"There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee."
-Robert Service
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Missing just sitting and looking up at the night sky in the mountains. I'm in major need of a trip way out there soon. Love this fragile and interesting place that is home. 😊💗
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Watching the Northern Lights- Jan 20th, 2026 🌌✨️❄️
Some funky camera angles and lighting but I kind of like how these turned out. ☺️
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January 18th, 2026- Ghoster Coaster 👻🧊🏔
Paul's B-day Trip Part 2/2
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On day 2, I woke up with the dawn in my open bivy after a late night of star gazing. Paul was up too and quietly fished while I watched and photographed the sunrise. Then, shortly after, we all had breakfast together, looking out at the lake.
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It was a really nice morning. I played monopoly for the first time! I've never lost so badly. I recall at one point saying "Paul would you play this?" He replied, "Mmm. You should try it." So I did and the second I put the card down he went "Ooooh. That was a really bad move." The French accent only added to the emotional damage. 😆😜
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I wish I could have stayed for more days but I had decided on Wednesday, before entering the backcountry for this trip on Friday, that I wanted to attempt Robson while conditions still seemed good. Shane and I hiked out by 6pm Saturday, I soaked my legs in the cold creek for recovery and downed a backcountry meal and a couple of bars for some protein before hopping in the car. Thankfully, Shane was willing to drive the logging roads and highway back to Canmore for me so I could sleep for 2 or so hours. Got to Canmore, showered quickly, thought to myself "what am I doing?," got into the car again, got gas and snacks, and copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake, and drove straight to Robson. Got to the parking lot around 6 am at the exact same time as my partners and then we started up.
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I honestly wasn't sure if this aspirational series of plans was going to transpire but somehow it all just came together. Was it too much to go straight into Robson with 30 km and 2000+ m already in my legs and only 2 hrs of sleep? In hindsight, absolutely. Did I rhabdo myself a little? Maybe... but I'm deeply grateful for the ✨️magical✨️, action packed 5 days that came to be (in which I think I might have had about 12 hours of sleep total in 4 nights 😅). I'll never forget these days with really great people. 💕
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The drive home and classes in the morning after the 5 days:... mmm ✨️ less magical✨️ 🤪
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August 30th, 2025 🌖🌄⛰️🐞
Paul's B-day Trip Part 1/2
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Went on this trip for Paul's birthday! Genuinely so grateful to spend this time with such wonderful people and I thank Paul for inviting me and making this trip I've dreamed of for years such a perfect first experience in the area. I would have had a good time with this crew even sitting in an empty parking lot but I'm obviously overjoyed the scenery was so spectacular as well. All in all, it was an all time trip!
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Really enjoyed the stars from my open bivy, the many lakes, the many fossils, and swimming in the one lake (even though it took me 30 minutes to fully get in and Shane had to splash me a bunch first). And I enjoyed the evening alpen glow and the flock of alpine chickens that made the cutest little squeaks as they walked around me. For the two days hanging out, I felt rich in all the things I hope to be rich in during my lifetime: friends and mountains; stars and sunshine; happiness and limestone. 😊
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August 29th, 2025 👬👫👭👬⛰️🌌☀️😄🪨
Went to Kindergarten a few weeks ago with the legend @_hyunho_cho_, featured shredding in these pics. Still sponsored by my mom's banana bread, it was the perfect day of school. The powder was... chalky. 👩🏫🤭 Can't wait till High School. 😜🤘
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January 16th, 2026- Kindergarten Couloir ⛷️🏫🎒🍌
2025 was one of my hardest years yet, marked by loss, academic hardship, another concussion, burnout, and some serious depression...
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🥳 BUT, even so, 2025 was full of so much good:
♡ New friends, old friends, and a community that carried me.
♡ Peak life experiences in the mountains.
♡ Moments that changed me forever.
♡ Growth I didn’t ask for (but ultimately will probably need 😅).
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And here are some of my favorite pics the homies took of me doing stuff in 2025. I realized I’m grateful for all of it- even the hard days- because being alive is a gift (even when it doesn’t feel like one 🫠).
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I started 2026 immediately burning like 3k I barely had on a CAA Operations Level 1 course I couldn't participate in... because I re-injured a mostly healed back injury from 2017... while lifting a slightly heavy bin (literally on January 1st)... 💀 so I'm thinking this year might be a real pain in my azz. 🤣
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That being said, I've got big hopes for 2026 anyway. Here are my 5 resolutions:
1️⃣ To genuinely like myself at the end of the year.
2️⃣ To keep finding my voice and be even more bold (and unhinged 😜) in using it.
