REI PERU 10 day adventure trek

The next time it's a rainy, rest day and you find yourself surfing your Facebook news feed instead of your favorite seas or slopes and come across another one of those teasing, dream trip contest giveaway headlines- I highly recommend taking a few extra minutes with that second cup of coffee to enter it....You just never know, you  may end up winning.

That's exactly how I unexpectedly found myself travelling to PERU a couple of months ago, 

with a million thanks to REI!! 

 In exchange for the time it took to pick out a photo submission of ourselves hiking and a write a hundred word or less essay, 6 of us lucky contest winners received an all expenses paid trip to Peru!!   

Together we embarked on a fully supported, surreal, wonderland high altitude hiking journey, starting near Cusco on REI's 10 day adventure trek to Machu Picchu.  Through the Andes mountains we walked hours a day along ancient Inca trails, bonding with each other and our incredible guides 

as we took in the South American cultures and customs, old and new, 

lush flora, fauna and vibrant flavors every amazing step of the way.  

With World Class lodging and 5 star service as spectacular as Nature's 
impressive 20,000 foot surrounding peaks backdrop.

The Seven Serpents switchbacks sucked the air out of us on the final accent over Salkantay Pass at 15,250 feet, the highest altitude we reached

on our way to catch the sunrise over the Lost City,

as we learned Incan legends of llamas, condors and pumas

while forming friendships that will last a lifetime, 

with many more adventures trips together to come!

A videographer joined us to put the highlights together into a great promo clip for the trip. You can find it on the REI website or view it here

...and just what were those one hundred winning words, 

aka the *$6,000 adventure trip* paragraph-of-a-lifetime you wonder?!...

Some of my fondest memories as a child were the day trips with my family that began with a ferry ride…Eager anticipation would grow within like it now does the hour before a race start. I’d burst through those big old familiar doors, along rickety wooden floors to spend hours exploring every inch of clothing and gear at the only REI store in the whole world!   Gearing up was an early priority. I could paddle a kayak and climb a mountain before I could drive a car.  And now?  My two favorite lifetime adventure companions- my husband and REI!

Neah Bay Winter Getaway

For the 4th year in a row we enjoyed

escaping to where the roads end in the very farthest

Northwest corners of our beautiful
Washington state

for our annual
Neah Bay *winter* Getaway...

Every year we so look forward to these four days when

we get to hike our favorite coastal trails

along beautiful boardwalks

visit the special site of an old Makah village,

explore miles of untouched Pacific Coast beaches,

share sunny picnics on cold winter days...

and paddle in open ocean waters!! 
This year we were super stoked to

launch our tandem Nootka Plus from
the Neah Bay marina

and head about 5 miles down the Strait

around Cape Flattery

to Tatoosh island where we found

some nice 4 to 6 foot Pacific Ocean swells 

to ride back in half the time on!

With abundant wildlife constantly
surrounding us- at least 100 bald eagles,

families of sea otters, deer and
more keeping us company everyday

on our blissfully remote land & sea adventuring....

Exploring. Photographing. Learning. Laughing we go....! 

Eagle Cliff ~ Winter Paddle & Hike

Eagle Cliff ~ Winter Hike & Paddle from Island Paddlers on Vimeo.

4 friends spend one winter day adventurously sea kayaking just over 16 miles in strong Salish Sea currents to reach a remote island so they can hike a few miles up a muddy forest trail and lunch atop a steep cliff with dramatic 360 degree, panoramic views of a rugged island archipelago and multiple mountain ranges, before returning to their small boats for a sunset, channel paddle home...

Going to Church...

‎....means different things to different people.

 In our family it means rising before dawn

and dressing &/or packing in our finest

polypro, fleece & goretex,

to go for a hike with 3700 feet of elevation gain

in 8 1/2 steep, roundtrip miles

up & down a high alpine,

switch-backed trail.

As we laughingly celebrate autumns splendid arrival

one late Saturday in September, 

while frollicking with friends

and scrambling to reach the narrow-ridged summit

 of a beautiful 6,100 feet

 North Cascade mountain.

Read more about the Church mountain trail and hike at http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/church-mountain