Brooks Range Part Two: Rivers, Ridges, and Nervous System Rhythms

I’m back with Part Two of my Brooks Range 2025 summer trip! If you missed it, you can catch Part One right here. 

Nothing Like Training in Action 

When I think back on this summer’s trip, one of the things I’m struck by is how much the first half of the journey set me up perfectly for what came next. With a foundation of prep work – through Summer Strong, weightlifting with Allison Tenny’s Alpha program, and as much spring hiking as I could squeeze in (we had an early spring melt and good hiking earlier than usual) – I had set myself up for success. Last summer, I was sick most of the season with walking pneumonia and lost a lot of fitness & lung capacity, so I had been motivated to get as much as possible back this season! Luckily, it seemed to be working. 

The structure of the trip itself helped, too. In the first half of the trip, we used a basecamp at the airstrip to allow us to do an initial short hiking loop, only three days with light packs. Then we returned to the airstrip a...

Continue Reading...

How to Train Body, Mind, and Nervous System for the Outdoors: My Conversation with Globetrotters Podcast

Adventure, Nerves, and Nature on the Globetrotters Podcast 

I recently joined Jonathan Otero on the Globetrotters Podcast for a heartfelt conversation about outdoor adventure, nervous system resilience, and what it really means to belong in nature. From learning to backcountry ski as an adult (with plenty of crashes along the way) to three-week wilderness trips in the Arctic, we talked about the joy, struggle, and lessons the outdoors offers.

We dug into how strength isn’t just about muscles, but about nervous system capacity and emotional resilience. Jonathan and I also explored the culture of outdoor recreation—everything from “bro vibes” and gatekeeping to finding more inclusive, compassionate ways of adventuring together. And of course, we swapped stories about Alaska, grizzly encounters, and why I keep returning to the Brooks Range year after year.

Topics We Covered:

  • (1:30) Growing up in Alaska and finding my way into outdoor culture

  • (5:14) What “mindful interval trai

    ...
Continue Reading...

How to Regulate Your Nervous System In Outdoor Adventures: My Conversation with the See Her Outside Podcast

Embracing Adventure and Resilience with See Her Outside

I recently joined Angie Marie on the See Her Outside podcast for a heartfelt and wide-ranging conversation about adventure, nervous system resilience, and how our bodies carry us through both the wilderness and everyday life.

We talked about my journey from moss-castle childhood play in Alaska to grueling wilderness classics, and how those eras of adventure shaped the way I approach challenge today. I opened up about the lessons I learned through my fertility journey, and how that experience shattered my old belief that effort always equals outcome. And I shared the story of my life-or-death moment with anaphylaxis in the backcountry, and how nervous system skills, community, and the land itself helped me through it with a sense of growth rather than trauma.

Angie and I also dug into how suffering, novelty, and joy show up in different seasons of adventure, what post-traumatic growth can look like, and eve

...
Continue Reading...

Threading the Needle: An Early Summer Traverse in the Brooks Range

This trip wasn’t supposed to go the way it did, but that’s part of what made it so good.

Long-time readers will know that my partner Luc and I make a point to take a backcountry trip together every summer. This summer was a little bit different – scheduling conflicts and important events kept Luc from being able to attend what would have been the window for the first part of a trip, so I decided that instead of not going or going solo, I’d ask a couple of girlfriends to join me for the first half. Then Luc and our friend Pat would fly in later to meet me for the second half.  

That singular decision ended up setting the theme of what this trip would be full of – flexibility, creative problem solving, and trusting the process.

Plans changing like the weather 

This year, as always, we were trying to thread the needle between the last of the snow and the hatching of the bugs. It’s the sweet spot we always try and hit – but it can also be a pretty big gamble. This year, the wild card f...

Continue Reading...

Brooks Range Backpacking and Wulik River Packrafting

The Brooks Range is Full of Magic 

Something really special about summer in Alaska is the short but magical window when we can access some of the most wild, remote places. One of the most special? The Brooks Range. Located within the Arctic Circle, I can’t help but keep coming back to these mountains.

This trip consisted of myself, Luc, and our good friend Will. The three of us hiked and packrafted our way around the Delong Mountains, surrounded by wildlife, sweeping vistas, and endless sunlight

How We Planned Our Brooks Range Trip

Planning to spend time in this extra-wild area takes a lot of effort. The Brooks Range does not have any roads or developed trails. A successful trip in this wild place requires hiring a bush plan to take you to a remote landing strip and doing lots of research to find good routes nearby.

Lining up the timing also feels like threading a needle. We try to go late enough so that the snow has had time to melt away for easier walking, but early enough tha...

Continue Reading...

You Need a Reintegration Protocol: Adjusting after Wilderness Trips

Returning From the Wilderness Can Be a Big Adjustment

Sometimes, the hardest part of wilderness trips or vacations isn’t the challenge of hiking or long plane rides, it’s getting back home and adjusting back to regular life afterwards. 

