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Solo Hiking

Hiking Alone: Solo Hiking Benefits and Safety Tips

Follow this detailed 7-day Teton and Yellowstone road trip itinerary to travel to the best sites, hikes, and attractions in these two incredible national parks.

The Ultimate 7-day Teton and Yellowstone Road Trip Itinerary

Is it ok to hike during COVID-19

Is it ok to hike during COVID-19? (and why I’m Staying Home)

Best Cheap Backpacking Gear of 2020

Are you looking for ways to get a nature fix indoors? Check out this comprehensive list of how to bring the great outdoors into the comforts of home.

20+ Ways to Get Your Nature Fix Indoors

Stuck inside but want to stay active? Check out these tips to keep moving at home, including gear suggestions & practical ways to train for outdoor season.

Ways to Train for the Outdoors When You’re Stuck Inside

Just getting your feet wet with hiking? Here's some essential hiking 101 tips for beginners to help you hit the trail with confidence - from hydration to the gear you do & don't need to how to pick a trail.

Hiking for Beginners: Essential Hiking 101 Tips

What is cryptobiotic soil and why is it so important? Learn everything you need to know to protect this biological soil crust in the desert.

A Desert Hiker’s Guide to Cryptobiotic Soil: Don’t Bust the Crust!

Follow this detailed 7-day Teton and Yellowstone road trip itinerary to travel to the best sites, hikes, and attractions in these two incredible national parks.

The Ultimate 7-day Teton and Yellowstone Road Trip Itinerary

20 Best Hot Springs in Nevada Mapped

Sprinter Van Bathroom: Pros and Cons & Would I do it again?

Learn four strategies to improve your hiking lung capacity so you can climb higher & farther without running out of breath. We'll also get you prepared for hiking at high altitudes and elevations where the air is thinner.

4 Ways to Improve Your Hiking Lung Capacity

What are Rock Cairns & Why You Shouldn’t Build Them

A round-up of the best hikes in Utah. Explore Utah's epic landscapes and get tips for tackling these bucketlist trails.

Best Hikes in Utah: 14 Epic Trails for your Bucketlist – MAPPED!

Is it ok to hike during COVID-19

Is it ok to hike during COVID-19? (and why I’m Staying Home)

THREE DAY BACKPACKING GEAR CHECKLIST

3-day Backpacking Checklist

Explore The best in Gear

A little Instamagic

Have you ever wanted to go hiking but didn’t hav

Have you ever wanted to go hiking but didn’t have anyone to go with? Have you let your fear of hiking alone keep you indoors? I can definitely relate. Back in 2014 after a long-term relationship ended, I decided that I didn’t want to wait for someone to get out there and experience the outdoors. So, I hopped in the car and drove to Zion National Park and embarked on my first-ever solo hike. It ended up being an incredibly empowering experience. When I got back to my car, I broke into tears of joy having discovered that I was strong enough to hit the trail by myself. It was truly a life changing moment.

If you’re interested in going on your first solo hike this summer, but you have the same fears that I did, my new blog post is for you. To help you find the courage and give you the knowledge you need to hike solo with confidence, I share my story about learning to manage my fears, along with some helpful safety tips for hiking alone.

BIG CAVEAT: Now in this time of social distancing and COVID-19, you might be thinking about taking your first solo hike. These tips certainly apply. However, you should STAY LOCAL, and I urge you to make even more conservative choices than normal as now is not the time to be taking risks. You need to be fully self-sufficient on the trail, and right now you might consider a solo walk around your neighborhood instead. We must do our part to stop the spread, and all of our actions should be carried out with the collective health of our society in mind.

Click the link in my bio or swipe up on my latest IG stories to check it out.

What questions do you have about solo hiking? Leave them in the comments below 👇🏼
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#solohike #hiking #hike #hikerlife

Yellowstone National Park is currently closed to p

Yellowstone National Park is currently closed to protect the visitors, rangers, workers, and communities near the park (you can see from the people on the boardwalk that social distancing here is near impossible). However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use this time to plan an escape for when this is over. To get you excited for the future, we just updated our Yellowstone / Grand Teton 7-day road trip itinerary with tips on hiking, camping, and more.

Click the link in my bio or swipe up on my latest IG stories to check it out.
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#yellowstone #travelplanning #roadtrip #nationalpark #grandtetonnationalpark

The other day I was on a video call with Jeffrey o

The other day I was on a video call with Jeffrey over at @storytelleroverland, and he brought up the question of what the new normal will look like.

For those of us who are fortunate enough to stay healthy during this time, will this experience teach us to slow down and how to find joy within ourselves in everyday moments? Will we learn to live more simply? Will our global society finally place a higher value on our natural world and our interconnectedness?

For me, right now is an opportunity to go deep, figure out what my priorities are, and to get aligned with who I really want to be when this thing is over. How can I be part of the solution?

I hope that people all over the globe are asking these same questions, so we can change the course of our relationships with the planet, our fellow humans, and ourselves.

Photo by @kevinfremon

Just over here having a lazy kinda Saturday, day d

Just over here having a lazy kinda Saturday, day dreaming of past and future travels.

Where’s the first place you wanna travel to when this thing is behind us?

Photo taken in 2017 after kayaking 14 miles down the entire length of Maligne Lake in Alberta. Swipe up my stories to check out the full trip report.
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#malignelake #alberta #explorecanada #canadianrockies

The last time I went for a hike was right after CO

The last time I went for a hike was right after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, and I was surprised, and frankly angered, to see many large groups of people together on the trail (not practicing social distancing). I have a Type 1 Diabetic immunocompromised partner and parents that I'm worried about, and to see people ignoring guidelines and acting like it's business as usual got me thinking. Is it even ok to hike right now? And if I am going to be on the trail, how can I be a responsible hiker while abiding by the current CDC guidelines?

Ultimately, the CDC says the best thing we can do right now is to stay home, which is what I'm choosing to do. Not only is my choice driven by a desire to protect my own health, but the sooner we all act with society's collective health in mind, the sooner things will go back to normal.

However, if you truly need to hit the trail during this time (assuming we are still allowed to), there are several critical precautionary steps you must take in order to keep yourself safe and prevent the spread of the virus. In my new blog post, I share tips on how to be a responsible outdoor enthusiast and hike safely during COVID-19. 
Click the link in my bio or swipe up on my latest IG stories to check it out. 📍Photo from foothills above my neighborhood in #SaltLakeCity during fall a few years back.
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#utahgram #hiking #covıd19 #beautahful #utahisrad #hikingculture #outdooradventures

Over the years, I've asked the BFT community what

Over the years, I've asked the BFT community what obstacles stand in their way of getting outside more. And, many of the answers I receive revolve around one thing: money. While it may seem like everyone is rushing to get the newest, lightest, and fanciest gear, you don't need to spend your entire savings to go camping. ⠀
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While there are certain items you need to stay safe and comfortable on a backpacking trip, it’s not necessary to buy the newest, most high-tech outdoor gear on the market. In my latest blog post, we rounded up some of the best cheap backpacking gear for tight budgets so you can acquire what you need to enjoy this summer's hiking season.

Click the link in my bio to check it out.

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