The Organic Farm School, on Whidbey Island, is a learning center. Established in 2009, the organization offers apprenticeships for beginning farmers, agricultural workshops, and community potlucks. What drew my family to the property was the Farm Stay experience, an opportunity to learn about where produce, eggs, and meat come from, be a part of the farm-to-table movement, and eat really good food. Though my five-year-old and three-year-old sons have been to many farmers markets around Seattle, there was still a missing link between seeing food displayed nicely on tables and plucking it straight from the ground.

Harvesting crops, from cauliflower to kale, is one activity that brings visitors closer to the land.

Photo by Kyle Houck / Embrace Whidbey and Camano Island

The cozy, yet modest accommodations at the aptly named Feed and Seed are a welcome respite from city life. With space for up to eight guests, the house let our small family of four enjoy the novelty of bunkbeds, a wraparound porch, and the smell of a woodstove fire. But we came for the food, not the digs, and the spread did not disappoint. Upon arrival, our fridge was already filled with ready-to-go dinner and breakfast, focused on seasonal ingredients picked from the farm. Squash gratin with gruyere cheese, salad greens with vinaigrette, and freshly baked cardamom biscuits anchored our dinner, while overnight oats and buttermilk pancakes topped with a berry compote filled our tummies at breakfast.

The Farm Stay experience caters to each guest’s desired learning experience. There are opportunities to feed animals, pet cows, visit a green house, check out beehives, and walk the garden grounds. Visitors are encouraged to learn about the farm’s mission, which is to support ecological, economic, and social regeneration. A highlight for me, brought to life by our wonderful tour guide and organization executive director, Judith Feldman, was the focus on not being overly idealistic. While the Organic Farm School strives to reduce tillage, use diverse crops instead of monocrops, and employ noninvasive weeding practices, they are the first to claim that they are not perfect.

Vegging out.

Photo by Kyle Houck / Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands

While exploring, we had nearly two hours to observe and ask questions, and we never felt like we were being preached at. One of the refreshing conversations we had with Feldman was around buying fresh produce. It’s easy to assume that an organic farm would double down on the concept of only buying from the farmers market or solely selecting organic fruits and veggies. On the contrary, Feldman recognized how unrealistic that approach is for most people and gave us some tips for our next shopping trip. Buy what’s in season when possible; most grocery stores have very knowledgeable produce managers who can steer you in the direction of the freshest items. Create special occasions to make farm-to-table meals rather than expecting to eat that way all the time. Thank purveyors at farmers markets and pass on your appreciation for their goods. Many farmers feel underappreciated, and a little recognition can go a long way towards motivating them.

Friday night means a community potluck, with an emphasis on local, seasonal eats.

Photo by Kyle Houck / Embrace Whidbey and Camano Island

Every Friday evening during the summer, the Organic Farm School holds a potluck, where the community and visitors of Whidbey Island can come together around a wood-fired pizza oven and share a delicious meal. Guests have the opportunity to leave with a bundle of produce from the adjacent farm stand or pick some fresh herbs to go. What I loved most about our visit was seeing how comfortable my kids were roaming around. They kicked their shoes off and played in the dirt.  They learned about electric fences that keep predators out of the chicken coop, and what the heat of a greenhouse feels like. Yes, they have had the luxury of picking fresh vegetables from our modest raised garden bed at home, but plucking strawberries from a field of seemingly endless options was eye opening for them. “I never want to leave this farm,” our older son told my wife.

As a steward of the land, it felt like Sher’s gentle nature permeated the farm, making the earth a sanctuary of tranquility.

I also loved meeting Ron Sher, the property owner who has generously allowed the Organic Farm School to operate rent-free on 10 acres of his land for the past decade. In his eighties, Sher bikes around the farm constantly, picking weeds here and feeding animals there. The night before our farm tour, he took us to his sheep corral, something our kids delighted in (minus the experience of stepping in sheep poop). As a steward of the land, it felt like Sher’s gentle nature permeated the farm, making the earth a sanctuary of tranquility, rather than the dirty, smelly, machine-ridden plot of land that many of us think farms are these days.

