LATEST POSTS

TRAIL: CINQUE TERRE & LIGURIA COAST - PART II
​07.28.23

Days 4, 5 & 6 - all spectacular! Each day offered beautiful trails and stunning panoramic views. They also had a lot of stairs. A. Lot. But by now our legs were used to the ups and downs into and out of the village valleys that make the area so rich and beautiful. Italy is such a beautiful country and as I write this I'm struggling to understand that only a month after our trip, parts of the country have been devastated by extreme weather. My hope is that when you read this you'll get inspired to go to Italy when you can, to support the local tourism and the economy (hello shoe shopping!) and to hike its incredible mountains. 
​Catch up on part two of my hike along the stunning Cinque Terre and the incredible Ligurian coast.

TRAIL: CINQUE TERRE & LIGURIA COAST - PART I
07.14.23

Part of the deal I made with my sister when she said she'd hike Kilimanjaro with me last year, was that she could pick the destination for our next trip. Next on her list just so happened to be Italy's Cinque Terre coastal trails. This trip checked all the boxes: beautiful scenery, ridge-hugging trails, delightful seaside villages, Italian food, wine, Aperol spritz, luggage transfer  - it didn't take a whole lot of convincing to say yes. Tack on an impromptu Italian cooking class along with a few days in Florence and one day in Milan for a shoe shopping spree, (when in Milan, am I right?) and it we had ourselves a lovely Italian adventure.

Off the Trail: Florence, Italy
​06.30.23

We had arrived in Florence after a week on the relatively peaceful Liguria Coast, where we hiked the mountains around Cinque Terre. Sure the quaint villages were bustling with people but it never felt overly crowded. But, any relative peace we had experienced was left behind in Portovenere once we stepped off the train in Florence. Florence was busy. Very busy. Throngs of tourists and cruise ship groups filled the narrow streets and piazzas. I knew that I had to find ways to escape the masses to enjoy the pulsing heart of Tuscany and started searching for hidden gems. And that's exactly what I found.

THAT TIME I WALKED WITH THE GIRAFFES
11.09.22

"I haven't seen a giraffe yet," responded our travelling companion to our park ranger when he asked us what we would like to see when we arrived at Lake Mburo National Park for our late afternoon walking safari. We drove around the winding roads for a while looking for giraffes but no luck. But, our ranger had got word that the resident giraffes had been seen in a certain area that morning, so that seemed promising. ​Although Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest savannah park in Uganda, finding giraffes in its 260 square kilometers did seem rather unlikely to me as we'd already toured the park extensively and not seen even one. And, what would be the chances that the giraffes seen in the morning would still be in the same area when they have all that space to roam? Slim I would think. But what do I know? The answer is nothing. Nothing apparently compared to the years of wisdom our ranger had. 

TRAIL ADVICE FROM A 40+ YEAR OLD WHO HIKED KILIMANJARO (& OTHER TRAILS)
​10.18.22

Spending 8 days on Africa's tallest mountain has had a profound effect on me and undeniably changed me and how I see the world. Like any journey, the experience has seeped under my skin and become part of who I am. But isn't that what exploring the world is all about? Over the last few months I've had time to reflect on the entire experience. Getting the opportunity to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, or any opportunity to travel, is an incredible gift. I wanted to share a few nuggets that I think are worth mentioning to help enrich your Kili climb and make the most of any long distance trail you do. 

TRAIL: Mount Kilimanjaro - Part III - The Lemosho Route (Summit night!)
​10.02.22

For five days we had been walking towards base camp, towards the top of Kili, towards our ultimate goal. While it's just one foot in front of the other, each step was getting me closer to the moment I had been envisioning for seven months - standing on the peak touching the sign that so many others have touched before me. We were high above the clouds now at 4,000+ MASL. For someone who lives at sea level, it can be a rather strange sensation to look down onto the clouds instead of up at them.

TRAIL: MOUNT KILIMANJARO - PART II - THE LEMOSHO ROUTE
09.20.22

It turns out the base layers were not quite enough to keep warm overnight, despite the high quality sleeping bag, I was chilled. We were sleeping in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro at 4,200 MASL, under a clear night sky, it's no wonder it was cold. The night called for cocooning myself in multiple layers of merino wool and down. The combination seemed to work. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I slept wearing not only head to toe in merino wool base layers, but also a North Face down jacket. It was that kind of cold.

TRAIL: MOUNT KILIMANJARO - PART I -  THE LEMOSHO ROUTE
09.03.22

If you've read any of my previous posts, you'll know that I love long distance trails. I love the distance. I love that all you have to do is get (safely) from point A to point B each day. I love the conversations you can have on the trail. I love the physical challenge. I even love the unpredictable weather (if you're ready for it, of course!). And, I love feeling the sense of accomplishment when you reach the finish line. The Lemosho route checked every box for me - it was everything I love about hiking.

TRAIL: MOUNT KILIMANJARO - A VOICE IN MY HEAD
08.18.22

A lesson in listening to that voice in your head. Early one morning in November 2021 I woke up to a voice that said 'climb Kilimanjaro'. As someone who has never once thought about climbing that mountain this was a rather surprising thing to hear. As I stayed cocooned in my cozy bed, 'Climb Kilimanjaro' kept echoing in my brain. Like so many people, I was experiencing cabin fever from being house bound during the pandemic - I desperately wanted to brush the dust off my passport and travel but this seemed a bit, uh, extreme. Couldn't the voice have suggested something a little closer or perhaps something without so much altitude? I mean the Amalfi Coast sounds lovely.

10 tips for hiking mount kilimanjaro
08.11.22

Small details can have big rewards - that's how we planned our trek. We were all about being prepared to tackle the mountain, not just the physical challenge, which required a lot of training on my part, but also about being smart about packing and bringing things that would up the comfort level a notch or two. I've put together 10 tips to help you make the most of your Kili climb.

TRAIL: The bruce trail Dufferin HiLands
​- Blazing Sun
06.15.22

Finally! Back on the Bruce Trail after nearly two and a half years. I was excited. My sister and I had signed up for the Dufferin Hi-Lands end-to-end in 2020 but, like everything else, it got cancelled. So, when I saw that it was back for 2022, we registered immediately. 
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