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[peakinginthewild]

The Divine Dolomiti

Seeing the Dolomites with my own eyes has been a life long dream of mine. I once saw a photograph of Tre Cime and couldn’t stop thinking about it until I was face to face with it. Even looking back at my own photos of the beautiful pale mountains, I dream of the day I get to return. I thought about writing about my adventures and experiences throughout the Italian Alps but they’re all moments better had in person, and a few paragraphs could truly never do justice. Instead, I’ll share what I absolutely loved about the Dolomites and why you should go experience them for yourself.

    The hospitality in this region of Italy is unmatched to most places I’ve ever travelled to. Everywhere you go to eat, everywhere you stay, every bus driver you speak to, the people are so kind. I’ve been all over Italy and being that I don’t speak any Italian, it has always been difficult to get around, especially on my own. But in the Dolomites, the people are so ready to help, even when they can hardly understand you. Every villa I stayed at included such a home feeling european style breakfast. The owners would even sit down with you to help you plan your day out or give you guidance on how to get around town. Being that I was traveling solo, I never really felt alone because of how easy it was to meet and get along with everyone I came in contact with. 

    Getting around the Dolomites was far easier than I actually expected. Before heading out on my dream trip and doing plenty of research, I read that renting a car in the Dolomites is a must. But knowing how crazy european drivers are and how scary some of the cliff side roads are, I refused to rent a car. I knew I’d figure out public transportation once I arrived. It took no effort to ask around and figure out where the bus stations were in each town. Almost every hike I wanted to go on and every destination I wanted to see had a bus route to it. Luckily, I went right at the beginning of fall when public transportation is still easily accessible, but nonetheless it was easier than I expected. 

    The Dolomites are extremely affordable, so if you’re like me and travel on a budget, you don’t have to miss out on a real european alpine experience. Most of the towns in the Dolomites don’t have hostels, so i got a little worried about having to overpay for hotel rooms. I don’t typically book anything in advance because I like to be spontaneous while I’m traveling, you never know who you’ll meet, but to my surprise I was able to book villas, the night before, for as little as 50 euros, breakfast included, every time. I also got very lucky with my views from my balconies in each villa being that I didn’t go during high season. I got to wake up with views of mountains beaming through my windows every morning. Bus passes are fairly cheap but I ended up getting them complimentary from every villa I stayed at. Unlike in the Swiss alps where everything costs a fortune, if you decide to ride a gondola, you’ll be paying low prices as well as it being worth your money. I went to Switzerland immediately after Italy and I ended up spending three times the amount that I did in Italy, just for a comparison. But i enjoyed my stay in the Italian alps far more. Oh and the food! It’s so affordable and you could eat so many delicacies without breaking your bank. 

    Which leads me to one of my favorite things about Italy; the cuisine. Not only can you get a big portion of authentic Italian pizza or pasta for as little as 5 euros, but it’s beyond delicious as well. In this specific region of Italy, you’ll get a nice mixture of Italian, Austrian, and German alpine food. I was able to try Canderli (which is classic farm-style dumplings) right under the mountains in the little wooden huts. The best part is that most of it is locally farmed as well. You really get to experience the best traditional alpine food that reminds you of home (at least for me, being that I come from a Russian background). The Dolomites have by far the best dishes that I’ve had in Italy as well, (I’ve been to Napoli, Rome, Venice, Florence, and many more) but maybe it’s all because of the views you get to devour with them that truly makes it special. 

    The hiking that I’ve done in the Italian alps takes the top of my list, for countless reasons. Like I mentioned before, I went to Switzerland right after and the trails were so busy and overpacked, hiking was much less enjoyable. But in the Dolomites, you have so much more freedom from tourists on trails. And most of the people you do run into are locals that are familiar with all the ins and outs of the trails. The views are so fascinating. The lakes are majestic gems with beautiful pale mountains reflecting on the blue waters. Theres plenty of climbing to do as well if you’re into that. When you hike into a trail, usually at the end (or somewhere along the trail) you’ll run into little mountain huts that have food and beer waiting for you inside. On the longer hikes it really is the best thing ever. You’ll then get to sit on some wooden benches, eating delicious alpine  food and taking in the views. One thing I regret not doing is the hut to hut backpacking that the Dolomites offer. You get to hike deep in the mountains from hut to hut (hence the name) and stay the night in these huts on ridge lines, between peaks, you name it. I will definitely be experiencing that on my next trip to this beautiful region. Lastly, I can’t forget about the cows, you get to hike alongside the cutest, fluffiest, cows you’ll ever see, grazing in the meadows. My first day in the Dolomites I sat in the meadows after hiking around Tre Cime just listening to their cow bells and admiring everything around me. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. Everything about hiking in the Italian alps is nothing short of a dream and I feel so blessed to have experienced it myself. 

