Recent Adventures
Godley Head, Christchurch: A Coastal Walk With a Working Lighthouse and a WWII Backstory
Introduction Most people who fly into Christchurch never hear the name Godley Head. It sits at the far end of the Port Hills, past Sumner and Taylors Mistake, guarding the entrance to Lyttelton Harbour with a working lighthouse on one side and a warren of crumbling...
Bryce Canyon’s Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden: Hiking Inside the Hoodoos
Introduction Bryce Canyon isn't actually a canyon — it's a series of natural amphitheaters carved into the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah, packed with the highest concentration of hoodoos on Earth. Hoodoos are the tall, thin spires of rock that...
The Grand Canyon Track, Blue Mountains: Rainforest, Waterfalls, and Not Actually Arizona
Introduction The Grand Canyon Track Blue Mountains walk is the reason most visitors make the trip out here in the first place. The Blue Mountains rise about ninety minutes west of Sydney, and the first thing you should know about them is that they are not, in fact,...
Indiana Dunes: Where the Sahara Meets Lake Michigan and a Power Plant Photobombs Everything
Introduction Indiana does not have a reputation as a destination. This is, on balance, Indiana's gain — because it means that one of the most scenically bizarre and genuinely spectacular stretches of the southern Lake Michigan shoreline remains, relative to its...
Fort Sheridan Loop Trail: Lake Michigan’s Best-Kept Secret Is Right Off the Tollway
Introduction There's a particular kind of surprise that comes from finding genuinely good hiking within commuting distance of a major American city. You've been conditioned to expect asphalt paths, aggressive cyclists, and lake views interrupted by condominiums, and...
Sumner Beach at Sunrise, Then the Stairs That Will End You (In the Best Way)
Introduction Christchurch doesn't immediately read as a hiking destination. It's a flat city on a flat plain, still putting itself back together after the earthquakes, and the hills that frame it to the east are easy to overlook when you're navigating the one-way...
