Outdoors Archives • Kristy & Luke

There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to getting used to how to hike in winter, but once you get the hang of it, it can actually be quite enjoyable. If you're reading this post, I'll assume that it's likely you're new to hiking, or at the…

Posted on February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 by Kristy by Kristy

dog friendly hikes in hocking hills state park

Adventures

2019: My Year in Review

In 2019 I hiked 100 miles of the North Country Trail AND completed the 52 Hike Challenge. Along the way I took at least one photo and/or video clip for each hike that I went on, then at the end of the year created this video using the app 1…

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Winter Hiking on the Jordan Valley Pathway

I awoke bright and early at my friends' cottage on a cold, snowy, Saturday morning in November, brewed myself a cup of coffee, and ladled out a big bowl of oatmeal. I am by all means NOT a morning person, but I was eager to get moving, because my friend…

Posted on December 31, 2019December 28, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

I’m an NCT Hike 100 Finisher!

When I started off 2019, one of the things that wanted most for the new year was to spend less time trying to hit arbitrary self-made personal "goals" and more time going on adventures and creating happy memories. To help hold myself accountable, I decided to take on the 52…

Posted on December 31, 2019December 31, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Fall Camping and Hiking at Wilderness State Park

On a whim, my friend Megan and I decided to take an impromptu road trip to the Mackinaw City area to soak in the beautiful colors of the northern Michigan fall foliage. Naturally, we thought the best way to experience fall "up north" would be to get a few hikes…

Posted on December 28, 2019December 28, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Day Hiking on the Jordan Valley Pathway

For the third and final hike of our North Country Trail fall foliage camping and hiking trip, Megan and I decided to hike an out-and-back section of the Jordan Valley Pathway. While the trail system offers a hikers the option of doing a short, 3 mile day hike or a…

Posted on December 27, 2019December 28, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Fall Hiking on the North Country Trail

It was nearly 11:00 A.M. on the second day of our camping trip when Megan and I pulled into the muddy parking lot for French Farm Lake to begin our 10 mile hiking adventure along the North Country Trail. I use the term "parking lot" loosely. After getting out of…

Posted on December 26, 2019December 28, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Waterfall near Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills State Park

Adventures

Halloween in the Hocking Hills

To celebrate our second anniversary, Luke and I decided to seek out a secluded cabin in the Hocking Hills so we could spend the week of Halloween hiking, exploring, relaxing, and watching scary movies. We decided to bring Patronus and Naga along too, of course! While Patronus is pretty much…

Posted on November 25, 2019December 28, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Crafts

Cable Crochet Beanie Pattern

Finding cute orange hats to wear outdoors in the late fall can be a bit of a challenge because...well...most of them are pretty manly. After spending many hours poring over the internet in search of finding one, I decided to simply DIY my own hat, and I've included my free…

Posted on November 20, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Outdoors

Fall Hiking 101

Fall hiking might seem a bit intimidating if you're new to the activity, and rightly so. Between figuring out how to plan a hike, what to wear in those weird, in-between temperatures, and what (if anything) you actually need to bring along, it's totally normal that fall hiking might seem…

Posted on November 4, 2019November 27, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Backpacking

My Backpacking Checklist (Printable + Dog Friendly)

Remembering everything you need to pack for a camping or backpacking trip can sometimes be stressful, so I decided to create a printable backpacking checklist to help me stay organized while I'm preparing for my next adventure. After having backpacked South Manitou Island, the Pictured Rocks, and the Potowatomi Trail,…

Posted on September 25, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

A Weekend Up North

Luke and I packed up the car late on a Friday afternoon, got Patronus ready, then headed out for another trip to northern Michigan. Both of us were ravenously hungry after a long day of work, so we made a pit stop at Burger King along the way. Luke got…

Posted on September 11, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

A Summer Backpacking Adventure

Patronus and I pulled in to the parking lot for the trailhead just after 3:00 P.M. After taking some time to get our packs situated, we made our way to the edge of the lake where the trail begins. We had a 7 mile hike ahead of us before we…

Posted on July 28, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

52 Hike Challenge Spring Report

The spring segment of my 52 Hike Challenge ended up being...a bit challenging. The season began with a couple of muddy hikes with Patronus. In April I got injured. I still wanted to keep hiking, so Luke and I decided to take Patronus to visit Belle Isle State Park in…

Posted on July 11, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

A Weekend in Northern Michigan

Luke, Patronus, and I headed up to northern Michigan to spend fourth of July weekend with our friends, Matt and Amanda and their two dogs. We spent Friday just hanging out, catching up, and relaxing with a bit of stargazing thrown in for fun. I was amazed at how clear…

Posted on July 9, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Visiting Tahquamenon Falls State Park

If a road trip across Michigan's Upper Peninsula is on your bucket list, consider Tahquamenon Falls as one of many noteworthy places to stop. On a gloomy Saturday in late May, my friends and I made our way to Tahquamenon Falls State Park to enjoy some camping, hiking, and a…

Posted on July 9, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Summer Camping + Hiking with Patronus

It was hot and sunny on the afternoon when Luke, Patronus, and I loaded up our car and headed out for a weekend of low key camping. There was still at least an hour of daylight left when we finally reached the campground. I decided to set up our tent,…

Posted on June 15, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Camping at Wilderness State Park

Wilderness State Park is located in the northern part of Michigan's lower peninsula, near Cross Village and Mackinaw City. Its campgrounds stretch along the coastline of Lake Michigan. In addition to several hiking trails within the park, it is also located near the North Country Trail. My friends and I…

Posted on June 11, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Adventures

Planning Our Pictured Rocks Backpacking Trip

I've already shared about our Pictured Rocks backpacking trip and my vlog from our hike, so today I would like to talk about how we went about planning our Pictured Rocks backpacking trip. Planning the Hike The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore section of the North Country Trail stretches approximately 42…

Posted on June 3, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

Backpacking

Backpacking the Pictured Rocks: My Gear List

Today I thought I would share my Pictured Rocks backpacking gear list with you. While I am by no means an expert, nor do I have an ultralight base weight, I thought sharing my Pictured Rocks backpacking gear list might be a helpful planning tool for those of you who…

Posted on May 30, 2019November 26, 2019 by Kristy by Kristy

pictured rocks backpacking grand portal point

Adventures

Pictured Rocks Vlog

I recently did a three day backpacking trip of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in northern Michigan with my friends, Erin and Megan. Here's a vlog I put together of some of the things we got to see and do during our hike. More Info: Backpacking the Pictured Rocks Backpacking…