Rob Roy Glacier and the world’s most remote ice cream

The last place you expect to find ice cream is by the side of a river 30 kilometers down a gravel road. Okay, probably there is at least one ice cream stand further off the beaten path, but still, it was delicious. At the suggestion of a hit at the Department of Conservation Visitor Center … Continue reading Rob Roy Glacier and the world’s most remote ice cream →

New favorite river: Rakaia Gorge

After picking up the van from Lucky Rentals, we didn't have a ton of time, so we picked a cheap campsite a few hours down the road. Trevor was an excellent driver, despite being in the wrong side of the road...on the wrong side of the car. The first hour and a half was honestly … Continue reading New favorite river: Rakaia Gorge →

24 hours in Aoraki Mt. Cook

When we began our drive to Aoraki (ow-rack-key) Mt. Cook, it was glorious and sunny.About an hour before we got there, the rain began. It poured so hard that, even though the mountains are extremely close to the road, we could only see faint outlines.We decided to huddle in the van for the evening, trusting … Continue reading 24 hours in Aoraki Mt. Cook →

A Tour of Hobbiton

I've written this post about 4 times, but then my phone dies and all is lost. So here's a quick summary, because I'm tired of rewriting it: Hobbiton is incredible. It's 12 acres in the middle of an already gorgeous 12,000 acre sheep farm. When I was first researching the trip, many blogs said there … Continue reading A Tour of Hobbiton →

Surprise! Extra Day in Auckland

Original plan: Arrive in Auckland on Thursday night (local time) See Hobbiton on Friday Fly to Christchurch on Saturday. Spend as little time in the city as possible. Actual events: Arrive in Auckland on Wednesday Not realize the date disparity until we get to the hostel at 1 am Find out said hostel has no … Continue reading Surprise! Extra Day in Auckland →

Hustlers in Honolulu

I used to think that I wouldn't like Hawaii because I prefer mountains to beaches and also crowds annoy me. I was wrong. During our overnight layover, Olivia, Trevor and I had fish tacos, swam at Waikiki Beach, then quickly left the beach because, yeah it's warm, but not a swimming-at-sunset-with-a-light-breeze sort of warm. #worthit. … Continue reading Hustlers in Honolulu →

To New Zealand We Go!!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this in almost every conversation I've had for the last two years, but in case you haven't heard: We're going to New Zealand!! Despite having been planning this since December 31, 2016, I still managed to not finish packing until after 1 in the morning. That meant that my toothpaste … Continue reading To New Zealand We Go!! →

Getting schooled by backpacking kids.

I know, my absence from the Internet the last four months has been heart-wrenching for, like, almost one person. I'd like to pretend it was spent doing something rad, like backpacking somewhere even Verizon can't get a signal or using slang that didn't become dated over a decade ago, but actually I've been like working … Continue reading Getting schooled by backpacking kids. →

Three Days on Mount Jefferson

Around 11 years ago, in the summer before my 8th grade year, my dad looked at his map of the Jefferson Wilderness Area and pointed thoughtfully at one of the trails. "I think," he said, "I want to try out this Breitenbrush trail this weekend. You wanna come?" he asked. Of course I wanted to … Continue reading Three Days on Mount Jefferson →

A Vacation State

As Fire Ant, Braids, Miguel, and I make our way through Oregon, we tend to have the same conversation with fellow hikers at every spring and shady lunch spot we find. Us: We're really loving Oregon. Them: Oh yeah. It's great. I can't believe it's gonna be over so soon. Us: Yeah, crazy how time … Continue reading A Vacation State →