Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal was one of the highlights of my life. It was an amazing adventure filled with beautiful views, waterfalls, picturesque villages, incredibly tall mountains… And surprises like the gorgeous jungle and delicious momo dumplings. There were also some misadventures like getting heat stroke AND then food poisoning the next day. …
Taryn Eyton
Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice thanks to its many glaciers and volcanoes. You can actually go INSIDE the glaciers by taking an ice cave tour in Iceland! How cool is that? Before my winter trip to Iceland I had zillions of questions about the ice caves and how to visit …
I do a LOT of hiking around Vancouver. I’ve hiked pretty much every trail that exists within an hour of the city. (And some that don’t exist… or used to exist… or I maybe was taking a short cut? But that’s a whole other story.) My readers often ask me to recommend a hike when …
There’s something special about hiking and camping on an isolated west coast with nothing between you and Japan but the wild Pacific Ocean. Shi Shi Beach in Washington’s Olympic National Park gives you that experience, and it’s a short and easy hike to get there. I’ve made several trips to Shi Shi Beach since the …
I have eaten a LOT of pre-packaged backpacking meals in my days (and nights) on the trail. Unfortunately most of them are full of ingredients I can’t pronounce and don’t recognize. I have also tried my hand at dehydrating my own backpacking food at home, but that can be time consuming. (And despite my best …
If you’ve been shopping for hiking or backpacking gear recently, you may have noticed some women’s specific gear. I’m not talking about clothing or shoes (obviously we need those)… I’m talking about backpacks, sleeping bags and more. Often this stuff seems to follow the same tired formula: “Shrink it and pink it”. Brands make the …
Way back in the summer of 2006 I was living in Halifax to go to university. I figured since I was on the East Coast for a few years, I should explore the Atlantic Provinces. I booked some time off from my summer job and headed to Newfoundland with some friends. Our plan was hiking …
I first went to Iceland in May and June of 2014 with a group of friends. We drove the ring road, hiked on remote trails where the only other hikers were sheep, soaked in a hot river, stayed up almost all night with the midnight sun and pretty much had a blast for three weeks …
I recently got back from my second trip to Iceland, and my first trip in the winter. Having visited in both summer and winter, I am hard pressed to say which is more beautiful. But I can say that going to Iceland in the winter is definitely a great idea: it’s a winter wonderland! Iceland …
Do you NEED to hire a trekking guide in Nepal? No! It’s easy to get around on your own. But SHOULD you hire a trekking guide in Nepal? Yes, definitely! I’m an experienced backpacker and have planned dozens of wilderness trips in North America, so at first I was a bit resistant to hiring a …