Beers at the Bottom Feature: Pacific North Wanderers

Featured Friends: Pacific North Wanderers

4/14/2016

Brandon and Stacy of Pacific North Wanderers

For our first "Featured Friends" post, we welcome Stacy and Brandon of Pacific North Wanderers. They caught our eye on Twitter a couple months ago by sharing great content and SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM for hiking. We love it. And you will, too. Without further ado, meet the Wanderers!

Tell us about yourselves. From where do you hail?
We are Stacy and Brandon hailing from Florida and Colorado. Living in gorgeous Washington state, we wander near and far to discover all it has to offer.

When and why did you start your blog, Pacific North Wanderers?
Six months ago we began Pacific North Wanderers to share our hiking adventures. We hope to inspire others to get outside and experience the nature and beauty around them.

What does “wander” mean to you?
To roam, explore and experience. Wander is a word that embodies elements of adventure and curiosity, we like that!

Just hanging out

How did your love of hiking come about?
There are just some places that are remote. Taking a road to a mountain top isn't always an option. We want to experience those panoramas, spot those distant mountain tops and sometimes to be above all the chaos of everyday. Hiking gifts us all these things.

What is your favorite PNW trail?
We are so fortunate to live in a region with many thousands of trails. We've only laid foot on a fraction of them. So far our favorite would have to be Skyline Trail on Mt. Rainier. When the snow melts off a bit and all the wildflowers emerge, the views are truly breathtaking.

They sent us a postcard!

We were stoked on your national parks postcard campaign. Tell us more about the inspiration for it.
The idea was sparked by our friend J. Collins of PNWcast. He has a great podcast with short stories of little known history of the Pacific Northwest, we're big fans! He did a postcard campaign and sent one to us. The National Parks Service Centennial is this year. We thought, "hey, let's celebrate our National Parks by sending out NP postcards".

Do you have a favorite national park?
We have still yet to really explore North Cascades National Park. So, that leaves Olympic and Mt. Rainier National Parks in Washington. Olympic NP probably has the most to offer, but this is still a hard choice.

Tell us a story about from your outdoor adventures.
Last year we were able to take my (Stacy's) mother hiking in Cape Disappointment State Park for Mother's Day. Her health is declining, so this was a special time we were able to share.

Do you enjoy other outdoor adventures other than hiking? If so, what kinds?
Camping, snowshoeing, backpacking, kayaking and canoeing. Also, festivals and outdoor events like the Skagit Tulip Festival.

What is on your outdoor adventure wish list?
Some thru-hiking, more wildlife encounters (that don't involve getting attacked or eaten), and getting out to Idaho to enjoy some hiking.

Do you have any post-hike traditions, like “beers at the bottom”?
Cheese enchiladas!

What’s next for Pacific North Wanderers?
More adventures, more collaborations, and whatever surprises the trails lead us to!

Where can we find more about you online?
We're mostly on Twitter and Instagram but have recently started using additional social networks. We're still learning some of them as we go. So many! We also have a weekly newsletter which goes out as a reminder for that week's story on our website.

We hope to meet these two on the trail one day. Until then, Wander On!