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 –…

The Goat Trail to Big Bluff

By Sarah Martin HoodOctober 23, 2016November 4, 2018 hiking, northwest arkansas big bluff, buffalo river, centerpoint trail, goat trail, hiking, ozark national forest 1 Comment

Even after years of hiking around Northwest Arkansas, we are still finding new trails. We’ve had our eye on The Goat Trail to Big Bluff for a while, but wanted to be sure Colt could…

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…

Common Ground

By Sarah Martin HoodNovember 1, 2015November 4, 2018 hiking, motherhood, northwest arkansas colt, devil's den state park, hiking, jeff 2 Comments

After a weekend of Halloween festivities capped off with an up-all-night, sugar-fueled sleepover with friends, he was probably ready to crawl onto the couch and spend the balance of his Sunday staring at NFL RedZone…

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…

Ghosts of Adventures Past

By Sarah Martin HoodJuly 19, 2013September 18, 2016 adventure travel, canoeing & kayaking, hiking backpacking, hiking, life list Leave a comment

Well, it’s that time again. Time for Jeff and me to leave our social media and our indoor plumbing and our DVR behind for a few days for our annual trek into the wilderness. It’ll…

The GRAND Tour | Part 2

By Sarah Martin HoodSeptember 27, 2012September 18, 2016 adventure travel backpacking, four season guides, grand canyon, hiking, jeff, life list, phantom ranch, rim to rim, unplugged, video 2 Comments

If you haven’t read Part 1, start HERE. When we left off, Jeff and I (and Dave, Cathy, and Jerry) had just drifted off to sleep at Phantom Ranch in the bottom of Grand Canyon….

The GRAND Tour | Part 1

By Sarah Martin HoodSeptember 24, 2012September 18, 2016 adventure travel 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Foundation, backpacking, flagstaff, four season guides, grand canyon, hiking, jeff, Keeping TIME, life list, phantom ranch, rim to rim, unplugged 3 Comments

After a fantastic experience the summer before and a ringing endorsement from our friend Henry, our Summer 2012 trip was an easy decision. We made plans to hike Grand Canyon rim-to-rim with Four Season Guides….