Learning something new as an adult can be daunting…but it doesn’t have to be! I took up skiing as an adult (mid/late 20’s) and it is one of my best decisions ever! Read on for some quick tips I have for adults looking to learn to ski.

Located in Summit County past Copper Mountain (coming from the West), Mayflower Gulch is an easy hike with a big reward. It’s just a little over 3 miles round trip, up a low-incline jeep trail that eventually opens up into the jaw-dropping gulch.

Maroon Bells are the most photographed peaks in Colorado, and some of the top in the country. And it’s for good reason- the two bell shaped peaks rise tall above Maroon Lake giving off a dramatic and jaw-dropping scene (they’re 14’ers).

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is 30 minutes outside of Denver and has a capacity of 9,500. It is a notable venue as it is built into the massive red rocks caused by iron oxide and pink feldspar. The park is 738 acres and adjacent to the amphitheatre there is the opportunity for a brief walk/hike.

Ok- so it wasn’t quite 10 miles, but 9.34 miles is close enough! This trail is located in the Wildernest area of Silverthorne and goes to the South Willow Creek Falls. This was my first trip to Colorado, and thus my first hike there! This trail took up a solid chunk of the day, we spent just under 5 hours out/back, and 3 hours 50 minutes were spent hiking.

I knew that Mt. Tom was going to be a viewless summit- but I didn’t realize that Mt. Field and Mt. Willey would be too. When I did my research, I originally only looked up Mt. Tom and then a trail map on how the three peaks are connected. I’m definitely someone who hikes for views so it was a little disappointing to be greeted by three piles of rocks, but it is what it is!

Stuðlagil Canyon has soared in popularity for its towering basalt columns with blue water that is reminiscent of a Cool Blue Gatorade. Located in Eastern Iceland, this spectacle was unearthed when the dam Kárahnjúkavirkjun was created in 2009, lowering the river water to reveal the columns.

My first post about my backpacking gear reviewed 6 very crucial backpacking items. Since then, I’ve happily added to my setup to make life in the back country even better! Read on to see some of the items that I like to bring with me on overnight trips.

The Bonds Traverse is just over a 22 mile out and back hike in the Pemigewasett wilderness of the White Mountains. The trail is rated as difficult, likely due to it’s length. The actual terrain of the hike is a moderate incline for the majority of the trail with a few river crossings. Should you want to make it into an overnight backpacking trip, the Guyot Shelter is on a spur trail by West Bond.

One of the most popular hikes in Glacier National Park, Avalanche Lake is around a 6 mile round-trip hike through the forest- and the hike begins on a trail that is aptly called Trail of the Cedars.

The hike to Avalanche lake is very manageable and I would rate it an easy-moderate.

Located in Carroll, New Hampshire, Mount Jackson is one of the shorter 4000’ers at 4,052’. My friend Kayleigh and I started this hike at midnight on October 8th, summited just before 2am, and then laid out our sleeping pads and sleeping bags until sunrise.

The hike up was easy-moderate, it wasn’t super steep but the majority of the path involved stepping around rocks and roots- it felt like more than some trails. The end of the trail was the hardest with some scrambling to do. My guess is this would have been a little easier to do in the daylight!

A 3 hour drive from Reykjavik, Landmannalaugar, in Iceland’s highlands, is considered one of the best hiking spots in the country, and I could argue in the world!

The mountains in Landmannalaugar are colorful with rhyolite, with hues of red, green and blue amongst the sand colored mountains due to the high silica content being mixed with other minerals. It is also the trailhead for the famous Laugavegur trail.

One of Iceland’s best hiking trails, the Fimmvörðuháls is around 16 miles long and can be completed in one day or broken up into two days with an overnight at the Baldvínskáli Hut (on the main trail), or the Fimmvörðuskáli Hut (off of the main trail). Hikers can hike south to north (Skógar to Þórsmörk) or north to south- though hiking south to north requires less uphill hiking.

On Wednesday (7/14) I posted a poll on my Instagram story: psycho morning hike, or sleep in? Psycho morning hike won out! But to be honest, I probably was going to do it either way. Mount Hale is #37 on the New Hampshire 4000’er list. It is such a short trail, and has a summit with no view, that it barely feels like one of the NH48.

WHAT. A. HIKE. (I say this in a good way). This 8.4 mile loop takes you up Falling Waters Trail to Little Haystack Mountain, then across the Franconia Ridge Trail to Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette, and down Greenleaf + Old Bridal Trails. You could do this in reverse, but and ascent on Falling Waters Trail was what All Trails recommended and I agree this was the better/easier way to complete the loop

Each June in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Sugar Hill comes alive with fields turned into a sea of purple and pink flowers. Lupines, a perennial, 3-6 ft tall flower bloom for a short period of time but put on quite a show. The town is so well known for it’s fields of lupines that they have a Lupine Festival every summer.

We reached the Garfield Mountain campsite before dark and took a look around at the tent platforms and lean-to. We chose the first platform as it had no snow on it and it was closest to the cooking area. When we started to cook dinner it was already pitch black out.

This was my second time hiking Mount Moosilauke and it did not disappoint. I like this mountain because I find the forest here to be particularly beautiful and the hike itself is moderate so you can really enjoy yourself without getting too exhausted.

My initial plan was to park at the Glen Ellis Trailhead and start the Wildcat Ridge Trail from there. But, the trailhead’s gate was closed and the road to it wasn’t plowed. This led me to start at Pinkham Notch at the Lost Pond Trail, which would add additional mileage to my hike. The Lost Pond Trail had a set of tracks before me, but it was kind of tricky with the snow and maneuvering over so many rocks.

The Kinsman Ridge Trail to Cannon Mountain- let’s talk about it! Steep! Nature’s stair stepper! The Kinsman Ridge Trail will make your legs feel something the next day. Again, I don’t know why people call this trail moderate, I would put it more on the difficult side because of how steep it is. Don’t be afraid to whip out those hiking poles- you won’t look weak.