Adventure | Lifestyle | Story Telling | travel
Trip Date: July 24-25, 2020 Trail Overview Trail: Twenty Lakes Basin / Saddlebag Lake Loop Distance: 7.7 mile loop Elevation Gain: 978 ft. Location: Hoover Wilderness Permits: Wilderness permits required for overnight stay. Permits can be obtained here. The Story There are some places that you keep returing to because it just feels right. So, how many times do you […]
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** I would like to share with you my guide to backpacking and some tips on how you could prepare for your first trip. I am not an expert and this should be used only as a guide which is based on my opinions and experiences. ** Day hiking is fun but have you ever hiked a trail and just wanted to stay […]
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Trip Date: Saturday, June 27, 2020 Trail Overview Trail: White Mountain trail Distance: 14.7 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 3,087 ft. Location: White Mountains, Mono County Permits: Not required. The Story If we’re not floating around the alpine lakes of the Eastern Sierra, or stocking up on jerky in Bishop, we’re most likely to be found somewhere in the backcountry […]
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Trip Date: July 3-5, 2020 Trail Overview Trail: Sawtooth trailhead to Franklin Lakes trailhead Distance: 38.9-miles loop Elevation Gain: 10,487′ Location: Sequoia National Park, Mineral King, CA. Permit: Wilderness permit required. The Story A good friend of mine is currently training to hike the John Muir Trail this summer and has committed to camping or backpacking every weekend until […]
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Trip Date: May 24-30, 2019 With the extended weekend ahead, Tiffany and I planned out our next big road trip where we ended up driving 1,543 miles spending 4 days and 4 nights wandering 2 states, exploring 3 state parks, 1 national park and a quick overnighter in Grand Staircase-Escalante. There were many firsts on […]
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Trip Date: August 30- September 1, 2019 Trail Overview Trail: Ice Lakes Trail & Island Lake Distance: 7.6 mile loop Elevation Gain: 2,535 ft. Location: San Juan Mountains, CO. Permits: Not required. The Story Over Labor Day weekend, three friends and I took a road trip to Colorado for an extended weekend of backpacking to […]
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It is without doubt that I very much enjoy backpacking to alpine lakes. It’s pretty much all I live for during the warm summer months! It was not until last year that I added a children’s floatie to my summer gear list and let me tell you, trekking in that extra pound is totally worth […]
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As an avid hiker, comfort and support are two main qualities I seek when on the lookout for my next hiking outfit, and thanks to Vie Active, I have no problem finding not only those qualities, but apparel that is designed for performance AND is cute too! Originating from Bondi Beach, Australia and currently based […]
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Sometimes you just need to disconnect and enjoy your own company. Of course, most backpacking tips begin with the instruction of never going alone, but once you’ve successfully completed your first solo trip, the feeling of accomplishment is inevitable! I try to plan a solo backpacking trip once a year and if i’m being completely honest- […]
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Trip Date: April 23-27, 2018 Santa Cruz Island is the largest of seven that make up the Channel Islands. Located 20 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara county, this national park is a backpacker’s dream! We spent four days on the island hiking, camping and one big backpacking trip towards the end of our […]
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Trip Date: June 22- July 1, 2019 Summertime in the mountains mean longer days, alpine lakes, mosquitoes bites and no road trip is complete without a little misadventure. Road trips are my absolute favorite thing to do in the summer, however, with limited vacation time this year- I hopped on a plane for the first […]
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Trip Date: 6/1/2019 Trail Overview Trail: Big Pine Creek North Fork to Second Lake Distance: ~10 miles round-trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,700 ft. Location: Inyo National Forest, CA Permits: Wilderness permit required for overnight stay. Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail is located in Inyo National Forest on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada and is a pretty […]
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Trip Date: September 1-2,2018 Trail Overview Trail: Duck Pass Trail to Pika Lake Distance: 9.5 miles round-trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,132 ft. Location: Mammoth Lakes, CA Permits: Wilderness permit required for overnight stay. Duck Lake Trail in the John Muir Wilderness is a popular trail that consists of alpine lakes, mountain views, wildflowers and a decent climb for a […]
