Manhattan Kayak: Sightseeing from a New Perspective

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 10, 2019July 10, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, canoeing & kayaking, travel colt, intrepid, jeff, kayak, manhattan, new york city, NYC, SUP 1 Comment

NYC is one of my favorite cities and no stranger to the Hood family. Jeff and I went for a Yankees game years ago, three years ago I took Colt on (what would become) our first…

A Day Trip to Pearl Harbor: Travel (with kids!) Guide

By Sarah Martin HoodApril 28, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, travel, travel with kids colt, hawaii, maui, spring break, spring break 2019 2 Comments

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2019 Spring Break adventure in Hawaii. Click here for all posts. Early in the planning for our trip to Hawaii we decided to stay…

Helicopter Parenting! Am I Doing This Right?

By Sarah Martin HoodApril 11, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, motherhood, travel, travel with kids air maui, colt, hawaii, helicopter, maui, spring break, spring break 2019 Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2019 Spring Break adventure in Hawaii. Click here for all posts. I wish you could’ve seen the look on Colt’s face when I suggested…

We Tried SNUBA in Maui: Here’s What You Should Know

By Sarah Martin HoodApril 10, 2019April 11, 2019 active lifestyle, adventure travel, travel, travel with kids colt, hawaii, maui, sail trilogy, snorkel, snuba, spring break, spring break 2019 Leave a comment

This post is part of a series of stories from our 2019 Spring Break adventure in Hawaii. Click here for all posts. Two years ago I tried snorkeling for the first time in Belize, and I…

A Family Escape to the Cayman Islands

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 31, 2018November 4, 2018 adventure travel, travel, travel with kids beach, cayman islands, colt, grand cayman, horseback riding, jeff, parasailing, snorkel, stingray 1 Comment

We’re no beach bums, but this little family needed a slooooow dowwwwwn and we managed to pick the perfect destination. After an incredible summer of camps and travel and weekend activity (most of which I…

ATM Cave: The Mayan Underworld

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 30, 2017November 4, 2018 adventure travel ambergris caye, ATM cave, belize, belize city, caye caulker, coco beach resort, crystal maiden, mayan ruins, san ignacio, san pedro, travel with kids, tuff e nuff Leave a comment

This story is part of a series from our recent travels to Belize. Click here to start at the beginning. You know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when I agree to go on a trip that…

Put “Snorkel and Chill in Belize” on Your List

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 27, 2017November 4, 2018 adventure travel ambergris caye, belize, belize city, caye caulker, coco beach resort, gopro, hol chan marine reserve, mayan ruins, san pedro, shark ray alley, snorkel, travel with kids, tuff e nuff Leave a comment

This story is part of a series from our recent travels to Belize. Click here to start at the beginning. We wanted the full Belize experience. All five senses. We were willing to wake up…

Exploring Xunantunich

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 26, 2017November 4, 2018 adventure travel ambergris caye, belize, belize city, caye caulker, coco beach resort, gopro, mayan ruins, san ignacio, san pedro, travel with kids, tuff e nuff, xunantunich 2 Comments

This story is part of a series from our recent travels to Belize. Click here to start at the beginning. Before we left, I kept telling people we were going “to the beach”. I have…

8 Lessons I’ve Learned (The Hard Way) About Hiking Shoes

By Sarah Martin HoodJanuary 9, 2017July 18, 2020 adventure travel, canoeing & kayaking, hiking backpacking, footwear, hiking, hiking boots, hiking shoes, keens, mountain climbing 3 Comments

When it comes to hiking and backpacking, shoes are a thing. Similar to most any sport or activity, having the right gear is a step in the direction of comfort, convenience, and – ultimately –…

PCT, Part 3 | We met trail llamas!

