About
Rove far. Explore deep. Live boldly.
About Me
Hi, I’m Joling—a writer, hiker, and traveler who’s spent the past few decades exploring landscapes near and far. What began as weekend escapes and a few weeks of vacation per year has evolved into a way of life, one that’s taken me up open ridgelines, down desert canyons, through bustling cities, and across oceans.
I started this site as a space to share stories from the road and trail—whether it was a spontaneous day hike, a long-planned trek abroad, or a quiet campsite tucked into the redwoods, or a multi-day wander through galleries, street markets and cafés in a new city. While the backcountry calls to me often, I find just as much joy in discovering a local bakery or wandering through a museum as I do in hiking among the mountains.
A couple years in, I took on the Nifty Ninety challenge—a quest to summit 90 publicly accessible peaks in the San Francisco Bay Area—and that experience added a new dimension to my adventures and writing.
My husband Chris has joined me on many of the adventures featured here—from winding mountain trails to scenic road trips to lazy afternoons exploring new cities. He’s not on every hike or in every photo, but he’s been part of countless meaningful moments on the road. Traveling together has added a layer of joy and spontaneity to these experiences, whether it’s discovering a tucked-away eatery, or simply figuring it out as we go.
Everyone should also have an adventure buddy and I was fortunate to meet mine in 2015 on a trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. We were both traveling solo and since then, have met up at least once a year to do an epic hike together.
You’ll also find glimpses of my late dog Barkley here—my loyal companion for seventeen years. While he’s no longer by my side, his spirit lives on in every dusty trail and quiet summit.
Thanks for wandering by. I hope you’ll find something that inspires your own path forward—whether that’s into the mountains or into the heart of a new city.
The Nifty Ninety Journey
In 2023, I set a challenge for myself: summit every peak on the Sierra Club’s Nifty Ninety list in one year. These 90 summits, scattered across the San Francisco Bay Area, took me through foggy coastlines, oak-covered hills, quiet ridges, and parks I’d never even heard of—even after living here for over 20 years.
It wasn’t just a hiking challenge. It was a way to reconnect with the place I called home. That journey became the heart of my first book: Ninety Peaks: Exploring the San Francisco Bay Area Through Its Summits
If you’re curious about the challenge—or want to take it on yourself—you can explore each hike here:
Beyond The Peaks
While the Nifty Ninety was a transformative project, it’s just one chapter in a much longer travelogue. This site also holds:
- Stories from the road—from desert road trips to rainforest trails.
- Urban explorations—because I love a good city walk, café crawl, or museum morning.
- International adventures—like the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Inca Trail, and a trip through the South Pacific.
And then there’s the Defender project. A classic Land Rover is being rebuilt from the ground up in South Africa — stripped to its frame, every system reconsidered. The long-term goal is ambitious: Cape to Cairo, and eventually beyond. That journey, from workshop to open road, will be documented here.
Some stories are short dispatches. Others are deep dives. All are told from the trail-level view—grounded in experience, place, and purpose.
Let’s Keep Exploring
Whether you’re here to scout your next trail, read a good story, or just soak in the view—I’m glad you’re here.
Contact Us
Email is the best way to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you if you have comments or questions about any of the stories we’ve shared. We’ll do our best to respond.