Alex and I have been going to Mammoth together now for nearly 8 years - but he's been heading up to Mammoth to camp and fish with his family since he was just 5 or 6. It's always been kind of a magical place for him, full of childhood memories with his brother and parents, and when we started dating he started taking me up for summer trips, too. I immediately fell in love with the whole lakes region - it reminded me of the perfect combination of Maine and California. The warm, lush summers and occasionally bitter cold winters, four full seasons, tons of wildlife - it really is the best of both worlds!

We started heading up every summer to camp around Lake Mary, bringing the dog, a tent, and all our gear with us, spending our days hiking and paddling through the lakes. I event spent my 25th birthday celebrating in Mammoth! There's always plenty to do for an outdoorsy couple like us, and if the weather is good - and since were in California, it usually is - we can also rent bikes or take trail runs with the pup. It's the perfect summer vacation. And the best part? It's pretty freaking rad in the winter, too. We'd been going up for a few years together before we finally decided to make the drive up in winter to ski and play in the snow. The first trip up we made in the winter time, we headed out almost immediately for a hike in the snow near Tamarack Lodge and got engaged (!!!). Yup, Alex proposed in the snow! We'd made so many trips up at this point that it had kind of become our special place - and after that sweet memory, we loved it even more. This year we wanted to head up on a different kind of trip...because Alex was turning 30! Instead of just camping for the week or skiing for the weekend, we hit up Mammoth Lakes Tourism to see what kind of other fun activities we could have fun with. They helped us fill our weekend with fun adventures and they recommended some great eats and scenic views along the way! Also they are SUPER nice - if you have questions or need great cross country ski trail recs, give 'em a call.

We rented a car for this trip so that we could make our way to a few fun pit stops on the way up and could more easily keep all of the winter gear we were dragging up with us contained. We got a pretty early start and packed the car full of snacks and gear, including our skis, snowshoes, and poles. Alex had spent his bachelor party a year earlier in Mammoth and had made a stop with the boys at a place called Fossil Falls. Full of cool glacial rock formations and great photo ops, he had told me all about it afterwards and I made it the first official stopping point on our way up the 395 North. We pulled over at Fossil Falls about 2 hours into our trip, took a quick pee break and then traipsed around the rock formations, enjoying the views and taking photos. I even crawled up into a crow pose on top of a small rock formation and totally freaked my husband out. So much fun!

​We jumped back on the road for another hour or two before arriving at the Manzanar National Historic Site, the concentration camps where 110,000 Japanese Americans were held during WWII. Alex had been through the tour before but not in years and I never had, so we took the time to stop and do both the walking and driving tours of the area. It was hard to read some of the stories, but important. It was incredible to see how the people inside survived and made their spaces habitable. The cranes in the photo above are from the memorial at Manzanar - they had hundreds, maybe thousands, of paper cranes in chains lined along the memorial.

We made one more stop on the way up to Mammoth, in the city of Bishop. Alex needed to renew his license and we knew the line would be super short, so we swung in and we back in the car within 10 minutes. We headed over to our favorite little juice bar in Bishop, Eastside Juice, and got ourselves some simple but super satisfying acai bowls to well our hunger until we got all the way up to the mountain. They totally hit the spot, so we got back into the car, bumped our Always Sunny playlist and made the final hour-ish drive up to Mammoth from there. We climbed another 3,000 ft of elevation in the last part of the drive and my ears were popping like crazy!  

We drove into and through the cozy little downtown of Mammoth Lakes and right up onto the mountain as soon as we arrived. We knew the road up the not-skiable side of the mountain was still open, if only up to Tamarack Lodge, and Alex insisted on testing out the AWD to see if we could find some ice. As we neared the lodge, Alex lit up - there was ice, if only a bit. Growing up in Maine, I learned very early on about safe ice and skating on ponds - and I promise, this one was safe. The ice formations were beautiful, but the ice was nice and thick on the side of the lake we were on. Alex threw the car into park, grabbed his skates from the back seat and ran down onto the ice. He's only skated a handful of frozen ponds in his life, and they still light him up! He threw his skates on and started taking laps, and I ran up to the car and grabbed his pocket stick and puck to fool around with. When I got back to the ice, some small kids had also made their way onto the ice. We skated around, playing with the puck and impressing the smaller kids for about a half an hour, as we the sun set. The kids cleared out and we had the lake all to ourselves. Such a perfect first afternoon in Mammoth! 

After skating we headed back down the mountain to Mammoth Lakes proper, the downtown region at the base of the mountain where all the restaurants and ski shops are located. This area is just down the hill from Mammoth Village, the shops and restaurants located closest to the lodge and base of the mountain. We were staying at the Sierra Nevada Resort and Spa, a lovely little 4-star spot right off the main road in the center of town, so we parked and lugged our gear into the beautiful, classic old ski lodge entryway to check in. The thing about Mammoth - and this check in was no exclusion - is that everyone is SO NICE. Maybe it's because it's a small town, maybe it's because they know almost everyone who comes and goes, but either way - just wonderful, friendly people everywhere you go. After checking in and falling in love with our old-ski style room, we bundled up and walked about a quarter mile to the Garden of Eat'n Cafe for a vegetarian curry dinner. A super small place but super cozy, we were one of only two couples in for dinner that evening. We each got the curry plates with lots of water on the side (extra hydration is totally necessary is higher elevations!) and then walked over to the one real grocery store in the lakes, Von's, to grab some kombucha before heading back to our room for the night. 

The next morning we were up early so I could get over to the Yoga Lab studio in the Village to teach a yoga sculpt class at 8 am. It was so much fun - but I hadn't counted on the elevation in the workout and was totally exhausted midway through. Luckily I only had a few students, so I was able to sneak back and grab all kinds of water breaks! Even though we'd just gotten a killer workout in, Alex and I had agreed to go skiing after class, so he scooped me up and we grabbed a quick round of vegan breakfast burritos from Stellar Brew, our favorite place natural food on-the-go in the Lakes region. We ate, threw on all our gear, and made out way up to the mountain. It's not a long drive up from the Village, just a few miles really, but you'll need to find parking and walk or shuttle to the lodge and lifts. Not hard, just a heads up if you're dragging your gear - wait for the shuttle to your lot and you won't have to hoof it. 

