“The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!” “And Rohan will answer. Muster the Rohirrim!” Sound familiar? These words are spoken between Aragorn and King Théoden of Rohan in The Return of the King, the third…
Hiking the Hooker Valley Track in Mount Cook, New Zealand
Hiking the Hooker Valley Track should without a doubt be included on any traveler’s itinerary during a visit to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand. The 3.5-hour return journey leads through the dramatic Southern Alps, across swaying suspension bridges…
Walking the Redwood Loop Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Walking among giants? It sounds like something that could only be possible in a fairytale…but then again, here in the heart of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, it does feel like a fairytale… Forested, mountainous regions have always been my happy…
Hiking Colombia’s Cocora Valley
The Cocora Valley (or Valle de Cocora) is one of the most unique – and surreal – places that I’ve visited throughout all my travels around the globe. I hiked the valley at the very beginning of my trip through…
Sleeping Under the Stars at Tayrona National Park
When I published my recent “highlights of Colombia” roundup post, I received a number of comments regarding my overnight trip to Tayrona National Park. After all, sleeping in a hammock in a hut overlooking the sea on gorgeous stretch of…
Into the Cloud Forest: Hiking Mombacho Volcano
After spending the bulk of my time in Granada snoozing in the shade, enjoying massages, and indulging in regular smoothies and frozen Flor de Caña concoctions, I began to get the feeling that it was time to get my body moving…
Getting Spiritual in Sedona, Arizona
Burrowed among Sedona’s impressive red rock formations and blazing blue skies are a surprising number of alternative healers, spas, art galleries, new age shops, and coffee houses–surprising, perhaps, if you once thought of Sedona as just another place to hike and…