Driving away from our weekend oasis, I couldn’t help but think about what it takes to be a farmer. There’s a lot of uncertainty, constant challenges, and unpredictability, especially given our ever-changing climate. It’s certainly not for me. But my appreciation for farming grew tenfold in just a matter of hours. While I can’t say I will only buy organic produce or join a Community Supported Agriculture buying program just yet, I can agree that eating directly from a farm is delicious, that getting to know the people who work there is mind-expanding, and that seeing the smiles on my kids’ faces when they bite into a perfectly fresh farm tomato is absolutely priceless.

The post Lessons from the Land appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Over Labor Day weekend, my wife and I and our two young children canoed to Washington State Parks’ smallest marine park, Posey Island. I can’t believe we didn’t know this place existed until the week leading up to our trip! The island is just one acre; you can walk the perimeter in about five minutes. There are two reservable campsites with picnic tables and a day-use area, which several guided kayaking groups used during our stay.  

We were “trapped” on the island for two nights, but far from feeling stuck, we felt relaxed and in tune with our surroundings. We became friends with a seal we named Beeley, watched bald eagles flit about, and even witnessed an orca whale swimming just a hundred yards from our island sanctuary. 

Posey Island is part of the San Juan Islands, about a 30-minute paddle from Roche Harbor and a quick two-minute crossing from Pearl Island. Pearl Island is home to several residences, so our campsite didn’t feel far from civilization, making it a perfect safety net for first-time paddle campers. We used a canoe because that’s what we own, but most people use sea kayaks to get around the islands. The island only allows human-powered boats, so no motorboats clog up the space. 

Our one-acre home for the three-day weekend.

Photo courtesy of Washington State Parks Foundation

At first glance, there isn’t much to do on the island. But once we adjusted to the rhythms of the tides, and our senses slowed down, the magic of the island revealed itself. At low tide, we explored small tide pools full of hidden fish and scuttling hermit crabs. The kids entertained themselves by climbing trees, “fishing,” and tossing rocks into the water. We picked sea beans from the shore, which we later sautéed with butter—a salty side dish to remember our time by the sea. 

The San Juan Islands feel worlds away from Seattle, and Posey Island feels like another planet. Kristy and I took turns on short paddling excursions around the island, and I unsuccessfully attempted to catch fish with a fly-reel. We watched fishing trawlers, sightseeing boats, and luxury cruisers float by, and listened to the roar of seaplanes splashing down nearby. The only low point (besides the occasional tantrum from one of the kids) was hearing loud DJ music from Roche Harbor weddings that carried over the water at night.

Paddling to Posey Island opened our eyes to future camping ideas with the kids. Ross Lake in the North Cascades, Lake Wenatchee, Lake Chelan—check. The beauty of canoe or kayak camping is that you can easily bring a lot of gear and creature comforts without feeling weighed down. And there are many relatively short paddles to campsites that would be inaccessible on foot.

Our younger son, Luca, left Roche Harbor hesitantly on our first day, a little leery of being on the boat and nervous about a short open-water crossing. By day three, on our way back, he was in his element, “paddling” the canoe, laughing, and not ready to leave. After three days of rest and full immersion in nature, I wasn’t either. 

The post Paddle Camping on a One-Acre Island appeared first on Seattle magazine.

I twist and pull, and out comes a light green shoot. Its roots hang like small tentacles caked in dirt. The cattail is smooth, about the size of a scallion, its trademark brown tuft has not yet formed. Later, I’ll fry up the cattail shoot in butter. It’s a little bit sweet, with a nice crunch, much like a leek. 

Foraged fiddleheads sautéed in butter and served with pine nuts, create a simple seasonal dish.

Photo courtesy of David Gladish

Spring is a great time to forage in the Seattle area, and you don’t have to go far to find nature’s tasty treats. At Boeing Creek Park, less than a mile from my house, you can harvest cattails and fiddlehead ferns. Further south, in Carkeek Park, my wife and kids (ages 5 and 3) and I feast on orange, red, and yellow salmonberries. We fold them into delicious muffins, sweet as the sun. In June, we pluck the delicate petals from rose hip blossoms, turning them into sugary lemonade.

