Well, I just completed my first trip to Hawaii and it was great! Instead of doing my typical blog about each day I decided to write up some recommendations since I have had a few friends asking for them. We stayed in an AirBnB (Shout out to Pamela – highly recommend) on the north side of the island which gave us perfect access to the best beaches (in my opinion) but made getting to the southern parts a little difficult. And by difficult I mean an enjoyable 2 hour drive. Before I go into my recommendations let me say this first: Rent a 4×4 vehicle (like a jeep) instead of a car. Makes your life so much easier and opens up various parts of the island. Speed limits are low on the island because of the winding roads (max 65 only on a couple of roads), so please don’t embarrass yourself by renting a sports car. Continue reading “My Hawaii Big Island Recommendations”
The only time I’ve been to New Hampshire was filled with rain. It rained and rained and rained. Not at all fun to hike or camp in, but I tried anywhere. Originally I planned on hiking up Mt. Washington, but due to the rain I didnt think it was worth the effort. So instead I hiked along some creeks that were transformed into small rivers thanks to the rain. I found a small town named Bartlett, NH which I enjoyed very much. The town wasnt big and didnt really have anything that made it special, but the name alone was enough to give me joy. 
Rock Top is the summit of a mountain in the Smokies. It sits just below it’s big brother, Thunderhead Mountain. The views from Rock Top are worth the grueling hike to get there. At 5,440 feet, Rocky Top isn’t the highest mountain on the Appalachian Trail, but it emerges from the woods allowing you to see just how spectacular the mountain range is and will give you a better appreciation of just how steep a climb you just made. So after taking in the sites and eating a quick lunch, I snapped a few photos and prepared to head back.
After making it through the night I ate a quick breakfast and decided to check in with the world. I packed up my gear, discovered that the storm had bent both of my main poles to the tent, and headed up to the top of a large hill. I assumed that would be the best place to turn my phone on a search for service. I was right. I got two bars of 3G on the top of the hill. I sent a quick “I’m alive” text and checked the weather. More severe storms were predicted for the afternoon and evening. So I had a choice: Continue on, deeper into the “Wilderness” area of The Badlands or head back to my car.
Bivy Life 