The Wander Method (2024)

09/12/2021

Hi, just dropping by to say yes, this account still does exist. Sorry for being away for so long!

20/11/2021

Lazy Saturday mornings make me reminisce on old travels.
📍Khao Sok National Park.
We stayed on floating tents in the middle of the jungle. Means of transportation included kayak and canoe. Constantly surrounded by sounds of the jungle, falling asleep to the little monkey family next door having a loud conversation. Truly a once in a lifetime adventure.

10/11/2021

Anyone else craving a walk in the woods right about now?

09/11/2021

This is another one of my favorite travel shots.
Peru was my first big trip completely alone. I remember being slightly terrified of being in a foreign country knowing absolutely no one, but after a few days trekking up Salkantay mountain with some fellow backpackers I made fast friends. That’s one of the many benefits of solo travel, the close bonds you develop with people from around the world that you may not have connected with if you were traveling with a group of close friends.

07/11/2021

Instagram is driving me crazy lately so I’m going to repost some of my all time favorite shots because they make me happy.
Views driving around Grand Teton National Park, when this was my backyard. If you’re thinking about making a change or doing something different with your life I highly suggest working a summer in our National Parks. I can safely say my first summer working in Yellowstone completely changed the trajectory of my life. If you’re even thinking about it, just DO it.

04/11/2021

lol just realized today I kind of hate Instagram.
I started this account with the intent to help build my blog because I love writing, but it realized I put far too much time and energy into figuring out an algorithm that makes no sense!
Although I plan to keep this page because of the wonderful people I’ve met through it, I hope to focus more on writing and designing my website.
Find me at www.thewandermethod.com and sign up for my newsletter for more updates and travel tips!👍🏼🍁😎

31/10/2021

Waterfalls can be spooky too, right?
Happy Halloween!!!

29/10/2021

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

― Henry David Thoreau, “Walden”

Honestly though, how could I not quote Thoreau when posting a walking in the woods picture from New England?

27/10/2021

*the faces you make when your mom wakes you up at 3am to go climb a mountain*
But it’s so worth it! Did you know this time of year Cadillac mountain in Acadia NP is the first place in the USA to see the sun rise? To me, that makes it an essential on any trip to New England in the fall.
Helpful tip** Right now there is a reservation system in place for driving to the top of Cadillac Mountain for sunrise. It’s a bit tough to make the reservation, but you don’t need a reservation to HIKE up to the top!
Pick the North Ridge trail to hike up for sunrise. It’s only about 2.2 miles (4.4 round trip) to the top, and although the incline is steady it’s not difficult to navigate, especially with plenty of other hikers on the trail (just make sure to bring a head lamp).
The most difficult aspect of hiking to the top is the parking at the trail head. There’s maybe 10 spots on the side of the road at the trail head, you have to get here super early to get these spots. We ended up parking about a quarter of a mile down the road, on the right hand side in a pull out! It worked just fine, but it adds some time to your hike so you’ll want to plan accordingly.
No matter how you do it, sunrise at Cadillac Mountain in Acadia is a must see! And don’t forget to bring your pup🐶

22/10/2021

Do you like to travel with your pup?
I DO🙋🏻‍♀️🐶
When I got Zion, my goal was to give her as many experiences as possible. I wanted to take her with me on trips and hikes, really make her my adventure buddy!
I have to say it’s not easy, she is a large 80lb Newfoundland/ Golden Retriever mix who is still a little bit of a puppy and can sometimes be a total baby, but I also have to say it’s ALWAYS worth it bringing her along.
She’s gone on countless hikes with me and my friends and family, as well as multiple road trips to National Parks like Shenandoah and Acadia. It’s always worth the extra to see her so happy to be included and part of the family.
I don’t try to spoil her with treats and hundreds of dog toys, I like to spoil her by treating her as my partner in crime and bringing her along to have her own special adventure with me!
Do you have any advice on traveling and hiking with your fur buddy?

21/10/2021

Views for days on top of Acadia mountain.🍁
The Acadia mtn trail can be completed multiple different ways depending on your preference.
🍁Option 1: Out&back. 2.5 miles. From the trail head you can head follow the signs and head straight to the top of Acadia mtn. It’s a steep ascent but it’s accompanied by steps making the rocky trail a little easier to scale up. Once you hit the views at the top you can turn around and make your way back down.
🍁Option 2: Loop. 2.8 miles. If you’re not interested in making it an out&back hike you can keep going past the highest look out (the trail continues to the left) and head back down a different way. This way is just as steep, but it has much less steps making it a hand over foot rocky climb the entire way down. Still, this steep descent is worth it for some awesome views on your way back down that you wouldn’t get if you went back down the same way you went up.
🍁Option 3: Two peaks. 3.8 miles. To add on to this hike you can also summit the nearby St. Sauveur trail peak. Start by completing Acadia mtn and continuing to make it a loop. As you near the bottom of the mountain, you will hit a trail junction where you will follow signs for St. Sauveur rather than heading back.
🍁SAVE for a future trip! I hope it comes in handy!⛰

15/10/2021

First of many ‘fall in New England’ shots🍁

10/10/2021

What’s the next National Park on your bucket list?
It’s been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember to visit all of the National Parks in the US. Over the period of a year I was lucky enough to cross off 4 parks and I’m making my way to 5 this week.
Do you have a favorite park? Where are you headed next?