Summer brings even more berries—red huckleberries, wild raspberries, thimbleberries, and blackberries. They show up in almost any woodsy park, sometimes hiding in dark, damp places. Other times they’re so prevalent (like blackberries), you can’t miss them. In August, our kids and their grandma bake blackberry tarts, purple juice squirting everywhere and staining their cheeks dark red like little vampires. 

Fall is mushroom season, trickier in nearby locales. Some mushrooms prefer old burn spots or dark, wet areas, but edible mushrooms can still be found in the city. Chicken of the Woods grows on dead trees, and oyster mushrooms cling to logs. Rose hips ripen to a dark red, perfect for syrup on pancakes, and if you’re lucky, you might still find huckleberries outside of the mountains. 

The beauty of foraging is its simplicity. You don’t need much to get the job done, and it feels like a small miracle to find real food in the city. My kids light up when we discover juicy morsels, though it’s hard to save any for home. Sometimes they don’t even like the taste—like when we steam nettles or sauté fiddleheads. But the act of foraging is what matters. It’s so tactile, hands-on, and always rewarding. 

Our go-to book is Pacific Harvest: A Northwest Coast Foraging Guide by Jennifer Hahn. It clearly lays out what to forage, when to pick, and how to use it, including recipes. Until we found this book, foraging seemed daunting, even dangerous. Now, our family goes around the city pointing out what’s edible and thinking up recipes. 

As the season progresses toward winter, it becomes trickier to forage. Hardy greens like chickweed can be used in salads, and acorns can be ground into flour. Perhaps you’ve stored or canned some delicacies for the colder months, or maybe it’s time to rest and prepare for spring. Either way, my kids are always up for an adventure, eager to uncover nature’s secrets—especially if they get to eat them.

The post Trail to Table appeared first on Seattle magazine.

I hadn’t seen anyone for several miles, and the heat of the day was making my brain foggy. Then, around the corner, a hardy family of five—including three young kids—appeared, traipsing along like mountain goats, seemingly in their element. After exchanging pleasantries, I continued, feeling lighter and uplifted after a little human interaction.

The Alpine Lakes High Route is a 28.2-mile loop in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Skykomish, off Highway 2. The hike goes from the West Fork Foss trailhead to the East Fork Foss trailhead, or vice versa, with either a 2.5-mile car shuttle or a hike on the road connecting the trailheads. The route travels through the Necklace Valley, named for the string of pristine alpine lakes dotting the wilderness like teardrops on a beautiful piece of jewelry.

Tank Lakes, at 5,800 feet, is a highlight, with spectacular views of the Overcoat Glacier streaming down from Chimney Rock, just a stone’s throw from Snoqualmie Pass.

The hike is rugged at times, traversing boulder fields without a marked trail, and requires strong navigational skills, but the payoff is solitude. Many consider the Enchantments, just outside of Leavenworth, to be Washington’s finest mountain playground, for good reason. The Alpine Lakes High Route shares many of the same attributes—stunning vistas, strings of lakes, and high mountains—but without the crowds or the need for an overnight permit.

I chose to do the route in a single day, part of my training for a 100-mile trail running race, but this route is a perfect multi-day backpacking trip thanks to the plentiful water sources along the way. When I did the hike in early July, there were a few patches of snow to cross, adding an element of mountaineering adventure. Throughout the day, I longed to dive into the frigid, crystal-clear lakes, but pushed on instead.

In the early morning, I passed sleeping campers, happy dogs, and plants covered in morning dew. By mid-morning, a few hikers were on their way out, but I mostly had the trails to myself. How is this possible, I kept thinking, that there aren’t more people in such a beautiful place?

With over 8,000 feet of elevation gain, fitness is certainly required, but not a heroic amount. Mosquitoes can be an issue, using GPS is practically a must, and rescue is far away—all part of the allure. Just 75 miles from Seattle, the trail feels extremely remote. It’s full of wildflowers, marmots, fields of granite, and splendorous views. Yet there I was, by myself, meditating on how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place, so close to home, without a soul in sight.

