Tag: Hiking

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 7:13 AM by Brittany, on March 24, 2015

  1. I often struggle with the idea of being still. A day off from work usually means I must do something productive, find a mountain to climb, or even embark on an unplanned long run. Heaven forbid I actually use the day off to relax.

  

  

  2. Thanks to an overwhelming urge to bake, I took one of my days off last week and enjoyed the simplicity of a calm morning with good coffee and freshly baked muffins.

  3. Despite being sweetened with nothing but the natural goodness of dates, apples, and sweet potatoes, I ate half the batch for breakfast which left me maxed out for bread consumption. This meant getting creative with snacks.

  

  Bread-less PB&J. Mixing coconut oil into freshly ground peanut butter is a total game changer.

  4. My coworkers are seriously the best. I’ve never worked at a place where there is literally ZERO drama and it’s fantastic. When our bananas get “too brown to sell” they save me giant piles to take home because they know I love alllllll the bananas.

  5. For St. Patrick’s Day I ate all the greens. That’s actually a semi lie, I always eat all the greens, regardless of small men in green tights.

  

  

  6. As I write this post my cat is practicing his stair sprints. He’s fast, and I’m impressed.

  7. I was convinced there was a pine cone hanging from my tree by naturally occurring circumstances. When I got closer I realized it was hung by man. Dreams shattered.

  

  8. I didn’t run a half marathon I was registered for. I skipped it for a few reasons, one being that I didn’t want this to happen again. I got sick, stopped running, and despite training for two months I felt wildly unprepared. I had no regrets.

  9. I’ve been craving pizza so hard lately, and Pi day was THE day.

  

  My crust was a total random mash up of two zucchinis, gluten free flour, baking powder, olive oil, and salt. My sauce was blended edamame, kale, garlic, basil, olive oil, and pepper. Topped with none other than my favorite roasted root vegetables.

  Finished with sprinkles of rosemary from my garden.

  

  10. Thanks to a good ol’ fashioned random number generator (because I still write a blog created in the 18th century) the winner of the Ray-Ban Sunglasses give away is…

  Jessica! Email me at blissfulbritt@yahoo.com so I can get your deets.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Confessions, Explore, Hiking, Run, Vegan

• Beautified

  Posted at 6:57 AM by Brittany, on February 27, 2015

  I like to think I’m not a picky person. There is only one vegetable I don’t like, I happily go on adventures that others choose, and if you served me gas station coffee…I’d drink it. Maybe…unless I had another option, but that’s beside the point.

  

  When it comes to beauty products I’m as challenged as an anesthetized cat. I wear some color on my eyebrows because I was not blessed with much of any, and I lightly brush my lashes with mascara when I have to work…because it’s fancy.

  I keep things pretty simple in the beauty department, so the products I use follow suit. I’m slightly picky here as I try to avoid added chemicals, and buy vegan friendly options when I can find them. I recently discovered the LUSH shampoo bar and to put it bluntly, I’m obsessed. I guess this means I’ll actually wash my hair now.

  

  While they’re not perfect, they’re simple and I love them. I would have never imagined washing my hair with a circular disk. I’m also in love with their mascara. I was sold when I discovered it was infused with wheatgrass. Plus, it’s vegan. 🙂

  It’s pricey upfront, but lasts for a while. I love the non clumping aspect, and it stays put whether I’m pushing caffeine at work, or exploring the mountains after work.

  

  

  However, because I can’t feel completely balanced until I use something 100% plain in its most natural state, I’ve been exfoliating in the shower with…coffee grounds. No combination scrubs of coffee and oils – JUST coffee, straight from my French press.

  

  Once I finish my morning cup(s) I simply gather a shot glass full of the used grounds and bring them with me into the shower. The natural oils from the coffee beans are amazing for moisturizing! I don’t use lotion, so this has made my skin very happy.

  Note: This is messy, but worth it. You’ll want coarse grounds, which is why grinding your beans for a French press is perfect. Most at home grinders grind the beans in the middle, but if you’re beans are ground too fine the exfoliation won’t be as good.

  Long story short: I’m a simple kind of gal that lives a simple kind of life. I do what I can to keep things clean inside/outside of my body, and despite my desires to be “au naturel” sometimes it’s fun to splash a little color on my face. Color meaning black.

  Like my soul.

  Q: What’s your beauty routine?

  

  | 87 Comments Tagged Beauty, Hiking, LUSH, Make Up, Vegan

• Hibernation is Over

  Posted at 6:56 AM by Brittany, on February 24, 2015

  The calendar says February, but the atmosphere says April. Washington has had exceptional weather lately, and despite the fact that this is TOTALLY NOT NORMAL AND WE’RE ALL GOING TO BURN THIS SUMMER, I’m enjoying it.