Each summer, I take at least one long trip into the Alaskan wilderness. After about three weeks in nature, coming back home to the city often feels jarring. For many years, I struggled with reintegration from the wilderness back to my regular life. The first few days always felt awkward, sometimes even frustrating. More recently I’ve been noticing this after other intense experiences, like a week of nervous system training. Can you relate?

Whether you’ve been on a long wilderness trip, a retreat, or a vacation, it’s totally normal to feel a mix of emotions in the first few days of your return back home. It’s also totally normal not to feel able to jump right back into your routine at full speed.

This transitional time is called reintegration, and fo...

Continue Reading...

Backpacking, Packrafting, and Swarming Mosquitoes in Denali National Park

Denali Backpacking: Mosquitoes and Memories

Every summer, usually in June, I take a two- or three-week wilderness trip with my husband, Luc. It’s one of our favorite traditions and always gives us quality time and good stories.

In June 2023, we set our sights on the northern part of the Alaska Range in Denali National Park. This was a multi-sport, point-to-point trip including backpacking and packrafting. We planned an epic trip with three different phases, each with their own beauty and challenges.

We started out with a treat: walking down Denali Park Road.

A Rare Window: Backpacking Denali Park Road

In summertime, Denali Park Road is usually hopping with buses. Park visitors board buses to travel the mostly unpaved 92-mile road through the interior of the park. It’s an incredibly scenic route and often rich with wildlife–it’s popular for a reason! For the last couple of years, the second half of the road has been closed due to a landslide. For backpackers like us, this opens u...

Continue Reading...

Packrafting Strength: 5 Moves for Better Adventures

Get Packrafting-Ready with These Functional Moves for a Strong Summer

Are you ready for an exciting season of packrafting? Whether you’re just getting into the sport or a seasoned veteran, building strength before your first trip is a great way to make the most of packrafting season. Practicing functional movements at home can build muscle memory in the pre-season, jump-starting your packrafting season for strong technique all summer long.

I’ve been packrafting Alaska rivers for years, and I’m also a fitness trainer. I’m excited to share these exercises that I know from personal experience will help you when you’re out on the water this summer.

Strength-Building Moves for Packrafting

First, a story: in the summer of 2018, my husband Luc & I were in the habit of doing a set of pushups every day. Then we left for a 10-day packrafting trip that started with 60 miles (97km) on the Yukon River. We knew that the Yukon moves at about six miles per hour (10 km/hr) and expected to be on i...

Continue Reading...

Float & Hike: 10 Day Trip on the Tatsenshini, Alsek, and Yakutat Coast

A Fast and Fantastic Trip on the Tatshenshini & Alsek Rivers

The Tatshenshini–or “Tat” for short–is an epic journey starting in Canada’s Yukon. From there, you float and paddle downstream on the Tat through the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park, merging into the Alsek River, and ultimately ending up in Alaska’s Glacier Bay area.

Along the way, the river carves through pristine wilderness. Getting permits for this long, international trip is one of the most competitive permits to land, and it’s not hard to see why! In fact, this is the only float trip in Alaska popular enough to even require permits. Between the towering mountain ranges on either side of the river, the many glaciers alongside, and the icebergs floating through the river, the scenery is unforgettable.

We were lucky that some very motivated friends of ours navigated the permitting process and the itinerary logistics, meaning we could just tag along. Taking turns with the logistics is one of the wonderful things abou...

Continue Reading...

Podcast: Mindset, Perfectionism, and Resilience in the Outdoors

Replacing Self-Doubt and Perfectionism in the Outdoors with Compassion and Inclusion

I recently joined Jacalyn Gross on the Women Empower Active podcast to chat about our outdoor stories and mindset reflections. The podcast is a production of UR Sportswear, a running apparel brand for women. Jacalyn and I had an open and honest conversation that we hope will normalize the messiness of each of our outdoor journeys.

Jacalyn and I focus on different outdoor activities in very different environments–she’s primarily a trail runner in the Pacific Northwest, and I’m a skier, backpacker, and nordic skater in Alaska. We had a great time chatting about the themes that are common to both of us, and we bet you’ll relate to our stories, too.

We focused a lot of our chat on how mindset matters in the outdoors, and what a difference it can make for our experiences. We talked about the power of community and our hopes for inclusivity and acceptance in outdoor spaces. Plus, we peppered in some pract...

Continue Reading...
1 2 3
Close

50% Complete

Yes! So glad you're here.

Add your email below to open up your access to the 20-Min Busy Day Workout. 

You'll also be included on my email list, where I send out updates & resources on fitness, mental health, and adventure. It's low-pressure, lighthearted, & easy to unsubscribe at anytime should you wish to.