023By Heather

I have been setting my sights on day trip destinations near Kansas City. I’m seeking places to branch out and shoot landscape and wildlife photography. … Continue ReadingLoess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge

Domestic

50 Miles on the Flint Hills Nature Trail

Posted on November 22, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

My two fitness goals this year were to summit another 14,000-foot peak and do a 50-mile hike in four days. I completed Huron Peak in … Continue Reading50 Miles on the Flint Hills Nature Trail

Domestic Hiking

Photography from Snoqualmie Falls, Washington

Posted on November 20, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

The Pacific Northwest continues to be one of my favorite parts of the country. On a recent work trip to Seattle, Washington, one of our … Continue ReadingPhotography from Snoqualmie Falls, Washington

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Hiking Huron Peak 14er in Colorado

Posted on August 31, 2021August 8, 2023By Heather

Fear has been a consistent companion in my life. At age 10, I negotiated my way out of the deep end of the pool during … Continue ReadingHiking Huron Peak 14er in Colorado

Dog-Friendly Domestic Hiking

The 50-Miler That Wasn’t: Indiana’s Knobstone Trail

Posted on June 26, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

I set two simple outdoor fitness goals this year – hike and summit at least one 14,000-foot peak, and segment hike a 50-miler. I tend … Continue ReadingThe 50-Miler That Wasn’t: Indiana’s Knobstone Trail

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Bryce Canyon National Park

Posted on January 12, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

Bryce Canyon in southern Utah is the last of the four national parks I visited on this road trip. (Prior parks: Capitol Reef National Park … Continue ReadingBryce Canyon National Park

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Capitol Reef National Park

Posted on December 19, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

Capitol Reef National Park was the major destination on my 3-week long national parks road trip. I dedicated the whole day to slow, quiet hiking … Continue ReadingCapitol Reef National Park

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Perspective at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Posted on November 27, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

I booked this Airbnb cottage in Montrose, Colorado because I needed to be close to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. But first, goats. … Continue ReadingPerspective at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Shiras Moose Sighting in Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Posted on November 14, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

On the way into Blackhawk, Colorado, where I was staying at a beautiful little cabin in the woods as a home base for my exploration … Continue ReadingShiras Moose Sighting in Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Domestic

Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park

Posted on November 11, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

I have long hoped to string together a series of national parks to form a road trip. With the Covid pandemic still raging around the … Continue ReadingAutumn in Rocky Mountain National Park

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

“Humble Peak”

Posted on October 20, 2020August 8, 2023By Heather

I’m terrified of heights. My partner asked me, “Then why do you do it?” (Hike to the top of tall mountains, he meant.) “Because I’m … Continue Reading“Humble Peak”

Domestic Hiking

Outdoor Attractions at Colorado Springs

Posted on September 30, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

I’m sitting in front of a fire in my sweats, under a red, chunky knit blanket. I’m in a drafty and strangely decorated stranger’s house … Continue ReadingOutdoor Attractions at Colorado Springs

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Camping & Hiking Quandary Peak in Colorado

Posted on July 23, 2020August 8, 2023By Heather

We have isolated for months in response to COVID-19. All our trips have are canceled. Work jaunts to cities around the country for speaking engagements … Continue ReadingCamping & Hiking Quandary Peak in Colorado

Abroad

Vacation in Santorini, Greece

Posted on November 4, 2019December 19, 2020By Heather

After a few short days in Athens, Greece, we took the five-hour express ferry to Santorini to join our friends who generously invited us to … Continue ReadingVacation in Santorini, Greece

Adventure Travel Domestic

Camping & Hiking in Summit County, Colorado

Posted on August 23, 2019August 8, 2023By Heather

This Summit County, Colorado camping and hiking trip seemed like it had all the odds stacked against it from day one. It’s been more than … Continue ReadingCamping & Hiking in Summit County, Colorado

Domestic

Mount Rainier & Ashford, WA

Posted on August 11, 2019August 24, 2019By Heather

Mount Rainier has called to me since the first time I saw it with my own eyes nearly 15 years ago. I plan to hike … Continue ReadingMount Rainier & Ashford, WA

Domestic Hiking

Summer Camping at White Rock Mountain, Arkansas

Posted on June 20, 2019November 20, 2021By Heather

My brother and I have been looking for a good excuse to use all the backpacking gear we invested in (hiking to the top of Pikes Peak was its inaugural journey), so we put a camping trip on the books for White Rock Mountain, Arkansas in the Ozark National Forest. … Read More >Summer Camping at White Rock Mountain, Arkansas

Domestic

San Diego Up Close

Posted on March 16, 2019March 16, 2019By Heather

I have already written an extensive post about recommendations for visiting San Diego, however I recently returned to speak at a conference, and want to … Continue ReadingSan Diego Up Close

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

My First 14er: Pikes Peak, Colorado

Posted on October 7, 2018August 8, 2023By Heather

Growing up, I felt like my bond with my brother Cody was close. Granted, our four-year age gap meant that we were in middle school, … Continue ReadingMy First 14er: Pikes Peak, Colorado

Domestic Hiking

How to Spend a Long Weekend in San Diego

Posted on March 29, 2018August 25, 2023By Heather

I found myself back in San Diego, California for the second spring in a row for a conference. Last year, my sister-in-law and her three … Continue ReadingHow to Spend a Long Weekend in San Diego

Travel Tips

15 New Year’s Travel Resolutions Ideas

Posted on December 31, 2017August 25, 2023By Heather

As 2017 comes to a close and I look forward to a clean slate in 2018, I am taking time to remember all that has … Continue Reading15 New Year’s Travel Resolutions Ideas

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Desert Hiking Trip to Moab, Utah

Posted on October 10, 2017August 25, 2023By Heather

This was the second leg of my annual solo hiking trip to Utah. I spent the last few days in Salt Lake City and then hit … Continue ReadingDesert Hiking Trip to Moab, Utah

Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking

Visiting Salt Lake City & Park City in September

Posted on September 26, 2017September 3, 2021By Heather

I try to get away every year or two for a hiking-based trip on my own. This year I escaped to spend some quality time … Continue ReadingVisiting Salt Lake City & Park City in September