Explore America: Maui Adventures!

I have just arrived back in rainy Vancouver after the most AMAZING week in Maui! To say I miss the beautiful beaches, the warm breeze and birds waking me up before sunrise would be an understatement! What a perfect place Maui is. My plane landed quite late in the evening so I expected it to be a little chilly out, but to my surprise, the air was humid and warm and I immediately realized I landed in a Canadian’s winter paradise (that is, if you like a break from the snow and rain).

Ocean views that make my heart go boom.

Every morning I was there we started out the day with coffee on our deck, then walked along our beach as the sun was coming up. Maui has to be one of the most relaxing places on earth and it sure felt like Vancouver life was a million miles away while I was there.

Surfers paradise.

On my second day there, we drove up to Haleakala Crater and spend quite a few hours up there taking in the views and hiking every trail we could find! It really felt like we were on another planet while we were up there. It’s cool to see different plants and that dry red earth. If you happen to go to Maui, this is something you must do! But make sure it is a clear day or else you won’t have much of a view up there:) On our way back to Kihei my parents and I stopped in a town called Makawao for lunch where I had the BEST mahi mahi sandwich ever. I wish I knew the name of the place we ate at, but when on Hawaii, eating fish is always the right choice!

Haleakala views.

More Haleakala.

Succulent love.

The next day we hopped in the car and drove part of the Road to Hana. This was a beautiful drive that took us through the lush forest. This road is incredibly windy so if you get car sick, you may second guess the drive. Thankfully I don’t get car sick so it was an exciting day for me. We stopped and took a walk through a bamboo forest and also had lunch at a beautiful black lava beach in Keanae. It was just amazing to watch the crystal blue waves crash into the black rocks. This is a day I will always remember!

Bamboo forest.

Town of Keanae.

Lines in the sand.

The rest of my days there were spent by the ocean enjoying the warm sunshine and the beautiful water. We also drove up the coast past Kaanapali and I had the most amazing experience with a humpback whale! I was taking photos of one of the beautiful cliffs in the area and a humpback whale breached probably 30 feet from me! It was seriously one of the most incredible moments! I unfortunately didn’t get it on film, but that image will always be in my memory!

Maui coast.

Maui definitely has my heart now and I am already planning to go back again in 2018.

Have you been to any of the Hawaiian Islands before? What was the best thing you did on your trip?

Explore America: Snowshoeing at Mt. Baker.

Mt. Baker has to be my favourite mountain in the Pacific Northwest that I have visited. It is amazing in any season because it is so vast that it never seems to be too crowded.

This past Sunday we woke up early and headed to Baker. We arrived there around 11am and surprisingly, the mountain wasn’t too busy. I am one of those people that wants to get up at the crack of dawn and do things so as we were driving up I was worried it would be busy! We decided to snowshoe up to Huntoon Point which has beautiful views, but we have only seen them in the summer!

All that white.

It was a clear day when we started snowshoeing, but a storm quickly blew in so for the entire trip up the mountain we could only see about 5 feet in front of us. This didn’t stop us from pressing on though! When we got up to Huntoon Point, the clouds started to clear but unfortunately we didn’t get to see those amazing mountain views we were expecting – that’s okay though because it just means we will have to go back!

Huntoon Point.

Making friends with the locals.

This guy landed on Kate’s head but I sadly only got a good shot of him preparing to land.

As we started to come down the mountain, there were a lot of snowshoers making their way up the mountain. If you are going to do this trail, I would suggest going before noon to beat the traffic. Also, it’s important to check for avalanche risk because this is a backcountry trail and it isn’t monitored by the staff at Mt. Baker.

Down the mountain.

Another successful day of snowshoeing:) What outdoor activities do you like to do in the winter?

 

Explore BC: Snowshoeing at Hemlock

On New Years Day I went snowshoeing at Hemlock Resort with my cousin and some friends. This was my first time snowshoeing and my first time at Hemlock. The day was absolutely beautiful, sun shining and some fresh snow on the mountain.

Road to Hemlock Resort.

We rented snowshoes and hit the trails. We chose to do a short 4km trail with minimal elevation gain. One thing I really appreciated about being at Hemlock was that it didn’t have the crowds that the mountains surrounding Vancouver has. However there isn’t the option to snowshoe or cross country ski along free trails which was kind of a bummer.

Emily, Kate and Taryn – my snowshoeing buddies.

About half way through the trail we stopped for a mandatory hot toddy break which we do on all snow days!

Snowshoes and Hot Toddy’s!

It was definitely a great way to spend the first day of a new year! How did you spend the first day of 2016?

Explore Canada: Sunshine Coast, BC.

One of my best friends recently made the move from Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast, which means I have an excuse to get out of Vancouver and enjoy the quiet Coast every now and then. Last weekend my friend Tim and I made our way to Gibsons a day of outdoor adventures.