  I’ve hung up my parka and brought out my hiking shoes. The sun makes me itchy for activity, and that consists of anything that gets me moving. Things like…

  Running

  My latest weekend “long run” was a success. This is always a good thing.

  

  Burning 800 calories before 10 am meant two desserts that day. In an attempt to prevent over indulging in sweets, I’ve been eating dessert…every day. This daily consumption also motivates me to move more. What’s similar to running?

  Walking

  In nature.

  

  

  

  Nature walks tide me over long enough until I can do my favorite outdoor activity…

  Hiking

  

  

  Pre hike fuel from my favorite local GF/V bakery. Blueberry scone.

  

  I made it out for a solo hike on Sunday, and despite the weekend crowd it was delightful. An extra mile up the mountain resulted in complete solitary. 5 moderately simply miles earned me a kick ass view, and over a pound of food for my belly.

  Not including dessert

  

  

  Thank you Whole Foods, your vegan cupcakes make my mountain loving heart flutter.

  My dear friend Lily painted me a mountain scene for my birthday, and I adore it so very much. Also, can we just take a moment to talk about how dapper my wall looks with my new poster? Mountains, tree’s, and leaves OH MY.

  

  As you can see, I clearly have impeccable decorating skills.

  It’s time to donate my layer of blubber to a seal in Antarctica, hibernation is OVER.

  Q: What are your favorite outdoor activities?

  

  | 75 Comments Tagged Adventure, Gregory Alan Isakov, Hiking, Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, Running, Vegan

• Empty Mind, Filled Soul

  Posted at 4:40 AM by Brittany, on December 15, 2014

  I have a tendency to wander. Wander in life, wander in my mind, and wander with decisions. I often end up with three cupcakes instead of one because life is too short to settle on one thing. I adore this mindset, but sometimes it backfires. I don’t necessarily feel lost, just a bit ADD at times. Tolkien said it best after all. 

  As I mentioned in my last post, I’m <finally> on a break from school for the remainder of the month. Despite the fact that my final was last Wednesday, I skipped out on studying last Monday and headed to the mountains instead. I needed to wander.

  

  It had been two months since I last hiked, and three months since I had been to the area where I spent most of my summer exploring.

  

  What was once a simple 4 mile hike that I could do with my eyes shut, quickly became a moderately difficult hike that caused me to loose my breath a handful of times.

  It was never “I need to stop I’m going to die” difficult, but it wasn’t a cake walk like it used to be. This made the view from the top very rewarding.

  

  I can’t put into words the feeling I got when I stepped foot on those rocks. I almost wanted to cry. After struggling to find my footing with a school/life balance the last few months this solo hike was beyond necessary. I was the only person at the top and I took full advantage of it because this hike is typically PACKED with people.

  No people means you have to take your own photo at the top. I hate selfies, but I tried.

  

  No adventure to the mountains would be complete without a solid refuel. I needed a foodie adventure because as I previously mentioned, my eats have been rather boring.

  I drove all around Seattle for some good eats <—true story.

  

  I didn’t plan on a slice of pizza, but once I saw it I had to have it.

  I found my way to a local vegan bakery that I had been wanting to try for a while.

  

  Lemon blueberry cupcake.

  

  Chocolate mousse filled cupcake.

  I also snagged a mini pumpkin bread, which didn’t stand a chance for a photo. I tornado inhaled that the second I got back to my car. I got concerned stares.

  ..but when treats taste this good, all cares go out the window.

  

  They say to do what you love and the money will follow, but what if you’re not concerned about money? Sure I want to be able to survive, but I’m a minimalist and I’m OK with a minimal lifestyle. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know that today my soul is filled, and my life is balanced once again.

  Q(s): 

  • Thoughts? 
  • Cookies or cupcakes?
  • Did you settle on one thing you wanted to do for a living? I suspect I’m going to be a personal chef/mountain tour guide/novice blogger/treat baker/coffee guru/cat wrangler for many years to come – – – for now I’m OK with that. 

  

  | 80 Comments Tagged Explore, Hiking, Rattlesnake Ridge, Vegan

• Mailbox Peak

  Posted at 7:04 AM by Brittany, on August 1, 2014

  Sometimes I wonder why I do things. Like why I choose to put myself through the torture of climbing 4000 ft in only 2.5 miles. If you do the math, that’s a whole lotta climb for not a lotta distance.