Lucky for us the weather was beautiful, sunny, and in the mid-50's. Crazy great weather for the first week in January, though admittedly at this point the mountain still hadn't gotten it's heaviest dumps of snow. It's much less green up there this month than it was last month - just in time to celebrate the Winter Olympics! We ended up ditching a few layers pretty early on in the day - we were literally skiing in sweatshirts in January. It was amazing! Pictured below is the view from the top of one of the east side lifts.

We're big fans of glade skiing and while the lack of snow prevented us from getting too deep in the woods to explore, we were able to find some cool off-the-trail paths while we were our way back and forth across the mountain. We have a real love for chair 12 and started there, on the east (and far less busy) side of the mountain, before working our way to the left side of the mountain, nearer the main lodge. We stopped at about 12:30 for some lunch and unfortunately had forgotten to bring much more than a granola bar between us. Luckily we found a salad bar and veggie burger on the menu at the lodge, plus a couple of kombucha's, and we split them slope side, watching people take on the unbound terrain park. 

We skied for the rest of the afternoon until the chairs closed at 4 pm - which was good, because it started getting pretty windy and far colder around that same time. We went back to our place at the Sierra Nevada Inn, showered and relaxed for a few hours before heading to Petra's Bistro in the Village to meet Mammoth Tourism rep Miles Weaver for dinner. Miles not only works with the board to greet and hang with visitors like us, but is the head of photography for Mammoth Mountain, which means he's in charge of all photo operations on the mountain, and even handles his own special action and event photography. It was an incredible meal - one of the better ones I've had in a long time - and Miles was great company! 

Our 2nd full day in Mammoth was also Alex's 30th birthday, so we decided to celebrate with a hike up to Mono Lake, our favorite spot to visit in the summer months. The problem? You had to hike to the base of the hiking trail itself - about 2 miles - in the windy cold; once you arrived at the hiking trail, the snow deepened so that even our snow shoes couldn't keep us afloat. We had been trying to get up to the trail, above the snow line and up to Mono Lakes in hopes that it was frozen and we could use the skates we'd brought on a nearly untouched ice surface. Obviously, we did't get that far. We had to give up a little up the trail and head back, but after the hike up we were exhausted anyway - and secretly I was kind of glad we didn't need to hike another 2 miles uphill in the snow and wind. We headed back down the railway to Tamarack Lodge, stopping at the spot where we got engaged 3 years ago to snap a few photos, smooch and reminisce on being married for 6ish months already.

We headed back to our room at the Inn for a quick lunch and knew we still needed to find some ice for Alex's birthday. He wanted to skate so badly - and it seemed like it should be cold enough! We had hope. So we tracked down some locals and asked for the best spots to look for skateable ice. We got some solid recommendations, but only a couple within about an hour's distance. June Lake was the first and closest we'd heard about, and wasn't far from Mammoth Lakes village - about a 30 minute drive north. We hopped in the car with our skates and followed the signs up to the June Lake Loop, a road that follows a series of small lakes ponds around the Southern Rim of the Mono Lake Basin.

Guys - I was BLOWN AWAY. Just when I thought I'd seen all the beautiful places, we stumbled upon this gem of a place. It's other worldly, like a movie set depicting some alien planet; I couldn't get over first how beautiful it was and second, the unique the mix of terrains, fauna and salt formations that made of the preserve. We walked around for about a half hour with our jaws in the sand, in total admiration of the stillness and tranquility of the super cool place we had found. There was only one other family walking around and after we exchanged photos, we quickly separated and had the place to ourselves. The walked along the preserve as the sun was setting, which added even more magic to the visit. We snapped tons of photos and hung out until almost dark, then headed back to the car and back into Mammoth Lakes. We were getting hungry at this point but since we hadn't found ice - and I had promised Alex we'd skate for his birthday - we decided to make a quick visit to the always frozen Mammoth Ice Rink right in the heart of downtown Mammoth Lakes. It was a cute spot, full of families and kids skating on a well lit but rarely resurfaced rink, and me and my hockey-playing husband had no trouble skating laps around the crowd. We skated for about 45 minutes, until my legs were too tired to keep going and Alex was ready to find some birthday dinner. 

Again we traded our skates for snow boots and this time headed just up the road from the rink to the Mammoth Brewing Company for dinner. Alex had also visited this place during his bachelor party weekend at the mountain 6 months earlier, so we decided to head over for a few drinks and delicious greasy bar food to celebrate my dude turning the big 3-0. Lucky for me they had house brewed root beer on tap, so I sipped one while we waited to order food at the in-brewery food spot, The Eatery. We ended up ordering a host of deep fried things, but most notably the tots. Oh mannn they were great! Giant, puffy, fried potato puffs with some kind of spicy seasoning, a crispy outer layer and a bunch of dipping sauces. It was reallllly good. Almost got a second order, good. Almost. Afterwards we headed back for an early night to bed. We had connected online with a local photographer and agreed to meet her at sunrise for a photo shoot.

There was one last thing I had really wanted to do this visit to Mammoth, and that was find and enjoy some of the local hot springs. When I mentioned this to the photographer, she agreed to show us a local spot that morning, so I was stoked for the session. We got up super early and bundled up in the dark - it was only 13 degrees out, though warmer than we had expected before the sun rose. We met our photographer, Jade [Jade Woo Photography] at a secret spot and had an incredible time watching the sun come up as we shot romantic photos in the brush. We made our way to Wild WIlly's Hot Springs after finding a few local ones totally packed (even at sunrise!) and stopped down to our suits for some gorgeous in-water shots that are super steamy and just for us. We also got a ton of gorgeous, totally bundled up photos, too! Jade really wowed us with the quality of these shots - we cannot wait to work with her again the next time we're up there. And the hot springs were AMAZING! One of the coolest things I've ever seen/ done. Ever. Hands down. Hot Creek is located nearby and while too hot for swimming these days, it does feed all these smaller nearby hot springs year round. It was so fun being in hot tub-temperature water while icicles formed in my hair and on Alex's beard. After over an hour soaking in the mineral-rich springs, we layered back up and headed back to the hotel for warm showers and to pack up. We checked out and headed back toward home that afternoon, making one last Eastside Juice pitstop in Bishop before we left town. 