3️⃣ To do many things that terrify me, from scary ski lines to climbs to engineering courses. Do them anyway.
4️⃣ To accomplish something in 2026 that I wouldn't have thought possible for my lifetime in 2025.
5️⃣ To become the strongest I have ever been mentally and physically.
(... now that my hunchback is mostly healed that is 😉. Alexa play Quasimodo's theme song 🥲)
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Happy Belated New Year to you and your loved ones. May 2026 bring you all as much love and joy as humanly possible. 🤍
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&, to 2026, hit me with your best shot. 🖕😆🖕
Mount Brazeau, 2/2
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"It's a new year, I'm glad to be here
It's a fresh spring, so let's sing
In 2080 I'll surely be dead
So don't look ahead, ever look ahead
It's a new year, I'm glad to be here
It's a fresh spring, so let's sing
And the moon shines bright on the water tonight
So we won't drown in the summer sound
If you find me I'll be sitting by the water fountain
Picket signs, letdowns, meltdown on Monday morning
But it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
'Cause in no time, they'll be gone, I guess I'll still be standing here"
-2080 by Yeasayer
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These mountain moments with good people are what get me through this life. They're why I exist and why I'll still be standing here for as long as I can.
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My main task this summer was just to keep on going: for my family and friends, for the mountains, and for the beauty in the world that still deserves to be witnessed. To be brave, resilient, and open-hearted, even when everything felt fractured.
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This year broke me down in a hundred different moments but it also built me back up again and again. Through it all, the mountains and people who kept showing up for me became my foundation- the reason I kept staying present in my life too. I was far from perfect, but I did keep going and, somehow, that ended up being enough.
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And, at the end of it all, the small moments of my life continually accumulating may not have led to much tangible outward achievement, but I did feel a quiet inner strength growing inside of me, that then began helping me heal from the inside out.
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Moments, like those captured in these pictures, remind me of all of this: namely what I live for. In 2080, I'll surely be dead, but, in moments like these, I'm genuinely glad to be here, living while I can.
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August 17th, 2025 ⏳️🌱🌄
Mount Brazeau, 1/2
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I woke up from the same reoccuring nightmare that had been waking me at 3 AM all summer, with tears streaming down my face and shivering from the cold. I listened to the rain lapping on the side of the tent and decided to go outside and walk around. I snapped some pictures, getting drenched with the rain in the process. It felt purifying.
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The next morning, we got up in the dark and the cold and set out hopeful, witnessing a gorgeous sunrise as we walked through the dawn. The sunrise brought me feelings of elation and joy but also grief and longing. I had a big smile on my face while reveling in the colors of the present while I missed a time before when I felt less pain, my internal world felt more secure, and my life felt simpler. These feelings were quickly interrupted by a lively discussion about the merits of the reality tv show "Love Island" as we traversed the ice. Later, walking toward the peak, all three of us fell one by one into crevasses. We discussed turning around but then decided to try going a couple 100 meters higher on the glacier to see if we could get a better freeze. We did and travel was much better. A short scree stretch later and we were up on top of Mount Brazeau. On the peak, I felt a sense of calm, looking out over the sea of peaks, but also a hunger, seeing how much more there was still to explore.
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One of the aspects I love about the wilderness is that it evokes strong emotions within me. It makes me feel. So many emotions can coexist in the open space of the mountains: grief and awe, silliness and seriousness, elation and frustration, grit and softness, perserverance to continue yet submission to the elements and the will of the peak. Most of all, the wilderness makes me feel alive.
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When the steps feel hard, mountain brothers and sisters get me through it. On this trip, I'm grateful for my brothers, Nathan and Jason, who encouraged me, listened to me vent calmly, and kept me motivated. I very much appreciated spending this time with them.
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I came back from the trip feeling more confident and resilient. Throughout the exploration process we feel, we become, we rebuild.
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August 17th, 2025 🫀🧠🫁🏔
To quote Ye: "First of all, dopeness is what I like the most." Couldn't agree more with Mr. West on that one. And I consider this first week of the 2025/2026 season as dope. So I have high hopes for this year. Let's go snowpack 🙌 (please cooperate🤞).
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Thanks to the following talented skiers for getting out with me: Alex (@whatforwho), Hyun Ho (@_hyunho_cho_), Jack (@_trevorjack_), and Stu (@estuardoartillero) on November 16th and 19th. 😊😁
I've been told I don't have many pics of me on my account, which I do agree with. I prefer to take pics generally, so I usually post stuff I was behind the lens on. So, anyway, this is a pic of me...
