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Alta Via 2, Day 4: A Daunting Day with a Grand Finale

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Last night, as the sun was setting, I was taking photographs of the hills across the canyon at the end of the valley, one side of which we had walked along at the end of our day. As I packed up my tripod to head back to the rifugio, a German woman started to head back at the same time. She asked where we were heading to today and after hearing my response said, Oh, that’s a long way! It’s right over there, gesturing to a small building on the top of the highest point of the tallest mountain at the edge of the visible horizon. Little did we know how right she was or about what it would take to get ourselves there. But thankfully Day 4 of the AV2 is blessed with spectacular scenery from start to finish, making our journey well worth every hard-earned step! (more…)

TMB, Day 1: Off We Go!

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The alarm goes off this morning, and, even though we would love to snooze just one time, we are mindful that we are sharing our dorm room with three other people. Breakfast is at 7, so it seems that the whole pension is rising at the same time to make sure that they are ready to rush the buffet when the dining room doors open. It’s our first morning on the TMB, and we are still trying to sort out what we can leave behind on this trek to make our loads lighter. We finally get it all figured out and then head down to breakfast where we are seated with the same two pairs of hikers from last night. (more…)

Chillin’ Out on the South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kol

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Today we are beginning a two-day journey from Karakol to Bishkek that will allow us a stop in Bokonbaevo on the south shore of Issyk-Kol and a chance to see a bit of the non-trekking/cultural side of Kyrgyzstan. After breakfast, we bid farewell to our comfortable guesthouse in Karakol and meet Anwar who we have hired to drive us all the way to Bishkek. While it is possible (and very affordable) to take marshutkas (mini-buses) all the way to Bishkek, we want to maximize our time and minimize the hassle of travel. Read this as: we are too old for that s**t! (more…)

Colorado Trail, Day 23: Simmering Down in Salida

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Zero Days are some of the most anticipated days for any thru-hiker. They offer a chance to step off the trail, sleep in a real bed, eat some real food, get clean and take care of all the little chores that build up while spending a week in the woods. The only problem with town days is that they are always way too short. We never have time to do everything we want, and so it was in Salida. (more…)

A Fond Farewell to Albania

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Matt, July 2017
Sleeping at Florian Guesthouse proves to be a challenge for several reasons. The family dog starts barking incessantly at 5 am and just won’t stop no matter how much we will him to from our stuffy, little room. At 6 am, we are woken by the sound of a hard rain and jump out of bed to go grab our laundry which is hanging out in the yard under the grapevines. (more…)

Peaks of the Balkans, Day 6: Reka e Allages to Drelaj

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Alison, June 2017
We wake up at 6, and I hobble out of the top bunk, throw on some clothes and go check on the laundry that we left outside last night. My intent is to move it into the sun for an hour or two while we pack up and eat breakfast, but I see that the sun has not crested the mountains yet. Uh oh, I think, wet clothes again! But everything is already more or less dry, except for our socks, which we can attach to the outside of our packs while we are hiking. Sometimes, it’s the little things that make your day! (more…)

New Zealand Dreamin’

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For as long as we can remember, New Zealand has been at the very, very top of our travel wishlist. This rugged island nation tucked far away in the southern Pacific has long captured our imagination, and, after seeing Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, we knew we would have to visit the land of Middle Earth at least once in our lifetimes. With its majestic snow-capped mountains, lush-green forests, ice-blue rivers and fiery volcanoes all on full display in the movies, our desire to photograph and hike in these stunning landscapes only grew more intense with the release of each subsequent film. Yet, for one reason or another, we never pulled the trigger. (more…)

JMT, Day 16: A Bear of a Trail

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Bear Creek Meadow to Silver Pass Creek, 14 miles

Breakfast is the least satisfying meal for us when we are backpacking. For this trip we are basically rotating between oatmeal (yuck!), rehydrated bean burritos (OK once in a while), and ProBar Meal Bars (tasty, but not hot). Today we decide to switch it up and go for instant mashed potatoes. It’s really cold this mornimng, and they are really hot and taste good to us. I like the change, but we both know we’ll be hungry again soon.
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