Mammoth - the mountain, the lakes, the village - has become such a special place to us. We talk about the someday that we'll bring our kids there, and how lucky we are to both love spending so much time there. Between the winter skiing, snowshoeing, and skating and the summer biking, hiking and camping - there's literally something for everyone. Even if your kind of activity is just grabbing a beer and hanging out until après ski! Get yourself up there and enjoy some the crazy natural beauty, it's literally everywhere you look. Swing by the VisitMammoth.com for upcoming events, travel info, snow conditions + to plan your next trip!

*DISCLOSURE: We partnered with Mammoth Lakes Tourism to create this post. They comped our room and helped arrange our activities for the weekend as well. Regardless, we LOVE Mammoth and would've spent the time there anyway. It's the greatest place on earth.*

Yup, I turned 25! If you're following us on social media, you probably saw some pictures from our Mammoth/ Yosemite trip last month to celebrate. We've been so busy since we got back that I've barely had time to sort through pictures, let alone get together a post or even absorb the fact that somehow another year has gone by already. I'm almost 30! Okay, maybe not almost but it feels like that. 25 is definitely the first birthday that made me feel like I was aging - I'm midway through my twenties? When the hell did that happen? But it was a really great trip and we had a ton of fun and ate way too much good food. And now that I've got time to reflect, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned and hope to learn, and some of the photos and stories from our trip. Let's just dive right in!

We hopped in the car with Maddie early Sunday morning and made our way up to Lake Mary Campground. We sent up camp the first night, hiked around a bit with Maddie to stretch out our legs, and had a DELICIOUS dinner our first night of Beyond Meat meatballs in ariabatta sauce over pasta with a healthy sprinkling of nutritional yeast. My birthday wasn't until the 1st (Tuesday), so we headed to bed early so we could get up and hike the next morning.

On day two, we hiked and ate and hiked and ate and hiked...and ate! Seriously, it was a great day full of exercise, experimenting with fun camp meals in the JetBoil, hanging with the dog, bonding with my guy + spying some of the best views Mammoth Lakes has to offer. We cooked up a few dehydrated meals we had picked up at REI + were not disappointed. I particularly liked the Moroccan Bazaar meal from Made in Nature!

Day three was finally my 25th BIRTHDAY! I woke up to a chilly morning and a sweet snuggle from Alex + Madds. We layered up and hopped in the car first thing to drive into downtown Mammoth Lakes for a visit to our favorite, extremely-vegan-friendly café, Stellar Brew. As you can see in the picture below, we've made quite a few trips down to Stellar Brew over our visits (sometimes you just want food not cooked over a campfire, ya know?) and they some incredible food. Some of our favorites on the menu are the Golden Nectar smoothie (top left), the Ginger Tempeh sandwich with Lemon Tahini spread (top right), and the vegan breakfast burrito stuffed with tempeh & roasted veggies like kale and sweet potato in spinach wrap (bottom left). They also regularly sell vegan + GF baked goods and have CSA in the store. Its a really rad little place and totally captures the feeling of being in Mammoth; totally relaxed and friendly, but also really really good at what they do. 

On the day we were driving up it was early and we had been packing late so I was totally scatter-brained when we were leaving. Alex had bought me cupcakes to eat on (or before, whatever) my birthday, but I left them on top of the car and we drove away and didn't notice until about an hour later. So yeah. Graceful, I know. Luckily I called Stellar Brew on our drive up and after explaining what happened, they offered to prepare a dozen vegan, GF chocolate cupcakes for me + Alex to eat and celebrate with. Which was amazing not only because it was SUPER short notice, but also because they definitely didn't overcharge us and they were quite delicious cupcakes. It really made my whole birthday feel like a birthday, so a HUGE thank you to them for saving the day! You can check out the cupcakes and my thankful/ excited-to-pig-out-face below.

After that, we drove up to Yosemite National Park, about an hour drive, and spent the day exploring streams, beaches, lakes, forests, meadows, the almost completely diminished Bridal Veil Falls, the bridges carved into the mountains over Yosemite Valley, the world famous Ahwahnee Hotel, and the the views to over Half Dome. We also saw a baby bear our exploring in the wild! We didn't see his mama, so we kept moving, but we did get a quick picture of the little guy! 

After spending most of the day driving and hanging our in Yosemite we headed back to camp to snack on a cupcake and change into some warmer layers for an evening hike. It was my birthday and I wanted to soak up every bit of the day as possible! And Alex + Maddie were very obliging. We took the short hike up to McCleod Lake, which is mayyyybe my favorite place in California, and walked around the lake, letting Maddie play and snapping photos. It was a really fantastic way to finish up my birthday. The sun was setting just as we hiked back so were watching for emerging bears on the hike back but didn't see any activity besides ourselves. We had a really great dinner of rice, beans, and veggies prepared in the JetBoil with a side of Food Should Taste Good's blue corn tortilla chips. More cupcakes for dessert! 

On our last morning we woke up early, packed up camp, and started the 5 hour drive back down the 395 for home. We stopped at a really great little juice shop in Bishop called Eastside Juice for acai bowls with lots of fruit + chia seeds. They were SO GOOD and the whole place was just such a great find. They had plenty of raw, vegan + GF homemade or locally-made snacks for sale and a bunch od cute t-shirts featuring slogans related to completing the challenging 220 mile John Muir Trail that ends after summiting nearby Mt. Whitney. Alex and I are hoping to do the JMT next year and would LOVE to stop here for our first real meal back! After hearing it was my birthday the day before, they even generously gifted us a piece of REALLY good raw cheesecake for the road. It was the perfect end to a great birthday weekend! So what have I learned now that I'm 25 and wiser than ever? You'll just have to keep scrolling for that!

