Coiling Dragon Cliff. Photo courtesy of ImagineChina.
What we're clicking on this week at Fathom HQ.
I'm scared of heights so, naturally, I seek out opportunities to put myself in places where I have to face my fear. Like this 100-meter-long glass skywalk that just opened in China. Just looking at the pictures fills me with a mix of excitement, anxiety, and a mild case of nausea! – Xenia, editorial intern
When in Mexico City, touring the home of Mexican architect Barragán is a must (read about it on Fathom). But first, read this scintillating story about an artist who turned Barragán's cremated remains into a diamond in order to propose to the woman who has been keeping his archives in a private vault for years. Yup, just like a real-life telenovela. – Jeralyn, editorial director
The modern-day Roman pantry is made up of some of the world's most widely recognized ingredients, so isn't it funny that we know close to nothing about what the ancient Romans used to cook with? According to Vox, the empire had a love affair with garum, a salty sauce made from fermented fish guts. Here's how to make it. – Daniel, editorial assistant
This week I was blown away by the incredible views of New York City from the roof deck at The William Vale, a new hotel opening in Williamsburg later this month. Chef Andrew Carmellini is doing the food, Brooklyn-based artist Marela Zacarias created the stunning art piece in the lobby, and there's a gorgeous new pool. – Berit, editor
Adornments for the free spirt. Photo courtesy of Melting Sun.
After a stint in New York, one native Southerner moved below the Mason-Dixon and was pleased to discover a Brooklyn-y design scene with a creative spirit all its own. Feeling crafty in A-Town? Put these designers and their goods at the top of your shopping list.
The call back South has been ringing in my ears since I left, inescapable like the humidity of North Carolina summers. I didn't realize the depth of my Southern roots until I tried to plant them in New York City. Last month, after three years of shuffling between Brooklyn and Manhattan, I moved to Atlanta with my husband Ben — not too far from home in North Carolina, but just far enough.
Though happy to be back, we were relieved to find that familiar Brooklyn-y energy we loved. People are making things in Atlanta! And I wanted to find them. With the help of a few gracious shop owners ping-ponging me around town, I discovered a set of creatives worth watching no matter where you live. Atlanta is the Empire State of the South after all.
Whether you're cheering in the stands at the Rio Olympics or from your sofa at home, we know all eyes are on the athletes. But what about the spectators themselves? How are people around the world reacting to the games?
Over the past few days, I've scavenged through the gold mine that is NBC Sports on YouTube and pulled together my favorite fan, athlete, and team reactions to date. In this first volume: squirmy contortions, full-out sprints, and happy, little jigs. Body language is universal.
Take 45 seconds to experience the energy at the Rio Olympics:
Free your mind! Podcasts make great road trip companions. Photo by Averie Woodard / Unsplash.
Touch that dial! From the halls of our favorite radio station, WNYC, digital producer and podcast expert James Ramsay tunes us into eight excellent travel-inspired shows.
One of the great joys of leaving town is getting in a rental car and scanning for radio stations, which is how I recently wound up in Wilmington, North Carolina, glued to 93.7 The Dude ("the local's choice for country"), listening to a wide variety of songs about fishing. It's an aural experience you can't get replicate without the travel, or the midsize sedan. But in the Internet Age, there are myriad ways to turn your daily commute into a 45-minute vacation, simply by downloading a quality podcast. Here's an eight-pack of shows that bring various exotic locales right to your earbuds. And if your next journey is six hours and 45 minutes long (i.e., the drive from New York to Cleveland), you'll have time to listen to this entire playlist.
Gravy
Episode: "The New Old Country Store" The Southern Foodways Alliance has a James Beard Award-winning podcast called Gravy, which does a great job reporting on Southern food and culture without leaning on cheap nostalgia. In this episode, an Australian food writer tells the story of how she married a guy from Georgia and became deeply acquainted with America's largest user of directional roadside advertising: Cracker Barrel.
Off-Ramp
Episode: "Mack Robinson Comes Out of His Brother's Shadow" You can now take a subway from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica, which is something the city had been talking about forever. And a lot of the credit for finally making it happen belongs to former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who — along with Jackie Robinson's often overlooked brother Mack — gets a nice shout out in this episode of Off-Ramp, a weekly show from Southern California Public Radio that covers all the interesting things about L.A. that don't make it into Vanderpump Rules.
Earshot
Episode: "Saga Land" The Australian Broadcasting Company's Earshot podcast produced a four-part audio documentary about an Icelandic-born writer who travels back to his homeland to figure out if he's related to one of the most prominent Norse saga writers of the 13th century. The story's pretty charming; it also makes Iceland sound incredible.
Studio 360
Episode: "American Icons: The Disney Parks" This is a 52-minute must-listen for anyone who's ever been, or thought about going, to a Disney theme park. Both Disneyland and Disney World are endlessly complex and goofy and unsettling, and former Spy Magazine editor Kurt Andersen is the perfect tour guide.
Inside Appalachia
Episode: "What Happens When Strangers With Cameras Travel Inside Appalachia?" West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee are absolutely beautiful states that anyone who enjoys hiking or caves or drinking whiskey while floating down a stream in an inner tube ought to visit. Appalachia's also an economically depressed region with a history of locals who've stood up — sometimes violently — to outsiders who fetishize or exploit it. This episode of Inside Appalachia, about the history of that conflict, made me a smarter, more considerate traveler. The host, Jessica Lilly, also has one of the most pleasant voices in podcasting.
