A few years ago, I spent a few days escaping winter by heading to the desert of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. The sun was bright, the desert was warm(ish) during the day and the scenery was spectacular. I spent three nights camping, hiking and exploring with friends, but I wish I had …
Camping
In Tasmania, Australia if you want to get out into the wilds and off the grid, you head over to the West Coast. One of the first things I did in Tasmania was a short road trip on the Tarkine Drive in the North West corner of the state. The trip begins and ends at …
The longest night of my life was on a cold camping trip. I didn’t sleep at all! Since then I’ve refined my approach on hundreds of camping trips and figured out how to stay warm in a tent in all kinds of weather. This post has over 40 tips for staying warm while camping. I’m …
Maria Island, Tasmania was one of my favourite places in Australia. This little island on the East Coast of Tasmania is kind of like a mini version of the state, without the people. It has everything you want to see in Tasmania all in one place: convict heritage sites, amazing wildlife, and great outdoor activities …
.Joshua Tree, California is a pretty unique place. Located in the desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, it’s famous for gorgeous scenery, hiking, camping, and an eclectic arts scene. So it should be no surprise that you can find places to stay near Joshua Tree that incorporate each of those things (and sometimes a …
If you’re looking to explore some of Olympic National Park’s rugged coastline, I recommend hiking to Toleak Point from Third Beach. It’s a moderately challenging trail that travels along beaches and across steep headlands. The area around Toleak Point is dotted with dozens of offshore islands and sea stacks, making it really picturesque. Plus there …
As a Leave No Trace trainer, I’m pretty passionate about teaching people the importance of keeping the wilderness wild and minimizing our impact. While I’m pretty well-versed in the theory behind leaving no trace while hiking with a dog, I don’t own a dog. So I didn’t feel qualified to write a post about how …
If you head into the wilderness I’m sure you know to that if you pack it in, you should pack it out. But what else do you need to know to protect nature (and avoid being an a-hole)? Learn how to Leave No Trace when hiking and camping to keep the wilderness wild. What is …
You don’t have to go far in BC to really get out into the wilds and off the grid. One of my favourites is a road trip on the Pacific Marine Circle Route on Southern Vancouver Island. This road trip starts and ends in Victoria, one of BC’s biggest cities, but most of the route …
Recently I wrote a post called “You Killed A Bear” that ended up getting way more online attention than I had anticipated. My message in that post was that less experienced hikers should read up about bear safety before they head out for a hike or go backcountry camping. Lots of people asked questions about …