The Sawtooth Mountain Range lies in central Idaho, not far (approx. 45 minutes) from Sun Valley, Idaho. It is a jagged and rough mountain range, dotted with deep and clear lakes, abundant wildflowers and towering summits. The Sawtooths are also decently accessible and super family friendly both for backpacking and car camping. Though I’d certainly suggest…

The sun is blazing here in Utah, with no sign of stopping. So naturally we are looking for a way to cool down but remain active. So why not head on over to the Utah Olympic Oval for a Learn to Skate camp? While my kids have ice skated a few times, they haven’t spent considerable…

This is our second installment of “Family Friendly Hikes near Salt Lake.” If you missed the first one, check out five of our favorite hikes, especially during shoulder seasons (ie. less crowded): Five Family Friendly Hikes near Salt Lake. For awhile now I’ve been thinking there was a lack in covering so many of the…

I just looked at our weekly forecast. Highs in the upper 90s (F) and lows in the 70s. Ugh. Nothing kills my drive to adventure outdoors like heat. However, if I have a cool body of water (i.e. lake, river, ocean) nearby, then all the sudden camping in the heat is refreshing again. This last…

Last weekend we visited Capitol Reef National Park for the first time. Yes, I know. Five years in Utah and we are only now visiting Capitol Reef… For more information on camping in the area visit: Camping near Capitol Reef National Park. On day number one, we hit the trail around 10 am. During the…

If you have been following the blog for a while, then you may have read this week’s post on taking extended family vacations. Last summer we decided to take a full month and relocate to Tahoe Vista, CA. We are a family with three kids ages 5, 7, and 9. We also have a beloved dog,…

One year ago we decided to take a chance. Life is full of “chance” when you decide to make good on your “I wish” list. Like when I wished one day to run a half marathon. And then thought it would be fun to do my first triathlon. Or when later I wished I could…

If I am going to keep it real, we never intended to stay at Dead Horse Point State Park on this trip. We intended to visit Island in the Sky/Canyonland National Park, and had a variety of campgrounds on BLM land that we were going to check out. For a full account of our mis-adventures visit…

Not all adventures start off pretty. This one began with a whimsical dream. We literally decided to leave town for the weekend, jumped in the Xterra, hooked on the camper and were on the road within an hour. It was awesome. As a mom that struggles with a hyper-scheduled life, I often dream of the…

This year I was selected to be an ambassador for Aventura Clothing again. I am stoked, as I love their products but also the ethics behind their clothing. The best news? They are killing it with their tank tops this season, adding new styles, sporty styles, breeze styles, and all around awesomeness. Simply put I cannot…

We are totally stoked when we get a chance to try out a new (to us)  brand making quality gear for kids. I only recently learned of Showers Pass, a company born in the Pacific Northwest, and rooted strongly in the cycling community. Having a husband from Oregon, I understand the deep “wetness” of the…

We took a different approach this year to our gear guide. Rather than share the latest and greatest from brands across the market – we took a good look at our adventures over the last few years. We then compiled a list of our favorite items, the ones we’d buy again, and often have bought…

I get asked quite frequently if hiking longer distances flies right out the door when you become a parent, along with most your money, good sleep, and sick days. The truth is yes, and no. At first, your new infant is easily packable. The only limits are how far and how much weight you want…

I get it. You saw this glorious photo of your friends and their young kids scampering down the trail, crossing some high alpine meadow, and you are thinking, “Wow, that looks amazing! I wish we did stuff like that.” The truth is you can, anyone can.  Hiking with kids doesn’t require super-mad-outdoor skills or awesome…

Gasp. What?! Kid’s complaining about adventures? Never. When we look at other people’s lives, [and most likely when you look at ours] it appears that we are all just frolicking around on an “explorer’s high,” smiles on our faces, all the pieces coming together for perfect journeys, and an endless desire to do it all…

Down the last sandy hill, across a rocky wash and up to the ramp. I was almost there: 34.3 miles into a 34.4 mile race and about to finish my first Ultra. I hear my kids shout, “It’s mom!” I climb up the steep sandstone, hit the ramp and Abs, my 7-yr-old boy, says, Come on, mom,…

As our kids have grown from infants to toddlers and now to ski ages (4 and 6 years old), we’ve gone through many trials keeping their hands warm and dry in the snow. The first battle was simply keeping the kids from taking their mittens off! Our best solution, at first, was using duct tape to attach the…

I grab my cup of coffee and sit as warm air from the fireplace wraps around my legs. I open my journal, an old leather cover I’ve recycled over the years, wrapped around a cheap notebook. But who would know? Truthfully, I haven’t written in a journal in years. Who has the time for that?…

When I was a teenager, skiing and living in Colorado, my friends used to tease me that I was more coordinated on my skis than walking on my own two feet. Every day, walking on the snow and ice, I’d slip and crash to the ground. I began to suspect the most dangerous activity every…

As 2015 wrapped up, I took time to consider myself, not in a critical way but in an honest way. How was I? Where was I going? Did I want to be going there? Etc. Every year for the last five or six, I’ve done this and then used it to set an intention for…