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I feel like my smile is pretty large and genuine in this pic from the summer. Apparently, few things make me smile like blasting baddie anthems while climbing quality 5.10a! 🤣💅
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And yes, the song in this post is the song I played while sending this pitch (well, the unsensored version is the one I played to be honest 🤣). 😎
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You're welcome for the quality song! 😉✌️🎵
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#rockclimbing #sportclimbing #sendingvibes
I feel like these Northern Lights pics are a bit mid but I'm posting them anyways because I want to remember the nights on November 11th and 12th and what it felt like chasing them. 😅🙈
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November 11th makes me think about a lot of things but mainly I just wish for peace on Earth as much as possible. Northern Lights remind me nature and time are so much more expansive than our mere humanly existence and the world is an incredibly fragile place.
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My favorite part of church growing up was when we turned to the people nearest to us and shook their hands, saying the words "peace be with you." It made me feel connected to not only the people around me but my humanity as a whole. So that's my wish- I wish for peace.
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Peace be with you. 💗🕊✌️☮️
Spectacular summer day on the Lady Mac → Princess Margaret traverse!
🎯 Peaks: Lady Macdonald (via ESE ridge), Charles Stewart South, Charles Stewart Main, Princess Margaret ⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️
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Started around 7 AM on the ESE ridge- fossils, bighorn sheep, and some fun 5th-class moves (I switched to climbing shoes; Love that Caden just did this in runners 🤣). Such a fun way to access the Lady Mac summit.
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For some reason I thought 1.5 L of water was enough… why I thought that is beyond me, since it was a dry, exposed ridge on a hot day 😅. By the time we hit Charles Stewart S Peak, I was so thirsty that when Caden handed me the communal bottle of Fireball from the summit register, I gulped that s**t back like it was Holy water... Also, every single summit block and high point on the ridge had a hoard of flying ants??? Still a mystery. 🥴🐜💧
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We thought Princess Margaret would be the easiest- nope. It was the hardest, and the rock was quite bad. Even better, we were surrounded on all sides by three different thunderstorms with lightning ⚡️⛈️🫠 We somehow found a trickle of moss water and surprisingly managed to extract about 2 L to drink.
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We started climbing just to the right of the final pinnacle, but it got quite tricky as we continued to advance up. I said, “I’m not sure I should be freesoloing past this point,” and Caden offered to place pro to rap down. I said, “You trust any of this sh***y rock? 🤣” He tapped a large piece of rock and it made a hollow sound. I said, “Ya, I’m downclimbing 😆.” We then found another route up.
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We descended Princess Margaret in the dark, cutting early to the creek and chugging an ungodly amount of water. We then decided to remain in the creek bed, which turned into multiple slippery waterfall downclimbs in the dark when we were both already fairly over the day by that point. Got back to the car in one piece to find a ticket for parking in Harvie Heights. 😅🙈
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Overall 10/10, very sick day! One of my favs of the summer! 😎🤠🤘
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August 1st, 2025 🏔🌩🐜🥃
Went cragging more than ever this summer and I discovered I actually do like it! 🧗♀️☀️ Here are a few crag moments I enjoyed (in no particular order):
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1️⃣ Met a new partner (Xavier) and onsighted two 5.10as at Casino Wall before taking three massive whips on Poker Face (screaming very loudly each time 😅).🃏♣️
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2️⃣ Climbing before a work meeting with Sophie and Josh on a gorgeous day in Cougar Creek- Sophie crushed a high route and then belayed and cheered me on right after when I climbed another. Girl power! ✊️🏋♀️
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3️⃣ Hung out at Grassi with Josh & Caden: I was supposed to meet Josh’s “new friend,” only to realize it was Caden, who I’d also just met separately! Tried Bold New Plan on TR (after Josh effortlessly led it) and fought my way up it with a lot of grunting! 🫣🗣
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4️⃣ First visit to Carrot Creek with Xavier- fun, challenging routes and great vibes. 🥕🏞
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5️⃣ Met up with an awesome crew at Grassi and battled two routes on Meathooks Wall with dead arms. Everyone was super encouraging and it was a really fun session. 🥩🪝🫂
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6️⃣ Tried Dance Me Outside (my first 5.12a!) and made it halfway up before the crux got me. Hope to try it again next summer! 💃💪
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7️⃣ Drytooling at the Playground with Anton and doing my first stein pull! Not good yet but I love the sport already.🪓🏔
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8️⃣ Rainy Raven’s Crag day- loved the view, sketchy tiny chain, and seeing my first 5.15 in the wild. ☔️🌦
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9️⃣ “Animal night” at Grassi: mountain goats, bighorn sheep, a hawk, a bat, and a hummingbird- all in one session 🦇🐏🦅 (plus rockfall from the goats 😬).