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 15, 2016December 12, 2021 adventure travel backpacking, california, hiking, jeff, pacific crest trail, pct, waterfall, yosemite Leave a comment

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. [typography font=”Permanent Marker” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#8c0510″]Day 4[/typography] If Day 3 was The Hardest Day of Hiking of My Life then Day 4…

PCT, Part 2 | A True Taste of the PCT

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 14, 2016November 4, 2018 adventure travel backpacking, california, hiking, jeff, pacific crest trail, pct, yosemite Leave a comment

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. [typography font=”Permanent Marker” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#8c0510″]Day 2[/typography] Overnight was surprisingly warm and we woke up to a gorgeous view of Peeler Lake….

PCT, Part 1 | Back in the High Sierras

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 13, 2016November 4, 2018 adventure travel backpacking, california, hiking, jeff, pacific crest trail, pct, yosemite Leave a comment

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. Much like in years past, neither of us remembers the exact reason or the exact moment we decided on the Pacific Crest…

Yellowstone, Part 2 | Bear Tracks and Nature’s Hot Tub

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 24, 2015November 4, 2018 adventure travel #hoodsunplugged2015, backpacking, hiking, jeff, life list, wildland trekking, yellowstone 3 Comments

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. {day 3} Overnight rain meant a cold and damp morning, but we were up early in anticipation of a long day of…

Yellowstone, Part 1 | Heart Lake and Hiking in the “Heat”

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 19, 2015November 4, 2018 adventure travel #hoodsunplugged2015, backpacking, hiking, jeff, life list, wildland trekking, yellowstone 2 Comments

[typography font=”Copse” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#8c0510″]Yellowstone, of all the National Parks, is the wildest and most universal in its appeal. Daily new, always strange, ever full of change, it is Nature’s wonder park. It is the…

Glacier, Part 3 | Graupel in July & Going to the Sun

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 8, 2014September 11, 2018 adventure travel #hoodsunplugged2014, 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Foundation, backpacking, glacier guides, glacier national park, going to the sun road, graupel, hiking, jeff, Keeping TIME, life list, montana, who pooped in the park? 3 Comments

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. | day 5 | There seems to be a single day during each trip that stands out for its level of challenge….

Glacier, Part 2 | This Moose be the Place

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 3, 2014December 12, 2021 adventure travel #hoodsunplugged2014, backpacking, glacier guides, glacier national park, hiking, jeff, life list, montana, moose, waterfall 5 Comments

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. | day 3 | There are two little words that are music to the ears of backpackers everywhere. Two little words that…

Glacier, Part 1 | Bridges, bears, & backcountry

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 1, 2014September 11, 2018 adventure travel #hoodsunplugged2014, backpacking, glacier guides, glacier national park, hiking, jeff, kalispell, life list, montana, west glacier 9 Comments

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity… ― John Muir One good look around the airport in Kalispell was…

A story worth sharing

By Sarah Martin HoodDecember 6, 2013September 18, 2016 adventure travel, canoeing & kayaking, personal reflections boundary waters, ely, north country canoe outfitters, quetico 2 Comments

I write here for a number of reasons. Sometimes, I write simply to document our lives or to share our stories with friends, family, and beyond. But other times, I write to capture a feeling…

Scenery and Solitude in the BWCA | Part 5

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 9, 2013September 18, 2016 adventure travel, canoeing & kayaking boundary waters, bwca, canoe, ely, jeff, life list, minnesota, north country canoe outfitters, quetico 1 Comment

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. [typography font=”Copse” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#8c0510″]Day 4[/typography] Breaking camp the last day of a trip is always bittersweet. We are always relieved to…

Scenery and Solitude in the BWCA | Part 4

By Sarah Martin HoodAugust 8, 2013September 18, 2016 adventure travel, canoeing & kayaking boundary waters, bwca, canoe, ely, jeff, life list, minnesota, north country canoe outfitters, quetico 3 Comments

This post is part of a series, click here for the full story. [typography font=”Copse” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#8c0510″]Day 3[/typography] We woke up to weather so beautiful the nastiness the day before felt like just a…