The post A Hidden Gem in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Moon Jelly Bathhouse was started in 2024 by a couple, Mike Mavis and Kaeli Robinsong. The brains behind the idea came from a visit Robinsong made to her ancestral homeland of Ireland, in which she discovered the decades-old tradition of seaweed bathing in bathhouses dotting the West Coast of the country. Fueled by the idea of a simple bucket of seaweed dumped into a steaming bath, Robinsong knew the concept had legs outside of Ireland.

After falling in love with Mavis, who is an offshore builder, Robinsong set up a seaweed bath on their floating houseboat and quickly found long-term benefits to seaweed bathing. Seaweed has natural antioxidants and minerals including zinc, potassium, magnesium and iodine. Robinsong discovered that taking a weekly seaweed bath relieved persistent symptoms of arthritis, skin irritations, high blood pressure and stress.

Mavis and Robinsong built Moon Jelly Baththouse on a floating barge using reclaimed cedar wood, without pre-cut lumber. Unique lines, shapes and intimate nooks make the space special — it’s more than just a place to bathe. The highlight of the spa is in fact two wood-fired hot tubs where locally sourced seaweed is employed. Clients are welcome to spend the day enveloped in seaweed, which is where the magic happens. “It’s like no other feeling — it’s pretty wild,” Robinsong said of seaweed bathing.

Moon Jelly Bathhouse

Photo by Kai Rosentzveig

The spa is more than just seaweed. It’s also about the skiff ride out there, just a 15-minute journey from the surf town of Tofino (a four-hour drive from Nanaimo, a small city a ferry away from Vancouver). The boat ride to the quiet Clayoquot Sound, where the floating spa resides, introduces participants to the natural wonders of the area, replete with seals, otters and bald eagles. Once at the spa, guests can sprawl out on decks with day beds, a covered gazebo and a hammock over open water. Those brave enough to jump into the icy cold water can cycle between the hot seaweed water and back, a practice of hot and cold that’s been in vogue of late.

The power seems to be in the potent healing and relaxation properties of the seaweed, the disconnect from the busy world and the unique beauty of the bathhouse.

An emphasis on community and sustainability adds to the allure of the spa. To start, the owners worked with the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation tribe to be allowed to operate in its territory. Recycling is at the forefront of the operation, from the reclaimed materials used in the building to the return of the seaweed to the water after use. Seaweed itself is extremely hearty, growing up to 2 feet per day, meaning it is extremely sustainable. Moon Jelly Bathhouse also offers “community days,” or discounted days for individuals who may not otherwise have a chance to visit the spa.

Wellness and community were the impetus behind building Moon Jelly Bathhouse, and they’re what continue to motivate Mavis and Robinsong. They hope to open the spa open year-round (as it stands, they need to weatherproof it to withstand the fierce winds and cold during the winter months). They also have plans to build a sauna to add to the allure.

For now, the spa stands as a place for those wanting to experience being swathed in seaweed, a spot for rest and recovery, and a chance to feel like a creature of the sea.

Book your escape

Moon Jelly Bathhouse can be booked for parties of one to 10, with the entire facility reserved for six hours for each party per day. The cost ranges from $954 to $1,696 (Canadian) depending on the size of the group. An extra $80 per person covers the boat ride out.

The post A Seaweed Sanctuary appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, my wife and two boys, ages five and three, set out for an urban outing that felt like a true adventure. The four of us canoed a short section of the Green River, from Van Doren’s Landing Park in Kent to Fort Dent Park in Tukwila. Equipped with a backpack full of snacks, sunscreen, and a sense of wonder, we weren’t entirely sure what was in store.

Our canoe trip was a micro adventure, a term popularized by 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Alastair Humphreys. The beauty of these types of exploits with kids is that they can be just as exciting as more grandiose adventures. Paddling together down a river we’ve never been to — despite it being surrounded by shopping malls and shipping centers — felt somewhat extreme. We went through similar highs, lows, and unknowns as we have taking our kids on multiday backpacking trips, but this time we were only gone for a few hours.

Throughout the four-hour journey, we saw a plethora of wildlife: blue herons, bald eagles, ducks, and beaver dams. There was also a surprising number of abandoned shopping carts sticking out of the water, tarps that had blown from who knows where, and small tent encampments hidden under bridges. The scenery was both serene and gloomy at the same time.