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🔟 Finishing the last of my TRCI prereqs at Sunshine Slabs! Started the season in June out of shape from school and scared while top roping 5.9s. Ended it onsighting some 5.10as on lead. 📈🎯👣
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Now that it's almost winter, I'm missing these summer crag days that left smiles on my face, chalk on my hands, and joy in my heart. Grateful for every partner, route, and small step forward this summer. 🏔✨🫶
This week, I’m excited to share photos from one of the most meaningful days I spent in the backcountry. This peak is known to the Blackfeet Nation as Ninaistákis or Nínaiistáko (Chief Mountain) and is part of the territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The Blackfoot Confederacy includes four Nations: the Siksika, Kainai, Aapatohipiikunniwa (Piikani Nation) in Canada, and the Amsskapipiikunniwa (Blackfeet Nation) in the United States. Nínaiistáko is visited for ceremony, prayer, and vision seeking, and it continues to hold deep spiritual and cultural meaning.
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Geologically, the area is part of the Lewis Overthrust, where ancient Precambrian rock- about 1.5 billion years old- was thrust over younger grey Cretaceous shale around 100 million years old. Over time, erosion carved the striking square peak seen today, visible for 118 miles to the north from Calgary.
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Because of its spiritual and ecological significance, visiting Nínaiistáko is by invitation only, and I feel deeply grateful to have been welcomed to the area as a guest of Joey (@bonesshouting) who generously shared this sacred place.
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Song is Aihpiyiw by Olivia Tailfeathers. Really like this song 🎶
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June 7th, 2025- Nínaiistáko 🌄
Pics from Beautiful Century with my buddy Ondřej (who doesn't have insta). Really enjoyed this climb. I found the movement really fun. I was being a big chicken this day and appreciate that Ondřej didn't make me feel bad about it and also led the harder pitches that I volunteered to lead at first before I wussed out, which I totally regret as they weren't too bad afterall. 🙈 But, nonetheless, it's a great memory! Really enjoyed the route, the climbing, the conversation, the warm night, and the nice sunset and big full moon! It was a good way to end the day. Since it's the season of Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for these mountain moments and the people I get to meet and share them with.
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July 8th, 2025- Beautiful Century ⛰️ 🌅🧗♀️
Post 2/2 Yexyexéscen
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I was left both proud of myself for how I pushed myself during the Yexyexéscen trip as well as hungry to improve my speed, strength, and alpine skills more. I find these feelings are common for me on these sorts of trips. I often joke that when I first find something hard, once I attain the goal to my satisfaction, it then gets re-written in my head as easy because I think subconsciously or even consciously I did it, therefore it was possible, therefore it wasn’t hard enough. This is great because it constantly keeps me hungry for more in the mountains but I can also fall into a trap of never feeling satisfied with where I currently am or the little bits of progress I make along the way. That being said I love that trips like these motivate me to get better and improve myself and I am stoked on the great memories and how the trip turned out. Excited to continue trying to progress now that my toes are somewhat healed!
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I’d really like to thank my partners for this trip, Jeff (@bdxjeff) and Lukas (@lukas2wolf), for agreeing to do this with me and believing in me every step of the way. I could not have asked for a better team for this objective and I am really thankful I got to share this trip with you both!
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Now who wants to come ski this bad boy with me? 😏😎😈
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#mountrobson #yexyexescen #stripedrock #alpinism #climbhard #canadianrockies #climbinglife #mountainlove #mountaintherapy #climbingphotography #womenwhoclimb #adventurelife #outdoorwomen #findyourmountain #themountainsarecalling #toetrauma
August 31st-September 2nd, 2025
Post 1/2 Yexyexéscen (and [can't forget] Resplendent 😜)
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“The Texqa’kallt, a Secwepemc people and the earliest known inhabitants of the area, call it Yexyexéscen (striped rock), spelled in Dawson 1891 as Yuh-hai-has-kun, The Mountain of the Spiral Road," (otherwise known as Mt. Robson).
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I went up Yexyexéscen recently and wanted to post these pictures as soon as I could go through them. Selecting 20 was no easy feat as in the 3 days I was there I was so captivated by everything I took 1112 photos… I was listening to the song in this post a lot in my prep for Yexyexéscen. When I looked up the meaning of it online it gave the description “the lyrics reflect a longing for a place untouched by life’s complexities, with the Blue Ridge Mountains serving as a metaphor for home and belonging.” That is what Yexyexéscen felt like to me- a place untouched by life’s complexities. The mountains to me are where I feel life is simple. The focuses are simple and concrete: ascend the peak, keep moving forward, enjoy the scenery. The tough parts feel considerably less tough to navigate for me than the other parts of life- will I fall in a crevasse, will I be too slow, even will I perish somehow feels easier than the barrage of things to navigate day to day like healing a broken heart, surviving exams and assignments, finding the will to get out of bed in the morning and then trying to focus on work all feels considerably harder. It makes me long for places like Yexyexéscen where I feel free and untouched by life’s complexities. These places for me feel like home.
