Author Archives: Laura Cardon

Beginner’s Trail Guide: Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park

The three-mile round trip hike to Exit Glacier was the most beginner-friendly trek I did during our road trip to Alaska. And don’t worry, beginner-friendly doesn’t mean you lose out on panoramic mountain views and an up-close look at a big ol’ glacier. The entire hike took me just over an hour, with plenty ofContinue reading “Beginner’s Trail Guide: Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park”

Beginner’s guide to Kenai Fjords National Park kayaking trips

You don’t get many opportunities in life to kayak to a glacier, and it’s hard to know if those Insta-worthy photos you see are something that’s actually doable for beginners. Don’t worry – as long as you can follow basic directions and enjoy being on the water, you can do a kayaking day trip inContinue reading “Beginner’s guide to Kenai Fjords National Park kayaking trips”

Beginner’s Trail Guide: Tonsina Trail in Seward, Alaska

Seward was one of our favorite towns during our Alaska road trip. I could’ve stayed a week there for the hiking alone. There were a ton of great options, and the Tonsina Trail in Caines Head Recreation Area was a fantastic way to kick off the trip. While steep in places, this 4.1-mile round tripContinue reading “Beginner’s Trail Guide: Tonsina Trail in Seward, Alaska”

Beginner Race Guide: Desert RATS Trail Half Marathon

So. How’d my first half marathon go? Let me back up a little bit. The second half of my training had a lot of ups and downs. Three weeks before the half marathon, I was working toward “peak week” with my highest mileage run and feeling really strong. But then I found out I wasContinue reading “Beginner Race Guide: Desert RATS Trail Half Marathon”