Feel free to reach out to me if you would like any recommendations on places to stay, trails to explore, or towns to visit!

[peakinginthewild]

Where do you even begin when you're talking about one of the most, if not the most, mesmerizing place you've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, I could spend weeks in the North Cascades getting lost within the peaks and be just as intrigued, but the Canadian Rockies really stole my heart and soul. I once saw a photograph of Moraine Lake and thought to myself, once I’ve seen the lake with my eyes and have stood at the shore of those majestic blue waters surrounded by rugged yet such beautiful peaks, I could die happy. And there I was, with my eyes filling with tears of joy. But I'll get to that in a minute.

We left Washington pretty late in the day, forgetting that 15 hours meant we'd be driving through the mountains in the dead of night. But we did it, we got to our hostel at 4am and have never been happier to see a bed. But that drive was probably the most stressful drive of my life. Even the Canadian Patrol throughout we were dumb for making this drive at night. Now imagine this, driving down a road that has a 70 mph speed limit, the road is extremely windy, it’s darker than dark, and theres either a bear crossing every 5 miles or a moose one. Now imagine hitting a moose going 70 miles per hour. Do you see why I'd be stressed?  Luckily enough my friend was sweet enough to be an extra pair of eyes for me and scream "RED" if there were deer anywhere. And many there was.

Because we drove throughout the night, we only saw outlines of the Canadian Rockies. You can only imagine what awe we were in waking up to the most beautiful peaks we've ever seen. We went straight to Moraine Lake, of course. We were extremely surprised at the insane amounts of tourists crowding the lake. Renting a canoe was going to give us the best experience of the lake and was going to get us the furthest away from all these people. $120 dollars for an hour on this gorgeous lake seemed more reasonable than ever. It was the end of June, yet you could still get hypothermia from being in this water for over 30 seconds. So rocking the boat sounded less like a good idea once we felt the icy waters for ourselves. It was so extremely peaceful to sit in the middle of this lake and get hypnotized by the bluest ripples I've ever seen. Canoeing right up to the glaciers on the other side was nothing but humbling. It's an experience I’ll never forget and one I hope to experience once more.

Second stop was Louise Lake, but the weather wasn't looking up for us. The peaks were covered with clouds, you could barely see the ice field in the middle of the peaks. At the lake we asked around about where we couldn't miss out on having dinner and someone told us about Truffle Pigs. That guy made the place sound so delicious, we drove over an hour just to experience it for ourselves. And it was best decision we've made all day. I'd highly highly recommend checking this spot out. Seared duck for $25 dollars in a very cute restaurant in a city called Field. We were beyond pleased. We then adventured to Yoho National Park and experienced some of the most beautiful rivers we've ever seen. Rivers are NEVER this blue, it felt like a fairytale place. Because we suck at planning anything ever, we spent every single night looking for camping spots for over an hour or so. And because it was so cold, we had to sleep in the car every night as well.

On our second day we checked out Bryce Canyon and it's many waterfalls it had to offer. Note to self, don't ever go during the highest tourist season again, it's nearly impossible to get a photo without a suburban family in the background. We drove to so many other lakes and viewpoints but its impossible to remember all of them because theres at least one every 5 miles. There is something insanely beautiful to check out every 10 minutes on Highway 1 but you can't catch them all when you have less than a week. After Bryce Canyon, we started our drive towards Jasper. We made it to Peyto Lake right before the sunset but with the amount of bears we saw on the drive, we opted out of hiking up the short trail and just saving it for the morning. Instead we parked my car right in the Bow Lake parking lot next to Highway 1 and watched the most beautiful sunset we've ever seen. We fell asleep to the stars slowly filling the sky and the space around Crowfoot Glacier.

