I’m not too proud to admit that I don’t like sacrificing snuggling while camping. Unzipping one sleeping bag and using it as a blanket isn’t warm enough, plus it always slides off. And what’s the point of sleeping in the cold if you can’t snuggle your significant other? I put the Teton Sports Tracker Ultralight…
Beginner’s Campground Guide: North Michigan at State Forest State Park
North Michigan is one of five campgrounds in State Forest State Park, a hidden gem in northern Colorado near the tiny town of Walden. Michigan Lake is a great option for car camping, particularly if you don’t look for reservations early enough and don’t get into Crags (this totally didn’t happen to me). North Michigan…
Beginner’s Race Guide: Colfax Marathon Relay Race
So your coworkers have peer-pressured you into running the Colfax Marathon Relay. Don’t worry! I was in your shoes. You’ll have a great time, I promise. Between my aversion to paying a bunch of money to run somewhere I already go all the time and the fact that the Colfax Marathon Relay didn’t have a…
Outdoor Beginner tries the Aaptiv fitness app
Based on my highly-scientific Instagram poll, most of you have never tried Aaptiv. If you’ve also never heard of Aaptiv, let me start there. It’s a monthly subscription fitness app that makes it easy for you to workout anytime, anywhere. I am a cheapskate, so I’m always skeptical of paying for anything that I could…
San Pedro vs. Caye Caulker: How to choose your ideal Belize beach spot
You can’t go wrong with the cayes of Belize (pronounced “keys”), but you can potentially go wrong when choosing between San Pedro and Caye Caulker. They’re both super popular destinations for American beach-goers, but they have distinctly different vibes. To be completely honest, my husband Billy came up with the idea to create a quiz that helps…
How to beat treadmill dreadmill feelings
You may not like this. I don’t have a quick-fix or six things you can do to stop hating the treadmill. That’s because I’ve tried all of them. I don’t do my best thinking in motion, so “solving the day’s problems” was not going to happen while plodding away. No matter how riveting a podcast…
Beginner’s guide to Peanut Island snorkeling
Once upon a time, I worked in Florida for four months every winter. When my then-boyfriend, now-husband came to visit, multiple people recommended we go snorkeling at Peanut Island. This sounded very cool but I’d never been snorkeling before and the ocean freaks me out a little bit. Of course, I immediately convinced myself I…
What to bring hiking when you’re just starting out
As a beginner, you’ll probably always have cell service and not be far from civilization, so you don’t have to be prepared for the apocalypse on your first hike. BUT (there’s always a but) bringing a few basic supplies will make sure you have a good time and can deal with minor mishaps. Here’s what I put…
Beginner’s guide to packing for trips of any length
Whether you’re going on a weekend getaway or taking a big trip to a foreign country, packing is truly the worst. Most of the burden is figuring out where to put everything, how the eff it’s all going to fit, and how in the world I’m going to find it again once I’m trying to…