Morning ferry to the Sunshine Coast.

We hopped on an early ferry to the Coast on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful, crisp morning so we tried to enjoy the view from outside until our hands were frozen from taking so many pictures. Once we made it to the Coast, we made a pitstop at my friend Nick’s place and headed to the Gumboot Restaurant in Roberts Creek for an incredible lunch.

Our plan for the day was to head to Skookumchuck Narrows for a day hike, but it was absolutely FREEZING out so our day hike turned into a quick 20 minute walk along a creek! Because we wanted to enjoy the nature on the Coast, we made a number of pitstops on the way back to my friends place.

Coastal roads.

Tim and Nick at Smugglers Cove.

Dusk at Smugglers Cove.

We hit Davis Bay just in time to catch a beautiful west coast sunset. The light was incredible and it was such a peaceful place to watch the sun set. One of the great things about the Sunshine Coast is that it is not a big tourist destination so you are able to enjoy the outdoors without a lot of people around!

Capturing the sunset.

Normally I am the one snapping photos, but I decided to get in front of the lens because the lighting was too good!

On Sunday, we woke up early so we could enjoy breakfast at the Waterfront Restaurant and have a walk along Roberts Creek before we had to hop on the ferry back to Vancouver. It was an awesome weekend and I am already looking forward to my next trip to the Coast in January.

Roberts Creek.

Have you traveled to the Sunshine Coat before? What outdoor activities did you do while you were there? I’m always looking for suggestions of new places to explore!

Explore Canada: Ptarmagin Cirque, Alberta.

At the beginning of September some of my very best friends and I road tripped though Alberta before they headed to their new home in Ontario. Our plan was to spend as much time in the mountains as possible and I think we definitely achieved our goal! For the first three days, we stayed at my parents place in Calgary and did a few day trips.

End of summer hike at Ptarmagin Cirque.

Our first adventure to the mountains took us through Kananaskis Country to Ptarmigan Cirque. This hike is located above the Highwood Pass in Kananaskis and is a 5km loop with about 300 metres elevation gain. It’s hard to believe this was an end of summer hike because it was so snowy and absolutely freezing! We were the only ones on the trail this day which was pretty great.

Rocky Mountain views.

My friend Adriana and I bailed a little early on this hike because we couldn’t feel our fingers or toes, while Adam and Kate continued further up the mountain. After seeing their photos, I wish I had joined them, but my warm fingers and toes probably thanked me for heading down to the car early.

Ptarmagin Cirque.

On the way back to Calgary, we bumped into some mountain goats on the Highway. These guys were not at all afraid of us and I think a few of them enjoyed getting their pictures taken!

Kananaskis mountain goats.

Mountain goat mug shot.

 

I absolutely love travelling these mountain roads. They are rarely busy and anytime I have driven through them I have seen some cool wildlife along the way.

Have you hiked any mountains in the Kananaskis region? Would you recommend any trails?

American Adventures: Valley of Fire State Park.

The thing I was looking forward to most about visiting Nevada, was spending the day in the Valley of Fire State Park. We woke up bright and early so we could have as much sunlight as possible to explore in.

Desert friend.

Our first pit stop in the park was the Beehives. We spent some time walking around the area and then made our way to Atlatl Rock where there are some really neat petroglyphs carved into the red rocks.

Kate admiring the petroglyphs in Valley of Fire.

Desert views.

If you are visiting this State Park, I would suggest bringing lots of food and water so you can spend the day hiking through the various points of interest in the park. We hiked through Mouse’s Tank, Rainbow Vista and the White Domes. If we had more food and water, we would have hiked at every stop we made!

Elephant Rock.

As we were leaving Valley of Fire, we made one last pit stop at Elephant Rock where we saw three big horned sheep! I have seen these many times in Canada, but it was cool to see them in a completely different setting.

Big horned sheep.

What is your favourite desert to visit? Have you been to Valley of Fire before?

Explore Canada: Yamnuska Summit, Alberta.

Monday’s are the worst. Every Monday as I get ready for work I think about the places I visited on the weekend, then I think further back to the places I have travelled. I love my job and feel very lucky to do what I do, but I can’t help but wish for a life filled with adventure and new experiences. Today I am dreaming of being back in the Alberta mountains.

While travelling through Alberta in September, my Dad’s friend Regan took my friends and I on an epic mountain adventure to Yamnuska Summit near Canmore.

False summit at Yamnuska.

We made some forest friends along the way.

Yamnuska is a fairly technical hike that has 900 metres of elevation gain over 4.5 km. There is a section of the hike that has a 30m ledge traverse which I found both terrifying and exciting!

Summit at Yamnuska! What a beautiful sight.

