Blog — Seattle Bred

My misadventures in learning how to ski as an adult have really taught me the value of being a beginner at something that terrifies you. It’s a mental state you can't really reproduce in any other conditions and it truly teaches you a lot about who you are as a person. A younger Kaelee avoided all things she was afraid of or bad at, I like to think this older wiser version of myself will continue to open them with open arms, and a guided ice climbing excursion in Montana is a perfect example of that.

Kaelee ButnerMarch 3, 2022Comment

An Epic Ski Vacation in Montana

When I told people I was traveling to Montana to ski, most people assumed I was planning a ski trip to Big Sky. While Big Sky is still on my list to visit, Montana has over 15 ski resorts to explore. Why would you limit yourself to just one area? Though we had a short time frame for this trip, our plan was to visit some less popular locations and I think we did a great job of that!

Kaelee ButnerMarch 3, 2022Comment

How I Learned to Ski as an Adult in Washington

Learning to ski as an adult is intimidating. We are no longer blessed with rubber joints or feelings of invincibility. I personally looked down the very gentle slope of my first green run and was convinced I would immediately tear an ACL, but it’s also highly rewarding. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as being completely terrified and deciding to try despite that fear. When it goes well, those childhood feelings of invincibility momentarily return. So yes, learning to ski is intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be awful. Here is how I started my ski journey as an adult in Washington!

Kaelee ButnerJanuary 19, 2022Comment

Jade Lake and Dip Top Gap in a Day

Fired up from my Glacier Peak C2C attempt and looking for a longer run I had the required skills to complete, I set my sights on a solo push of Jade Lake and Dip Top Gap. I wanted a trail I was familiar with so route finding wouldn’t suck up a lot of my time on the trail. I backpacked at Jade Lake in the fall a few years go and chickened out of doing Dip Top Gap since the snow looked super icy from far away and I didn’t have much experience with steep snow at the time. It’s been high on my list of places to see ever since so I decided it was finally time!

Climbing Glacier Peak in a Day via the Disappointment Peak Scramble

I had no idea if I was even capable of climbing Glacier Peak in a day. My longest day in the mountains so far was around 20 miles with around 4,000 feet of gain. The Disappointment Peak scramble route we were looking at had us clocking in 34-36 miles with over 10,000 feet of gain. COVID lockdowns had also given me an unreasonable amount of anxiety surrounding technical objectives for the 2020 climbing season. My anxiety was so bad, I had all but given up on a major summit in 2020. I finally hit a point where I was so frustrated with myself that I decided to just give it a shot.

Getting Outside with Merrell and Zappos

It’s still possible to get outside and have fun while respecting the rules of social distancing. Eventually, this will be over and we will all be on the trails again. I can’t wait to test out the Merrell Bravada Waterproof hikers on the side of a mountain and be sure to check out Zappos.com to get your own pair so you are ready for the outdoors!

Should you Hire a Guide or Trek Independently to Everest Base Camp?

When I first started planning my trip to Nepal, I had a lot of questions about whether I should hire a guide or trek independently. After a lot of research, I decided to trek with a guide. I am extremely happy with that decision, and spoiler alert, my recommendation is to definitely hire a guide if you plan on doing the Everest Base Camp trek. But with that recommendation in mind, not all guided trips are the same. In order to make the right decision for you, you need to decide on your budget, and what kind of experience you are hoping for.

What it's like to get Acute Mountain Sickness on the Everest Base Camp Trek

Acute mountain sickness or altitude sickness commonly occurs for people on the Everest Base Camp trek, so I figured it would be easy to identify if I got sick. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Learn about my experience with AMS and how to avoid my mistakes on your own high altitude trek.

Guide to Backpacking the Berg Lake Trail in Mount Robson Provincial Park

If you haven’t heard of Berg Lake, you have most likely seen photos of the iconic scene. Mount Robson towers over Berg Lake and the Berg Glacier tumbles down the side of the mountain to meet with the turquoise waters of the lake. It’s an infamous photo and seeing it so many times on Instagram I started to wonder if it could actually be that beautiful in real life. Spoiler alert—it was.

Backpacking Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park

Wedgemount Lake is an out and back hike in Garibaldi Provincial Park rated as difficult. The trail is 7.5 miles round trip with 3800 feet of gain. In order to camp at the lake you need permits which can be booked here. Permits for all of Garibaldi Provincial Park open up four months before your planned date. We camped in July, so we booked our permits in April.

Climbing Mount Baker via the Easton Glacier Route

Mount Baker rises 10,781 feet above sea level in the North Cascade Mountains in Washington State. The Lummi Tribe call it Koma Kulshan which means, “white sentinel” Many people choose this mountain for their first technical climb before going on to climb bigger peaks like Rainier and beyond. That doesn’t make this climb easy. There are crevasses the size of school busses and the Roman Wall is a steep and exposed 1000 foot final push before you reach the summit. You need to have appropriate snow travel skills and know crevasse rescue before attempting this climb. Many guide services will teach you these things on a long weekend ending with a climb of Mount Baker, my friends and I learned with a group of women being mentored that I mentioned in my post about climbing Mount Saint Helens.

Overcoming Anxiety Outside: Lessons Learned from Climbing Mount Saint Helens

Mount Saint Helens isn’t a difficult mountain. Don’t get me wrong, people have been seriously injured and died here, but this is usually from getting too close to the cornice and falling into the crater below or not controlling their speed while glissading down and hitting an obstacle. There aren’t crevasses to potentially fall into and it’s nowhere near as steep as other volcanos and mountains in the Cascades. It’s considered a good place to start if you are interested in mountaineering.

Top Five Beginner Backpacking Trips in Washington

Your first backpacking trip doesn’t need to be scary and intimidating. Washington has plenty of low commitment trails where you can test the waters and see if backpacking is right for you. Here are five of my favorites, check them out if you are new to backpacking or want a chill night out in the backcountry without a ton of work.

Top Nine Moments of 2018

Every year I enter in my Instagram information to get one of those Best Nine grids. While the engagement on those photos might be great, are they actually my best nine moments of the year? Usually not, and I am sure they aren’t the best moments for most of us.

Personal, RamblingsKaelee ButnerDecember 30, 20182018 best nine, 2018 Mount St Helens, 2018 YosemiteComment

Optimus Crux Backpacking Stove Gear Review

Before the Optimus Crux Stove my main backpacking stove was the Jetboil flash. I had no plans to buy another stove since it adequately covered my needs for boiling water for dehydrated backpacking meals. When Katadyn reached out and offered to send me one of their Optimus Crux stoves I was excited, but didn’t think it would sway my opinions on my Jetboil. I WAS WRONG.

Gear ReviewKaelee ButnerDecember 4, 2018Gear Review, Gear Review Optimus Crux Stove, Review Optimus StoveComment