  

  I successfully hiked solo, and by that I mean I actually felt solo this time. It was the perfect balance of people to where I felt safe, yet went multiple spans of time where I was all by myself.

  

  If there is one thing I learned on this hike, it’s that people talk to you much more when you’re solo. Aside from the “hiker must” of saying hello, I had a couple people help me with direction, and even a group of guys trying to “holler” at me. Yeah…no.

  Without the side conversations I would not have know to look for these white triangles while climbing through the forest. Oops, I missed that part when I skipped past the trail entrance notes.

  

  Where’s Waldo…can you see the marker?

  I have to say being alone in the woods was quite exhilarating. Despite my heart pounding out of my chest, and the sweat dripping from places I didn’t know possible this climb was amazing.

  

  Once I found my way out of the woods (seriously it was total brain work) a nice Scottish gentleman & I crossed paths. He informed me I could continue on the trail path, or Billy goat my way on the rocks.

  OK so he didn’t put it that way, but close. Guess which way I chose?

  

  

  

  The rocks! I had some practice on this hike, so it was a no brainier.

  The rocks gave a fantastic view of Mount Rainier, the neighboring hills, and some bodies of water. I was overwhelmed by all the beauty.

  

  

  I managed to make it to the top in just under two hours. I sat, I stared, I ate, I rejoiced, and relished my accomplishment. Toughest climb yet.

  

  What exactly is the highlight of this climb? There is a mailbox that someone brought to the top a while back (hence the name) and it’s caused this climb to be on many peoples bucket list. Myself included.

  

  Check. Add another highlight to the book.

  Post hike I wanted to eat all the things. Specifically all the carbs. So that’s just what I did. The Veggie Grill has a new sandwich and OMG.

  

  

  Of course no hike would be complete without restoring my sugar levels. It’s all a matter of science.  So I found my way to Whole Foods.

  

  

  Shut up and take my money.

  I’m extremely indecisive with baked goods, so mini treats are ideal.

  Best date I’ve had in a while…with myself.

  Q: What would be your first choice for a solo activity?

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Hiking, Mailbox Peak, Mountain, Vegan, Veggie Grill

• 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

• 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

• ob·ses·sion

  Posted at 6:19 AM by Brittany, on June 9, 2014

  ob·ses·sion

  : someone or something that a person thinks about constantly or frequently

  : an activity that someone is very interested in or spends a lot of time doing

  

  

  It’s safe to say I am officially obsessed with hiking. I think about it all the time, and I partake in it every weekend, usually twice. When I’m bored I look at photos of mountains, or browse REI for new gear.

  

  I hiked not one, not two, but three mountains this weekend. Two of them in one day, I just can’t get enough. Two of these hikes were new to me. The first one was the Rattlesnake Mtn Trail. Amazing.

  

  I continue to be in awe of each vantage point I come to.

  

  

  

  

  It’s amazing to me how at peace I feel when I am in the trees. I could literally sit atop a mountain like this for hours staring at one spot.

  

  The trifecta: Mountains, trees, and water.

  Rattlesnake was about 5 mi total, but I needed more. So I ventured over to Little Si, which is a smaller version of the hike I did last week.

  

  This trail was full of the most lush foliage I’ve ever seen.

  

  

  The view at the top was like a sea of trees.

  

  

  I have found my summer passion. I think it’s time to invest in some real hiking shoes, and camping gear. As if I needed another reason to love my time with nature, back to back hiking calls for epic refueling.

   

  

  

  

  Q: Where do you feel most alive? Next to chocolate cake, and in the forest. 

  
  | 57 Comments Tagged Explore, Hiking, Little Si, Mountain, Nature, Pizza, Rattlesnake Ridge, Vegan

• Mount Si – How Hiking Relates to Life

  Posted at 7:50 AM by Brittany, on June 2, 2014

  I’m not sure where my running bug went, but I don’t care to find it anytime soon. OK, so that’s not entirely true. I still think about running all the time, I just don’t DO IT all the time. Instead I have been filling my soul with the trees and rocks of mountains.

  

  OH HEY that’s me! Standing on a mountain and stuff.

  I’ve always been able to relate my running endeavors to life, and in all reality any difficult physical activity can probably relate to life in a round about way. Since hiking is my adventure of choice these days it just seems fitting to reflect on how a difficult climb can mean so much.

  

  Mt. Si –  4 miles up, 4 miles down. Beautiful 8 mile hike.

  

  Last Thursday I made my way to a new hiking location, which will be a common theme on the blog during the summer months. I’ve been lucky enough to find a couple friends that are willing to hike weekly.

  Life Lesson One: Conquering a new mountain is like letting new and exciting changes occur in your everyday life. Getting out of your comfort zone is good for the mind, body, AND soul.

