Ape Canyon (+ writing)

(Trail specs at the end) My body’s been a mess and my head even worse, but when my alarm goes off I’m up. The only thing that can get me out of bed after working late and only getting five-and-a-half hours of sleep is an all day hiking adventure. I wake up feeling different. Not […]

Mt. Adams Wilderness (revisited)

The day I attempted this trail for the first time, was actually the day I decided to start this blog. It was awesome to revisit at it’s peak season and actually complete it this time, as well as revisit the old write-up and see how far this blog has come in almost a year. I’m […]

Silver Falls State Park

Level: Moderate Length: 7.5 miles (shorter loop options listed below) Elevation: 600* ft. gain Type: out and back Open: all year Permit: $5 parking pass at kiosk Dogs not allowed Drive time from Portland: 1h15m Google map: “Silver Falls State Park”

Cape Lookout

Level: Easy (Beginner Level: Challenging.) Length: 4.8 miles Elevation: 400* ft. gain Type: out and back Open: all year Permit: n/a Drive time from Portland: 1h40m Google map: “Cape Lookout Trailhead”

The Unapologetic Fat Girl’s Guide to Exercise and Other Incendiary Acts – Hanne Blank

The idea of exercise has gotten completely screwed up. None of us are exempt from this culture of body shame, even people who have the “right” bodies and do all of the “right” things. We are told our bodies need to be “fixed” and we can do that with exercise. We aren’t told it just feels […]

Travel Journal: June 16 – 22, 2016: The Big Island of Hawai’i

Locations: Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea Crater, Hapuna Beach, Mauna Kea Beach, Wai’ale Falls, Rainbow Falls, Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden, Akaka Falls, Lava Tree State Park, Pohoiki Warm Pond, Kehena Black Sand Beach, Pahoa, Kahalu’u Beach, Honaunau Bay aka “Two Step”

The Adventure Gap – James Edward Mills

The central story follows Expedition Denali, the first all Black mountaineering team to attempt summiting Denali, but it is so much more than that. Mills is a talented chronologer and historian who exposes the missing and even hidden history of Black people in the outdoors and the ways that has lead to disinterest in outdoor […]

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls – Jes Baker

I was wrong to not prioritize this book the way I would’ve years ago when every new fat/body-positive book became my New Favorite. I got kind of bored with how similar the POV always is (white/middle-class/so quirky your teeth ache). HOWEVER, Jes Baker is a ass-kicking cyclone of fresh air coming to fuck up our […]

The Journey is Good, Too.

A few days ago, I returned to one of my first and favorite hikes, the Mirror Lake trail to Tom Dick & Harry Mountain on Mt. Hood. I’ve done so many incredible trails and have the longest list of ones I have yet to do, but some call me back over and over. This is […]

Trekking Poles

Gear posts are often horribly condescending (Hiking in hiking boots? You’re doing it WRONG!) Or, just plain financially inaccessible to most of us. However, I have something to say: TREKKING POLES!!!! Oh shit, am I really doing a gear post?