If you head into the wilderness I’m sure you know not to leave trash behind – Pack it in, pack it out, right? But what else do you need to know to protect nature (and avoid being an a-hole)? I’ve been teaching people about how to Leave No Trace when hiking and camping for decades. …
Wildlife
I have spent a combined three months house sitting in Tasmania over the last few years. I thought the highlight of my visit was going to be hiking or food (and both of those were AH-mazing). But the true highlight for me ended up being the wildlife in Tasmania. Tasmania has relatively few people and …
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 …
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 …
Vancouver Island in British Columbia is a special place. But most visitors tend to stick to the well-known spots on the southern end. Which is really too bad because there are so many great things to do on northern Vancouver Island. It’s actually my favourite part! Northern Vancouver Island is off the beaten path so …
I’ve spent a lot of time on British Columbia’s coast… but not a lot of time actually on the water. You could say I’m more of a terrestrial mammal. But a few summers ago I wanted to see what I had been missing so I went on a kayaking trip in the Johnstone Strait and …
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 …
A Quick Note: This article was originally published in August 2016. The aim of this post was to shock people in order to raise awareness. I know it’s an uncomfortable post to read and that many hikers and campers might feel a bit confronted since they don’t engage in the kind of behaviour discussed here. …