Africa, Morocco
Jonathan Jung
THE SAHARA

September 27, 2017

Today was a looooong drive from Fes to the Sahara just outside of the city of Merzouga. A friend of a friend runs the Sahara Garden. Brahim coordinated everything for us and welcomed us upon our arrival with open arms. Truly an amazing human being. We were welcomed with dinner and singing and dancing around a bonfire.

THE SAHARA
Africa, Morocco
Jonathan Jung
CHEFCHAOUEN

September 24, 2017

Our second stop in Morocco was the blue city of Chefchaoen. A small city located up on a hill, wandering thru the medina surrounded by so many shades of blue was quite a different experience from Tangier. We stayed at Casa Perleta, a small bed and breakfast recommended by our friend. It was perfectly located within the upper hill area of the medina. The blue hues of the walls of Chefchaoen are believed to have originated when the Jews came while escaping Hilter in the 1930s. The blue is said to serve as a reminder to lead a spiritual life while symbolizing the sky and heaven.

CHEFCHAOUEN
Europe, Iceland
Jonathan Jung
ICELAND - CHASING THE AURORA BOREALIS

September 11 - 15, 2017

Enroute to our close friends' wedding in Greece we found a cheap flight to Paris via Reykjavik, Iceland and decided to take advantage and do a little stopover in an effort to (fingers crossed) see the northern lights. We decided to restrict our few days to just the southern highlights along the coast. The first thing we noticed was that even though it was supposedly shoulder/low season in Iceland there were significantly more people than when we came the year before in August.

ICELAND - CHASING THE AURORA BOREALIS

Canada

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WHISTLER ... AGAIN!!

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WHISTLER ... AGAIN!!

So while the week wound down and temperatures spiked in Snowbird/Alta we decided that after flying to LA for our friend’s wedding we would drive 17 hours from Salt Lake City BACK to Whistler b/c a huge storm was rolling in. Well … it was totally worth it. We arrived super late that Monday morning after a 4 day storm, where the top of the mountain hadn’t been opened. Freshies on Glacier Express and the Blackcomb Glacier via Spanky’s Ladder and then Couloir Extreme. We were also able to meet up with some new friends from the UK, Australia and Japan via a connection thru my brother, Jason. Always good to meet new people and spend time on the slopes with them.

- Jonathan

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WHISTLER ... AGAIN

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WHISTLER ... AGAIN

So … while we were wandering around Canada, during the time when there should be exceptional snow … it was dumping down in CO and UT. Such is life when you planned too far ahead. So … finally we had no plans, but the storms were back and hitting the NW, so … back to Whistler/Blackcomb. There was less snow at the base this time back around, but more snow in the alpine. It was worth the drive back west. I love these two mountains. - Jonathan

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PANORAMA

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PANORAMA

We made a short stop in Panorama and did a lot of mountain friend tours.  Basically, the "mountain friends" are mostly retired locals who show people around the mountain, taking us from one place to another. It's great to meet new people and find the best runs based on the snow conditions and time of day. Unfortunately, the snow wasn’t that amazing, but I could definitely see how this mountain would be a lot of fun during a big snowfall.

Would love to come back during a good snow year!

- Jonathan

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SUNSHINE VILLAGE

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SUNSHINE VILLAGE

Sunshine Village and Lake Louise were on our Mountain Collective pass, so we decided to put together a trip ahead of time with my brother and his wife, Jason and Paula. We've never been out to Banff in the winter time, but I can now say that the Banff area is equally as beautiful in the winter as it is in the summer. This is an area that I would love to come back to with more time to explore.

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LAKE LOUISE + DOGSLED TOUR

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LAKE LOUISE + DOGSLED TOUR

Finally, a day off after nine straight days of skiing – perfectly timed for a short hike across the frozen Lake Louise (see it during the summer time here) and to go on a dog sled tour with Kingmik Dogsled Tours. The tour was a lot of fun and I think we will definitely try it again, maybe even try a multi-day expedition next time. We traveled 10 miles from Banff National Park to Yoho National Park through the Kicking Horse Pass at the Continental Divide.

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REVELSTOKE + BIG WHITE

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REVELSTOKE + BIG WHITE

Arriving in Revelstoke, we were praying for good snow with a day of CAT skiing with K3 Catskiing. Unfortunately, the night before, we received the dreaded call from K3, cancelling our day of CAT skiing due to spring conditions setting in, which is extremely abnormal for this time of year. Such is life and we had to settle in for resort skiing on the groomers. After three days of groomers we said "bye bye" to Revelstoke and pushed onto Big White, a new resort to all of us.

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WHISTLER/BLACKCOMB

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WHISTLER/BLACKCOMB

It’s always good to come back to Whistler/Blackcomb, especially since it’s included on the Mountain Collective pass. Sadly, this is one of the worst seasons on record for Whistler and much of the Pacific NorthWest. If you can’t have amazing snow, the next best thing is bluebird skies and unlimited visibility as far as the eye can see.

Friends and family met up with us here and a surprise last minute addition of Jeff and Sharon, who I haven’t skied with in ages! Always good to be in the mountains with close friends and family.

- Jonathan

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WATERTON LAKES + GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

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WATERTON LAKES + GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Both of these parks are must see parks. We only did a couple short hikes, but I can only imagine what the backcountry is like in each of these parks. We chose to do a hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook at Glacier National Park and we were not prepared to hike the 1.5 miles (one way) through snow. (Allie: It seemed like it was going to be miserable and I was ready to turn around…but glad I sucked it up to enjoy the amazing views and few close encounters with a mountain goat and her baby!) Definitely made us wish we had skis for the way back!

Off to Yellowstone and Grand Teton tomorrow morning.

- Jonathan and Allie

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SASQUATCH, YOHO, JASPER, LAKE LOUISE AND BANFF!

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SASQUATCH, YOHO, JASPER, LAKE LOUISE AND BANFF!

Stopped for a quick overnight at Sasquatch and camped next to Hicks Lake. The next night we pushed all the way to Yoho National Park and surprised my dad on his birthday (July 4th) with a strawberry cheesecake from the local market. Over the next couple days we visited Yoho, Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff. I remember coming here as a kid, but I definitely don’t remember how beautiful it is. Driving up to the Columbia Icefields was one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever been on. Canoeing on Moraine Lake was insane. The water is this crazy blue color that doesn’t even seem real. And the mountains are unbelievable. It almost feels like it’s just a cardboard backdrop. 

- Jonathan