Martha’s Vineyard is a day trip away from Boston and has been on our list of places to explore.  We never seem to find the time to take the trip.  There have been the usual excuses that the traffic to the Cape is insane to brave the crowds on the island for a 1 day trip is too short to justify the long round trip, etc.  Finally, on a beautiful Saturday in June, my husband and I decided it was now or never and went for it. Martha’s Vineyard is a beautiful pristine island off the coast of Cape Cod.  The white houses with shutters and colorful hydrangeas lining the street look exactly like the images in the magazines and movies (probably because these are the houses they filmed!).  The island is dotted with sandy beaches along the coastline and serene vistas. Martha’s Vineyard has different areas to explore: Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, Chappaquiddick, Katama, Chilmark, Aquinnah, and Menemsha.  You can drive around the entire island in one day! GETTING TO MARTHA’S VINEYARD: There …

Wanting to explore Yosemite National Park without the crowds, some friends and I decided to do a 3-day hike with The Wildland Trekking Company along the less traversed trails of the Valley.  None of us were experienced backpackers and owned little to none of the camping gear necessary for the trip.  Booking a backpacking trip with Wildland provided us with an experienced, thoughtful guide, and all of the gear necessary to make for a stress-free journey through arguably California’s most beautiful state park. The most important factor of enjoying the trip was the physical stamina to carry all of the necessary weight.  Each of our packs would have to fit a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, rain gear, toiletries, and bear canisters storing food.  Knowing that I would have to carry a 30Ib. pack over the course of three days, I trained a month before–climbing up and down stairs with weights and doing day hikes with a 15-20 Ib. pack.  I quickly learned that my backpack and trekking poles were the best assets I had …