207 days into 2025

July 28

in the thick of summer ☀️

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We’re officially in the thick of summer, the part where backpacks stay half-packed, laundry never really ends, and the smell of campfire smoke seems to stick to your clothes no matter what. The weekdays are long, and weekends are filled with road trips, exploring new hiking trails and eating copious amounts of granola bars.
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I kicked off the summer mountain adventures with a trip to Waterton Lakes National Park, camping at the Townsite Campground, which is walking distance from everything in town and offers unreal views of the surrounding peaks!

Over the course of a few days, we hiked:

• Bear's Hump: A short but steep climb with incredible views over the town and lakes.
• Cameron Lake Trail: An easy and peaceful lakeside hike - you can also rent a boat here and paddle if you'd like!
• Crandell Lake Trail: This was a hidden gem with a campground at the end, next year we might look to camp here!
• Red Rock Canyon & Blakiston Falls: Easy and family friendly hikes to see the unique red rock landscape.
• Wall Lake & Forum Lake: An epic day hike about 20 km in length crossing from Alberta into BC and back!

A full guide is coming soon to the blog, so stay tuned if you’re planning your own Waterton trip!

Next up was a weekend in Banff National Park, where we camped at Protection Mountain. I've never camped here before but I definitely recommend it, there is an excellent amount of privacy with a few amenities but it's still quite remote with no cell service. We hiked Boom Lake Trail, which was about 10 km in mostly forest with a beautiful lake at the end!

This summer hasn’t been all hiking, I also spent some great time with family and friends at the Calgary Stampede. Went to watch the final evening show and it was incredible - definitely recommend it if you've never been!

Our next summer adventure is a trip to the UAE for two weeks, and while it’ll be very different from the mountain adventures, I’m really excited for a new kind of exploring!

I hope you’re finding time to get outside and make a few memories this summer! As always, if there’s something you want to hear more about, just hit reply. I love hearing from you!

Talk soon,

Jess 🫶🏼

🫶🏼 monthly favourites

Some things that I'm loving this summer!

🏡 Butter Bell Crock: I saw this online and immediately knew it was exactly what I was missing for my kitchen! Originally invented in 19th-century France, the butter bell keeps butter fresh and perfectly spreadable without refrigeration. I use it everyday and it looks so cute on the counter!

🧖🏼‍♀️ MyHalos® 100% Blackout Sleeping Mask: Bought this recently for our upcoming trip. It’s the comfiest, most effective sleep mask I’ve ever used. The contoured design blocks out all light without pressing on my eyes and it's super affordable!

🎥 The Summer I Turned Pretty: I am completely pulled into the hype of this show and love the summer beachy vibes. Although I have to say the latest episode (S3, Ep3) had me cringing so bad I wanted to turn it off! But overall, it's still a fun summer series!

🎧 Living in a 2000s rom com: I'm currently obsessed with this Spotify playlist, listening to it all the time, it's perfect for summer road trips!
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🗺️ new on the blog

Some great Canadian content available to help you get outside this summer, and sharing the cost from the 6 months of travel we did in Asia last year.

🥾Grey Owl Trail: A Detailed Guide to Backpacking in Prince Albert National Park​

🛶 Barron Canyon Canoe Trip: Algonquin Park Canoe Routes​

💲Budget for Backpacking Southeast Asia: Daily, Weekly and Monthly Costs by Country​

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📚 book of the month

My reading goal for the year was 20 books but I'm now at 27! So I've upped my goal to 50. I'm hoping to spend a lot of time reading during my upcoming trip. Latest series I read was the Kindred Curse saga (Spark of the Everflame) - overall I rated it 4/5 stars but there is still one book yet to be released so I might change my mind. Before that, I read The Alice Network - a historical fiction about female spies - 5/5 highly recommend it!! If you want to see more of what I've read this year then let's be friends on Fable.​

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✈️ travel essentials

💵 Spend in different currencies with Wise

📞 Stay connected with an e-sim from Airalo​

🌎 Find affordable accommodation on Booking.com​

🍜 Plan tours and entertainment with Viator​

🧳 Save money booking flights on Hopper​

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