I woke up with the most excitement Ive eve had. Ive been dreaming of seeing Peyto Lake for years now. We made the short hike to the top and just sat there, staring at the lake, my soul was on fire. I thought nothing could beat how beautiful Moraine Lake was but watching the snow fall very slowly on the turquoise waters down below made me change my mind quickly. It was definitely the most alluring view my eyes have ever captured. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to stand there at the edge of the cliff and stare down at Peyto Lake forever. But we had a long day ahead of us. We got to see blue lake after blue lake after blue river after blue lake on the drive to Jasper, it never stopped. By far the most scenic drive Ive ever driven on. About halfway to Jasper, we realized that we weren't going to see a gas station for a very very long time, I was getting real close to empty, and we had to turn around. We drove 1 1/2 hours just to turn around and drive back the same amount to fill up on the most expensive gas I've ever seen. But I can’t complain, the drive was definitely not a boring one. Right about where the Athabasca Glacier meets Icefields Pkwy is where the rockies look the most intense. I would drive down that road over and over if I could. We made Jasper our very big scenic playground for the day and winded down at a real campsite for once with hotdogs and a campfire. Even the hot dogs taste better in the Canadian Rockies.

On our last full day in Jasper we couldn't miss out on Maligne Lake and Mt. Edith Cavell. I wish we had the time to canoe on Maligne Lake. I've only heard the most amazing stories of floating on that lake. Jasper is filled with wildlife. I've never seen so many elk families just grazing the grass right off the highway, and the mountain goats and bears would come right up to your car. Later that evening we began making our way back through B.C. The one thing I regret more than anything was not stopping at Mount Robson. I can't wait to take this trip once more and spend days hiking around that mountain.

Five days wasn't even close to enough time in this place of magic. This fall, I plan on making this trip once more, but this time I'll plan every little stop out and not miss a thing. I've got butterflies in my stomach just writing this blog about it. Until next time Alberta.

[peakinginthewild]

You ever seen a view so beautiful, it captures your breathe every time you look? Thats how I feel standing on Mount Baker looking out. If I had to choose one mountain to stare at for the rest of my life, it would hands down be Mount Shuksan. (Sorry Rainier, you’re runner up.)

Mount Baker Wilderness is one of my favorite parks to visit year round. You can come up during the summer and enjoy all the different trails leading to lakes, ridges, glaciers, and more. Ptarmigan Ridge is my favorite summer hike on Mount Baker, the water is so extremely blue with snow not fully melted around it and the views get more and more beautiful with the elevation gain, you’ll forget all about the sun beating down on you. In the winter you can drive up to the ski area and do one of the most popular snowshoe trails in Washington, Artist Point. It offers the most beautiful 360 degree views of both Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. A lot of hikers choose to strap their snowboards or skis into their backpacks on the way up this 2 mile trek and then ride down. I’ve been up to Artist Point more times than I can count, unfortunately without my board, but thats coming up next. Sometimes I get extremely lucky with the weather and the snow being perfectly packed and easy to walk on. Sometimes I’m sinking through the snow all the way up to my thighs and the wind is so strong I feel like I might get frostbite. But every single time, I feel extremely lucky to be there.

About a mile down from the ski area, theres a little serene lake called Picture Lake. Some days, I like to drive up to Mount Baker just to sit on the dock at this lake and watch Mount Shuksan reflect on the lake. It has to be the most calming and peaceful feeling to watch the sun set behind Shuksan. I recommend everyone to experience at least one sunset on Mount Baker in their life. I’m in awe just about every time. 

[peakinginthewild]

I feel so extremely lucky to have grown up on the West Coast. My childhood was filled with camping trips in the woods and road trips to the ocean. I couldn’t imagine my life any better living somewhere other than the Northwest. 

One of my absolute favorite trips we’d make as a family when I was younger was down to the Oregon Coast. The wind is so strong and the water is too cold to swim in, but the ocean is such a mesmerizing place to me. And now that I’m older and able to make these trips on my own, I make sure to explore the coast as many times a year as I possibly can. I’ll visit the same exact spots every time I go, but these views will never get old to me. The Coast is like a giant playground to me and I feel like such a wild child running barefoot through the sand with the wind knotting my hair. 

I could write paragraphs of all the beautiful destinations you could visit, but it really doesn’t matter which laguna you explore, or which beach you choose to watch the sunset on. You’ll be satisfied with anywhere you go on the Oregon Coast.

[peakinginthewild]

I’m going to start off by saying I’m pretty great at planning things in advance and being organized until it comes to road trips. I’ve done two road trips total this year, and both times, I winged the entire trip. 

