Tag: Adventure

• A Day Off

  Posted at 6:14 AM by Brittany, on January 29, 2015

  Last week I showed up to school to find a big fat note on the classroom window.

  **Chem 142 & 152 CANCELLED.**

  Immediately my body went into a state of shock, not only was lecture cancelled, but so was my lab. I don’t work on Thursdays because I am usually at school all day. This meant one thing: I had a complete, total, and 100% day off…from everything.

  

  Insert excitedly awkward selfie.

  I had already driven the 10 minutes to get to school, so I stayed around for an hour to do some homework, but then the rest of the day was mine. I had even finished my scheduled 5 mile run for the day. Ideally I would have loved to go for a hike, or even venture to Seattle, but the days get dark so fast and that wouldn’t have worked well.

  

  Where I’d REALLY rather be…

  So I did the next best thing, I wandered World Market.

  

  There are many reasons why I love to wander World Market, starting with their coffee samples. Something about that tiny cup in my hand while walking the aisles makes me feel like a freshly groomed sheep. So light and free.

  It’s also one of the few places I will willingly try flavored coffee.

  

  I like to stare at things while I drink my coffee. Computer screens, my cat taking a bath, rain falling, strangers spilling ketchup on themselves, or paintings.

  

  

  That coffee print is brilliant, and true! Except the part about the lighter roasts, I’m a full bodied-low acidity coffee kinda gal. Lighter roasts are too bright and floral for my liking. I want my coffee smooth enough to pair with…

  

  …chocolate. All the chocolate. Chocolate is made in the kitchen, unless you’re being innovatively unsanitary. The kitchen calls for baking tools (and snacks.)

  

  I NEED this ceramic style kitchen utensil holder! So rustic.

  

  If you insist.

  

  I’d serve so many cookies off that deer face. Cookies…which bake for allotted amounts of time. Time in which you’ll need a clock. Or six.

  

  The worn looks to all these clocks speak to my recycling soul. I’d possibly find something similar digging in the trash, then it would be vintage right? Then I would smell…and I’d need a candle to walk around with to mask my scent.

  

  When I close my eyes and sniff these candles I feel like I’m in a tropical land with rare succulents, and komodo dragons the length of Asia.

  

  When it’s all said and done, really I just like to mentally decorate the house I don’t own, and buy chocolate. I walked out with the wasabi ginger bar and a classic sea salt bar. Both pair perfectly with coffee and a book…a book about coffee.

  

  This is the first book I’ve purchased in years. I’m all about the library, but I had a Barnes and Noble gift card collecting dust. This was the perfect purchase. I love it.

  Speaking of coffee, I am currently drinking a cup all the way from New Zealand. My dear friend Gigi sent me TWO bags. A good friend sends you a gift from her recent vacation, but a great friend sends you a gift of your true passions. ❤

  

  Ground for a plunger, (or French press) how perfect.

  “Extra smooth, extra caffeine, extra grunt.”

  Q: What stores do you love to wander? Whole Foods, TJ’s, World Market, and REI top my list.

  

  | 82 Comments Tagged Adventure, Coffee, Random, School, World Market

• Mount Washington

  Posted at 5:54 AM by Brittany, on July 23, 2014

  Of all the mountains I’ve hiked lately, I feel as though this one is a necessary climb for anyone living in Washington. For obvious reason.

  

  

  After a weekend full of activity I found this climb to be somewhat difficult. My legs were heavy, and it took every ounce of energy I had to push me up the steep gradients. Thank goodness for cookies.

  

  Tunnel into the trees.

  I focused on taking a few more photos along the way opposed to just the photos at the summit. The journey to the top is just as exciting.

  

  

  This was the first hike of the year that I had moments where I wasn’t enjoying myself. I know it was because I was tired, but it just goes to show not every climb is full of mountain glitter and confetti.

  

  

  Alas, once I made it to the top it was all worth it. As always.