The river water — which indeed looked green — was no longer something I’d want to swim in. The pollution was evident. Yet, it was easy to imagine a time when it had been pristine. If it hadn’t been for the occasional warehouse building sticking up along the banks, or the steady stream of bikers passing by on the Green River Trail, it would have felt like we were alone in a wild place.

One big surprise was a very short section of “rapids” we encountered — enough to freak our boys out a bit. Otherwise, the river chugged along at a leisurely speed, and we were able to slide the boat onto a sand bar for an occasional break to get our land legs back.

Anyone with a little paddling experience can go urban canoeing, kayaking, or floating on the multitude of rivers near Seattle. The Green River becomes the Duwamish, which flows into Elliot Bay. The Cedar River winds its way toward Renton, ending in Lake Washington. Further north, the Sammamish River spills out near downtown Kenmore. Exploring nearby rivers doesn’t cost a fortune, and solitude is easy to find among the craziness of city life.

As we neared the takeout point of the family jaunt, our kids were finally starting to settle in. Our little one had even fallen asleep at one point. While urban canoeing isn’t something that we’ll start doing every weekend, it’s nice knowing there are easy-to-access places in nature that take us outside of our comfort zone and give us the sense that we’re farther away than we really are.

The post Urban Paddle appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Whatever it was, I shut the door on 2024 feeling great, because of the many “extreme” wellness measures I tried that brought me clarity and fulfillment. Whether it’s cutting-edge IV therapy treatments, trying out the trendy sauna culture, or good old-fashioned cold-water swimming, 2025 is an opportunity to get healthy through experiencing wellness “hacks” in the outdoors.

My top hack for the new year is saltwater swimming. I live near Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, and I find that swimming in the Puget Sound is a fantastic way to find peace. Sometimes I use a wetsuit to swim laps along the beachfront. Sometimes I take a cold plunge in nothing but a swimsuit. Saltwater has nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, and zinc that may benefit the skin, and cold water may help enhance mood, reduce inflammation, and increase cognitive thinking. Plus, it’s free! Coldwater Collective, a Seattle-based group dedicated to using “the power of cold water to grow physically and mentally stronger,” is open to anyone, and is a great way to experience the highs of saltwater cold plunging within a community.

Von Sauna combines heat with cold-water plunging.

COURTESY OF VON SAUNA

Sauna — an ancient Scandinavian tradition of healing through heat — is blowing up in Seattle. There are increasing ways to combine sauna with cold-water plunging. Von Sauna on Lake Washington in Kirkland is one of the state’s first floating saunas, and is a true respite from the day-to-day grind. Here, most sauna goers rotate from a few minutes in the heat, to the cold, and back, which leaves the body tingling and buzzing hours later. Bywater Sauna brings mobile saunas to different locales around the city, from Golden Gardens to Alki Beach, and is perfect for socializing with strangers and ideal for Instagram.

Most sauna goers rotate from a few minutes in the heat, to the cold, and back, which leaves the body tingling and buzzing hours later.

Healing through heat at Von Sauna

PHOTO COURTESY OF VON SAUNA

IV therapy is best known for helping cure hangovers, but it’s more than just that. NAD + IV therapy replenishes your supply of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a coenzyme in every living cell of your body. As we get older, our supply of NAD starts to diminish, but by replenishing this supply, we are effectively slowing down aging to help look and stay younger. Sound crazy? Well, it kind of is. When I did my IV treatment at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, it felt very strange to be injected with a yellow substance while I was sitting in paradise. But I did notice a significant spike in my energy and mood for almost a whole week after the treatment. In Seattle, there are many places to dive into this wellness hack, from the Drip Lounge IV Bar in Eastlake to Drip Hydration mobile IV therapy, which brings the treatment to your door or office.

Most people don’t think about outdoor massage. They should. To me, getting a massage in a traditional spa can feel claustrophobic and medical, but an open-air massage is a game changer. In December I had a massage at the Maui Spa & Wellness Center, where I could hear the waves lapping against the sand, and could taste the saltwater on my lips. The extra time getting UV, especially at this time of year when winter can feel like it’s dragging on, is something we often don’t think about, and combining a dose of sunlight with the healing powers of massage might just be the reset to get you back on track with your New Year’s goals that may have lapsed. Massage Traveler in Seattle comes to your home, office, event, or workplace, bringing massage to the outdoors and minimizing the hassle of finding a treatment facility.