Okay, I've given a bit of thought 'cause 25 feels like a big year for me. I got a COOKBOOK DEAL this year! Its exciting. Here are 25 things I've learned after 25 years of fumbling through life:

1. You really are in charge of your destiny. Work your ass off for what you want.

2. Never count on or hope for handouts - you and your work ethic are better off without them.

3. But don't be afraid to take help when you need it. And ask before you get to the breakdown-and-cry-from-stress stage, because you'll be way less embarrassed asking for help when you don't have mascara streaming down your cheeks.

4. Crying isn't a weakness, but respect yourself enough to know when it is a waste of time.

5. Everyone in your life that sucks is optional.

6. Don't be afraid to say NO. Also, don't be afraid to say YES. Whatever the answer is, it needs to be right for YOU. 

7. Happiness is the ultimate goal. But to borrow a line from Christopher McCandless, 'Happiness only real when shared' - so don't be afraid to be happy with someone, too. 

8. Try anything you want, you're the only one that cares if you fail or look stupid doing it.

9. Don't do things to impress other people, its a really great way to start hating who you've become.

10. Love your body and learn to appreciate each part of it. We all hate our thighs sometimes, so why stress about it? Confidence will affect your appearance more than changing the way it looks.

11. Treat other people the way you want to be treated, even if they don't always deserve it.

12. Be a good role model for kids and be nice to animals. That's just common sense.

13. Your body, your diet, your happiness: don't worry about other people judging what you eat. Having a good relationship with food can be hard, but really all that matters is how it makes YOU feel.

14. Fuck that boy in high school who slept with your frenemy. The second you leave high school and start to exist in the real world, you realize that you can choose to be around way better people than that and that real relationships should never involve being treated so disrespectfully.

15. Work your ass off in real life so you can go to your high school reunion and just be a straight up badass. 

16. If you travel, do what the locals do. You'll have a way better experience not being a tourist. 

17. Eat good food, and always try new food. Let other peoples recipes inspire you to create dishes you'll LOVE eating.

18. When you find someone who gets you - like just really gets you- let them know. And then spend as much time with them as you can.

19. People always say they wish they'd started saving younger. I'm 25 now and barely have a savings. I wish I'd started younger, too. SAVE!

20. But also spend money on travel. Life experience in priceless and will make you a better person.

21. Respect other people cultures, views, opinions, and rights. No one deserves any less.

22. Stop giving a fuck about things that don't matter. Let the small stuff slide and don't do anything you don't wanna do. 

23. Someday you'll realize your parents aren't perfect, and they're just sometimes crappy human beings like the rest of us. Don't fault them for that. 

​24. Maintain relationships you appreciate, and don't bother with the ones that feel like work. True friends are hard to come by and well worth investing in.

25. Just do you. Be who you want to be, love who you want to love, and make yourself as ridiculously happy as you can, 'cause thats really all there is. 

That's all the wisdom I've got. At least until 26. Thanks for recapping my birthday with me! If you're over 25-  you probably know all this stuff already. If you're NOT, trust me. Alright, I've gotta get back in the kitchen. I have a cookbook to work on! 

1. ENO Doubleneck Hammock + Straps
We bought our ENO hammock at REI after seeing it advertised a few times. We were super curious and love to snuggle so it seemed like it would be a nice addition to our camping gear. Priced at about $70 for the Doubleneck - or 2 person - hammock, we figured it was worth it. We also bought the ENO brand attachment straps for the hammock so we could still string it up in areas with few trees or hanging spots. We first used our hammock on our Big Sur camping trip 4th of July weekend (above), and we've been hooked on it ever since! We even brought it with us on our most recent trip to Maine and I didn't think my younger sister was going to let us have it back. She loved it! It is made out a parachute-type material and spreads to fit two bottoms or two people laying down side by side. It was a great way to catch a breeze on top of the mountain we were on and a nice way to unwind and watch the sunset after a long day of hiking. The best part? The whole hammock folds up into that attached bag shown at the center of my back in the picture above, which is only about 4x6 inches. Seriously- best camping purchase we've ever made!

2. Jet Boil Flash Cooking System
This system has changed the way we camp. Before we were always concerned about having a fire ring so we could cook, but now we can dispersed camp anywhere we want and always have hot meals on-the-go! We're thinking about hiking the 220 mile JMT next year and owning a Jet Boil is an absolute must. We've made oatmeal, pasta, pho soup, and even just boiled water for hot drinks and to do dishes with. The setup is easy and about 2 cups of water is boiling in less than a minute. Plus, if you're into attachments (Alex is), Jet Boil offers a ton of other cool things like portable pots + pans, a stability system, canister cozies, and a range of other cooking attachments. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, do yourself a favor and invest in a Jet Boil. The fuel is cheap and it is so, so worth it to have steaming hot chocolate in under 2 minutes after a rainy 9 hour hike. Trust me. You can check them out at JetBoil.com.

3. Squeeze Pod Travel Toiletries 
My biggest issue with travel - of ANY kind - is always dealing with the toiletries. Packing them into travel-sized bottles for convenience, only to have them explode or pop open and leak all over everything. So then you start wrapping them in plastic sandwich bags but then you're just left digging the exploded bottle out of the goop it's swimming in. Ick. Enter SQUEEZE PODS! When I was first emailed about these I was skeptical, but as soon as I received the product I realized how genius it really was. The creator was a huge traveler with as much frustration as I have over toiletries, so he aimed to make something better. These little pods come in 9 toiletry types: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hair gel, lotion, shave cream, hand purifier, facial cleanser + toilet odor eliminator. They are made with pronounceable ingredients you can trust like coconut oil, aloe vera and shea butter and contain NO parabens, phthalates, sulfates, phosphates or other harmful preservatives. All of Squeeze Pod's products are made in the USA, 100% vegan and TSA compliant! They even offer cute kits for 'Girls Getaway Weekend', 'Guys Getaway Weekend', and 'Sleepovers' that contain a bunch of toiletries into an easy-to-share kit. We really loved taking our Squeeze Pod toiletries camping, especially on our super rural Big Sur trip, because we often didn't have access to facilities of any type, so having small, easily dispensed amounts of product became key. Plus, there is so little waste, it's easy to pack in the toiletries and pack out the trash without it being an issue. We're taking our Squeeze Pod's everywhere now, and we want you to be able to, too! Scroll all the way to the bottom for a chance to WIN the kit pictured above! 9 travel-sized, leak-proof toiletries in one TSA-friendly carrying case could be yours. Details below. Good luck! If you don't want to wait, you can check out their full line of products at SqueezePod.com!