  

  

  If you recall from a hike I went on a little over a month ago (under life lesson number five), I almost had to fight a bird for my sandwich. This time, I decided to try and feed the bird myself, because only when I OFFER you my food is it OK to take it. Never without approval.

  

  

  They circled, but didn’t take it. How rude.

  So I set it down, and then they took it.

  

  Kind of hard to see, but there he is with the cherry in his mouth.

  Despite my moments of weakness this hike was the perfect cap to my fantastic adventurous weekend. I destroyed an entire Chipotle burrito afterwards, and enjoyed a sunset ferry ride home.

  

  I’ve decided to try educating myself on the local wildflowers and plants on my hikes. I now know the names of the two flowers in this post, and will for sure bust out this knowledge on my next hike!

  Q: Do you ever look up wildflowers/bird types/tree types etc..? Having this information makes me feel all “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” 

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged Adventure, Climb, Hike, Mount Washington, Mountain

• Fancy That

  Posted at 9:15 AM by Brittany, on July 14, 2014

  I find it quite comical how my mind/mood works.  It’s not uncommon for me to feel a certain way inside, and the moment I express those feelings to the outside world they change. Indecisive much!?

  

  Case in point – anytime I feel like I’m in a running funk and I express it on the blog, I get the urge to run. So I’ve been running lately, not far, but I’ve been running. Partially to balance out the treats I’m enjoying.

  

  An abundance of raspberries means a crumble cake is in order.

  

  I find that when I remove the stress, or feelings of pressure from something, everything else just falls into place. Once I switched from the half marathon to the 5K for a race I ran yesterday, I was no longer dreading the idea of running and it became rejuvenating again.

  Fancy that.

  

  Even a 5K warrants a trip to Whole Foods.

  I’ll have a post dedicated to the race,  because it was too good of a run not to talk about. My entire weekend was good actually. The day before the race I went to spend time with a friend and explore.

  

  

  

  It was a fantastic day. Today I’m back to exploring the mountains, it’s been 11 days since my last climb!! Thank you 4 day weekend! 🙂

  Q: Do you ever feel emotionally indecisive when you make a choice one way or another? I’m even worse when it comes to purchasing things. 

  

  | 39 Comments Tagged Adventure, Baking, Explore, Running, Vegan, Whole Foods

• A Place of Zen

  Posted at 7:10 AM by Brittany, on July 11, 2014

  The older I get the more I realize how fluid life is, constantly changing and flowing in different directions. If you’re not prepared to bend and mold with the moving currents, reality tends to slap you in the face.

  

  

  As I stated a few posts ago, blogging has taken a bit of a back seat to other things in my life. Once upon a time I blogged every other day, but now I’m lucky to get 1-2 posts a week in. C’est la vie.

  

  

  

  Between work, school, and spending all my free time in the mountains I have changed my priorities around. Blogging has taken its place in hot seat number four. I stressed about this for all of 2 minutes before I reminded myself why I blog. I blog because I enjoy it, not because I have to.  Blogging is a hobby, to be done when I decide.

  

  

  My latest mountain extravaganza was one that I have wanted to check off my list for a few years now. I attempted to find this trail head in May 2012 (thank you blog archives) but was unsuccessful.

  

  

  

  I couldn’t be happier I tried again because this takes the cake for my favorite hike thus far. The Olympic Mountains have some of the most gorgeous valleys, and talk about breath taking views of the Cascades.

  

  

  Food tastes better up here.

  

  I literally sat in the same spot staring at these mountains for 20 minutes. I was waiting for Julie Andrews to run out from behind one of these hills singing about how they are alive, but she didn’t show.

  If I could build a tiny cabin anywhere in the world this is where it would be. I am either extremely under traveled, or I just adore the area I live in. I’ll say a little bit of both.

  

  

  I know I talk about it a lot, but hiking has really captured my soul lately. So much that I rarely think about running, and instead my thoughts are filled with high trees and snow capped mountains.

