When we used our large base camping tent last summer for the final time, we packed away one of the broken poles under the assumption that we would fix it when we got home. Ha! The tent sat in the basement all winter and we completely forgot about the broken pole until we set the … Continue reading A Turtle’s Pace Weekend
My family and I hiked overnight to Tilson Lake in Riding Mountain National Park on June 22. We hiked a total of 16 km as part of a 38 km loop. Tilson Lake is on the west side of the park and is rated as difficult. I will most definitely return to this trail and … Continue reading Feed me on the trail: overnight hike with my family
Hiking makes me feel like a badass woman. I head out into the wilderness, sometimes by myself, carrying with me what I need to survive for a few hours or overnight. My mind does incredible things. I work through the past, give gratitude for the present, and design my future. I am a force to … Continue reading Raising a Fierce Young Girl
I am preparing and planning for my family to hike overnight this weekend. This will be my third overnight since Easter weekend and the second trip for my husband (Bear Hug) and daughter (Blue Jay.) Our gear is fairly organized and ready to be packed. I am a little type-A when it comes to my … Continue reading A trail food chat
At one time I considered my family to be carb-junkies. Every dinner included either pasta, couscous, rice, quinoa, or potatoes (and sometimes garlic bread too!) I would follow dinner up with evening snacking and a high-carb breakfast and lunch the next day. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I have lowered my carbohydrate intake for a couple of … Continue reading Giving Low-Carb Food a Whirl on the Trail
Hiker Midnight is a popular term on long-distance hiking trails such as the Appalachian Trail. The general idea is that hikers are tired from the day and want to have a restful night before breaking camp in the morning. The ask is that other hikers tone down the noise and commotion at 9 PM, even … Continue reading Leave No Trace: Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Everyone has a place in the outdoors and nature welcomes all of us. Nature meets us where we currently are in our lives and the trail gives us what we need, whatever it is that we are looking for. I believe that hiking is 90% mental and 10% physical. The amount of kilometers covered on … Continue reading Mentally Preparing for a Longer Distance Hike
Mother's Day was this past weekend and memories on Facebook reminded me that seven years ago I was making eggplant "meatballs" with my then-2 year old daughter. Facebook does not show the memories that came later that evening when six first-responders showed up in my home and I was taken to the hospital due to … Continue reading Wisdom from a duck
I have an older handheld Garmin navigation unit that is about twelve years old. A number of trails in the Whiteshell and Riding Mountain National Park are loaded on it and I have carried it with me in the past. The unit itself works well for navigation even though the mapping technology is out of … Continue reading Why I Bought a Garmin inReach Satellite Communicator
We use our mind and body all day to get to our destination while hiking so it's only right to fuel ourselves as best we can. For me, sometimes those meals will include eating a prepackaged hiking meal and other times, I will eat homemade goodness. I want my daughter to eat good food too … Continue reading Feed me on the Trail: Vegetarian Chili
Wild Woman Wisdom 