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Jess〡Hiking the PNW

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09/15/2026

Tour du Mont Blanc: day 1!

Les Houches ➡️ Refuge du Fioux, 8 miles and 3,773 ft of elevation gain via the Mont Lechat variant

Day 1 of 10 hiking the TMB was SO EXCITING! We started at the TMB arch in Les Houches along with many other excited hikers & set off for the first variant of the trail, Mont Lechat. It has amazinggggg views down into the Chamonix Valley where you just came from!

We wanted to try out doing a hut hike versus backpacking since we do tons of that at home in Washington. I read it’s very challenging to book the huts on your own (everyone is booking at once, the sites crash and many are in French), so I used a service ( - they were awesome!) to book the huts for us. It was so great to not have to stress about the booking part of the trip!

We had 5 private rooms and 4 dorms booked for the trip (this changed a bit along the way but more on that later) and starting out night 1 with a dorm was a little nerve wracking wondering if I’d be able to sleep if people snored, but the room was so cute and our roommates were so nice!

Normally I’d have planned a much longer day 1, but this short day was soo nice because it allowed us to relax at the refuge for a few hours, drinking some French wine and taking in the views!

Stay tuned for day 2! 🥾🏔️🐏☕️🐮

09/14/2026

10 days on the Tour du Mont Blanc- SUCH a dream!!! 🥹🥹🥹

I kinda still can’t believe I got to complete such a bucket list hike, in such amazing weather, pain free, and with the love of my life, like what?! 😭😭

Here’s a little taste of what this incredible adventure entails: lots of smiles, trail coffee from cute refuges, adorable animals, and of course, the most amazing views you’ve ever seen!!!

I’ll be sharing lots more of this trip over the next few weeks, I hope you’re ready to drool over all that France, Italy and Switzerland have to offer on this 100+ mile trail!

We ended up adding on some side quests and doing a total of 126 miles and 43,837ft of gain 😳 I’m ending this trip feeling SO strong and SO proud of all that my body can do, so much gratitude for all these magical places it took me 🩵

Let me know what questions you have about doing the TMB! It’s my current hyper fixation so I’ll gladly talk your ear off for as long as you’ll let me 😜

08/17/2026

Never not thinking about New Zealand 🌋🍃🌊☀️💚

Don’t sleep on the North Island! Most people just spend a day or two there before going to the South Island, but there is SO much to do & see. I spent a full 10 days exploring it but barely scratched the surface!

My next trip will be primarily to explore the South, but there are a few stops up north that I’m already planning to repeat 🙃

North Island of Nee Zealand highlights:

🗻 Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike aka Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings

🌱 Hobbiton, of course!

😶‍🌫️ Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

🩵 seeing glow worms!!!!

🏝️ Cathedral Cove

💦 Putaruru Blue Spring

⛴️ Waiheke Island- spend a night here it’s sooo cute!

Send this to the person you want to visit with & start planning!!

06/01/2026

It’s official: the Sourdough Mountain trail has reopened!

This is one of my favorite trails in North Cascades National Park & I was beyond devastated when the 2023 Sourdough Fire happened, closing this area for several years.

I was lucky enough to do this trail the year before with .jpg when our original backpacking plans were thwarted due to bad weather. In the years since the fire, we’ve reminisced on how special of a day this was & how grateful we are that our plan A didn’t work out.

These photos are from 2022 & I haven’t made my way onto the trail yet, but I can only hope the beautiful wildflowers that once covered the side of the mountain bloom again soon in the coming years!

If you hike this trail (and any trail), please make sure to leave no trace so everyone can enjoy it for years to come!

Photos of me by Sonya 😊

05/26/2026

Any day spent in Olympic National Park is a good day 🥹🥾⛰️

But this was an extra special day for me! 8 years ago I visited this park for the first time & fell so in love that I knew I had to move closer than I currently lived (in Pennsylvania).

Hiking in the same area, driving along Lake Crescent & seeing all the places I stopped along the way on that first time felt so special. It was a full circle kind of day, moving to Washington not only to be closer to places like this, but in hopes of working for an organization that stewards these lands, which I am now doing & was the reason I was at the park!! 🥹

If you know me even a little, you know how much I love reflecting haha I encourage you to reflect back on any of the major changes you’ve made in life and where you are now! What’s something that makes you glad you were brave enough to do something new?

🩵

05/20/2026

The North Cascades are called the Alps of America for a reason 😍

And while I haven’t been to the European Alps yet (but will this summer eeek), I’d say they’re a pretty great alternative!!

It’s hard to beat the North Cascades with their towering peaks, magnificent glaciers, and of course, alpine lakes! Not to mention how often you can see mountain goats in certain areas of the national park 🐐

Send this to the person you wanna visit with & start planning! 🏔️

And I’ll report back later this summer on whether or not you should still visit the other Alps 😜 and if you’ve been to both, which is your fave?!

05/04/2026

Moody moments from camp 🌥️🏕️🏔️

The beautiful weather we’ve been having in Seattle has me itching to spend a night in the mountains in my tent & thinking back to my first backpacking trip of the season last year.

We arrived early in the day to get a good spot & spent the rest of the afternoon sitting at camp taking in the mesmerizing clouds rolling through the mountains.

My soul is definitely craving a peaceful trip to the mountains like this one! Are you planning any backpacking trips this year?!

05/01/2026

Walking in a wildflower wonderland 🌼💛☀️

Time spent in nature is wonderful no matter what, but add in wildflowers?! Those colorful blooms along the trail will brighten even the darkest days ✨

Excited to get out on another wildflower hike this weekend before peak bloom ends in central Washington!

Have you done a wildflower hike yet this year?!

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