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New Hampshire

Beer & Wine | Food & Drink | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | North America | United States | Vermont

Survival Guide: A Pandemic Winter in New England

April 4, 2021 by Jenn

Winter in northern New England isn’t easy. It’s cold, it’s snowy, it’s overcast far more often than it’s sunny, and it gets dark before 4 p.m. We’re not talking just a few weeks here either… it’s like this for months. … Read More

New Hampshire | North America | Sanchez' Corner | United States
Dog Days of Summer

Sorry it’s taken me so long to publish this blog post. It’s totally my mom’s fault. I’ve been bugging her for weeks, but she’s been too busy working on her TEFL certificate to help proofread my work. Lucky for me, … Read More

November 30, 2018 0
This weekend, we headed over to Banff to knock my This weekend, we headed over to Banff to knock my top trail off our must-do list.

The trip to Pharaoh Peaks makes for a pretty aggressive day hike, clocking in at 20 miles with 6,000’ of vertical. After a moderate climb up to Healy Pass, we lost half our gained elevation on the descent to Egypt Lake. From there, we made a second ascent toward Whistling Pass. Just before gaining the pass, we finally spotted the scrambling route to the summit of Greater Pharaoh Peak – a slog of 1,500’ of vertical over just 0.5 miles.

The reward was a view of epic proportions. Here's a shot from the summit of Greater Pharaoh, with The Sphinx and Scarab Peak rising above Egypt, Mummy and Scarab Lakes.
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#explorealberta #explorecanada #canadianrockies #parkscanada #heartofcanada #whyihike #mountainlove #themountainiscalling #neverstopexploring #nomadlife #traillife #albertacanada
What do you do when your best friend’s mom rando What do you do when your best friend’s mom randomly ends up vacationing in town? Plan a heli-rafting trip, obviously!

We spent Wednesday rafting a 36-km stretch of the Kicking Horse River here in BC. After navigating the tamer waters of the Upper and Middle Canyons, we were zipped a few kilometers downstream to the Lower Canyon – accessible only by helicopter. From there, we rafted the Lower Canyon’s famed 4-km section of continuous class IV whitewater. It was a wicked fun day on the river, and we had quite the awesome team in our raft. If you’re looking for an awesome adventure in the Canadian Rockies, definitely check out Glacier Raft Company.
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#explorebc #glacierraft #kickinghorse #canadianrockies #canadiansummer #summervibes #liveyouradventure #nomadlife #whitewaterrafting #whitewater #rafting
The view from Applebee Dome in Bugaboo Provincial The view from Applebee Dome in Bugaboo Provincial Park.

In addition to its sassy, brake-line-chewing porcupines, this remote swath of the Purcell Mountains is known for towering granite spires that erupt from a mantle of massive glaciers. It’s a super popular spot for climbing, and the terrain here is seriously rugged.

Stephan and I felt more wrecked after this hike than we typically do on trails that are three times the distance. We expected our fifteen-miler to be our conditioning hike this weekend, but it turned out it was this little seven-mile knee burner.
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#britishcolumbia #explorebc #explorecanada #parkscanada #heartofcanada #traillife #hikingculture #hikingadventures #wildernessculture #getoutstayout #themountainsarecalling #canadianrockies #nomadlifestyle #liveyouradventure
What’s the first thing you do when you get to a What’s the first thing you do when you get to a trailhead?

Apply bug spray? Put on sunscreen and a hat? Pee? How about wrap your car in chicken wire?

Apparently, the resident porcupines in British Columbia’s Bugaboo Provincial Park have a reputation for chewing through rubber brake lines. If you visit, particularly if you’re camping overnight, the park recommends you secure your vehicle's undercarriage with a perimeter of chicken wire fencing to ensure your brakes are still functional when you leave. When you arrive at the remote trailhead, you’ll find that the park even provides two large bins of communal supplies to protect your ride from the impish little critters.
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#hikingadventures #wildernessculture #britishcolumbia #explorebc #canada #canadalife #traillife #nomadlifestyle
One of Yoho’s most well-known hiking routes is t One of Yoho’s most well-known hiking routes is the Iceline Trail. Beginning at Takakkaw Falls, one of the tallest chutes in Canada, the trail climbs a few thousand feet of vertical to an alpine wonderland. Here, the trail meanders around jewel-toned tarns that sit beneath the glacier-capped peaks of the President Range.

