Wake and Wander

No Shortcuts: Taking the Long Way in To Havasupai Falls

In the realm of travel, a common refrain is that, thanks to the Internet, there are no undiscovered places left on the planet. That belief morphs more and more into truth with each passing day. Unfortunately, cities, islands, and points of interest that were once unturned stones have become unbearable tourist attractions. Luckily, adventure travelers have an advantage that…

Photos: The Incredible Havasupai Oasis in the Grand Canyon

Adventure travelers have been immersing themselves in the Grand Canyon for centuries, backpacking rim to rim or rafting their way along the mighty Colorado River. Last week, I took one of the easier routes of submersion, hiking the 11-mile Havasupai Trail to what I consider to be the Canyon’s, and perhaps North America’s, best oasis. Believe it…

Greetings From the Bottom of the Grand Canyon

I’m down there… somewhere. Most people only see the Grand Canyon from above, looking out from a viewing platform on the South Rim near the visitor center. For those that need a reminder of its “grandness,” the canyon is 277 “river miles” long, one mile deep, and 18 miles at its widest point. But none of that makes…

Essay: Life Lessons in Borneo Published on Gear Patrol

Deep in the jungle of Malaysian Borneo outside of Batang Ai National Park, about two hours from civilization, our guide uncoiled a weighted fishing net — which he had made by hand — and tossed it into the river. He put on a pair of old-school, glass-lens diver’s goggles and waded in, then dove down…

On-the-Go: Some Shots from My Safari in Kenya

The animals here at the Masai Mara in Kenya are so damn dramatic. I think the lion is my favorite thus far. What about you?

A Manic May Approaches With Africa, Berlin, and Switzerland

Well, that sure went by fast. Seems like it was just last week when I stood high above Donner Lake in Tahoe, in route down to Yosemite to cover the park’s 150th anniversary. The story will be published in AAA Colorado this summer, and if you want to see some of the photos, they are…

Hell on Earth: Following the Footsteps of the Donner Party

Last night, as the sun set over Lake Tahoe, I drove north on Highway 89 and headed west, past the once-Olympic venue and ski area Squaw Valley to a place I remember reading about as a kid in school, a place where hell basically surfaced on earth in the early winter of 1846: Donner Lake….

New Columns Featuring Food and Booze Live on Conde Nast

Last fall, I took over as Assistant Editor of Conde Nast’s Jaunted to specialize in its destination coverage, and with the new year has come opportunities to design a few of my own columns for the site. The first, which highlights street foods and other cultural dishes from around the world, is called “Street Food…

Photos: Was This the Most Beautiful Ski Day of My Life?

Over a foot of new snowfall dropped on Steamboat Springs prior to Super Bowl weekend, setting up deep runs through its infamous trees on Saturday. The locals refer to the area’s snow as “Champagne Powder” (which I’ll tell you about later), but it was when the storm passed that things got epic. Every skier/boarder loves…

Why I Didn’t Take Photos When I Saw the Northern Lights

This article was originally published on Conde Nast’s Jaunted. After a few nights of anticipation and washing down cod chips with Northern Lights beer, I finally saw the Polar Lights in all their glory about an hour outside of Tromso in the Arctic Circle. There are a lot of words to describe the evening: Powerful. Incredible. Fascinating. Colorful. Inspiring. But…

Wake and Wander’s ‘Holy Shit Moments’ of 2013

It was the year of Europe. I finally broke into the market as a travel writer, making 8 trips that brought me through a total of 9 countries in 2013 (Portugal, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Belgium, Greece, and Turkey). I also did a bit of work in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita), Canada (Quebec…

January: Holy Shit Moments, Arctic Circle, Southeast Asia

Happy 2014 from Wake and Wander! I hung out in Philadelphia, watching fireworks over Penn’s Landing on New Year’s Eve (among other celebratory activities) and crawling around the city for the annual Mummer’s Parade on January 1st. Hope everyone had fun ringing in the new year in their own way. With the holidays done and…