If you follow Hike 734 you are probably aware that Jake is currently hiking and exploring Olympic National Park in Washington.  Although I'd love to join him on this adventure, my full-time job as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer and some lingering limitations from the long recovery process of a fractured foot is keeping me close to home for the time being.  Fortunately, I'm lucky enough to have Glacier Park...

Well another summer season and another national park. This year, the park I'll be hiking all over is Olympic National Park. It's looking like I have about 45 days of exploring this amazing park located in the northwest corner of Washington... and well, the entire United States! This park features the Pacific Ocean with beaches and tidepools, dense moss covered old-growth forests, and sprawling alpine landscapes. I'm super excited! I'm...

Now that Logan Pass Glacier National Park was open, we wanted to see if we could sneak up and bag a peak. Kristen had never done Mt. Oberlin, so we set off through the fog of Logan Pass and up through the clouds to a glorious summit! As we drove up Glacier National Park's legendary Going-to-the-Sun Road, we wondered if we would be hiking and summiting in the fog that...

The wait is over! The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is now officially open to vehicles all the way to Logan Pass for 2018! We were there when they opened the gates and were the first through on the west side which was super special for us and really dang exciting! Every year in Glacier National Park, there is the big question, "When are they going to open Going-to-the-Sun...

Phelps Lake in Grand Teton National Park is a gorgeous lake hemmed in by a terminal moraine. There are many ways to explore this lake from a short out-and-back, to a loop around the lake or even exploring the wooded ridges of the moraine. The lake with the mountains backdropping is definitely the highlight and the trail that goes around stays true to the lake giving you views all day...

When Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is closed in the spring, the two most popular activities from West Glacier are hiking to Avalanche Lake and biking the Going-to-the-Sun Road. We decided to do both. We planned on camping at Fish Creek, waking up early and getting a parking spot at Avalanche Lake, then hiking to the lake before biking. It was a glorious day. The Avalanche Lake parking lot...

It's been a while since we made it into Glacier National Park, but we made it happen this weekend. The trick is always to figure out where to go. Spring really restricts where you can go due to snowpack (especially this year!). This slimmed our pool of options, so we decided to hit up Apikuni Falls (Kristen had never been there) and then a quick trip to Red Rock Falls,...

A series of easily accessed beaver ponds along the Snake River is sublimely backdropped by at Schwabacher's Landing in Grand Teton National Park. It's also a perfect place to spy moose!   We pulled into the parking lot of Schwabacher's Landing surrounded by a sea of sagebrush. This dry terrain contrasts with the collection of wetlands and beaver ponds in the area. The easy, level trail walks the boundary of...

This short, level stroll through the open grasslands of Jackson Hole in Grand Teton National Park takes you to an old, historic cabin. The homesteader farmed using a series of irrigation ditches. You'll be able to see a bit of history with interpretive signs and sweeping views of the vast grassland backdropped by the impressive Teton Range.   It was a little breezy as we got out of the car,...

A great way to explore the alpine areas of Grand Teton National Park is to take the tram ride up from Jackson Hole Resort in Teton Village to the top of Rendezvous Mountain. From there, traverse across the sublime landscape to Marion Lake, then back down through Granite Canyon and loop back to the village. The views are amazing, wildflowers are everywhere, and there's a great chance to see a...

Ever get done hiking and realize that the trail sign, your map, guidebook, and your GPS are all telling you different distances? Well you're not alone. There are a few things at play here. As I'm working on my new Yosemite map, I found myself staring at the screenshot below and thought it illustrated perfectly some of the issues with calculating distances. This is the Snow Creek Trail that switchbacks...

Every year I log hundreds of miles on the trail. Through those miles, some gear rises to the top that I end up absolutely loving. Here are a few of them... There are a lot of sites/bloggers out there who do extensive reviews of products. They'll list the "Top 10 day packs" and review them, looking at pockets, zippers, durability of materials, comfort, etc. I've dabbled in some reviews myself,...