Author: Anastasia Allison

06 Jul

Posted at 01:10h in Gear

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” — Coco Chanel Let me preface this post by saying that I wear a uniform for a living.  For the past 12+ years of my life, I have worn the same thing to work everyday.  This is perfect for me because it is simple and predictable.  The side-effect of having such a low maintenance work routine is that I have become literally incapable of picking out fashionable outfits in my non-work time.  Cleverly, I have solved this...

30 Jun

Posted at 21:26h in Personal Reflections

“The beginning is always today.” — Mary Shelley I love the idea of a reset.  A refresh.  A new start.  A time set aside to clear out all the "noise" and focus on being in the present.  This weekend my husband and I did something that we had been talking about for awhile - we climbed the 2nd largest volcano in Washington State as a "dayhike".  The majority of people who climb Mt. Adams typically divide up the nearly 7000' of elevation gain into two days, but...

29 Jun

Posted at 18:45h in Inspired Adventure

I can't begin to count the amount of times that I've uttered the phrase, "Photos just don't do it justice".  Usually, I'm talking about the three dimensional beauty that I am immersed in, but often I'm talking about much more - about the richness of the experience, the effort expended to acquire the photograph, or the events leading up to the single moment where the camera lens blinks and captures an image in time. I've taken thousand upon thousands of photos of my trips, and I...

22 Jun

Posted at 18:35h in Inspired Adventure

“Life is not merely being alive, but being well.” — Edward Smith-Stanley What's the 'secret' to leading a healthy lifestyle?  Spoiler alert - there is no secret.  In my opinion (based on my personal experience reversing the downward path of my own health), it comes down to three words : Preparation - are you setting yourself up for success, or are you putting yourself in situations where you might be tempted to 'grab something quick'?  Do you have a plan for the week?  If you are going to...

08 May

Posted at 20:38h in Personal Reflections

“Our mothers always remain the strangest, craziest people we’ve ever met. ” — Marguerite Duras To my mom: Not including the countless hikes that we did as a kid and random day hikes that I'm not remembering, I estimate that we have backpacked and/or climbed over 304 miles together in the past 8 years.  This is relatively remarkable, because you live on the other side of the country from me.  But every single year, without fail, you make a migration westward so that we can complete our annual backpacking...

04 May

Posted at 19:06h in Personal Reflections

“You hear them when you try to fall asleep They crash to the shore, they come from the deep As sure as the sun will rise, the sun will set You taste the salt the closer you get Waves Picking you up Pushing you down They’re always around Waves Just like dream Silver and green We live in between They can carry you all the way to me They can pull you out to the deep blue sea Oh waves, there are waves” — "Waves", Blondfire I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but sometimes I just feel a bit "off". ...

22 Apr

Posted at 20:11h in Tactical Tips

“If I’d known how much packing I’d have to do, I’d have run again. ” — Harry S. Truman My first few dayhikes in Washington State were a bit of a "cluster'.  My first official hike was climbing Mt. Ellinor in the dead of winter.  This was A) probably not a very good idea to begin with and B) definitely not a good idea wearing low top hiking boots and cotton cargo pants.  On the way up, my pants got soaked due my body heat...

19 Apr

Posted at 23:01h in My Adventures

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.” — J.K. Rowling We have a folder in our "pictures" library on the computer entitled, "2015 Silent Lake Failure".  I write a lot about our adventures, and I try hard not to sugarcoat the reality of mountaineering and backpacking.  Sure, there are definitely those, "hair blowing in the wind at sunset" moments, but there are...

13 Apr

Posted at 21:31h in My Adventures

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” — Roald Dahl A friend once told me that she knew why I liked mountain climbing and being in the wilderness so much, "They're your secret places, that's why", she stated as a matter of fact.  At the time, I really didn't understand what she was talking about.  How could a place on...

17 Mar

Posted at 22:41h in Personal Reflections

““It seems to me that television is exactly like a gun. Your enjoyment of it is determined by which end of it you’re on.”” — Alfred Hitchcock The first time I ever looked at a gun was in a sporting goods store when I was 16 or 17 years old.  I was peering hesitantly through the glass counter top, and the sales clerk asked me if I wanted to look at one, "Really?", I asked with a shaky voice.  He gently took a revolver out from locked...