40 Climbing Mount St. Helens

What’s the most difficult day hike we’ve ever done? Without question it was climbing to the top of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in WA state. Mount St Helens is part of the Cascade Range: 13 volcanoes that lie in an 800-mile chain from British Columbia to northern California.

Seven of these thirteen volcanoes have erupted at least once in the past 200 years, one of those being the most catastrophic and deadly volcanic event ever experienced in the United States: the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. In this episode we’ll discuss the details surrounding the eruption, as well as our grueling hike to the rim of the volcano.

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:

  • What happened in the months leading up to the eruption
  • What kind of devastation the blast caused 
  • Why so many people died as a result of the eruption
  • Why the area was made a national monument
  • Tips as to how to prepare for your climb to the rim of the volcano
  • What it was like to stand on the edge of the crater
  • Other things to do and see in the park

Links to more information:

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39 Mailbag!

It’s time for our monthly mailbag episode again, where we answer questions about national parks and other public lands, as well as gear, camping and a broad range of travel-related topics.

Some of the questions/topics we discuss in this episode:

  • What NPS sites turned out to be more than we expected
  • Whether or not you need a campsite reservation in Olympic NP in the summer
  • Have we been recognized by fans during our travels
  • In which parks did the cost to get there outweigh the experience
  • How many days does it take to see Congaree NP
  • What are some ways to visit the ocean parks
  • What has been our most difficult day hike

These questions and more on this episode of Mailbag!

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38 The Ten Essentials

What’s in your backpack? To prevent emergencies from happening while you’re hiking, and to deal with any that might arise, it’s important to include items from the Ten Essentials list. The National Park Service encourages all hikers to know what the Ten Essentials are, and to carry some version of them in their backpack. In this episode, we’ll discuss each of the ten categories, and give suggestions about what we like to carry with us on day hikes. 

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include:

  • What forms of navigation you could bring in addition to a paper map
  • What first aid items we’ve used the most
  • What a ferro rod is and why you should practice using it
  • Why you should carry duct tape
  • What the 3-in-1 tool is that Karen never leaves home without
  • Why we always pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
  • What are some ways to sterilize water along a trail
  • What items we pack that are not on the Ten Essentials list
  • What is Karen’s 11th Essential

Links to more information:

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37 Above the Arctic Circle

Alaska’s eight national parks contain some of the most spectacular wilderness areas in the NPS system, but two of them, Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley, consist of nothing but millions of acres of wilderness. There are no roads, no trails, no campsites and no services of any kind. In this episode we talk about our adventure to these two remote parks, the last parks on our original national park journey. Join us as we travel to these places that few visitors ever see, above the Arctic Circle. 

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include:

  • Where these parks are located
  • What the options are for tourists who want to visit them
  • Why we saved these two parks for last
  • Where we stayed and what it was like
  • How it felt to climb into a small plane again
  • What our park visits entailed
  • Why Matt tipped our pilot extra
  • Who we met that had a big impact on us
  • How much this trip cost

Links to more information:

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36 Dead Horse Point State Park

One of the most beautiful state parks in the country, Utah’s Dead Horse Point State Park, offers jaw-dropping views and incredible hiking trails. You can also rent one of nine yurts for a camping experience that combines the fun of tent camping with some of the luxuries of a hotel room. In this episode, we’re coming to you from inside one of those yurts, and we’ll discuss what it was like spending the night here, plus everything you’d want to know about the park and our experience driving the nearby, infamous Shafer Trail.

Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include:

  • What is the Shafer Trail and what kind of a vehicle do you need to drive it
  • Why we had to race to the top of Canyonlands to find a park ranger
  • How Dead Horse Point got its name
  • What are the yurts like on the inside
  • Why Karen thinks the parking lot bathrooms by the yurts would be a nice place to spend the night
  • Why Dead Horse Point is known for its sunrises and sunsets
  • What the campgrounds are like at Dead Horse Point

Links to more information:

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