  It’s bizarre at times to think about how much my life has changed when it comes to running. I still love it (most of the time), but it’s not like it was when I first started. I feel like I’ve found something in hiking that I can completely call my own. Running has always had a slight connection to a part of my life that changed a long time ago.

  

  This is what I look like at 6280 ft, above the clouds, and with the sun in my face. OH and with a mountain sprouting from my head, look closely! Mt. Baker hat.

  

  I went to the bathroom near a bush with this as my view. I could get used to that.

  I’ve learned to change accordingly with my life as it continues to move forward. I have my moments of reminiscence, but I embrace each day for its own fresh start. Life is good, and I’m in a place of zen.

  

  Really what it all boils down to is perspective. Change your mind, change your life. The mountains look better when you’re at the top.

   Q: How do you handle the unavoidable changes life throws your way?

  

  | 44 Comments Tagged Adventure, Hike, Life, Mount Townsend, Mountain, Washington

• Bandera Mountain – The Sun it Shines

  Posted at 3:48 AM by Brittany, on July 7, 2014

  The last handful of “big adventure” hikes (anything I have to travel over an hour to get to and consists of at least 4-8 hours of hiking) I’ve gone on have been on cloudy days. Temp wise this is ideal, but for a good view and full proof navigation it’s not.

  

  BIG difference in the view driving up from the last hike I went on. NO clouds. YES!

  

  You can imagine my excitement when I ventured to Seattle/North Bend on a bright sunshiny day. Bring on the fantastic views!!

  

  

  The must see attraction on this hike was Mount Rainier. As the elevation grew, the views became better and better. What first started at just a tiny peak of a view, grew to a mass pile of gorgeous. 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  This hike was rated a 4/5 for difficulty, but once it got steep I personally rated it a 4.5/5. I was also hot and I was tired. As always though, the views from the top were well worth the climb.

  

  

  Snow on one side, dirt on the other.

  

  

  

  Due to the activities that took place on my last big hike (getting lost and almost starving to death) I packed my bag full. I had an apple, a plum, two tortillas with an avocado smashed inside, a Vega bar, dry roasted edamame, leftover brown rice noodles with beans and tomato, and a vegan/gluten free berry scone I bought at WF.

  

  

  My one and only complaint on this hike was not having a personal zap gun for all the bugs swarming me. It was legit ridiculous. Thankfully as I sat at the peak and enjoyed my food feast, the annoyance of the bugs all seemed to fade away.

  

  

  I have 4 bug bites that have lasted over a week, but I ate every last morsel of the food I brought. I call that a success.

  Blogging has been on the back burner right now due to work, school, and my hiking adventures. I will pop in for a post or two whenever I have some down time to write! As always, you can follow my adventures outside of the blog through my Instagram photos! 🙂

  Q: What’s your favorite hiking weather? I like a slight bit of overcast to keep things cool, but not enough to skew the view! 

  

  | 51 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bandera Mountain, Hiking, North Bend, Summer, Sun

• Adventure Seekers

  Posted at 7:27 AM by Brittany, on June 30, 2014

  Starting tomorrow I am finally headed back to school. I’ve kept my education plans hush for a while because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but  cats out of the bag-it’s time to get my learn on. With that said, I’ve been soaking up as much adventure as I can.

  In all reality I am only taking one summer class right now, and it’s only two days a week. My schedule will hardly be affected, but any excuse for adventure is a good one in my book! This weekend I had a blast.

  

  I met up with Alex for an exceptional donut and lake walk date. We chatted and walked for a couple hours and it was as if we were old time friends. I just adore her optimistic spirit, what a gem!

  

  We walked roughly 6 miles, and then after I dropped her off I headed back to the lake to get in a run and some more walking.

  

  I ran just around 4 miles, and walked another 2 bringing my total of the morning to about 12 miles. I was ready to destroy a donut.

  

  I could totally get used to running around a gorgeous lake followed by donuts and coffee everyday…ppsh who needs school? Kidding…kind of. I did need some real food though, so I spent my life savings on 1.2 pounds of food from Whole Foods salad bar.

