TrailBliss Blog

The Compass of Night is a reflection on what darkness restores. Beneath Washington’s dimming skies, it follows the quiet lessons of starlight—how awe reorders perspective, how stillness refines belonging. From Chaco’s November sky to alpine ridges where the Milky Way still breathes, it explores how walking into night becomes a way of remembering our place in the vastness.

Before trees or flowers, there was moss. Then came lichen—a quiet partnership shaping the world grain by grain. In Washington’s damp forests, they turn stone to soil, store water, and write time across bark. Their quiet persistence reveals how strength can live in patience and how impermanence is not loss, but renewal. To notice them is to see the planet breathing in miniature.

On the trail, there is always the pull to keep moving. Miles to cover, elevation to gain, summits to reach. Apps tally steps, watches blink heart rates, and a hidden voice whispers: faster, farther. Yet the moments that stay with us rarely happen in motion. They arrive when we stop.

Whether you're new to hiking or want to feel more confident on the trail, this post will walk you through how to build and maintain trail-specific fitness.

Let’s talk about how to eat smart on the trail, why certain snacks work better than others, and how to whip up trail mixes so tasty, you’ll wish you were hiking just to eat them.

Hiking challenges our bodies in all the best ways — but it can be tough on the knees. As hinge joints, our knees absorb and transfer force between the ground and the rest of the body.

Summer hiking can turn dangerous fast if you're not prepared for the heat. Learn how to recognize signs of heat exhaustion, prevent heat stroke, and stay safe on hot-weather hikes with these essential trail tips.

Pilgrimages Around the World reveal how walking becomes a path to healing, clarity, and connection. From Spain’s Camino to Japan’s Shikoku, Australia’s Songlines to India’s Adi-Kailash, each journey strips life to its essence. But you don’t need to go far—Washington’s trails offer their own sacred invitation. With TrailBliss, every mindful hike becomes a modern-day pilgrimage. Walk with intention. Listen to the land. Let each step bring you home.

Mindful Hiking Traditions Around the World explores how cultures from Japan to India, Spain to Scandinavia, have embraced walking as a path to presence and healing. Whether through forest bathing, sacred parikrama, or simply living close to nature, these traditions show that walking can be a form of meditation. This post invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and let each step connect you to something timeless.

Your brain isn’t fixed—it’s adaptable, responsive, and always evolving. At the heart of this flexibility is BDNF, a powerful protein that supports learning, memory, and emotional resilience. The best part? You can boost BDNF naturally. Practices like mindfulness, yoga, movement, deep sleep, and meaningful connection have been shown to increase BDNF levels, helping you build a clearer, calmer, and more resilient mind—one simple habit at a time.

A clear winter morning led me up Mount Teneriffe; I expected a summit, some solitude, and the usual stillness. What I found instead was snow-covered disorientation, hours of silence, and a deeper kind of reckoning. This is a story of getting lost—not just on the trail, but in all the ways we forget to listen—and how the mountain met me there.

Discover how mountain hikes restore body and mind—science, stillness, and 10 trails across Washington that offer true renewal.

As we walk through the seasons, we discover how nature’s rhythms reflect our own inner journey.

In this deeply personal journey, I reflect on how my mother’s love-filled meals shaped my own approach to cooking.

There is something profoundly healing about water. It is a presence, a teacher, and a place of renewal.

There’s a particular kind of magic in the moments when the sky shifts—when day meets night or night gives way to morning.