Tag: Hiking
K2 Base Camp: 15 Days in the Karakoram
Four years ago, I trekked to Everest Base Camp (EBC) in the Himalayas. This time, I was heading into the Karakoram, home to K2—the world’s second-highest mountain. I expected the two treks to be different but I underestimated just how different they would feel. Everest Base Camp is a well-established trek, with villages, teahouses and… Read more →
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Australia & New Zealand, Fifteen Years Later
Fifteen years after a solo sabbatical through Australia and New Zealand, I came back — same part of the world, completely different journey Read more →
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Hiking the Three Capes Track with My Sister
At the end of November 2025, my sister and I finally set foot on the Three Capes Track in Tasmania. It was her first time backpacking—real backpacking, with everything on her back for multiple days—and something we had been quietly working toward for months. The planning unfolded in phases. First came the big question: could… Read more →
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A Weekend on the Routeburn Track
The day after our trip to Port Douglas, Australia, Chris and I caught the first flight out of Sydney to Queenstown, New Zealand. I’d been eager to see this small town with a reputation for big adventures. With only a weekend to spare, hiking the Routeburn Track was the main event, though we squeezed in… Read more →
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Frog Lake Huts: A Unique Overnight Escape in the Tahoe Backcountry
Castle Peak Trailhead > Donner Lake Rim Trail > Warren Lake > Red Dot Trail | 6.5 miles one-way | Elevation gain: 1,556 feet I’ve been lucky enough to do a bit of hiking in Europe, and one of the things I’ve enjoyed most is the hut-to-hut experience. Being able to travel longer distances through… Read more →
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The Inca Trail and Beyond: A Pandemic-Era Journey in Peru
I was taking a writing class this past semester and decided to reach into the past to resurrect our trip to Peru and render it on the page as practice. The trip was just under three weeks long, but we managed to go from the Andes to the Pacific, seeing major highlights of the country.… Read more →
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Between Past and Present: A Stroll Through Cusco
After completing our Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu and returning to Ollantaytambo by train, we hopped into a van arranged by Amazonas Explorer for the 50-mile drive to Cusco, where we would be spending the next two nights. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1983, Cusco was the capital of the Incan Empire until… Read more →
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Machu Picchu, Minus the Crowds: Hiking the Inca Trail During the Pandemic
INCA TRAIL HIKE Only a few hundred meters to go and we’d reach Warmiwañusqa, or Dead Woman’s Pass. At 13,828 feet above sea level, it would be the highest point of our hike. My breathing was labored, but steady, as my lungs sucked in as much oxygen as possible with each inhalation. I could feel… Read more →
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Urubamba: The Heart of Peru’s Sacred Valley
Before the Inca Trail, we spent days exploring Urubamba and the Sacred Valley — from the ruins of Pisac and Ollantaytambo to the salt flats of Maras, Moray and the colorful village of Punamarca. Read more →
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Tackling the Trans-Catalina Trail: Our Last Big Hike of 2024
We closed out the year with a Christmas backpacking trip on the Trans-Catalina Trail — a blissfully crowd-free adventure on one of Southern California’s most underrated hikes. Read more →
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