My love for spending time in the outdoors is only matched by my love for all things coffee related. I don’t remember when this began, my mom is a tea drinker and what my dad considers coffee is more akin to coffee bean flavoured water. It may have been when I was in high school - all of the cool girls worked at Starbucks and I was determined to do the same. And so I did, I spent year slinging over sweetened coffee drinks to teenagers who could likely not afford them. As time went on the balance of sugar to coffee in my drinks flip flopped and I became a snob of all things coffee related. And so, when I ventured into the outdoors I needed options that were better than the instant that my mother would add into chocolate cakes and lighter than lugging a parceling carafe thousands of meters up the side of a mountain. I have three tried and true ways to help you find a good cup of coffee no matter where you are.

I didn’t go on my first backcountry camping trip until I was in my mid-twenties. Just as soon as my first trip finished I was itching to plan another - but planning your first trip can feel like a daunting task and it is hard to not allow your mind to wanter to all of the what-ifs. So for the sake of your safety (and sanity) I have put together some tips to help you plan your first (or first of the season) backcountry camping trip.

I am not a cold weather person. My blanket statement is that I am either a very terrible Canadian or somehow skipped adulthood and went straight into the snow-bird lifestyle. In true Canadian fashion my parents signed a young Andrea up for figure skating, and then hockey… I eventually learned to ski and even took a swing at the rodel when I was in Austria - but no amount of exposure or ‘fun’ would compare in my mind to even the simplest of summer days. I could go on forever about the mis-adventures of winter and I but in the end it all adds up to me skipping the past few Canadian winters and heading anywhere but home

I don’t think I necessarily wanted to venture into the backcountry by myself: full disclosure. There was no burning desire or hurdle to leap over, a box to check. But, when my go-to hiking partner has made alternative plans, I decided that it just might be the opportune time to give it a try.

Born and raised in the Foothills of the Canadian Rockies, I always believed that bear safety was as engrained in my life as if it were a pamphlet stapled to the back of my birth certificate. It has seemed second nature, intuitive to coexist with wildlife in the wilderness with a deep sense of both respect and reverence, and just enough fear you keep you alert.