Hello Reader!

I hope you're having a great day thus far. Somehow we're already halfway through summer (boo!). Have you been able to get out for any good backcountry adventures so far?

Anyways, let's cut to the chase. In my last email, I said I had a big update coming and here it is:

I QUIT MY JOB! 🎉🎉

Wooh! Friday was my last day of work! I don't typically talk about my "day job" online so a lot of people assume I work in the outdoors full-time, either as a blogger, guide or outdoor educator.

In reality, I've spent the last three years working with tech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although unrelated to the outdoors, it's taught me so much about building digital tools and it's the only reason Voyageur Tripper and Trip Reports have developed into what they are today (and will continue to develop in the future).

Leaving my job has been much more emotional than I expected. I really enjoyed my job and living in California and loved the people I got to work with. It's been an amazing ride and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I've had here.

But as much as I liked it, I felt like it was time for something new.

So what am I doing now?

If you're expecting this to be an "I quit my job to adventure full time" story... that isn't the case.

Yes, I will be taking some time to travel, but I'll go back to work eventually. I don't know if that'll be in tech or business or the outdoors or guiding or something entrepreneurial. But that's a question for future Mikaela to answer (open to other suggestions too!).

In the near term, I'm focusing on friends/family and my health, and of course, continuing to build the website into the best resource for planning backcountry adventures. Expect more blog posts, more trip reports, maybe the resurrection of my YouTube channel, more maps, and more resources all around.

Announcements

Besides the BIG UPDATE, here are the latest developments on the website!

Improved Route Planner

I've been in the process of improving the look and feel of the Route Planner. It's still a work in progress, but I'm really happy with how it looks right now. I think it's a lot easier to use (especially on mobile). If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let me know!

I've also been adding Permit Information to all of the campsites, which should make it easier to book your trip. Where I have data, there's also a photo, description and rating.

Finally, the last change that's been happening on the Route Planner is that I've been expanding the destinations covered. Just as a reminder, the Route Planner currently covers:

• Algonquin
• Killarney
• Spanish River
• Missinaibi River
• Mattawa River
• Frontenac
• Kawartha Highlands
• French River
• Temagami
• Dumoine River (the first non-Ontario destination!)

I'm working on some backpacking routes out west too, and some more canoeing destinations in Quebec and northern Ontario. Basically, any destinations where we have Trip Reports.

Nahanni River Mini-Series

Exactly one year ago, I took an extended vacation from my job to paddle the Nahanni River with my Dad. For various reasons, we opted to do it guided and joined Black Feather's Nahanni Classic - a 2-week trip from Rabittkettle Lake to Nahanni Butte.

The trip was everything I imagined it would be... and more. And since returning, I've written so much about the river - the campsites, the hikes, the scenery, and the misadventures (aka sorry for flipping the canoe Dad!).

But because I'd been working so much, all of the writing lived in various states of 'draft'.

Well, now that I've got some time on my hands, I've partnered with Black Feather to publish a mini-series about the Nahanni River. (Realistically, this is just an excuse for me to share even more photos from the trip...)

The first blog post in this series is about the incredible hiking along the river. Considering this was a paddling trip, I wasn't expecting much hiking - let alone that it would be one of the highlights of the trip!

I hope you enjoy the blog post!

​Nahanni River Canoe Trip: 7 Unexpectedly Incredible Hikes​

Latest Trip Reports

Here are the new trip reports that were published this month!

• ​Great Divide Trail: Section B – Coleman to Boulton Creek / Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (7 days / 191 km)​
• ​Garibaldi Provincial Park: Singing Pass to Kees and Claire Hut (2 days / 30 km)​
• ​Point Reyes: Five Brooks to Almere Falls via Glen Camp (2 days / 14 km)​

Been on a camping trip lately? Write your own trip report!

As I said in my last email, I have the goal of getting to 250 trip reports by the end of the year. I have this goal because there are a few destinations that have a lot of demand, but we don't have any / many reports for them - e.g., Quetico, BWCA, Crown Land, Rocky Mountains and more.

So if you've done a trip, I'd love to hear from you. Details on the structure and (updated) compensation can be found here:

Okay, that is all for now. As always, thank you so much for your continued support. I hope to use this time off to create resources you find helpful and add a little sunshine to the outdoor community.

Happy adventuring,

Mikaela