4. A Sharp Knife
There is just no better thing you can ever have in life than a really great, sharp knife. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and when we're camping it's no different. We like to eat as much fresh food and home-cooked style meals while camping as we can because it's cheaper than buying everything pre-packaged and its way healthier. Don't get me wrong, I am all for some packaged mac n' cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but there is really only so much that food will do to power you for an 8 mile hike at camp. Start throwing some fresh veggies and fruit into your meal ideas and that knife will come in seriously handy. Plus, if an axe murderer is roaming the woods at night, you got this. We even bought a knife we keep specifically in our camping gear, which you can find here. (pictured above)

5. Vegan Snacks!
On top of meal planning for our trips to conserve space and wasted food, we are always sure to bring plenty of snacks. Between the drive to where we camp (usually about 5ish hours) and the downtime spent at camp, plus packing for hikes and adventuring, we like to bring a variety of goodies - both sweet and savory - to munch. Above is a photo of the haul we took on one trip, but its a pretty good representation of what we normally bring with on smaller trips, too. Lots of granola + power bars, faux jerky, granola, oats, chips, fruit, and PB + J for when you want to feel like a kid again. Oh and of course, S'MORE stuff! Of course you could just bring these S'mores cookies, instead. And if you're like us and go camping year round, be sure to check out the monthly snack boxes from Vegan Cuts + Urthbox! They both offer great deals on fun and creative snacks that get shipped to your door monthly. We always end up with leftover snacks in our box that we toss into our camping tote for trips. It's perfect and always snack sized! 

Enter our giveaway below to win 1 loaded Squeeze Pod Travel Toiletries kit with 9 different types of portable, spill-proof toiletries and a cute zippered pouch to carry them in! US entries only please. Winner will be chosen 8/19/15. Good luck! 

*This post contains affiliate links.

I grew up in Maine, so anytime I get to head back for a vacation- especially when it's not winter- is a welcome retreat. This summer Alex and I were able to both take off from our real lives for a week to head east and hang with some of my family. Normally around this time of year, my whole family- aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family and friends-  would all go camping at a place (peninsula) called Hermit Island. Its a magical place that I grew to really love and cherish spending summers there every year. I love going back, but these days it seems like we've all grown up and moved away and it can be hard to get everyone together for a whole week of just enjoying each others company. So instead, this year, Alex + I joined my Dad and sister Jade, plus my Dad's partner and her daughter as we planed to hike to the top of Mt. Katahdin, Maine's tallest mountain, and then raft our way through class 5 rapids in the Penobscot River. We hopped on a plane at LAX (Miley style) and spent 5ish hours traversing the country before waking up at about 4 am in the Boston Airport, where my Dad was waiting to pick us up. First stop on the way home? A bright and early check in at LL Bean for some quality hiking boots and then to Mister (Mr?) Bagel to get double toasted onion bagels with veggie tofutti cream cheese (at least that's what I ordered). It was humid AF outside, but it was good to be back! 

We got home and napped, then woke up to do a bit of foraging on Dad's property. We found at least 6 different crab apple trees, plus ripe raspberry bushes and early season blueberries to munch, and we collected some for later. It also just so happens to be peak strawberry season in Maine, so we stopped by our favorite local and SUPER vegan-friendly farm + cafe Sheepscot General to pick as many pints of organic strawberries as we could hold. That night we made dinner for the family, which included a big green salad with lots of goodies from the garden and our foraging adventure, a whole roasted cauliflower like this one, some chickpea salad with rye bread and a strawberry raspberry crisp made from the fruit we'd collected ourselves. It was so good + we were so happy to cook a healthy, protein-packed vegan meal that everyone could enjoy.

The next day we spent driving north and setting up camp and eating bagels at my FAVORITE ever bagel joint in Maine, Bagel Mainea, where I coincidentally worked in high school - so maybe I'm biased?- but almost every bagel is vegan and they offer 5 vegan-friendly spreads as well customizable vegan sandwiches and even house-made granola and bagel chips! I always get the veggie garlic, double toasted, with plenty of veggie tofutti cream cheese and sliced down the middle for my eating enjoyment. If you're in Augusta, it is way worth the visit. 

When we left Chimney Pond, we were about 4 or 5 miles from the top and the weather was getting worse and worse. We had worn shorts and brought light rain jackets, but overall we were seriously underdressed for the ascent. Alex and I ended up getting quite a bit ahead of the rest of our group as we neared the top, and the higher we climbed the steeper it got. We kept hearing about rock scrambles but it felt like the whole top half of the mountain itself was one giant rock climbing expedition. Your arms felt like they were working just as hard as your legs, and it was getting colder and harder to bend your fingers and toes all the time, but we pushed on. We look happy even!

