10 tips for a dog-friendly road trip

On March 22, 2017March 22, 2017 By LauraIn Adventure, Life, Uncategorized3 Comments

During our big cross-country road trip last year (and in the months after), there’s one topic that we’ve gotten a lot of questions about: how we managed two months on the road with our dog, Callie.

If you know anything about me, you know that I am OBSESSED with my dog. (Yes, I’m one of those dog people, and I will fly my freak flag proudly.) The truth is, like most aspects of dog ownership, road-tripping with Callie wasn’t always easy—but we wouldn’t have even thought about doing it any other way.

So for anyone who feels the same way and wants to plan a trip of your own, I put together a few tips and suggestions based on we learned from our experience. Whether you’re setting out on an epic adventure or just driving cross-country for a move, hopefully this can help you plan a smooth, stress-free trip for you and your pup!

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Grand Teton National Park: Backpacking the Paintbrush-Cascade Canyon Loop

On March 14, 2017March 22, 2017 By LauraIn Adventure, Uncategorized5 Comments

Bonus points if you can find Chris in this picture 😉

Oh, Grand Teton National Park! Of all the places we dreamed about visiting on our two-month road trip, I think I was MOST excited about the Tetons. A quick Google photos search will show you why I had permanent heart-eyes daydreaming about this place.

Of course, with our adventure pup Callie in tow, our options for national park sightseeing were mostly limited to scenic drives and the occasional paved trail—because those are (generally) the only spots where you’re allowed to take dogs. But we simply couldn’t visit the Tetons without a little backpacking action! After researching local kennels, we decided to board Callie for a few days so we could get out in the backcountry.

As for which trail to hike, the choice was obvious: the 19-mile Paintbrush-Cascade Canyon loop. This popular trail circles through the center of the park, cutting into the mountains through Paintbrush Canyon on one side and Cascade Canyon on the other. In between, the trail reaches its pinnacle at the Paintbrush Divide: a 10,700 ft. vista offering a sweeping 360-degree view of the Tetons’ signature rocky peaks.

Tetons map2 (1) — This is the route, as outlined on the free map that the park provides. Green areas are where camping is allowed (but only on designated sites and with a permit).

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A backyard escape

On February 23, 2017February 23, 2017 By LauraIn Adventure, Life, Storytelling, Uncategorized4 Comments

I like to talk about how in my free time, I love to be outside. But if I’m being honest, here’s where you can find me a big chunk of the time: wistfully browsing breathtaking photos of faraway places on Pinterest, skimming articles on the trendy new travel destination, adding new spots in Sweden or Croatia or Alaska to an ever-growing mental bucket list. I’m daydreaming about the next spot on my list before I’ve even stepped off the return flight from the last one.

Part of this is an inevitable side effect of travel. It’s addictive. Anywhere you go, you’re bound to discover at least 10 more places you want to visit. There’s the local spot that you never knew existed until you visited the tourist destination nearby. And the city you never thought much about…until your hostel roommate gushed over for 20 minutes. Then there’s the places you’ve already been—but you just need to re-visit that tucked-away courtyard to sip the world’s best latte one more time.

Travel has the strange power to make you appreciate the comforts of home…while simultaneously making you itch to discover someplace new. It’s a part of the deal, and it’s fun to imagine where you might go next. Until it’s not.

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One rainbow, hold the rain: day hiking to Peru’s “Rainbow Mountain”

On January 23, 2017January 23, 2017 By LauraIn AdventureLeave a comment

hiking

The glowing red clock at the front of the van read 2:14 a.m. Flashes of the outskirts of Cusco, Peru—streetlights, rows of cramped convenience stores, hand-painted ads on stucco walls—whipped past my periphery, punctuating the near darkness.

Circa-2013 pop music almost drowned out the sounds of our van rattling as it flew over pot holes and swerved around slower cars. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the road straight ahead—instead of how fast we were going, instead of the tangle of apprehension and nausea growing in the pit of my stomach. I was utterly exhausted, but wide awake with nerves.

I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

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South Dakota part two: Mount Rushmore, Hill City, Custer State Park & Black Hills National Forest

On September 13, 2016February 23, 2017 By LauraIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

We fit a LOT into the two full days we were in South Dakota. (If you missed my first South Dakota recap of Badlands National Park, check it out here!)

On day two, after packing up camp and leaving the Badlands, we headed straight for South Dakota’s most famous landmark: Mount Rushmore.

I was a little bit annoyed that, even with our national parks annual pass, we still had to pay $11 for “parking” (the alternative: hike several miles up a steep highway?) to go see the monument. But we paid our way and went to check it out—one at a time, since dogs aren’t allowed inside the monument.

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A good day in the Badlands

On September 11, 2016September 11, 2016 By LauraIn Adventure, Uncategorized3 Comments

After our wonderful stay in Wisconsin, we said goodbye to family and—clean, rested, with the car neatly packed and a cooler full of cheese—started our journey west.

Fast-forward nearly 400 miles of incredibly boring southern Minnesota interstate…and we finally crossed into South Dakota! We ended up camping in Palisades State Park for the night—juuuust over the border to the east of Sioux Falls. After a good night’s sleep, we decided to do a little exploring before getting back in the car. And it was the coolest place! Originally an old mining town, the park featured a winding river with crazy rock formations and trails all along the shores.

We went for a short hour-long hike, and at 9:30 a.m. on a weekday, didn’t see another soul. It ended up being one of those unexpected road trip surprises: a hidden gem just outside of Sioux Falls. If you’re ever in the area, you should definitely check it out.

After that, it was onward to our next destination: Badlands National Park, the first national park of our trip! It was just a few more hours of boring interstate (and about 8 million tourist trap billboards) away, about an hour east of Rapid City. After we took photos with the sign (obviously) and purchased our pass (we’re official card-carrying NPS annual pass holders now, NBD) we headed into the park.

And about two minutes later, we felt like we were on another planet.

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Mud, Ice, & Glory

On March 21, 2016March 31, 2016 By LauraIn Adventure, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Hiking Mount Cardigan

(In which Chris nearly stabs his eye out with a tree branch)

Last weekend, Chris and I took a few days off work to go up to New Hampshire/Vermont to visit our good friends Erica and Derek (and their sweet pitt mix, Emmy). Originally, we intended this to be a ski trip. But ~~Mother Nature~~ global warming had other plans—so instead, we took advantage of the spring weather and went on a hike!

Wait, let me be clear—this was not a walk in the woods. This was a hike.

We picked Mount Cardigan, a three-mile loop that’s categorized as “easy.” It started out on an auspicious note when Erica stepped into an ankle-deep mud puddle before we even got on the trail.

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There’s something about switchbacks.

On February 28, 2016March 31, 2016 By LauraIn Adventure2 Comments

I think I remember the exact moment I fell in love with the mountains.

Yosemite & San Fran 162

I was a camper for the first time at a little summer camp near Brevard, NC called the Green River Preserve (a magical place that I could write a LOT about, but that’s another post for another time). It was the summer between seventh and eighth grades—the same summer that I grew about a foot, going suddenly from normal-sized middle-schooler to gawky preteen who had no idea what to do with her new lanky limbs.

To make things even better, I was mentally and emotionally a late-bloomer. So not only did I tower over all the boys my age, but I also didn’t quite understand why all the girls were so worried about them anyway. I felt self-conscious and uneasy in my own skin. Like most kids at that age, I just wanted to fit in, when I—quite literally—stuck out.

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Switchback Stories

Tag: Hiking