A little over a month ago, I decided to road trip through the west side of the US and I had only requested a week off from work. In my head, crunching 6 states and 4,000 miles into one week sounded reasonable. Trust me, I now know, it was an insane decision. The worst part about all of it was that with the amount of driving I was doing, I was only able to spend about 5 hours at each National Park that i chose to visit. I got a little lucky with Yosemite however, we spent the night in the middle of the park and even got half a day to explore and hike. 

Yosemite National Park is so unbelievably gorgeous. I’m so used to seeing snowy mountain caps and endless mountain ranges in Washington, but Yosemite had it’s own kind of beautiful and very different landscape. When we drove into Yosemite from the east entrance, we got up above 10,000 feet, it was below freezing, and it was dumping snow, in the middle of September. We drove about an hour into the park along Hwy 120 and camped at the White Wolf campsite. Seeing the sunset from Olmsted Point, watching the stars come up one by one, and falling asleep to the sound of nature in a place so beautiful are indescribable moments that I’ll hold onto dearly. Some days I really wish I had a nice camera to capture the galaxies and sunsets I get to see in places like Yosemite, but other times, I’m really happy and feel truly blessed that those are moments I’ll get to just cherish in my heart forever.  

We woke up the next morning and got right to work on our list of sights we had to check out in Yosemite before getting back on the road and heading up to Oregon. Our first stop was Taft Point. If you plan on heading to Yosemite, I really really suggest hiking to it. It was by far, the most rewarding view I have ever come across with just one mile of hiking. If you end up driving Glacier Point Road to do some hiking, you can’t miss out on seeing Glacier Point. You get the most insane views of Half Dome and the entire Yosemite valley. On the way back up Glacier Point Road, we checked out Tunnel View, which was unfortunately covered in smoke and we didn’t get to see too far in the distance. It was so heartbreaking seeing the amount of smoke that we saw driving through the west end of Yosemite. We were told that Yosemite falls may be completely closed off for hiking due to the fires, but we got lucky. Yosemite falls had absolutely no smoke surrounding it and we got to hike up right under the falls. Sitting on a rock up higher near the falls, you could see El Capitan in all of it’s beauty and about a thousand tourists with all of their cameras out. Finally seeing El Capitan in person, my mind simply cannot wrap around how Alex Honnold free climbed that face. I still get chills just thinking about it. 

I really wish I was able to see more of Yosemite. I wish I had the time to run through Yosemite Valley, check out the oldest trees of Mariposa Grove, and see all of the hidden treasures of the park. I plan on coming back to Yosemite soon, but this time I’ll definitely plan it all out. I will hike to every waterfall and every trail Yosemite has to offer, and who knows, maybe I’ll even climb Half Dome. 

[peakinginthewild]

I don’t think i can go a season without experiencing Sahalee Arm in all her beauty. Two years ago, a friend told me that I absolutely have to check out this hike because id fall in love just as hard as he did. He was right. I’ve yet to experience a hike more satisfying. The reward vs. the amount of work you have to do for this hike is tremendous. (the reward, not the work). I decided that this year, I wanted to trek up to Sahalee Arm in September, in hopes of seeing some fall foliage before Washington got swamped with rain. But of course, beginning of September rolls around and Washington was swamped with ash and smoke instead. Oh well, we decided to just go for it regardless. We got to the ranger station pretty late and somehow got lucky with getting a backcountry overnight permit that someone claimed earlier this year but opted out of going. Yay, we were set. It was my friend Becca’s first overnight hike and I was so stoked to share this experience with her in my favorite place in the world. We were about 1 mile into the trail and I was giving Becca a rundown of what to do in case we ran into any wildlife; It went something like this, “If you see a black bear, just get really big, talk loud, make noise. If you see a grizzly, your best bet is to play dead. If you see a cougar, you kick him in the face, get ready to fight, and hope for the best.” I’m laughing to myself, telling her that our chances of running into any of those up close are pretty slim. Since, I hike just about every week that it’s not raining and I’ve never gotten close to a bear in my life. We turn a switchback and there it is. Just a big black bear staring at us. We didn't have bear mace, and we started to panic a little. He walked towards us a bit, then away from us, then back towards us, and finally turned around and headed up the trail. We opted out of going up and thank God we did, because there’s no way we would have made it up before sunset. We decided to try again next week, with bear mace, no smoke, and more time.