#mountrobson #yexyexescen #stripedrock #alpinism #climbhard #canadianrockies #climbinglife #mountainlove #mountaintherapy #climbingphotography #womenwhoclimb #adventurelife #outdoorwomen #findyourmountain #themountainsarecalling
August 31st-September 2nd, 2025
Aug 31st - Sept 2nd, Mt Robson (Kain face) & Mt Resplendent.
Mt Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (3954m) and the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain Range (prominence of 2829m).
Great weather and snow/ice condition made for easy travel and a successful summit trip! Super stoked !
@lukas2wolf
@k._.verge
#mtrobson #mountrobson #mtrobsonprovincialpark #resplendent #moutaineering #camping
Some paddleboarding/kayaking for my birthday this year. It wasn't quite the year I expected to have, but I'm trying to learn to appreciate all the good things while embracing the suck/the suffer with a bring it on attitude. Thanks to my mom and brother for forcing me out of the house this day on an adventure I really enjoyed and for tolerating my birthday grumpiness. 😅🥰
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July 1st, 2025- Paddleboarding 🛶🌊🎂
Pics from rambling around!
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Finally trying to get through that backlog of adventure pics 2 months later. Haha
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June 6th, 2025- Bears Hump, Buggys, and Other Sights 🐛 🦋 🏞
Some photos from the Mt. Gordon Traverse. It's never too early to dream about ski lines and I'm looking for some ski touring partners for next winter/spring. Hit me up with what you want to ski and lets go! 😁🤩🏔❄️🌨⛷️🎿 I'm interested in couloirs, faces, and have some ski traverse ideas I'd really love to get after. 😊
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#canadianrockies #skiing #skitouring #excited #for #winter
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April 30th, 2025- Mount Gordon Traverse ⛷️🏔❄️
"Some lights aren't meant to stay. They dance across your sky once, and you carry their beauty forever."
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Felt real stupid chilling by myself on top of a mountain in the dark when finally the northern lights appeared suddenly at 3 am and I got a few hours of an amazing light show. 😅 Special night and I hope to do it again sometime.
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June 1st, 2025 Watching the aurora over Banff 🌌✨️
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#aurora #northernlights #banff #mountains #nightsky #rockymountains #adventure #adventurephotos
Eternally grateful for mountain friends like @paul_labranche that I can text or call up: "Hey my friggin life is crumbling around me right now. Can I come hang out with you?" and then we climb and hike for 4 days straight. 😁 Thanks for being my friend bud! Pics featuring Paul and Paul's strong climber friend Dani! 😊
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June 8th, 2025- A Beer, A Puff, and A Juniper
🍻💨🌲
I was a bit worried whether the solstice activity would be a go ahead for a variety of reasons but in particular the rain/snow storm. When I saw on Windy that Golden was one of the only places with somewhat of a weather window, I decided to head there, only I woke up on June 21st feeling sad and I had a lot of cleaning I wanted to do so I didn't get to KH resort lot until 9:30 PM. But I forgave myself for my half-baked plan and disorganization and still went ahead anyway and I'm so glad I did.
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I've been really struggling lately with a variety of things but one has been self care. While in school, I treated myself very poorly. I wasn't sleeping much or exercising or getting outside. I had about 5 days off the entire school year, which wasn't enough for me to feel okay. I ended school feeling very burned out, depressed, and actually hating my life and myself. Then a series of awful events occurred and I sunk even further toward collapse. I've started reconnecting to my mountain identity lately with friends, which has definitely been helping, but I've been struggling to reconnect with myself after treating my mental health so terribly. It was thus really nice to just do this short solo trip and just enjoy myself and just exist as the wild woman I've always felt I was. No deadlines. No timeline. No expectations. Just being in the mountains alone, enjoying the scenery.
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One of the things I've learned from this is that I want to grow the connection to myself and love myself more and tied to that is self compassion for when I'm struggling, self forgiveness even and especially when I feel like I've been acting crazy and not myself lately, and unapologetic self care instead of damaging my health and self just to get through. I realized my health is an essential central life force from which everything else flows and rests upon and not the other way around. So this solstice for me was about trying to treat myself well and embrace the naturey, feral, wild woman that I feel is inside myself. 😊🥰🏞