Iceline can either be hiked as an out-and-back (about 10 miles) or as a slightly longer loop traversing Little Yoho Valley (13.5 miles). While the loop was beautiful, I think I’d choose the out-and-back if we did it again. This allows you to enjoy twice as much time in the alpine landscape, and you get an extra opportunity to gaze down at Takakkaw Falls from the high ridge (the falls are not visible on the descent to Little Yoho). 

Additionally, if you start in the morning, Takakkaw Falls (east-facing) is largely in shadow. If you take your time in the alpine region and opt for the out-and-back, the sun will likely have moved enough that the falls will be beautifully illuminated on your return trip.
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#yoho #yohonationalpark #canadianrockies #explorebc #explorecanada #parkscanada #heartofcanada #tourcanada #hikinglife #hikingculture #hikemoreworryless #getoutstayout #wildernessculture #roamtheplanet #nomadlife #canadalife #liveyouradventure
The columbine are out in force here in the mountai The columbine are out in force here in the mountains. You know what that means... stopping every ten feet on the trail to admire them while Stephan and Sanchez cringe and fight off mosquitos. 😆

Seriously loving this new macro lens, though. Thanks, Uncle Bruce! ❤️
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#nikon #nikonmacro105mm #macrophotography #macroshot #flower #flowerphotography #natureshots #naturelovers #nature_brilliance #flower_perfection #explorenature #stopandsmelltheflowers #outdoorlife #canadianrockies #explorecanada
Sunday we headed back up the Icefields Parkway to Sunday we headed back up the Icefields Parkway to hike The Onion. The Onion’s 8,800’ dome rises above Bow Lake between Crowfoot Mountain, Portal Peak and Mt. Thompson. The summit is surrounded by the massive glaciers that make up the Wapta Icefield, which stretches for miles along the Continental Divide. To the south, St. Nicholas’ sharp peak pierces through a sea of frozen white. A few hundred meters below the summit sits Iceberg Lake, the glacial tarn that feeds 410-foot-tall (120 m) Bow Glacier Falls.
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#canada #canadianrockies #explorecanada #explorealberta #themountainsarecalling #rockymountains #hikemoreworryless #getoutstayout #hikinglife #banffnationalpark #thatview #roamtheplanet #nomadlife #awesomeearth #ilovethisplace
It was a beautiful weekend for hiking here in the It was a beautiful weekend for hiking here in the Canadian Rockies, and we got in a couple of wicked good ones.

Saturday we hit up Boundary Peak. Aptly named, this peak straddles the border of Banff and Jasper National Parks. Boundary’s small summit looks pretty unassuming, dwarfed by neighboring Mt. Athabasca. But don’t let this one fool you… it’s one steep scree slog to the top, gaining over 1,000’ of vertical in the last 0.4 miles (see arrow for trail). How about that view of Athabasca’s North Glacier, though?

Aside: This was probably the most appropriate anniversary trail… the perfect metaphor of what putting up with me for nearly two decades looks like. 😆
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#explorealberta #canadianrockies #banffnationalpark #jaspernationalpark #themountainiscalling #explorecanada #hikemoreworryless #traillife #hikingadventures #hikingwithdogs #traildog #rescuedog #summit #mountainlife #roamtheplanet #getoutstayout
Eighteen years of togetherness and he still seems Eighteen years of togetherness and he still seems to be smiling... most of the time, anyway.

Thanks for allowing yourself to be dragged around the world by a couple of scraggly, fastidious, high-strung girls. ❤
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#anniversary #myperson #familyphoto #canadianrockies #canadiansummer #hikingadventures #adventurepartner #couplesthattravel #travelcouple #goexplore
For our second hike this weekend, we headed an hou For our second hike this weekend, we headed an hour west to Glacier National Park. This was a short little trail, but a steep one – gaining nearly 3,000 feet of vertical over two-ish miles to an alpine bowl.

When we reached the top, we were surprised at just how much snow was still blanketing Hermit Meadows. In every little corner where the snow had thawed, however, little patches of glacier lilies stretched toward the sun. I imagine that in a couple more weeks that entire bowl will be filled with bright yellow blooms.
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#glaciernationalpark #britishcolumbia #explorebc #explorecanada #themountainiscalling #hikemoreworryless #parkscanada #getoutstayout #hikingculture #takeahike #mountains #canadianrockies #hikingvibes #wildlifelovers #roamtheplanet #goexplore
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  • About
    • About Us
    • About the Blog
  • Blog
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    • Travel Tips
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    • Around the World 2016
  • Hikes
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