Free Falling

Because. Fear is a state of mind & without it, we can conquer anything. Sincerely, Me. 

Hey adventure fam! I never thought I'd be doing this again so soon, but this weekend I went sky diving for the second time in my life. For those who don't remember, I went sky diving for the first time just last December, in Australia (here). This time, I chose a location closer to home. Just outside of Seattle, we have Skydive Snohomish.

I have to admit, I was little worried (not scared) about this second time. For one, I was worried that after skydiving over the great barrier reef & landing on a beach, nothing could top that. Then secondly, as someone that works in healthcare, taking x-rays for a living, I've seen my fare share of injuries. Granted, only one skydiving injury. 

Regardless of that, when my coworker asked me to go, I was going! Accidents happen everyday. In fact, I see more people get injured on a regular basis, just crossing the street or driving their car. The thing that's always been important to me though, is that despite all the injuries I see on a regular basis, to not let it get to my head.

Plus, as I drove up to Harley Airport & saw people above me jumping out of the sky, all my worries went away. Suddenly, I was full of nothing but excitement & ready to jump. 

Thanks for reading! I recommend this to everyone at least once! You'll fall in love ;) - Jen

Sparkling 4th

Happy post 4th of July everyone!

Hope everyone survived the explosive holiday, completely safe! New Years & 4th of July are always fun for me, because of how much I love to photograph fireworks and paint with sparklers. After my trip to Vancouver & experiencing the Canada Day fireworks, this year I decided it was okay to sit-out the Seattle ones. Don't get me wrong, I actually prefer the Seattle ones, due to how close you can get to them around Lake Union. Sometimes though, you just need to just chill at home (avoid traffic) & hang with your cousins, which I did! :)

THIS IS MY COUSIN TIFFANY

THIS IS MY COUSIN & BEST FRIEND, ISABELLE. 

Ok, enough shenanigans. Thanks for reading! Love, Jen

*Sweater & shorts from American Eagle

Joffre Lakes

For the first week of July, by luck, I happened to find myself with a 5 day stretch off work. I debated between surfing on a Hawaiian island or road tripping with Becky, up through the Canadian wilderness. Obviously I went with the latter, cheaper option, with Joffre Lakes being my main focus. 

If you've ever been to Whistler (along highway BC-99), the trailhead for Joffre Lakes is about 1 hour past that, so get yourself prepped for a long, but beautiful car ride. I got the trailhead around 1am. That's what I get for watching the sunset at Stanley Park. I found ample parking, and there were plenty of other car campers & RVs on the lot. By 5am, you could hear people around the trailhead slowly waking up & heading up the trail.

The hike itself actually includes 3 lakes, with the first one being just a 2 minute walk from the trailhead. With that said, I personally didn't think Lower Joffre Lake was anything to brag about, but there are a few nice benches to sit at. 

Back tracking & heading towards the second lake, you'll encounter a nice wooden bridge, some steep switchbacks, & a barrage of stairs before arriving at "Middle Joffre Lake." Here you'll find the popular floating tree that everyone Instagrams about. Depending on the water levels, and how wet you feel like getting, you can stand out pretty far.

Then ten minutes before reaching the 3rd and final lake, you'll encounter a massive waterfall on your right. This spot also has a few benches available, making it great resting spot, but also prone to being pretty crowded. Luckily, I found the waterfall on the way up, with no one around me! :) 

All in all, the hike made the drive extremely worth it! Plus on the way back down, towards Vancouver, there are plenty of waterfalls & lookouts to check out, as well as Whistler Village. If you ever have the time, I'd definitely make a 2-3 day trip out of this. I can't wait to come back for a whole week and check out Banff! Thanks for reading! - Jen