S America

The ultimate Peru travel guide

brooke brisbine·January 15, 2020

When you think Peru, chances are it’s Machu Picchu on your mind. But, although spectacular, the famous Incan...

Peru S America

Best of the Peruvian Andes: 3-4 week Peru trekking itinerary

brooke brisbine·December 18, 2019

Although somewhat unsung, Peru is one of the best trekking destinations in the entire world, rivalling even the...

Peru S America

Incas & the Amazon: 2-3 week Peru travel itinerary from Lima to Manu National Park

brooke brisbine·December 14, 2019

Thanks to Peru’s rich history and incredible diversity, it’s possible to journey from a bustling metropolitan city on...

Peru S America

Pacific Coast Peru: 2-3 week Peru travel itinerary from Lima to Cusco

brooke brisbine·December 13, 2019

In terms of diversity, Peru is second to none— within a relatively small country, you can experience pumping...

Peru S America

12 best day hikes and multi-day treks in Peru

brooke brisbine·December 9, 2019

When people think of trekking destinations, it’s usually the Himalayas or the Alps that immediately spring to mind....

Peru S America

The ultimate Cusco travel guide: 25 amazing things to do in Cusco, Peru

brooke brisbine·December 3, 2019

Once considered the spiritual and political heart of the vast Inca empire, Cusco (meaning “centre of the universe”...

Peru S America

Solo Huayhuash Circuit packing list: What to pack for 10 days without a guide

brooke brisbine·December 2, 2019

For serious hikers and those hoping to discover unrivalled natural beauty in Peru, the 135km Huayhuash Circuit is...

Peru S America

Highlights from 10 days on the Huayhuash Circuit

brooke brisbine·December 1, 2019

There is absolutely no high like coming off the trail after a long hike— dead-tired, covered in dirt,...

Peru S America

The ultimate guide to independent & solo hiking the Huayhuash Circuit in Peru

brooke brisbine·November 28, 2019

Widely regarded as one of the best alpine treks in the entire world, the Huayhuash Circuit is a...

Peru S America

Huayhuash Circuit (day 10): Yaucha Punta to Quartelhuain via Rondoy Punta

brooke brisbine·November 27, 2019

After camping at Yaucha Punta last night, I’ve got some real ground to make up on today’s hike,...

Peru S America

Huayhuash Circuit (day 9): Huayllapa to Yaucha Punta

brooke brisbine·November 26, 2019

Hoping to get back on schedule after our short day yesterday, we set off from Huayllapa with the...

Peru S America

Huayhuash Circuit (day 8): Rasac to Huayllapa

brooke brisbine·November 25, 2019

Although today’s hike is quite short and lacks a lot of the previous day’s dramatic scenery, it is...

Peru S America

Huayhuash Circuit (day 7): Laguna Juraucocha to Rasac via Laguna Santa Rosa & Paso Rosario

brooke brisbine·November 24, 2019

Deviating completely from the traditional Huayhuash Circuit today in favour of a scenic side trip, we spend the...

Peru S America

Huayhuash Circuit (day 6): Cuyoc & Paso San Antonio to Laguna Juraucocha

brooke brisbine·November 22, 2019

Following a second ascent of Paso San Antonio for sunrise views, today’s hike takes us up and over...

Peru S America

Huayhuash Circuit (day 5): Viconga to Cuyoc & Paso San Antonio

brooke brisbine·November 20, 2019

Today’s hike from Viconga camp, up Punta Cuyoc, and down to Cuyoc camp is surprisingly spectacular, close glacier...

Peru S America

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I first heard about Shoshone Falls in an Idaho tourism pamphlet that we picked up from a visitor centre during our drive. Alongside a spectacular photo of the gushing falls (more than enough to impress me), the editor described this spot in Twin Falls as the “Niagara of the West” and it was sealed— we had to make the detour 🚐 Not having seen Niagara myself, I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that comparison, but I can say this is one of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen— dwarfed in my own memory only by Iguazú in Argentina/Brazil and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia. The photo hardly does it justice. Even at low water levels (rare for spring, but everyone seems to be in a drought this year), Shoshone is a real gem state GEM 💎

5 hours ago

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Lakes on lakes on lakes 💦

24 hours ago

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Bagging peaks together since 2000; the only difference is that now I have to carry the rope 🏔