In the picture above right we're about 1/2 mile from the summit peak at the top of the mountain, and pretty much where we ended our hike. We had originally planed to hike Knife's Edge up to the top but the wind conditions were so strong at Chimney Pond they advised against it. When we reached the tablelands, about 1 mile from the tippy-top, the hail began. First it was a light rain, then harder and harder until actual hail was hitting us all over and the temps had dropped to about 30 degrees. Oh, and there were 50 MPH winds, so we were getting sucked around and hiking behind large boulders to stop and catch our breath. It was a really crazy expercience being up there, and even though some people chose to keep going- and I applaud them- I just could.t My fingers were frozen and I had a little mental breakdown cry feeling so guilty about turing back just before we snapped the above right picture. Luckily, Alex was (always is) amazing and coached me through it, reminding me that no one really cared if we summited but us - and that in his opinion we had gone far enough. That was enough for me! We started our descent back down the tablelands and met up with my Dad, sister, and the rest of our group just before we begin our final descent. A few of them decided to keep going, and did summit (you go guys!), but the rest of us took our frozen buns back down the mountain. We stopped and chatted a bit when we got back to the Chimney Pond station, and we continued down the trail a major thunderstorm rolled in. The lightning was close and we were soaked, but at least my feet stayed dry until the last mile or so. At that point there was a veritable river running down the trails and we were just splashing our way down, trying not to lose footing or each other in the dense rain. When we finally got to the bottom we had hiked a total of 14 miles over 9 hours, in some of the worst conditions I have ever voluntarily placed myself in. We were soaked, but we were happy to be heading back to camp, where we made a big pot of black pean pasta with garlicky tomato sauce and toasted bread. It doesn't look like much, but it was the perfect post-hike hot meal.

The next day we spent rafting down the Penobscot River, where Alex, my Dad, his partner, and the raft guide all got tossed out in a Class V rapid and I had to steer the boat to safety. NO JOKE PEOPLE. I have video evidence, if I can figure out how to single out that part and upload here. I'll work on that. Anyway, it was incredible and I wish we had more pictures but the whole losing-your-iphone-in-the-river thing was something none of us was willing to risk, so we have to pictures to prove it. 

We visited our favorite hidden gem farmstore next door, admiring the produce and hanging with the chickens they keep in the back pasture. Th next day we went paddle boarding in the Damariscotta River while my Dad and sister kayaked, and afterwards enjoyed lunch at The Newcastle Publick House, where we got to try their new vegan menu item - inspired by our cauliflower nuggets recipe! They tasted great and it was awesome to see a small restaurant like that offering something for all their customers. Also, their hand-cut french fries were AMAZING. And isn't my boyfriend just the most handsome? I sure think so. 

On our last night, we played trivia at the Liberal Cup in Hallowell, and Alex and I each ordered one of their hand-made, bean + veggie based burgers with grilled onions and a side of hand-cut fries. I also worked here in high school and was always a fan of the fries. In fact, I used to be the one that CUT them all! I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore, but I love coming back for trivia night and its always great to run into old friends while we're there. We didn't win at trivia (but we didn't lose either!), and afterwards we headed home for an early bedtime so we could get our butts up in time for our flight the next day. Lucky for us, our favorite little donut shop, The Holy Donut, in Portland is open early and let us reserve and order of a dozen vegan potato donuts to scoop up on our way by. About 7 made it all the way back to California, and the rest were gone the next day. You can read our full review on The Holy Donut here. We love hanging in Maine and can't wait to go back. I'll be there for a quick visit in September again, and will definitely be getting another dozen donuts to bring back. Have you been to Maine? Where are some of your favorite places?

[Just a brief warning before we get started: this post is pretty picture-heavy, but I promise they're worth it! Also, I compressed the files but if you have trouble loading the page, try refreshing it. Thanks!]

This 4th of July weekend, Alex, our pup Maddie and I traveled 5 hours north to Big Sur, on the California Coast, to do some camping. Now before we go any further, I'm going to be honest with you: I'm not going to be honest with you. That was confusing. What I mean is that I can't / won't tell you EXACTLY where we camped in this post because there are a few really great secret spots we know of that have remained nearly untouched, even in a state with nearly 39 million people, and frankly, we want to keep them that way. If you REALLY REALLY are itching to go here, I could maybe tell you. If you pinky promise to never litter or start a campfire there and if you send me a super convincing email about what a great environmentalist you are. Seriously. I like this spot too much to let it get trashed by unknowing or unruly campers. Snobby camping etiquette aside, this place was a serious gem. After a 4 hour drive up route 101, one of the most beautiful scenic coastal drives in California, you have to drive an hour up a twisty dirt road to the top of a small mountain (really large hill?) to get to the area we camped in. We found a place where it looked like someone had set up before, then hiked down and up another hill about 500 yards back to get to this primo spot. Lugging the stuff in kind of sucked, but it was so worth it to have our own super secluded, above-the-clouds campsite. Plus, we started our vacation a day before most people so we were lucky enough to have the place almost completely to ourselves until our last day. Also, we had originally planned on a 3 night stay, but the bugs were incessant, our sun burns (being above the protective loud layer and all) were crisp and our poor puppy was chewed alive and sore from hiking so we went home on day 3 instead. Plus, sleeping in your own bed is always a welcome comfort after ANY amount of time sleeping on the ground. 

The view from the top of our campsite, looking onto our new favorite purchase: our ENO 2-person hammock. This hammock may be my favorite purchase like...ever. It gave us a comfy place to chill off the ground and under the shade of the trees for most of the day, and was big enough for both of us to comfortably sit inside. We would've loved to have slept there but the bugs were so awful that we couldn't stand it. It provided a lovely view of the clouds and fog that formed in that valley and over the ocean though, and we were happy to have it with us. Below you can see the view in the afternoon, once the fog and clouds had cleared.

Since we arrived in the early afternoon we had eaten breakfast and had a munchie lunch of chips, hummus, and fruit. For dinner, since there no campfires allowed (CA is in a serious drought and as you'll see in the pictures, the land was SO DRY), we brought our Jet Boil. We acquired the JB about a month ago at the REI used gear sale for like $30 (it usually sells for $100ish) and were hesitant that it might not work. On the contrary, after attaching our fuel to the bottom and adding 2 cups of water to the insulated cup, we turned up the heat and literally had boiling water in under a minute. It was awesome. Since we like to camp, we had invested in some just-add-water dehydrated camping meals to test out in the JB so our first night we made up the Santa Fe Black Beans + Rice combo. After added the hot water and resealing the pouch, you wait ten minutes and voila! Dinner was served. We even added a few of our own tortilla chips for crunch, and we enjoyed it WAY more than we thought we would. Definitely pleasantly surprised and would definitely purchase again for camping + backpacking trips. 