Feeling much more prepared, we set out on the trip again a week later. I don’t know how we got lucky with a last minute backcountry permit AGAIN, considering that all the campsites were entirely full that day as well. The hike up is insanely gorgeous. You have about 2+ miles in the forest and the rest of the trail is out in the open. The entire way up, you get to be surrounded by the giant mountains of Cascade Pass. No matter how hard the hike gets and how much elevation you gain, you’re happy as a clam and the views only get more intense with each step, or at least i was. I always feel like im in The Hobbit when I hike this trail. Anyone else? The last bit of the hike, right before you reach the campsites, is a straight scramble. It’s pretty hard to keep your balance without holding onto rocks. We finally reached Sahalee Glacier camp and had not much of a choice of where to put up our tent, all of the sites that were more closed in from the wind were already taken. It was so magical watching the sunset, (which by the way, is the definitely the prettiest at 7570 feet), while eating our pizza and getting warm inside our sleeping bags. Yes, we brought a full large pizza with us to enjoy at the top. The second the sun set, it was as if 30 degrees dropped right away. It got really really cold really really fast. Then, it got really really really windy. This was definitely the most miserable night I’ve ever had in the mountains. The winds were blowing at least 20 miles per hour and kept knocking our tent down on us. And IT WOULDN”T STOP FOR ANYTHING. I kept drifting in and out of 5 minute naps, but between 9pm and 6am, i don’t think i got even a full hour of sleep. I held in my pee for most of the night, thinking that if i stepped out of the tent, the wind would blow Becca away with the tent. For the first time ever, I cried tears of pure miserly in the mountains. I kept checking the time, hoping hours had gone by, but each time, it was only 10 minutes. But you know what, through all the wind and cold air, seeing the mountain tops glow from the snow and seeing an entire galaxy of stars staring down at us gave me so much satisfaction and peace, (which i only felt the next day, not in the night). 

Finally, the sun came up around 6 am and the wind was still going just as intensely as it was through the night. We jumped out of our broken down tent and without even folding the tent or rolling up our sleeping bags, we just shoved everything into our backpacks. It was too windy to even try being neat with it. Going down was definitely a lot more fun than coming up, but isn’t it always? We even stopped and took some booty in nature pics, which are for our eyes only. I slept better than night in my own bed than I ever have. 

[peakinginthewild]

-breathe-

By wowhannah on Instagram

[peakinginthewild]

I don't think I was prepared for this trip at all, or maybe i was as prepared as I would ever be. I'm the type of person that likes to do very spontaneous things and make very impulsive decisions. I didn't decide on Spade and Venus lakes until the night before. i couldn't find much about the trek on the internet, but i found one article. It vaguely told you how to get up to the lakes. Good luck to us. Luckily my partner came with a compass and a map of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. We had no idea how long we wanted to stay in the mountains. 3 days? 5 days? We decided to make those decisions on the way. We packed lightly, seeing that the weather was in the 90s all weekend, but the mountains are very unpredictable. My one piece of advice is, don't overpack, but seriously, bring a damn pillow. My neck still hurts weeks later from sleeping on the ground.

We started our 35 mile trek on the Salmon La Sac trailhead just outside Cle Elum. The first eight miles are nice and easy. The trail is mostly flat and you're parallel to the Waptus river for the majority of this time. Once you pass mile 8, you will come to a junction, keep right. Follow the signs to Waptus lake. Almost at mile 9, you will need to take off your boots, I would recommend keeping your socks on, and cross a shallow part of the Waptus river. The water is extremely cold, but feels so amazing at the same time, considering you have walked this far and not chose to ride a horse to Waptus lake. Yes, you can actually ride a horse 10 miles to the lake. But i wouldn't recommend it, because the real beauty is past the lake. Watch out for the immense amounts of horse shit on the trail though. Once you cross the river there are plenty of logs to sit down on to change your socks and put your shoes back on. Side-note: bring lots of socks, trust me. We got to Waptus lake at about noon, the sun was really about to start beating down on us, we could have camped at the lake, but i was too impatient, i needed to see Spade and Venus lakes that day. The beautiful part of the first 10 miles is having constant access to water. We were able to stop by the river at any point and filter through any water if needed. After Waptus lake, you wont really see water for the next 4 miles. and believe me, you will need water more than you have ever needed. Walk around the right side of the lake and you will come to a sign pointing into the woods that says Spade lake. Here we go. You will walk for about 15 minutes before you cross the PCT trail and start actually heading up hill. Ive done hard hikes in the past. I've gained plenty of elevation hiking in other places, but this hill was an absolute nightmare.