  

  If you’ve never had roasted garlic the size of a small child, you’re missing out.

  The very next day I went for a hike at the mountain near my house. I’ve hiked this trail too many times to count on one hand, so I decided it was time to explore some more. I ended up stepping foot on all four trails of the mountain, adding an additional 1.5 hrs to my hike.

  

  I honestly didn’t have much of an idea where I was, but I knew eventually I would be spit out onto a familiar trail. My friend was along for the ride, and I was sure she wanted to kill me.

  

  The multiple trails took as around the mountain instead of straight up. After finally finding the top, we enjoyed a 20 minute eat/rest.

  

  5 hours and at least 10-11+ miles later we made it down in one piece.

  Today I am headed to Seattle for another bigger mountain hike, stay tuned for a post on that. I also post my hiking adventures to my Instagram if you wanna follow me there..ya know..if ya wanna.

  Q: What is your idea of a fabulous adventure? Good food,  good company, and a GOOD outdoor workout. All wrapped into one day.

  

  | 65 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bloggers, Hike, Seattle

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 6:21 AM by Brittany, on June 27, 2014

  1.  I’m back with a vengeance in regards to my rice cake addictions. The ideas are non stop, I need to open a rice cake shop. Latest and greatest: PB and honey rice cake with…jalapenos! SO good.

  

  2. I won a free half marathon that is scheduled for July 13th. I haven’t been running…at all…like..at all at all. I’m scared…

  3. Text messages like this complete me…

  

  I like to make treats for my hikes, and it’s nice to know they are good.

  4. I’ve officially been sucked into Orange Is the New Black…damn.

  5. Seattle is my favorite.

  

  6. I love my blog layout, but hate how it makes my pictures look. The only way to get a clear detail is to click on them..ain’t no body got time for that! Not sure what I wanna do because my pictures ARE my blog.

  7. My cat goes bananas for watermelon.

  

  8. I go bananas for Chipotle. After my near death experience while hiking last week (OK SO I am exaggerating a bit) I ate a burrito the size of a small horse…all of it…and I didn’t stop to breathe.

  9. My cat food costs me $40 for two small 6lb bags. My cats = My kids.

  

  10. Today I’m off to Seattle for a meetup full of coffee, donuts, and Green Lake adventures with Alex!! SO JAZZED! Happy weekend!

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bloggers, Chipotle, Hiking, Mighty-O, Running, Seattle, Vegan

• Green Mountain – Par Baked

  Posted at 7:56 AM by Brittany, on May 26, 2014

  I was a hiking machine this weekend. Between Saturday and Sunday I conquered 18 total miles of pure nature bliss. Hiking season is here.

  

  

  

  

  I just can’t get enough!

  Along the way I found Sasquatch.

  

  Ah, nope that’s just me. I assure you this balancing act was much harder than it looks. I debated walking across the log for a whole second and quickly shoved that idea south. I decided I wanted to live.

  

  

  Post Sat. hike I came home and made myself the most epic pizza. I had been craving pizza for WEEKS, and finally got around to “sorta” kinda making some. I say sorta because this was a “semi” homemade pizza.

  

  I usually like to make my dough from scratch, but I also like to try new things. I snagged this gluten free flatbread on my last trip to TJ’s and OH MY it was good! I was pleasantly surprised. I mentioned a while back that too much wheat causes my stomach to rebel, so I limit my intake on breads. Next time I’ll try making my own GF dough.

  

  Most people can’t live without cheese on their pizza, for me it’s potatoes. Two years ago (I love blogging because I can dig back in my archives for moments like this) I was introduced to potatoes on pizza and I never looked back…ever. I’ve had them on every pizza since.

  First time using sweet taters, and all I have to say is yes. Just yes. I baked my sweet potatoes, my beets, and my garlic in the oven before my hike to ensure they were ready when I came home ravenous.