I way overpacked for our trip (As usual. I have a portion control problem.) but this is what we brought with. Everything was ready-to-eat or a just-add-water type of thing, and we ended up never even opening 2 of the freeze-dried meals, the Daiya mac, the soups or the oatmeal. Being in the sun so much definitely suppressed our appetites, but thats okay. More food for our next trip! 

After dinner and a sunset snuggle in the hammock, we (and that adorable sleepy puppy) crawled into the tent for an early night. The next morning gave us a little reprieve from the hot morning heat with a bit of cloud cover. We spent some time in the hammock and then noshed on some cashew yogurt with mango, plums, and granola with a side of chia drink for breakfast. We did bring a small cooler so things like our yogurt and fruit would stay as fresh as possible in the heat and that was a huge help. We also saw our first other campers across the ridge this morning, and realized our complete aloneness was coming to an end so we decided to get out and hike while we could without crowds. After a little yoga-ing to stretch out (warrior pose!) we packed some water and sunscreen and headed out to explore. 

It was super dusty and dry on our hike, but well worth the exploration. There were some beautiful vistas and plenty of little shady inlets to stop for water breaks, but after the hike we were dusty, dirty, and exhausted. The temps were in the high 80's and poor Maddie had to be carried the last quarter mile or so home by Alex after her legs started getting super shaky. Poor pup! We all probably drank less water than we should've, but we did our best to recoup through the afternoon. We were pretty pink with sun exposure so we avoided it the rest of the day and camped out in the hammock for the better part of the afternoon. 

That night we did another Jet Boil meal, this time heating some Vegetable Phó Broth we found at Whole Foods with black rice ramen noodles. It was quick, easy, and a little boring. I enjoyed it more than Alex but we agreed that next time we would bring some dried mushrooms and maybe some spices to make it a little more interesting. 
The sunset that evening was gorgeous, as the sun and pastel clouds dipped behind the thick, foggy cloud layer. It felt like we were at the top of the world. The moon wasn't as bright on night 2 either, so we had a seriously gorgeous view of the night sky filled with stars from our hilltop perch. We look a little silly and sunburned, but it was one of my favorite weekends of the summer so far.

The next morning we woke up to a bright blue, cloudless sky- which meant the sun got hot FAST. We were definitely feeling sunned out at this point, so we each ate a granola bar and some fruit and then started packing up our gear. We didn't have much, mostly we broke down the tent and made sure we left no remnants of our visit, then hauled it all back up to the car. We decided to take our time coming back down the California Coast, stopping to enjoy everything that looked interesting (or yummy!) since we had planned on being gone that day anyway. The next few pictures are from stop on the side of the road out of Big Sur and down as we traveled into San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.

Maddie had never been to the ocean before, and she loved it! Well, kinda. The incoming waves freaked her out a little but she for sure liked splashing around the beach anyway. The drive was lazy and wonderful, and we stopped at least 6 times. For lunch we decided to stop in beautiful Morro Bay at a vegan joint called Shine Café, a small place offering local, organic ingredients, gluten & soy-free options, kombucha on tap, and a menu packed full of goodness. They offered everything from pancakes to soups and salads, jackfruit tacos, sandwiches, and spring rolls. And if liquids are more your style, they also have a full juice bar + offer smoothies and acai bowls, too. Next door to the café is Sunshine Health Foods, the store that started it all. The place is small but packed with fun vegan treats and bulk bin yummies. We loved it. AND we FINALLY found Miyoko's cheeses! We'd tried them them way back at ExpoWest and had been drooling over them since, so when we found both the smoked farmhouse (my favorite flavor) and the double cream chive, I knew I had to get one of each. And while $10 seems like a lot for a product like this, its definitely comparable to other brands and this store was selling them for the same price advertised on Miyoko's website, and of course we didn't have to pay shipping. Score! 
For lunch at the café we ordered a trio of jackfruit street tacos, and a tempeh reuben that was packed with veggies + a side salad. Alex loved the sandwich, but I preferred the tacos. I could've eaten like 20 of those babies, no question.

After lunch we continued cruising down the coast for home and stopped at The Farm Stead, a great farm that sold their own organic produce off the side of the road. They offered U-Pick for some fruits + veggies too, but we were just too sunburnt to stay outside any longer than necessary. We grabbed some berries, white peaches, and cucumbers, and headed back out to the car. Once out there we realized that attached to the barn was a table-filled area to sit and munch in the shade, plus some super cute animal friends for company. Maddie made friends with the albino donkey, and we munched berries and relaxed in the shade. Oh - also cute, this farm had a little charging station for vehicles. We loved how eco-friendly they were! 
We'll be camping again next week in Maine and can't wait to find more cozy, underutilized camping spots when we're back in California in August. Get out and explore where you live - there are so many great places to see! Just always remember to remove any trace of you being there so awesome places stay awesome for everyone for a long time. Got any great camping spots? We'd love to hear about them! And we're always looking for new things to cook up in the Jet Boil, so suggestions are most welcome. Thanks for going virtual camping with us! 

Last weekend Alex and I had the pleasure of taking our first trip together up Mammoth Lakes. About 5 hours north of us, Alex has been fishing and camping at Lake Mary and the other Mammoth Lakes since he was a little one, but this was my very first time visiting. I grew up in Maine, so my draw to the wilderness is strong, and I love camping. We picked up a new tent, packed up our headlamps, chess board, blankets + pillows headed up the 395. We only stopped twice- both times for bathroom breaks- on the way up, but as soon as we started climbing elevation, I started getting antsy. As soon as we hit the cozy little town of Mammoth at the relative 'base' of the mountain (we were already like 8,000 ft up), we were ready to get out and explore. The picture above is the very first lookout we found to pull off at once we started up the mountain. The view is of Twin Lakes, with a waterfall in the very far distance. I have awful vision, and I was convinced there was no waterfall there. I was wrong. And it was gorgeous! After our little pit stop, we made our way up to the Lake Mary Campground to find our site and get set up for the evening. (NOTE: This post is a little picture heavy. Oh well!)

