Valentine’s Weekend Winter Backpacking
Mike’s birthday falls the day after Valentine’s, so typically I try to plan something fun and special to cover both of those occasions. This year, we decided to test our mettle and do a weekend in the backcountry that involved snowy camping, and a snowshoe trek in. We’ve been out to The Point many many
Becoming Vegan: Random Things You Should Know
Having been mostly vegan for a few months now, there are a number of things that we have discovered that we hadn’t really expected. 1. You will poop. A lot. Like, way WAY more than you did before becoming vegan. Sometimes you will be very fearful that you’re about to plug the toilet. I
“Coming Out” As Vegan-Lite
Friends and family, Mike and I have been harbouring a secret from some of you. Ok it’s not really a secret, just a topic that is uncomfortable to talk about due to the visceral and sometimes aggressive reactions some people have to this sort of thing. We are currently transitioning to a vegetarian or “vegan-lite”
Backpacking With Children: A Week On A Remote Island
All through the spring we worked on getting the kiddos ready for our big (secret) backpacking trip of the year: a week on Flores Island. Mike and I have been there before, and since we were going to Vancouver to see my brother and his lovely fiancee get married, we decided to make a vacation
When I Grow Up
Yesterday I turned another year older, and this website celebrated it’s 5th anniversary. The (in)frequency of posting here is not a direct reflection of my desire to write, nor does it imply lack of potential content or things to say. Rather it is a reflection of how I typically do not make enough time to
Backpacking At Lake Minnewanka
Determined to get the most out of backpacking season this year, Mike and I started hitting the trails earlier than usual. A mild winter and incredibly early spring meant that we had almost now snow by mid-April, which allowed us to start spending nights outdoors before May long-weekend. Very early in May we found ourselves
Backpacking With Children: Our First Time
On May long weekend we loaded up 5 backpacks, the kids, their dad (Jason) and headed for the mountains. It was raining lightly, but we’d already booked The Point for two nights, and I was determined that all my planning and packing was NOT going to waste. So off we went, stopping for brunch on
Achievement Unlocked: Get Engaged
On April 11th Michael and I revisited the Ink Pots, and in true hiker fashion, this was the place he chose to get down on one knee and propose! We hadn’t been back since our first ever backpacking trip, so it was a lovely surprise, even if the day was a bit cold. After I
Hiking With The Younglings In Peter Lougheed
Over Easter weekend we decided it was time to hit the trails with the kids. We want to take them backpacking this summer, but it won’t do to just load them up and hope for the best. So, we got out their daypacks, filled them with water and snacks, and drove down to Peter Lougheed
Under Construction
I haven’t abandon my blog again, but I HAVE recently begun a new job, which hasn’t left me with much time to do interesting things, or write. Mike started back to school at SAIT at the beginning of March, and I got a position at Modus Structures (Modus specializes in the design and build of
I Don’t Want To Be *That* Person: On Being Gluten-Free
Let me preface this post by stating that I love gluten. I enjoy baking, eating out, brunch, all manner of gluten-laden meals. However, gluten does not seem to love me. I’ve been in various levels of denial about this for a few years, but recently I made a choice, to find out exactly what eating
Recipe: Banana Leather (Flattened Dried Bananas)
While researching our future hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, I kept reading about these flattened dried bananas from Trader Joe’s. Since we aren’t Americans, I couldn’t just go pick some up to try. However, the concept seemed simple enough, and apparently they are delicious, so I did a bit of poking around online and
Gear Review: Fozzils Solo Pack
Gear Type – Dishes Volume – 1.4 fl.oz. (Plate) & 600ml/20.4 fl.oz. (Bowl) & 350ml/11.8 fl.oz (Cup) Trail Weight – About 4 oz or 1.4 oz per piece Includes – 3-piece set includes plate, cup an bowl. Cup and bowl have measurements marked on exterior. Materials – High quality, food grade, polypropylene Additional Specs –
Oh Hai, It’s Me Again!
Right, this blog, I had sort of forgotten about it, and then 2014 was the year of “maybe next month will be better” and of course next month never was. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t terrible, but it definitely had it’s moments. Mike worked away, which was wonderful and terrible all at the same
I Used To Be Better At This Blogging Thing
And then I got ridiculously busy with other projects. However, I can finally tell you about them! First, Mike and I, along with three of our very good friends, are launching our own LARP. This is very exciting for all of us, as we are bringing an entirely new flavor to LARP in Alberta. Albion
In Which I Remember That I Have This Website
I know, I have been slacking in the updates department. Primarily most of my time has been eaten up by a couple of major projects that I am working on (in partnership with my fantastic comrades) and while I can’t talk about what they are, yet, they are very exciting and time consuming right now.
2013: A Year In Review
The new year is just a couple of days away, which is cause for mulling over the year that has just passed, and evaluating how it went. 2013 wasn’t a bad year, but there were definitely some challenges along the way. The beginnings of the year saw a visit from Mike’s mom and dad, skiing,
A Long December
With Mike in school (he finally finished yesterday, thankfully) for all of November and most of December, things have been a bit crazy at Chez Get Outside. I have been hand-making many of the Christmas gifts for our friends and extended family, which means my kitchen often looks like a frat house, and my hands
Summer Vacation In Ontario
The heavy snowfall we’ve had recently has me longing for the lazy days of summer. I was browsing photos from the warmer months, and realized I hadn’t gotten ’round to writing about the wonderful trip we took to Ontario this summer! I even got to accomplish a couple of list things, thanks to Mike’s really
Gear Review: Marmot Limelight 3P
Vital Statistics: Gear Type – Tent Person – 3 Season – 3 Trail Weight – About 6 lb Floor – 42.6 square ft Vestibule – 20 square ft Additional Specs – Marmot We picked up the Marmot Limelight 3P, as an alternative backpacking tent to our larger and heavier North Face Toad. We wanted something
The Primal Life: Roasted Kabocha Squash (Japanese Pumpkin)
While perusing the grocery store recently, I came across a bin of mixed squash. The usual suspects: butternut, acorn, and spaghetti were present, but among them was also a squash I am not familiar with, kabocha (also known as Japanese pumpkin). I picked one up, just to be a bit adventurous, because we all know
Mike Harvests His First Deer: What To Do With All This Meat?
After our deer was gutted, skinned, and allowed to relax overnight in a bath of salted ice water, it was time to do something with it. I drained the water and we set the fan up so that the deer would stay plenty cool, as it was going to take some time to get the
Mike Harvests His First Deer: Whitetail Hunting In The Alberta Foothills
** NOTE ** This post contains graphic photos of a deer being gutted, skinned, and processed. It all started with a Remington .308 and some yellow tags. In the spring, Mike and I obtained our firearms permits, via Nelson Firearms Training here in Calgary (we HIGHLY recommend them, they were awesome) with the intention of taking
Pickling Turnips And Carrots From The Garden
After all the success we enjoyed with our first, small foray into the world of gardening and the concept of urban homesteading, we had to do things with all of that awesome produce we harvested! The first, most obvious choice was to eat it immediately, both cooked and raw, but we also wanted to preserve
