My family has spent a week hiking together every summer since I was a child, usually in the White Mountains. I love the White Mountains, but I’ve found it difficult to pull myself away from the local splendor of the Cascades since moving to Seattle. Last August, we compromised and spent a week in the Cascades on the north side of Mount Baker. We rented a house in Glacier, Washington, did day hikes within a short drive.
I frequently come back from vacations wanting a few days to recharge. Despite finding our trips invigorating in many ways, the constant decisions (where to eat? what to do? when to do it?) and moving around can also leave me exhausted.
My family’s trips to Cold River Camp, in the White Mountains on the border between New Hampshire and Maine, always leave me refreshed. My family has made the trip every year since I was about two. Since moving to the west coast, I have not made the trip every year. With Kyle’s first trip to Cold River this summer, though, it seems like a good time to share some notes.
In June 2016, we spent a week hiking in the Dolomites in Italy. For our hiking days, we split our time between Cortina D’Ampezzo and Selva di Val Gardena. This post describes our hikes in and around Selva di Val Gardena, including on the Sella Massif to Piz Boè and on the Puez-Odle. Continue reading
In June 2016, we visited the Dolomites. This post covers our drive up to Cortina d’Ampezzo, and the hikes from there. We enjoyed three fantastic hikes in the Cortina area. During that time, we hiked a loop around Passo di Falzarego, to Lago di Sorapiss, and a loop at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. We also enjoyed a night and spectacular sunrise at the Lagazuoi rifugio.
In June 2016, we visited the Dolomites, stopping in Venice first. This post covers our time in Venice, while two other posts cover our time in the Dolomites:
An additional post covers logistics of our trip to the Dolomites: where we stayed, some decisions about transportation, and resources we found helpful in planning the trip.
If you hike, fall is one of the best times to visit the southwest. Crowds have thinned, the days are cooler, and small spots of fall color can light up the canyons even more. Frequent summer thunderstorms can become less frequent. The days are shorter. You have to make good use of your limited daylight, but it makes it easier to catch sunrises and sunsets and to enjoy the stars.
To take advantage of this, we visited Zion National Park in November 2015, spending a day and a half in the Zion Canyon section, a day in Kolob Canyons, a day in the Subway, and a beautiful morning on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway.
This is part two of our Scotland trip, covering stops in Fort William to hike Ben Nevis, a few days on Skye, and in Inverness. This part of the trip follows a few days in Edinburgh, on Loch Lomond, and in Oban. The overview covers logistics and planning details. Continue reading
This post covers part one of our Scotland trip, including time in Edinburgh, on Loch Lomond, and in Oban. In the second part, we visit Fort William, Skye, and Inverness. The overview covers some of the logistics and planning details. Continue reading
This series covers a thirteen-day circuit of Scotland, including Edinburgh, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, Oban, Fort William, Skye, and Inverness, in May 2015. It is divided into two parts:
The map below covers our general itinerary. I’ve noted resources we found helpful while planning our trip and where we stayed. You can also view my full Scotland photoset on Flickr. Continue reading