We were lucky because this early in the season, there was only one other group of campers nearby and the bugs were nearly non-existent. Plus, Maddie got to come with! While dogs do need to be leashed at all times in the campground and in most places on the mountain, she was able to hang with us and come hiking, which made us all happy. Definitely worth bringing your pup! 
Our first night was lovely. We explored, set up our simple camp, and started on dinner. For our first night, we enjoyed some grilled vegan hot dogs from Field Roast on buns with mustard, roasted onions, and a side of potato chips. Maddie wasn't much interested in her own food that evening (lots of new sounds and smells), but she was definitely interested in ours! 

The ground was hard and we didn't sleep great, but we were so stoked to get up and get hiking that we really didn't care. We each grabbed a banana and packed a sandwich and granola bar for the morning, then headed out. Our first stop was a short, easy hike to McLeod Lake, which may be the most gorgeous place I've ever seen in real life. There was still a bit of snow peppered around the lake in patches, but with the sun out and the elevation making our breathing a little shallower than usual, we were plenty warm. The water was crystal clear and the rocky backdrop was gorgeous, reflecting into the water and making the whole place seem endless. Maddie had way too much fun traipsing through the snow and catching snow balls, and it was the perfect place to start the morning. Plenty of bear tracks, but the only other animals we saw were a cute puppy and his owner at the other side of the lake. 

After plenty of photo-ops with a very patient pitbull, we hiked around various trails, taking plenty of time to explore little rock formations and tiny caves we found along the way. We saw some really amazing sights, like the root system below. The tree had fallen and was hollow, so someone laid tall pieces of wood along the outer sides to make it into a little dwelling on the beach. It was pretty rad. 

After noshing all the food we brought on the trail, we were ready for a lunch break. We walked back to our campsite, hopped in the car, and drove about 5 minutes back down the mountain to Mammoth's little downtown area. There are a couple great options for vegans in the area, but we stopped at Stellar Brew and were super impressed. Not only did they offer a FIVE non-dairy milks for any of their delicious coffee or tea drinks, they make GF + vegan baked goods to sell at the counter, have a full smoothie and smoothie bowl menu, sell organic produce by the pound, AND make the legit breakfast burrito pictured above. It was packed with ginger marinated tempeh, sautéed veggies and potatoes, and was wrapped in a hearty spinach tortilla. Perfect post-trail fuel! Alex and I split one, but could probably each have eaten our own. We also got a almond flour-based chocolate chip cookie to split for later. Also, the gals behind the counter were super friendly. We'll definitely come back here! If that's not your style, Mammoth also offers a Z Pizza, a vegetarian restaurant called Green V located in the main lodge at the ski mountain, and a place called Garden of Eat'n, which is right off of Old Mammoth Rd.

After lunch we took our time going back up Old Mammoth Rd, the original road built up the mountain after miners settled the area in the late 1800s. We found a marker telling where the old mining encampment had been set up, and a weirdly placed old grave (above) that looked like it had been made of wood and held a picture frame at the bottom. Now it was surrounded and presumably held up by cement with a small fence around it, though people seem to still leave things here regularly. I wonder who she was, and why there were no other graves around though. As we worked our way up the mountain the vista became more and more breathtaking, and we tried to get as many shots as possible. Once we got back to camp we took a power nap, chugged some water (you get dehydrated really easily in high elevations like this!), and headed back out to hike and explore some more.

Our afternoon hike took up to the top of the waterfall that feeds into Twin Lakes, the waterfall that in the very first picture in this post I was convinced couldn't be real. It was AMAZING! The tallest waterfall I've seen in person, for sure. In fact, this trip took me to about 10,000 ft., which is higher than I've EVER been on solid ground! 

Next stop was Horseshoe Lake. Alex remembered camping here when he was little, and a guy at the marina had warned us that water level had receded but we couldn't have prepared ourselves for the devastation. For those people who still think Global Warming isn't real, or Californians that can't quite grasp the drought: the ENTIRE area  up to the trees in the picture below used to be water. ALL OF IT. Now, all that's left is a much smaller body of water (pond sized) and a lot of sandy ground. The next picture is when we walked right up to the edge to see the water more clearly. It is SO alarming that this is all that's left of it. I'm turing this paragraph into a PSA: CONSERVE WATER, dammit!

After being totally saddened by the state of Horseshoe Lake, we hiked the 2 or so miles back to camp, admiring the gorgeous, stand-alone Crystal Crag, pictured below. There were a lot of people fishing on this lake, but still not many campers, so it was really nice to take advantage of the peace and quiet on the walk home. We were getting pretty tired though, and Maddie had gotten a splinter in her paw and was starting to limp so we took a few more pictures and headed back to camp to get a fire going and make dinner. 

Back at camp, we chopped up some onions, peppers & tomatoes from our garden, and some Beyond Meat Beast Burger patties and made a...scramble? Fajita fillings? Stir fry? I don't know what to call it, but it tasted great and a hot meal really hit the spot after a long day of hiking. 
After dinner we walked a bit more with Madds, hung out by the fire, and enjoyed the frogs calls from the nearby marsh. It was the best way I can think of to spend a weekend and I can't wait to go back! We don't like to cook every meal over the fire, so here are a few of our favorite recipes to pre-make and take along camping:

Healthy Homemade Granola
Extra Chewy Chocolate Steel Cut Oat Bars
Buffalo Sriracha Hummus
Choc-Oat-Nut Granola Balls
Tangy Curried Chickpea Salad

They're easy to make, easy to carry, and even easier to eat! For more info on camping + hiking at Mammoth, check out VisitMammoth.com. And remember- always do you best to make the smallest impact on the environment you're camping in. Don't litter + don't feed the bears!