It was an awesome feeling when we got to the top of the summit! The views we absolutely incredible and definitely made me feel on top of the world. The first few kilometres of the decent were spent scree-skiing down the side of the mountain. We were all so sore the day after the hike, but it was definitely worth every sore muscle!

Scree skiing at Yamnuska.

Have you hiked any of the trails in the Rocky Mountains?

European Adventures: The Scottish Highlands.

Autumn evokes nostalgia more than any other season for me. Today I am reminded of travelling through the Scottish Highlands almost two years ago. This was my absolute favourite day of my journey to the UK. It was a beautiful, crisp and sunny autumn day where we spent hours driving through the incredible countryside, stopping at lochs and castles, eating ice cream and taking a million photographs!

Kilchurn Castle.

The first real stop of the day was at Kilchurn Castle, which is one of Scotland’s most photographed castles. The autumn colours paired with the blue loch were really incredible and we quite enjoyed walking through the area.

Nick admiring the view.

Our second major stop of the day was in the adorable town of Inveraray. What started out as a crisp autumn day had now turned into a lovely sunny day so we took advantage of that and enjoyed ice cream cones while walking along Loch Fyne. This place is absolutely beautiful and I would definitely recommend visiting if you have the chance!

Loch Fyne.

After our stop in Inveraray, we headed on through the Rest and Be Thankful Pass. Let me tell you, it certainly made me thankful. Having the opportunity to explore the beauty of nature in Scotland had always been my dream so the fact that it was now a reality really meant something to me!

Rest and Be Thankful Pass.

While travelling through the Highlands, I was hoping to see some Highland Cattle. We had been driving for about 8 hours and still had not seen any, so I made my friend Nick take a detour from the mapped out itinerary to find some cow friends! We both have no idea where we drove because we couldn’t locate it on our GPS in the car, but my wish came true and we stumbled upon some Highland Cattle to befriend. After hanging out with the cattle, it was time to head back to Edinburgh for one last night before driving back to England.

My new (and only) highland cow friend.

This was such an incredible day. A day that still makes me smile when I think about it! One day I will adventure back there and do it all over again.

What places have you visited in the Highlands?

American Adventures: Ptarmigan Ridge, Mt. Baker.

One of my favourite places to go when I want to remove myself from the busyness of city is Mt. Baker National Park. I love the beauty of the nature there and I also love that it is not too long of a drive from Vancouver (although sometimes boarder waits can be a little excessive)!

It was a beautiful, warm and sunny autumn day yesterday so we decided to make the trek to Mt. Baker for a little hike. What started as a short adventure into nature, quickly became a long, epic day when we decided to explore the Ptarmigan Ridge trail toward Mt. Baker.

Beginning of Ptarmigan Ridge trail toward Mt. Baker.

The Ptarmigan Ridge trail starts out on the Chain Lakes trail and veers off to it’s own trail about a mile in. The elevation gain on the trail is minimal but it is a fairly long trail and at times can be hard to follow.

Getting closer to Baker.

After hiking about 4 miles, the trail becomes more steep and narrow, but this is how you know you are close to the end of the trail! We chose to continue on from what the map said was the end of the trail. There is a path that you can follow that adds at least 1.5 miles each way to the hike, but is incredible as it takes to Mt. Baker than you could imagine!

Path to Mt. Baker.

Up close and personal with beautiful Mt. Baker.

We started hiking at 10:30 am and got back to the car around 5:30 pm. We could have done the hiker in less time but then we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the stunning views. The hike was absolutely worth the massive blisters I have on my feet today!

Mountains for days.

What did you do on the weekend?

Explore Canada: Kananaskis Country.

Almost every time I visit my family in Calgary, we take a trip into Kananaskis for the day. It is extremely close to Calgary so it is easily accessible and the views do not disappoint. We decided to spend a few days driving through Kananaskis during my trip there in August.

Alpine meadows in Kananaskis.

The drive through Peter Loughheed Provincial Park and the Smith-Dorien Highway takes about three hours to complete, but if you are like my family, it can take an entire day to get through if you stop to do mini-hikes, take pictures and make friends with the wildlife you meet along the way!

Coffee with a view.

A must see while travelling through Kananaskis is Mount Engadine Lodge. The beautiful lodge is perfectly located about half way through the drive. It is a great place to stop for a coffee, tea or snack and to stretch your legs (although there are too many places to list for that)! My parents and I spent at least an hour there taking in the views, moose watching and enjoying a fabulous charcuterie board.

Cutest parents enjoying Mount Engadine Lodge

Views from Mount Engadine Lodge.

We finished our day with dinner and drinks at the Iron Goat Pub in Canmore. This place has incredible food, a great selection of wine and beer and has the best views of the Rockies.

Spray Lakes.

What are your favourite places to stop in the Kananaskis region of Alberta?