  

  

  These woods were quiet, peaceful, and aside from conversation with my hiking partner, they offered alone time with thoughts.

  Life Lesson Two: Quieting the outside world, and learning to quiet the mind is powerful. Chaos internally causes chaos externally.

  

  

  Sometimes the climb gets tough, this one was moderate, and while my heart-rate spiked I never felt like I needed to stop. Keep moving.

  Life Lesson Three: Pushing through tough times often leads to beautiful things, or views. Don’t give into the desire to quit.

  

  

  

  Life Lesson Four: Sometimes making new friends happens when you least expect it. Embrace and delight in those around you everyday.

  

  

  

  I was so scared…

  Life Lesson Five: Curve-balls are common, and being mentally prepared to handle them confidently will make a world of difference. You cannot prepare for everything. Things like changes at work, or a ballsy bird trying to steal your well deserved sandwich.

  

  Quick side note/story. That bird ^^^^ legit tried to steal my sandwich and scared me so hard I almost fell. I was in such a zone of pure bliss due to finding the peak/eating that I didn’t even see it coming.

  

  Life Lesson Six: Perspective is everything. Change your mind, change your life. Sometimes it’s not what you see, but how you see it.

  

  Life Lesson Seven: In the end, after fighting and climbing to the top of the hike or closing the page of a difficult chapter, you reward yourself, because you’re worth every slice of chocolate cake and tofu stir fry. You’re tougher and stronger than you first might think.

  

  

  I actually ate this BEFORE the hike, because obviously cake and coffee is the right choice for fueling…

  Life Lesson Eight: Never.Give.Up. Never stop exploring, and never stop growing. Fight until you reach the top, and life will find a way of sparkling and gleaming in a way you’d never expected.

  Lately my days have looked like a unicorn sharted glitter all over me.

  Q: How does hiking/running/swimming/anything physical (keep it PG guys) relate to life for you?

  

  | 57 Comments Tagged Explore, Hike, Hiking, Life, Mount Si, Mountain, Nature

• Making my Meals Taste Better

  Posted at 6:12 AM by Brittany, on May 30, 2014

  I find that food takes so much better when I “earn it.” I always like to earn my treats such as cupcakes, cookies, or cupcakes AND cookies, but getting a good sweat in before an actual meal is just as rewarding. Running is my go to when I want to earn something like this…

  

  

  Local GF/Vegan chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes. Ohhh my swoon.

  These were savored and swooned over after a morning run.

  Another way I like to earn my meals is with a solid hike. I’ve been able to squeeze a good hike in every week lately, sometimes two in one week. My favorite local mountain is an easy default and after 9 miles on my feet and 3.5hrs in the heat/sun I head straight for food.

  

  View from the top.

  

  View from the restaurant.

  Sunshine and open decks mean sunnies and lots of water.

  I ordered a vegetable curry bowl, because for some reason I like hot foods even on hot days. I also always drink hot coffee, never iced.

  Can’t say I claim to be normal.

  

  Not a fan of the white rice, but I ate every last bit.

  I didn’t even attempt to use those chopsticks on the side of my bowl, give me a fork STAT. I usually give chopsticks my best shot despite looking like a sloth trying to pick up a piece of rice, but I was much too hungry for that nonsense. This meal was devoured. Moving on…

  I’ve been doing a lot of yoga lately. I start every morning with 10 minutes of sun salutations, and go to a class at least once a week-Ideally twice. I enjoy eating something light, but filling after a yoga class. Tofu spring rolls always hit the spot.

  

  Last, but certainly not least refueling after spin class always varies. Early morning spin classes usually result in a cous cous veggie bowl, and evening spin classes result in something lighter like a snack bowl.

  Early morning spin classes also earn me my coffee.

  

  

  Starbucks reserve coffee is such a rare treat!

  

  How I really feel.

  The Starbucks I work at is not a Reserve Store, so I don’t get to have reserve coffee as often as I would like. Anytime I find myself near a reserve store I get myself a clover brewed reserve coffee.

  I love coffee, I love to eat, and I love getting my sweat on. Life is good.

  Q: Would you agree that meals taste better after a good workout?

  

  | 62 Comments Tagged Coffee, Hike, Hiking, Run, Spinning, Starbucks, Vegan, Yoga

• 

• 

• Search for:
• 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

• ¿Quieres Más?

  Like my witty attitude and delightful charm? Enter your
  e-mail below for the party to come straight to your inbox!

  Email Address:

  Follow the adventure

  Join 4,725 other subscribers
• 

•