4 days ago

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HIKING THE ENCHANTMENTS IN 1 DAY ✨ Located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of Eastern Washington, the Enchantments is one of the most unbelievably SPECTACULAR (and popular) areas to hike in the state— it’s virtually impossible to score a backpacking permit these days, but you can actually complete the entire 20+ mile trail in a single day without ANY permit 😱🤩 🏔 TRAIL DETAILS 🏔 Trailhead: Stuart Lake TH to Snow Lakes TH (near Leavenworth, WA) Fees: NW Forest Pass, $5 for a day Distance: 20 miles (30km) Elevation gain: 4820ft (1470m) Trail hours: 12-14hrs, including breaks 🏔 HIKING TIPS 🏔 👉🏼 I’d suggest hiking up Aasgard Pass (from Sturt Lake TH) and descending to Snow Lakes, since you’ll do the steepest part of the hike as an ascent and the more gradual part as a descent (trust me, your knees will thank you). ALSO, since most of the lakes are clustered in the first 2/3rds, you get to spend the bulk of the day in the prettiest part of the Enchantments— and if you do have to hike the final miles in the dark, you really don’t miss anything! 💡 👉🏼 Park your vehicle at the Snow Lakes TH and then hitchhike up the road to the Stuart Lake TH to begin the hike. There are heaps of people headed that way— it took us about 3min to get picked up and then we ended the hike already back at our van! 🚐 👉🏼 You’ll need a NW Forest Pass, so if you don’t already have one, pop into the Icicle Quik Stop (76 Station) in Leavenworth and you can buy a single day pass for $5 to display on your dash! 🎫 👉🏼 Save yourself the weight of a heavy pack and bring only one water bottle (~1L)— there are literally HUNDREDS of excellent fill-up points throughout the hike and you’ll have no trouble finding cool water (filter optional, but recommended) 💦

5 days ago

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I spent 5 days last week on an amazing expedition through North Cascades National Park: trekking up to Sahale Arm, climbing Buckner Peak, carrying-over Sahale Peak & then descending the summit all the way to Boston Basin 🏔 As with all good adventures, it was wildly complicated by terrible conditions (a marine layer that reduced visibility to little more than 20ft on the glacier), miscalculations of time (canning Shark Fin Tower at the last minute), and near-disasters (slipping out of my steps on steep snow and frantically arresting before we all fell off the mountain ⛏)— but it was also amazing for many of the same reasons. Every trip like this develops my skills, builds my resilience, and pushes me closer to becoming ~a true mountaineer~, and for that, I wouldn’t trade any of the stress or ice-burns or moments of fighting back tears. I’m filing it all away and climbing up to the next peak stronger, more determined, and with a greater appreciation for these incredible mountains 💪🏼

6 days ago

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Fresh on the heels of climbing Mt Rainier, and I’ve already topped it in terms of difficulty (and terror) with this week’s ascent up the SW face of Buckner in the North Cascades. To be fair, the ‘ascent’ wasn’t actually the hard part— it was the descent, a white-knuckled 1500ft drop along an impossibly steep snow shoot with a runout that would have sent us all right off the mountain. I didn’t like the look of things as we started down off the summit, but the anxiety got a lot worse after I took (my first) fall on the ice, pulling our entire rope team off their feet before I could get my axe dug into the snow. Thankfully everyone emerged fine and we continued downwards, but it was enough to really shake me— an important reminder that climbing is no joke and every single move counts, both for you and your team. When we later reached another awful section of the descent and dad called down to me that this was ‘no-mistakes territory’, you better believe I took it seriously 😳

1 week ago

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Lost in the flowers 🌸🌻🌷🌼🌹

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🪚🦷

1 week ago

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Approaching Mt Rainier via an incredibly long and scenic route over Burroughs Mountain, down to Glacier Basin, up the Inter Glacier, and finally to our base camp at 9,400ft, Camp Schurman, gave me the greatest appreciation for just how MASSIVE this climb is. And for every ounce of physical exertion to get onto that summit, I expended 5x more mental energy just trying to make sure that I moved carefully & made no mistakes when it counted most— there were moments that a small slip could have cost us all our lives, and that reality was not lost on me. For that reason, the days leading up to our summit push were absolutely crucial. We hiked hard through the day to limber up and rested just as hard each night to recharge, particularly on the day leading up to our midnight departure. Roping on the Inter Glacier also granted me, dad & Dan time to learn each other’s rhythm and settle into the quiet solemnity that our impending climb demanded. As much as I just wanted to GET THERE at the time, I wouldn’t trade a single minute of preparation looking back. By the time we did leave Camp Schurman in the dead of night, we were a well-oiled unit who hardly needed light or proximity to communicate— and that’s the only way we made it to the summit. Slow & steady.

2 weeks ago

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