šŸ• Monthly Round Up: July/August 2023


Hey Reader!

How has your summer been going? Hard to believe we're already more than a week into September. The last two-ish months have been incredibly busy for me, but I'm excited to share some photos with you and give you updates on all things Voyageur Tripper. Oh and I'm doing a $500 giveaway, so read on to learn more!

Nahanni River

In July, my dad and I were able to tick off a major bucket list item: Canoeing the Nahanni River. We've been working towards this trip since 2020, when I first got my dad and brother to join me on a whitewater canoe trip.

Here are some highlights:

  • Rabbithettle Lake and the hike to the Tufa Mounds (featured in the first two photos)
  • Hiking at Nailicho / Virginia Falls (third photo)
  • Camping at The Gate and hiking to Pulpit Rock (fourth photo)
  • Spending so many days just paddling with no internet
  • Seeing caribou and bison (last photo)

I am working on a trip report for the river, but considering it was a 2 week trip in the Arctic... It's turning into a LONG report. Hopefully, it'll be live in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I've been sharing a day-by-day mini-trip report. You can check it out here.

Los Angeles

Shortly after returning from the Nahanni River, I took a quick flight down to LA from San Francisco to meet my mom. We spent three days in LA, basically doing all of the touristy things: Comedy Store, Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, Walk of Fame and the Beverly Hills Hotel. The main attraction, and the reason for the visit, is that I'd miraculously scored incredible seats to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. Seriously, what an incredible show.

Mount Whitney

I ended the summer off with perhaps the hardest hike I've ever done. It wasn't the longest by distance or even the most elevation gain. But the distance and elevation gain, mixed with the altitude really did a number on me. We summited Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US, extending above 14,500 ft.

On Day 1, we hiked just 6 miles from the trailhead to Trail Camp (12,000 ft). It was a slow journey up. Lots of elevation gain. And we were reminded not to push ourselves too much after we saw a woman get helicopter-evacuated (to our knowledge, she is okay).

On Day 2, we left camp at 4:45am and we pushed the remaining 2,500 ft to the summit of Mount Whitney. The air got so thin that even at our pace of ~1 mile per hour, I was out of breath. I never thought about quitting, and it always felt achievable, but man it was difficult. After an hour at the summit (and a little summit photoshoot), we hiked back down to camp, packed our gear and hiked back to the trailhead, reaching the car at 7pm. This was easily one of the longest days of my outdoor life!

There are already a ton of guides on the trail, but I'll still make a trip report for it. Stay tuned :)

Announcements

$500 GIVEAWAY + Bonus

There has been such a good reception for the Canoe Route Planner! To celebrate, and to make the tool even more helpful, I'm hosting a giveaway.

All you have to do is review a campsite, portage trail, access point, rapid or a point of interest in one of the six provincial parks on the Canoe Route Planner. Each review equals one entry and the prize will be a $500 gift card to a local outdoor store or outfitter of the winner's choice.

The winner will be randomly drawn on September 30th at 11:59pm.

How to Enter the Giveaway:

  1. Click here to Submit a Feature Reviewā€‹
  2. You can review a campsite, portage trail, access point, rapid or point of interest
  3. The review form will ask you to provide a name, a short description, and a photo(s) of the feature
  4. Each review equals one entry. You can submit as many reviews as you like, but you need to provide a photo and a short but specific description for each.

Some disclaimers: To ensure accuracy, I have a little team of frequent paddlers reviewing all entries to verify they are correct and that the reviewer has actually been there. By submitting a review, you are confirming that you own the content and you are giving me (Voyageur Tripper) permission to include the review on the Canoe Route Planner.

There will also be a surprise bonus prize for whoever submits the most verified reviews.

If you have any questions, let me know! (Also I just learned how to do a timer in emails! Cool!)

Count down to 2023-10-01T06:59:00.000Zā€‹

Latest Blog Posts

No new blog posts, but there are several new trip reports. Let me know if there are destinations you'd like to see more trip reports from.

New Trip Reports:


Happy adventuring!

Well, that is all from me. Thanks so much for sticking around for another long email. Have a great weekend!

Happy adventuring,

Mikaela

PS: Don't forget to submit your review to be entered in the giveaway!!

Mikaela | Voyageur Tripper

A Canadian in California giving you the skills to get outside. Sign up for gear, trip reports, how-to guides and all things canoeing, kayaking, backpacking and outdoor adventure travel!

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