There are many kinds of hiking – day hikes, multi-day hikes, long-distance hiking, circuit hiking, pilgrimages, hut-to-hut hikes, bushwalking, thru-hikes, and more. I’ve done and enjoyed them all. Over the years, I’ve gotten a lot of practice at packing the perfect hiking gear for the specific hike I’ve got planned. Now I’ve finally put all […]
As I started the climb up the Alta Via 1 trail from Brais Lake, my body was anxious with excitement – the kind of excitement you get when you start an epic journey. This was the beginning of a day of lots of elevation gain, I just hoped that I was in good enough shape […]
Imagine a scene from Lord Of The Rings with an idyllic lake surrounded by soaring mountains. The lush greens of the forested slopes offset the blue water and sky. Now put a modern town at the north end of that lake, and you have Lucerne, Switzerland. With the mix of water and mountains, it shouldn’t […]
“I am attaching a document to help you train for your hike into the canyon,” the email said. I was a bit shocked – a training plan? I know I wasn’t supposed to take hiking in the Grand Canyon lightly, but I had never before had a tour operator be so thorough and serious about […]
Hiking on Lanai is a bit different from the other Hawaiian islands that are filled with lush rainforests and palm tree-strewn beaches. There are some forested areas – but much of the island is barren and treeless. It has 400 miles of roads on this little island, but 95% of the roads you need a […]
I felt as if I had traveled far from home, yet I was only 1 ½ hours from Denver. The luxury Colorado ski town of Vail felt sort of like the French Riviera; I heard more international languages than English as I walked through Vail Village! There were men in skinny jeans wearing pashminas…wait…did I […]
We saw the first glimpse of them from the plane window. The famous, rigid, snowy Himalayan peaks were practically at eye level with our cruising altitude; I imagined reaching out and touching them. They looked beautiful and scary at the same time. Cold, hard, and barren; as if they were saying “leave us alone, you […]
Long distance thru-hikes and pilgrimages are addicting – I know because I caught the bug after I finished the Camino de Santiago in 2012. “What next?” This is typically the first thought on people’s minds as they finish the Camino de Santiago thru-hike in Spain. Finishing a thru-hike is exhilarating, exciting, and emotional. It’s a […]
In an effort to bring you some new voices on Ottsworld, here is a guest post from a fellow hiker, Becki Rupp. I met her in Denver at the Travel and Adventure show. Not only is she a travel lover, she’s also a trainer focusing on health coaching for active experiences. I asked if she […]
I had been hearing about the amazing beaches in the Philippines for years now, so I always had it on my list as a ‘must see’. I had the perfect opportunity to travel to the Philippines for my niece’s softball tournament so I thought this would be my chance to finally experience the Philippine beach […]