08/10/2021

Tips on a trip to Crater Lake!
I visited Oregon and Crater Lake NP for the first time this fall! It’s always exciting to visit a new National Park, here are a few of my favorite hikes from the trip.

🍁Cleetwood Cove Trail: This trail takes you to the base of the canyon, where you meet up with Crater Lake itself. It’s a 2.2 mile hike, the first half going down to the lake and the past 1.1 straight up hill. The path is fairly gradual and very well maintained but with the slight elevation of Crater Lake you will work on the climb at the end of the hike.
🍁Watchman Peak: This is a gradual uphill trail that takes you to a look out tower that provides some absolutely incredible views of the lake. It’s only 1.6 miles but totally worth the climb, just make sure you get there early enough as the parking lot is smaller and can fill up quickly.
🍁Mount Scott: This trail takes you to the highest point in the park. It’s a fairly steep climb, but well worth it for the views at the top. Take your time as while on the 4.2 miles you really start to feel the higher elevation at which Crater Lake sits.
I hope you SAVE FOR LATER to enjoy on a future trip to Crater Lake National Park!!

07/10/2021

Same lake in the Tetons, three different seasons, which one do you prefer?
(Personally, I love the fall vibes these days, but the last one has all the best summer memories.)
The amazing thing about living and working inside the National Parks is they become your own backyard. You don’t just visit these places for a week, you become residents there. This gives you a more personal connection with the park surrounding you that you really can never get from just a quick trip.
One of my favorite parts of working in the park was seeing the seasons change. In the Tetons, I loved seeing the colors change and watch summer turn into fall. I would often visit the same places I visited in both the spring and the summer to see how much they’ve changed over the course of a year.
If you’ve ever considered working in a National Park now is the perfect time to start. Check out the link in my bio for more information on how to get started!

06/10/2021

Save for a future trip to Iceland!
It’s my favorite day!!
It’s no secret I think Iceland has some of the most amazing waterfalls in the world. This set of falls, Svartifoss, were some of my favorite, not just because of the amazing falls but because of the awesome hike to get there.
Svartifoss is located in Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park. The hike is roughly 5 miles long, where you get views of both this awesome waterfall and one of Iceland’s most famous glaciers.
Start the trek by walking to the left of the visitor center after leaving the parking lot. The trail will first take you up a steep climb heading to Svartifoss. After taking in some waterfall views, keep going up on the trail and follow signs for Sjonarnipa (the glacier). You can’t miss the wide open views once you reach the glacier. Then head back following signs for the visitor center to finish the 5 mile trip. It’s a very well marked trail and you should have no problems staying on the right path! (And that’s coming from me, who is almost always lost at least once on a hike).
🍁 👣

05/10/2021

Nature is cool even tho my smile is weird 🙃

29/09/2021

idk why but these are some of my all time favorite pictures.

27/09/2021

Happy Monday!
Enjoy these random Iceland photos I took from the backseat of our van. 🚐

25/09/2021

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.
Walt Whitman aka the homie

24/09/2021

Waking up to mountain views is my favorite.

23/09/2021

Can’t get enough of this classic Tetons shot.

22/09/2021

Happy first day of Autumn! Throwback to last fall when Zion was still just a skinny teen (swipe right for a sharky surprise)

21/09/2021

New goal #2: go to more places that make me feel small.
(Just don’t forget to wear so many layers that you can barely lift your arms up).

20/09/2021

"Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's OK. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind."

19/09/2021

“It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn. Maybe that’s enlightenment enough – to know that there is no final resting place of the mind, no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom, at least for me, means realizing how small and unwise I am, and how far I have yet to go.”
-Anthony Bourdain
No but for real tho.

16/09/2021

New goal: make more time for magical sunrises in the mountains.

15/09/2021

What are your 4 keys to happiness?
Happiness isn’t always easy, and I’ve realized if I try to schedule certain things into my day that bring joy, I’m a heck of a lot happier.
For me, my keys to happiness are: good views, little adventures, constant giggles and puppy cuddles.
I try to incorporate these little things into my everyday life. Whether it be waking up early to see the sunset, going for a hike in the local forest, finding the humor in everyday situations or just hanging out with my dog, I make sure to give myself time to do what makes me happy. It’s important to find space in everyday life for the things that make us smile, big or little.
What are the key things you do in your life to be HAPPY?

14/09/2021

Can you believe the fall vibes are already out in full force in Yosemite?
Are the leaves starting to change where you live? It’s hard to believe hire fast summer flew by.

13/09/2021

Mentally I’m here.
✨

The Wander Method