  For this I just sliced them thin, wiped my pan with coconut oil, topped with a little sea salt and baked at 375 for about 45 min – an hour. The garlic will need to come out after about 20 minutes. I also cheated on this pizza and used a store bought sauce! All kinds of crazy over here.

  

  I am in love with these Bolani sauces!! They are amazing, and they are LEGIT using minimal ingredients. I love making my own sauces/pesto and as a vegan I usually have to, but these are a fun treat and I totally approve of the nutritional stats/ingredients.  Random Costco find!

  

  I could have definitely eaten two.

  

  Q: Who’s embracing the hiking season!?

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Adventure, Hike, Hiking, Pizza, Recipe, Trader Joes, Vegan

• Poo Poo Point

  Posted at 7:13 AM by Brittany, on April 16, 2014

  Hi, my name is Brittany, and I am 25 going on 12.

  

  When I first heard about the poo poo point trail, I wanted to hike it simply because of the name. I knew nothing about this hike other than the fact that it had “poo” in its title.

  

  Much to my surprise, this was not only a legit climb, but it had one of the best vantage points of any of the hikes I’ve done. Yeah, that’s a big deal. The journey to the top had some photo worthy scenery as well. I was very impressed with this trail!

  

  

  

  I was able to wrangle a fellow nature lover along for the ride. This meant I was finally able to see what I look like in my natural habitat – aka taking photos of nature.

  

  So serious.

  Round trip this hike was about 7.5-8 miles, and the vegan scone I had tucked safely in my Camelbak kept me moving on the way up. Despite my heart feeling like it was going to burst a few times, I didn’t dare stop moving.

  

  I lasted all of 30 seconds at the top for a photo before digging into my scone.

  

  

  Remember that time I ventured to Seattle and missed my chance for a vegan scone? I made sure to get one this time…and nearly bought 10 things. SWOON. Made my world. Ironically, I also got a free piece of chocolate from the same chocolate shop I wandered into after missing out on my scone last time. Originally $2.25 for the chocolate, I got fo free.

  Good things come to those who wait.

  Q: Anyone else chuckle at the name of this trail….please tell me I’m not alone. 

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Adventure, Explore, Hiking, Nature, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 7:32 AM by Brittany, on April 14, 2014

  1. I bought a new French press, and I don’t know how I ever lived without this gorgeous piece of pastel. The colors are legit and it screams, “I’m 12 at heart, but LOOVEE coffee.”

  

  2. Speaking of coffee, today I start my training to become a coffee master..aka a coffee ninja. I credit my soul mate Gigi for coming up with that term. Click here to learn more. When I complete the training I will be gifted a fancy black apron (ninja.) Stoked.

  3. Continuing with the topic of Starbucks, three of my coworkers and I “gave back” last week and volunteered to stuff Easter eggs with candy for kids. They are lucky I don’t like mints…I would have struggled not smuggling all the candy out in my pants.

  

  4. Yesterday I went to Darby’s Cafe in Olympia. I’ve been wanting to go there for about a year now, mainly because I saw it on DDD. I’m a sucker for Food Network. It was delish.

  5. I’m training for my 5th half marathon, it’s in three weeks. I’ve been running on roads like this…

  

  ….and refueling with treats like this….

  

  I totally had a giant bowl of vegetables before I face plated a cupcake..I promise.

  

  6. I spent $150 at REI the other day on a rain jacket…it’s been 70 and sunny all week.

  7. I’ve made headway onto foodgawker..and I couldn’t be more elated. I still haven’t read my dSLR manual, and I know nothing about food photography. I shoot what I think looks good, so this is extra exciting for me. I’ve had three photos accepted..starting somewhere!

  

  8. I have complete plans of going back to school, but I’m taking my sweet, sweet time.

  9. I’ve managed to fit some exploring into my schedule. Total necessity. 

  10. Life is good, and I want to own a bakery.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Adventure, Coffee, Confessions, Half Marathon, Random, Running, Vegan

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• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, deep connections, exploration, and lots of potatoes.

• If this blog does not meet your standards, please lower your standards.

• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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