by Paty | Sep 19, 2021 | Gear, Timberline Trail, West Coast
My 40-mile trek around Mt. Hood was my last backpacking trip of the 2021 season. The mid-September weather was still dry and warm, so I was able to pack pretty light for this adventure. Nonetheless, I still wanted to try out a few pieces of gear that weren’t on...
by Paty | Jul 19, 2021 | Gear, Oregon Coast Trail, West Coast
Packing for the Oregon Coast in June/July was a much more daunting challenge than I ever expected. First up, I wanted to pack appropriately for the weather conditions. Locals joke that there are only two seasons on the Oregon Coast: (1) rainy or (2) windy. I’d...
by Paty | May 27, 2021 | Gear, Mt. Whitney
Trying to summit Mt. Whitney right in the middle of May can be a rough time of the year for an adventure. Lucky for me, the Sierras had below average snowfall this past winter, which meant less ice and snow to deal with above 10,000′. Consequently, I was able to...
by Paty | Mar 12, 2021 | Gear
It’s 2021 and I’m super ready to start the hiking season! I’ve been planning my tail off, in fact. Although the pandemic is still quashing my super long trail dreams of hiking the PCT or CDT, I am still excited to sink my teeth into a few shorter and middle-distance...
by Paty | Sep 27, 2020 | Gear, Hiking
Plenty of typical backpacking staples are missing in my food bag. No salami or pepperoni. No bags of beef jerky. Not even pre-packaged beef stroganoff or chili mac. As someone who follows a pescatarian diet (I eat fish about once a week when I’m off trail), my...
by Paty | Sep 15, 2020 | Gear, Uinta Highline Trail
When I was deciding how to use my REI dividend back in May of this year, I had one major purchase on the top of my wish list. I wanted a Garmin inReach Mini GPS device. Retailing at $350, this satellite communicator was a splurge for me. It was right on par with...