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A Happi-Nessa ProjectSelf-love, Reflection, Care + Discovery The month started off a little rough. I knew I wasn’t happy. I knew I wanted to make a change. And I knew what needed to be done. So I did it. Since starting this project I’ve accomplished: re-joining and actually going to the gym, mindful eating, daily […]
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Trip Date: November 23-28, 2018 When a friend asks you to go explore some of America’s Southwest deserts you don’t question the reasons as to why you simply join in on the excitement and make it happen. The most exciting thing for me was that she already had a tentative plan and a majority of […]
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Inspired by “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin. “I use to think that being focused on my happiness was sort of selfish and now I couldn’t imagine going a day without putting it first and best of all- guilt free.”- Me. December is a good month for reflection. A time to reflect on the past […]
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My name is Vanessa Renee Temblador and I’m the storyteller behind Forever She Wanders, a women’s lifestyle + travel blog reflecting some of my greatest adventures. I truly believe that when inspiration is shared, motivation is found and gained. As an avid hiker for several years, I’ve found passion in the freedom that comes with […]
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TRAIL OVERVIEW Trail: Little Lakes Valley Trail to Gem Lakes Distance: 7.2 miles round trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 994 ft. Location: Inyo National Forest/ John Muir Wilderness Trail head: Mosquito Flats Permits: Required for backpacking. THE STORY Trail so nice, I’ve hiked it, well.. several times this summer; twice backpacking and twice day hiking! Easy enough for beginner hikers with views that […]
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Road trips do more than just get you to your destination. A road trip is a journey, and as with any journey, there are lessons to learn and mistakes to be made. Road trips have somewhat become the norm for us. From a quick weekend getaway to Mammoth to Our Epic 24 Day Road Trip, […]
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You probably wouldn’t know that I wanted this day to happen for quite some time. As someone who is committed to the hiking community through a series of personal posts, inspirational quotes and nothing but hiking and camping photos; I sat back and kept myself from joining the large crowds and hiking groups. For years, […]
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It was officially our third week on the road as we entered the state of Washington. Friends and family who have been to Washington told us that we’d fall in love, and they were right. Our first stop, North Cascades National Park. This was our 9th National Park in three weeks. The moment we left Montana […]
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After spending five days exploring the Mighty 5 National Parks in Utah, it was time to head on to our next destination. I was extremely excited to visit the Grand Tetons as this had been a long time bucket list destination. We considered Day 6 to be a driving only day as we made our way out of Utah […]
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What started as an idea, grown to a dream and made into reality; I will never forget the look on his face when I told him about plans for our month long vacation. We had joked about it before but this time it was different. This time it felt like a possibility and not just some […]
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Trail Overview Trail: Eagle Lake from Mineral King Valley Distance: 7.2 miles round trip Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,175 ft. Location: Sequoia National Park Trail head: Eagle-Mosquito Lakes Permits: Required for backpacking only. The Story There’s no better way to cool down in the middle of summer than hiking to and swimming in an alpine lake. This was my first alpine lake swim […]
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Trail Overview Trail: Trans- Catalina Trail (2016) Distance: 58.4 miles Elevation Gain/Loss: 9,500′ Location: Catalina Island Trail head: Avalon Permits: Required. Can obtained here. Campsite Reservations: Required. Reserve here. The Story This is a shorter version of our journey on the Trans-Catalina trail. A detailed version can be found here. The month is April of 2016 and we are excited to finally complete the Trans-Catalina Trail, roughly […]
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Road trips should be fun and spontaneous yet, carefully researched and somewhat planned. Last year Brandon and I had the opportunity to road trip for an entire month. We spent nearly nine months planning, researching and preparing for our trip in which we drove through 9 states in 25 days. How do you prepare for […]
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