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South America

SOUTH AMERICA

Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu (7-day)

Cusco, Peru

Distance: 46 miles (74 km)
Elevation Gain: 12,153 feet (3,704 m)

The other day, we were able to sneak in a quick, p

The other day, we were able to sneak in a quick, post-work jaunt up Mount Jackson under some rare rays of sunshine.
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Located at the southern end of the White Mountains’ Presidential Range, Jackson’s north-facing view offers a great look at Mount Washington and the surrounding Presidential peaks.
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Most of the range’s highest summits are named, unsurprisingly, after former U.S. presidents. However, a few peaks honor other notable figures from early American history, including Clay, Franklin, and Webster. Similarly, 4,052-foot Mount Jackson is not named for controversial president Andrew Jackson. Rather, the moniker celebrates Charles Thomas Jackson, a 19th-century New England naturalist who conducted geological surveys around New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island.

On Saturday, Stephan and I decided to try a Wildca

On Saturday, Stephan and I decided to try a Wildcat-Carter traverse, linking up eight White Mountain summits of the Carter-Moriah Range and Wildcat Mountain.

With over 7,300 feet of vertical, it was our biggest single-day gain to date. Some slushy spring snow added to the challenge, as much of the 18.5 miles of trail were still blanketed with some form of winter.

While Stephan’s and my knees were kind of feeling it by the end, there was one in our hiking party had no such issue. As we neared the trailhead after climbing nearly a mile and a half of vertical, Sanchez was still sprinting to the end of her lead and jumping up on any rock, blowdown, or tree stump she could find to haughtily show off her limitless energy.

If any of you out there ever feels like you’re in need of a quick ego check, DM me. We’ll let you borrow a street dog for a day.
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(1) Blue skies over Mount Washington
(2) The Carters (and second half of our hike) from Wildcat Ridge
(3) Still a bit of snow up there, eh?
(4) The Presidential Range from Mount Hight
(5) Our last objective, Middle Carter, still a ways off
(6) Show off

Eight years ago today, a scruffy pup in Thailand t

Eight years ago today, a scruffy pup in Thailand threw herself into my lap. The rest is history. ❤

#besties

We finally got in our first big day of the season

We finally got in our first big day of the season this past Sunday, clocking in at 15 miles and 6,000 feet of vertical. As you’d expect at this time of year, trail conditions were less than stellar, ranging from mud to ice to snow to both standing and running water.
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After making good time on the 5,000-foot-gainer up to Cannon Mountain and The Kinsmans, we thought we’d head back over to the Falling Waters Trail to do some dedicated waterfall shooting. I mean, why not tack on a few extra miles and a 1,000 feet of vert when the trail’s just across the street?
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The one great thing about a cloudy, cold, late afternoon in the off-season? You get to enjoy Staircase and Cloudland Falls all to yourself.
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#whitemountains #nh #4000footers #newhampshire #newhampshirelife #hikenh #waterfallphotography #franconianotch

On Saturday, we headed back over to the Seacoast f

On Saturday, we headed back over to the Seacoast for a little food tour and family time. First stop? The best ice cream parlor this side of the Mississippi. Here, the cutest little ice scream scooper made me a fantastic treat – blueberry ice cream with “camel sauce.” It sounded a little off-putting at first, but boy can she balance flavors. It must have come from a Bactrian camel. 🐫
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After some post-ice cream play time, our favorite little scooper informed us that her “heart felt happy and goofy and silly.” I’ll tell ya, it almost melted that scoop right off the cone.

The world is a fine place and worth the fighting f

The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for. 🌎
– Ernest Hemingway
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#earthday #earthdayeveryday

Since hiking the Whites is largely limited to week

Since hiking the Whites is largely limited to weekends for us, we started searching for something to keep us busy on weekdays that was a bit closer to home. After randomly stumbling upon the Belknap Range – and realizing the trails were just fifteen minutes up the road – we thought it would be a nice little side project.
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Raise your hand if you spent a large chunk of your life living in New Hampshire and never heard of the Belknap Mountain Range. 🙋‍♀️
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These stunted summits border the southwest shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Volcanic in origin, the small range formed during the breakup of the supercontinent, Pangea, around 170 million years ago. Most Granite Staters are probably familiar with at least one name from the Belknaps – Gunstock, one of the state’s two dozen ski mountains.
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They may be squat, but they’ve made for some nice post-work outings over the last few weeks. This week, after a break in the seemingly nonstop precipitation, Sanchez was finally able to finish up her last of the Belknap 12.

A few snaps from Sunday’s trip up to Mounts Star

A few snaps from Sunday’s trip up to Mounts Starr King and Waumbek.

The highlight of the day was probably the moose we ran into in Jefferson on the way to the trailhead. The size and pedicles/antler buds suggested a young bull (perhaps a yearling?), and we speculated that maybe he was about to start growing his first set of antlers.

Who wore it best? I am thoroughly convinced that

Who wore it best?

I am thoroughly convinced that totality is one of the coolest things a person can experience. This time around, Stephan and I were stoked that our families were game to join us in standing around for hours like a bunch of dumbstruck dorks.

Even though it took us NINE HOURS to drive the 110 miles back to Laconia, we’d do it all again in a second!
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#supermodel #work #doyourthing #ontherunway

‘Once beneath the stars, the universe was ours.

‘Once beneath the stars, the universe was ours. Once upon a time, in your wildest dreams.’

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