Flipping through my closet the other day I realized I have a ton of shells. Specifically of the hardshell variety, but lately in inclement weather, I’ve been reaching for the Outdoor Research Aspire. The Outdoor Research Aspire Jacket is the affordable bombproof shell that I’ve been looking for all my life.
For winter 2015, Outdoor Research added the Essence Tights to their lineup of women’s base layers. As a merino wool fiend, I was extra stoked when they sent me a pair to test as a part of #ORInsightLab.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a beautiful park, but it’s a fairly small park. There is probably less than 15 miles of hiking trails, some connecting deeper into Ventana Wilderness like Sykes Hot Springs via the Pine Ridge trail. Some are gems like the Big Sur River Gorge and Pfeiffer Falls. Others are less so, but still worth checking off the list, just to say I did it. Buzzard’s Roost is one of those hikes.
I think the only time I’ve ever owned a vest in my life was for a costume. And it wasn’t even mine. It was my dad’s and it was big, ugly and frumpy. When Outdoor Research asked me to test out their new Cathode Vest, I said yes! A beautiful, but functional vest of my own? Heck yes.
After over two years of non-stop commuting, I finally pulled the trigger and moved to San Francisco! Most of my free time thus far has been devoted to settling into the new place and trying to establish a sense of normalcy with all of my newfound time. Seriously, I went from commuting for about 4 hours every day to a 15 minute commute, if I walk extra slowly.
The boyfriend and I are not sports people; instead we hit the trails on Super Bowl Sunday, knowing that most people would be gone. Our first trail of choice since becoming San Francisco residents? Arch Rock in Point Reyes National Seashore.