We’re Ben and Katie, high school sweethearts turned full-time bloggers, and full-on lovers of the outdoors!
We’re both from Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you’re never been, here are two things you need to know about Minnesota:
- We have more than 10,000 lakes, and we are very proud of it. Some of them are clean enough to drink from.
- It gets cold in the wintertime. Like, really cold. If you don’t like seeing your breath and having your boogers freeze, don’t visit Minnesota in the winter. (You’re welcome!)
Katie was raised camping and fishing on the many lakes of Minnesota. Ben, on the other hand, grew up playing organized sports like football, basketball and track, and his introduction to the outdoor world came a bit later in life.
And while we always liked to consider ourselves “outdoorsy”, it took us moving to the mountains of Washington state to realize…
…we felt like total outsiders in the outdoor community.
There was all this lingo we didn’t understand, and sometimes it felt like a competition where everyone was trying to prove they were the most adventurous.
Over the next several years, we became kind of obsessed with all things outdoorsy.
We are still very much in the learning process. And we have so many skills we want to work on and adventures on our ginormous dream list.
Wherever you are on your outdoor journey, we’re here for you. We’re here to provide inspiration, tips we’ve learned by making mistakes, and helpful information to get you outdoors. To show you you’re not alone is feeling new or confused or overwhelmed.
Remember this: Everybody starts somewhere.
Expert skiers have fallen many times. Every climber has their first ascent. Each backcountry camper has a first time.
After a pretty traditional start to adulthood (i.e. graduating university with loads of student loans and starting jobs in the so-called “real world”), we had a crazy idea…
What if we took a break for a while and traveled?
And that’s just what we did. Over the next 6 years, we taught English in South Korea, hiked to Everest Base Camp, trekked to remote villages, volunteered on organic farms, worked at a ski resort, built our own campervan and lived in it for three months.
We saw the most epic sunrises and sunsets. Connected with people from all around the world. Lived with little. Spent countless hours outside.
Hiked in remote places without another soul for miles. Learned more about ourselves and this world than we ever thought possible. And fell deeply in love with life, the outdoors, and this earth that we’ve been so privileged to explore.
But after a handful of years of being nomadic, we found ourselves craving a home.
Psst! If you are curious about our international travels, check out our website, Two Wandering Soles, for the full story.
Long story short, we ended up moving to central Oregon, where we can be found working on our computers from coffee shops and getting out to explore this new on the weekends when we’re not traveling abroad.
And so, Go Wander Wild was created. A place for us to share what we’ve learned, to inspire and be inspired.
We’re obsessed with camping and hiking and learning new outdoor skills. And while our love for outdoor adventuring started as a hobby for just the two of us, we now have a young daughter who we bring on many of our outdoor adventures these days!
Based in: Bend, Oregon
Favorite PNW hike: Colchuck Lake and the Enchantments
Favorite things:
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Hiking to hot springs
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Our recipe for “grown up” mac ’n cheese backpacking meals
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Backcountry sunsets with no other people around
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Playing Monopoly Deal by the light of our headlamps in our tent
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Swimming in alpine lakes
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“Zero days” where we hike somewhere, hang our hammock, and relax with a beer
Ask us about:
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Backcountry camping
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DIY-ing backcountry camping meals
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Hiking
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Campervanning
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Snowshoeing
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Snowboarding
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Wilderness First Aid certifications (NOLS)
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Outdoor adventures with baby and toddler
Ben & Katie’s recent articles
21 Best Hikes in Yosemite National Park
Tackling the best hikes in Yosemite National Park is really the only way to get even a small sense of its grandeur. We put together this list of Yosemite hikes so you can maximize your time among the park’s granite monoliths, waterfalls, lakes, and towering sequoias.
13 Easy Hikes in Jasper National Park, Canada
Get up close and personal with alpine lakes, glaciers, waterfalls, wildflower meadows, and impressive canyons on these easy hikes in Jasper National Park. In this Jasper hiking guide, we share more than a dozen of the best trails to help you plan out your itinerary.
15 Easy Hikes in Zion National Park
This list of easy hikes in Zion proves you don’t have to break much of a sweat to enjoy some of the park’s most impressive views. We put this Zion National Park hiking guide together to help you plan at least a few short and sweet trails.
50 Best Hikes in Oregon (for every ability level!)
When hiking in Oregon, there is something for everyone. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced hiker, we’ve got the perfect hike listed here just for you. From the most epic views to the most unique hikes, this article has all the best hikes in Oregon to make any outdoor-lover [...]
21 Fun Oregon Coast Hikes for Nature Lovers
While Oregon as a whole has some of the best hiking in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon coast hikes in particular are simply stunning. With dramatic cliffs where the Pacific ocean meets the rocky coastline, old-growth forests, towering rock formations, sand dunes, and so much more, here are our favorite Oregon [...]
10 Best Oregon Coast Campgrounds + Expert Tips
Exploring Oregon's rugged and expansive coast is best done by driving, and camping along the way will ensure you get to spend the most time in the outdoors. We've put together this list of the best Oregon Coast campgrounds. Plus we've included some tips and advice to help you plan [...]
Camping Coffee: How to Make Delicious Coffee Outdoors
Just because you’re sleeping outdoors doesn’t mean you should skimp on caffeine. This guide breaks down all the best methods for brewing camping coffee, so you can be prepared for your next outdoor adventure.
Emerald Lake Trail: Rocky Mountain National Park Trail Guide
With multiple mountain lakes, non-stop views, and a relatively short distance, it’s no surprise that Emerald Lake Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. We put this trail guide together so you can plan out every detail of your Emerald Lake hike. In [...]
15 Best Eugene Oregon Hikes for All Levels!
There are several amazing Eugene Oregon hikes, including the famous Trail of Ten Falls, family-friendly options under one mile, and super-steep summit hikes. We put together this list of the best hikes in Eugene to help you plan your next outing!