According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy reached $6.3 trillion by the end of 2023, and is forecast to hit $9 trillion by 2028. We have a constant influx of new ways to become healthier, and growing research on out-of-the box trends and hacks. For me, living in Seattle means access to nature and trying things outdoors that will help me live a happier, healthier life.

Saltwater plunging and outdoor saunas are two of the simplest ways to get outside in a unique environment. Being pampered in Hawaii is certainly nice. It helped me finish 2024 on a strong note, but finding wellness hacks and retreats close to home is easier than one might expect. It’s never been easier to find ways outside to boost our moods, get a hit of dopamine, and get healthy than it is in 2025, so let’s get to hacking!

The post Nature Rx appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Vertical World, established in 1987, was America’s first climbing gym. It has held a public climbing competition 20 times. Seattle boasts 11 climbing gyms, and most hold a climbing competition at least once a year. Different types of competitions include bouldering (climbing without ropes), which tends to be most popular. Rope climbing takes more technical expertise. 

Climbing officially became an Olympic sport in the 2020 Olympic Games, bringing global attention to what was once a very niche activity. Like yoga, climbing is now very accessible to most everyone, and is often a place as much for social interaction as it is for fitness. Many climbing gyms have their own youth climbing teams, which compete in sanctioned climbing competitions throughout the country. Vertical World’s climbing team, which was established more than 20 years ago, has won six national championships. 

A collegiate climbing event featuring several universities across the state has also been held since 2006. Now called the Northwest Collegiate Climbing Circuit, the includes the University of Washington, Central Washington University, and Western Washington University. The goal is to “have fun, to push ourselves and others, and to build awareness of our culture.”

Climbing is competitive but not an overly serious endeavor, and many events often feature quirky showcases competitors who climb in the dark, with UV lights and blacklight tape lighting up the holds. At the Seattle Bouldering Project, Boulderfest is an opportunity to not just compete but interact with local sponsors and climbing brands, win raffle prizes, and dance to live music. In other words, many climbing competitions are a full-on party. 

All the competitions have sparked a completely new style of climbing as well. Competition-style bouldering routes tend to be very gymnastic, athletic, and often improbable looking. In the past, climbing was often more static, based purely on strength rather than jumping ability or flexibility as it often is now. Many routes take climbers horizontally across a wall, rather than strictly up, and competitors look more like flying lemurs than firefighters climbing a ladder. 

You don’t have to compete in climbing competitions to get a feel for what these events are all about. Spectators are always welcome. Some come to win, but most compete to test themselves and to have a good time. 

The post The Games of Gravity appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Dry tooling is a quickly growing sport, in which climbers use tools, like ice axes with sharp points on the end, to climb up rocks. It’s a gymnastic sport, similar to rock climbing, but instead of using sticky rubber shoes, climbers use boots with sharp spikes attached to them, to precisely balance on improbably edges of rock. 

Hooking, slotting, and balancing the tools held in each hand into fissures and pockets in the rock, climbers ascend routes for the pure joy of the challenge, and the unlikely feeling of staying on the wall with weapon like equipment. 

Just outside of North Bend, dry toolers have developed a world class “crag” or selection of routes, specifically designed for dry tool climbing. As fall brings rain and damp days in the area, rock climbing season largely shuts down. However, the beauty of dry tooling is that it doesn’t matter whether it’s raining or not, meaning dry tooling can be done year-round. 

The Seattle area has several dry tooling options. There’s a gym in White Center called The Barn that calls itself the Pacific Northwest’s first dry tooling climbing gym. Another option is Wayne’s World Dry Tooling, an outdoor adventure off I-90.

Dry tooling was originally practiced as a way to prepare for climbing mountains, when snowy and icy routes gave way to rocky sections devoid of ice and snow. Now, it is a sport of its own, with dry tooling competitions and climbing areas across the country. 

Here, in Seattle’s backyard, dry tooling awaits anyone up for wielding tools seemingly fit for fighting monsters. 