We were going straight upward for about 1.5 miles, it was 90 degrees outside, i had 50 pounds on my back, i had already been devoured by mosquitos eve though i had sprayed myself with repellant at least 20 times, and i had just walked 10 miles. Stopping to catch my breath and drinking water every 5 minutes still didn't feel like enough. Finally at 2 miles in, the trail evens out a bit and I can finally breathe again, but don't get too excited. You don't stop going uphill, you just get little parts of even trail, really its just one big fat tease. The trail clearly has not been walked on much, and at times its confusing but its not too hard to follow. You will have to jump over fallen down trees more than you can count. You keep reaching points where you think you're almost there and then theres another switchback leading to the opposite end of the mountain. I was starting to give up mentally, I thought we should have been there forever ago, but at the same time, it felt like we were so far away. I was so exhausted and in so much leg and back pain, I threw my backpack off and refused to walk any further. I didn't know how far from the lake we were, I hadn't seen a sign in forever. But that's because there are no signs at this point. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness map lead us the rest of the way. We only had 0.2 miles left. We were almost there. Ben carried my backpack and his the last 0.2 miles.

We finally started to catch glimpses of the teal blue water. I nearly cried. Mostly because I was so thirsty and hot. We found the most isolated, most quiet little spot right in front of the lake, facing Mount Daniel to set up our tent. I wasn't going to come this far into the wilderness to see a lake and not bring a floatie. Blowing up a floatie by mouth after hiking for 14 miles isn't the best idea, ill definitely bring a pump next time. We spent the rest of the evening floating on the lake, drinking cider, and exploring the area. Spade lake is one of the biggest alpine lakes I've ever come across and we nearly had it all to ourselves. It was pure serenity. The stars shinning down on the lake at night is something you can't trade for anything in life. Day one, finally over.

We woke up the next morning to the sound of raindrops on the tent. Remember how i said, mountain weather is absolutely unpredictable. It was nothing intense, but the temperature definitely dropped. I got excited again, we were only 2 miles from seeing Venus Lake and we didn't have to bring our heavy backpacks with us to this one. We went around the right side of the lake, the trails are extremely confusing, just stay up and away from the lake heading towards Mount Daniel and that huge waterfall coming down from the mountain. There's no easy way to Venus Lake. Follow the shallow creek, jumping back and fourth over the creek trying not to step directly in it. Stay to the right of the big waterfall once you meet it. As long as its a dry day, the immense boulders are pretty safe to climb. Safe but not entirely easy. My advice is, stay low and always hold on to something stable. You'll cross some talus and scree fields, but at this point, it's pretty obvious where to go, just go up. Venus lake is insanely beautiful. With Mount Daniel so close behind and the water so teal, I wouldn't blame you if you cried at the sight. I did. Standing at the edge of Venus lake and watching the water expand out from clearer than clear to the most deep blue color you've ever seen is almost overwhelming. We climbed up higher across sketchy boulder fields to get a more grand view of Venus lake but I wouldn't recommend it. It's pretty damn sketchy. You can even see caves up top where there are most likely cougars residing. One wrong move or one loose boulder and you'll go sliding down hundreds of feet with rock falling down on you. There's so much to explore in this area, but with the weather fluctuating from rainy to cloudy, we headed back down to Spade Lake.

We took a day and a half to make the 16 mile trek back down to the car. It's definitely doable in one day, but I'd recommend spending a night on Waptus Lake. It's a lot warmer than Spade and Venus lakes and you can swim in it for more than 5 minutes. The entire way down, all i could think about was all of the pizza I was going to devour when i got back. Finally, after walking up and down hills in the woods for 3 days, we made it back to the car. We stopped in the little town of Roslyn and stuffed our faces with all kinds of food. It almost felt like that was the highlight of the trip. Or at least it did at the time, when my legs were throbbing and i kept finding random bruises on my body from sleeping on the ground and climbing boulders. 10 out of 10 would recommend this 32 mile trek to anyone. You won't get this kind of solitude and isolation anywhere else.