How to Prepare for Winter Hikes
How to Prepare for Winter Hikes

A little while ago I wrote a post about being prepared when you go on hikes, and I follow my own advice from that post for every hike I go on. I recently learned the important lesson that being prepared for an outdoor adventures is also highly dependent on the season. Generally I avoid snowy roads in the winter because I know I am not the best driver, even if my car has AWD, and for that reason I never thought to keep chains, a shovel, tow straps, etc in my car. I was never going to drive down a snowy road so why would I need it right? WRONG. You always think it can’t happen to you until it happens to you. 

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Hiking, Tips & TricksKaelee Butnerhiking, winter, snowshoeing, prepare, survival Comments
Ten Things to know Before Traveling to Costa Rica
Ten Things to know Before Traveling to Costa Rica

When it comes to traveling I am either an extreme over planner, or more of a laid back, “we will figure it out when we get there” type of person. When I found out I would be visiting Costa Rica with family I decided to opt for option B. Not everyone enjoys my tight schedules going from location to location so I decided not to drive my family insane and try to go with the flow a little more for this trip. I basically did no research other than finding a couple of spots I wanted to visit. 

I love how our trip turned out, but there were definitely some things I wish I had known before I traveled down there!

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Travel, VacationKaelee ButnerCosta Rica, Travel, Playa Flamingo, Vacation, Pura Vida Comments
Whidbey Island Weekend Getaway
Whidbey Island Weekend Getaway

After spending more weekends than I can count running around in the snow and mountains I found myself exhausted and needing some rest. Brian wanted to get our condo painted which meant we needed to spend a weekend elsewhere. The stars all aligned and we were able to get away to Whidbey Island with our pup and some close friends for some much needed relaxation.

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Travel, Hiking, trip reportKaelee Butnertravel, whidbey island, whidbey island weekend getaway, winter on whidbey islandComment
Getting Started with Photography: How to Expose your Photos
Getting Started with Photography: How to Expose your Photos

When I got my first DSLR I was TERRIFIED to take it off automatic mode. I had no idea what settings would get me the kind of photos I wanted, so I put it on auto and let the camera decide for me.

If you are in a rush to get a usable photo and don’t have time to experiment, sure, shoot on automatic. But trust me when I tell you that you will never be as happy with a photo where the camera decided all the settings for you over a photo you properly exposed on your own.

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photography, Tips & TricksKaelee Butnerphotography, exposure, shooting in manual, landscape photosComment
2017 Year in Review
2017 Year in Review

I have written one of these every year since starting this blog and it's one of my favorite posts to put together (you can read 2015's here and 2016's here)  2017 was another great year of of adventuring and growth for me. I made a couple of major life changes I would have been too scared to make in previous years and was able to travel to a few amazing places!

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PersonalKaelee ButnerNew year, TravelComment
Am I Selfish for Hiking so Much?
Am I Selfish for Hiking so Much?

My dad is an avid fisherman, has been for all of his life. His version of REI was a local fly shop where he would spend hours discussing the merits of the little bug shaped things in various bins. We would often drive down random roads near his favorite rivers where he would look for new spots to wade in and fish...and I was always his annoyed daughter feeling drug along for all of this.

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Personal, RamblingsKaelee Butnerhiking, selfish Comments