The post Climbing Rocks with Spikey Tools  appeared first on Seattle magazine.

Our new best friends had something we did not — the ability to be self-reliant, to push safely into the backcountry, and to get out of tough situations on challenging roads. This, in essence, defines what “overlanding” is. According to J.D. Power, a well-known consumer insights company, “overlanding is a form of self-reliant, long-distance travel from Point A to Point B through mostly remote areas on unpaved or unimproved road surfaces.” At its most hardcore, overlanding is Land Rovers crossing deep water, Jeeps crawling over giant boulders, and Tacomas inching through sand. Yet, overlanding is more accessible to the novice than it may seem.

Critics of overlanding will call it glorified car camping or glamping, and while it can be full of creature comforts, overlanding is more about the journey than the destination, meaning you must get there to use the swanky gadgets along for the ride. “There” can be anywhere, as long as it’s off the beaten path, away from smooth roads, four-lane highways, and well-traveled tracks. Forest service roads, old logging zones, or long dirt roads are popular with the overlanding crowd. The harder it is to reach, the better. You can find well known routes on popular overlanding websites like Overland Trail Guides, which feature explorations in the Cascades and Olympic mountains.

Overlanding can be a way to test yourself mentally and physically, a way to experience true self-sufficiency, and to go to places few have ever seen.

The beauty of overlanding is in getting away from the crowds and doing so in comfort and style. Style has become a big selling point of this quickly grow- ing activity, partially because a big wallet can buy you street cred. It’s not un- common to see a well shined, $100,000 vehicle roaming the streets of Seattle, covered in oil jerry cans, a ladder, shade awning, and rooftop tent striking envy in many. While it is indeed possible to have this type of adventure on a shoestring budget, there’s no denying that the more toys you have the more fun it can be.

To be a self-sufficient vehicle in the backcountry, you’ll need a few basics. Spare tires, car jack, tire inflator (for airing up or down), traction boards (for getting unstuck), winch (for pulling yourself or other vehicles out of a tough situation), satellite beacon, and first aid supplies. Beyond “recovery” gear, over- landing is exciting for how customizable it can be.

Mule Expedition Outfitters provides all the essentials for overlanding adventures.

Andrew Jones / Mule Expedition Outfitter

How you sleep is all about preference. Many use a rooftop tent like the iKamper Skycamp with a ladder or sleeping platform built inside the vehicle (think Sprinter van), while some prefer a tent and a sleeping pad. Cooking can be done like cavemen over the fire, or more sophisticated, like using the inside of a vehicle with custom milled cabinets, sink, and gas-powered stove. Shelter from rain and sun at base camp can be under a pull-out awning or a lightweight tarp. Designated overlanding shops are popping up around Seattle, such as Mule Expedition Outfitters in Issaquah and Next Jump Outfitters in Tacoma.

You can experience an overlanding adventure by renting a vehicle fully equipped and ready for off-roading through Seattle Overland, which rents Jeeps, or Cascade Adventure Vans, which specializes in Sprinter vans.

Many Seattleites dread the end of summer, when the long days and endless sunshine start giving way to rain and darkness, and many hardy campers put away their gear for the season, letting it sit until the next summer. Overlanding can be a way to camp all year round, without sacrificing comfort (a vehicle can carry a lot) and adding a new element of adventure and exploration that can keep you outside discovering new places.

I took my truck many places she shouldn’t have gone, from long forest service roads in Canada, to rocky, rutted-out roads in the Cascades, narrowly escaping getting stuck, breaking down, or both. These adventures left me wishing I could go farther, explore more remote places, and get around that next bend. When you have a vehicle that is fully capable, kitted out with the right equipment and the necessary safety gear, overlanding opens so many possibilities to explore beyond where a “normal” car can take you.

To some the wilderness is quiet solitude where only your feet can take you. To others, overlanding is just as special. Overlanding can be a way to test yourself mentally and physically, a way to experience true self-sufficiency, and to go to places few have ever seen.

Overlanding Guide

Overland Trail Guides

Outfitting

iKamper Skycamp

Mule Expedition Outfitters

Next Jump Outfitters

Rentals

Seattle Overland

The post Off-Road Odyssey appeared first on Seattle magazine.