The Food Chain
Episode: "Chinatown" Say you've have had crispy duck in London, or General Tso's chicken in New York. But have you have you had dumplings in Johannesburg's Chinatown? Or have you eaten in Havana's Chinatown, where the specialty is Italian food? The BBC's Food Chain podcast pulled in reports from around the world for this episode about some of the surprising but no less appetizing variants of "Chinese" food served, from Shanghai to Nairobi.
Israel Story
Episode: "The Most Israeli Address: Herzel 48" One creative way to get to know a country is to visit every location you can find that has the same address and compile those experiences into one diverse portrait of a place. The producers of Israel Story, which is like This American Life but for Israeli life, went to every Herzel 48 (48 Herzel St.) in the country, and reported on what they found.
Note to Self
Episode: "Space Tourism Gets Sweetly Personal for These Two Strong Lady Travelers" Outer Space: it's like Appalachia, but more expensive to get to and there are no Cracker Barrels. In this episode of Note to Self, Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American engineer who was the first woman to go to space on a commercial shuttle, tells an aspiring space traveller what it's like up there, from the logistical ("how do you go to the bathroom?") to the majestic ("how'd it feel to see Earth?"). If space travel is on your bucket list, this one's a must-listen.
Every week, I spend hours listening to a diverse range of podcasts about everything from community policing to expensive booze, and the result is a podcast recommendation newsletter that I hope is surprising and edifying and sometimes weird. I’ll include outstanding episodes of the shows we all love, like Death, Sex & Money and This American Life, but I also look for great stories and conversations from shows you might never otherwise know about.
These days, the internet and widespread use of cell phones can make the world feel mighty small. Jon Lee Anderson's fascinating piece on an isolated tribe from Peru's rain forrest reminded me that there are still uncharted territories out there.– Berit, editor
Does food make you anxious? That's the big question in the latest episode of Prince Street, wherein I interview Kat Kinsman about anxiety and Jessica Koslow of LA favorite Squirl talks about doing too much. – Pavia, CEO
As much as I like the idea of old bookshops (cozy, romantic, brimming with possibility), I often find myself dozing off if I spend too much time between the stacks. (I have the same problem with museums.) That said, I think I could spend the day in this surreal tunnel space built in a bookshop in Yangzhou, China. It's that cool looking. – Daniel, editorial assistant
I'll be riding the 4 train to the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY, to play with artist Jimmy Kuehnle's wildly fun, inflatable sculptures oozing out of doors, bubbling through the windows, and bouncing around the interiors of an old Victorian manse. – Jeralyn, editorial director
Although I'm not eager for summer to end, I am looking forward to the fall exhibit at New York City's beautiful Neue Galerie. Klimt is one of my favorite artists and I can't wait to see the colorful Portrait of Ria Munk III, followed by lunch at the always elegant Café Sabarsky.– Berit
Fondation Cartier is currently showing an excellent exhibition called The Great Animal Orchestra, showcasing wildlife soundscapes from around the world inspired by musician and bioacoustician Bernie Krause. For those of us who can't make it to Paris during the show, they put together a beautiful accompanying website— my favorite's the Yukon one. – Becky
Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley build and live in interesting structures to examine the psychological effects of space. Their most recent project is a long house supported by a concrete pillar that spins with the wind in upstate New York. Here's what it's like to live in it. – Daniel
In Chicago last weekend, I checked out the brand new Dixie restaurant in my favorite neighborhood. I'm still dreaming about the flakiest, most buttery biscuits and that I-can't-have-enough pepper jam.– Becky
I'm looking forward to taking my travel-through-Instagram addiction to the next level with the beautiful new discovery app Spot. – Pavia
Although it's still sweltering outside, we're on the last laps of summer. This means there's only a few more precious weeks to plan and execute the perfect summer vacation.
Continuing my scavenger hunt through the treasure trove of videos on NBC Sports, I've pulled together a few moments that translate as great travel tips. Every time a gymnast solidly plants her feet on the floor or a swimmer speeds for gold, I get the adrenaline rush that I associate with travel. And there's more we can learn from these athletes.
Maximize your travel in 40 seconds, courtesy of the games in Rio de Janeiro:
Set your table like an Italian with Il Buco Vita's artisan wares. Photo courtesy of Il Buco Vita.
There's no denying it — Italians have a way with food. Donna Lennard, the restaurateur behind New York City's beloved Il Buco and Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria, showcases a selection of handmade Italian homewares and antiques in a charming second-floor showroom in NoHo called Il Buco Vita. The rustic space has a transportive quality that instantly takes you from the busy streets of NYC to a beautiful home in the Italian countryside. We asked Lennard to share a collection of her favorite Italian-made dishes, glassware, and textiles, so you can create a masterpiece of a dinner party.
Most people link me with my two New York City restaurants, Il Buco and Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, but my hidden passion is Il Buco Vita, my home line housed on the second floor loft space two doors down from my original restaurant. Vita brings the Il Buco concept full circle, by focusing on the decor that has made my restaurants so inviting. The idea germinated more than 15 years ago in Umbria, my second home, in the small village of Bevagna. Over several evenings of shared food and wine, my dear Umbrian friends, Antonello and Lorenzo Radi, cousins and cronies of my original partner Alberto Avalle, suggested we design a line based on the country's artisan crafts that were losing their hold in the name of mass market brands. Vita harkens back to the early days when Alberto and I collected antiques, buying only what we loved and what touched our personal sensibility. Thus, Il Buco Vita is filled with all of the unique pieces that inspire me to invite friends to my table, share in a meal, and create a meaningful moment.
A snapshot from Trans-Pecos Festival 2015. Photo by Nick Simonite.
What we're clicking on this week at Fathom HQ.
Marfa's Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love is happening September 22-25 at El Cosmico. Musical acts include Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Kacey Musgraves, and Neko Case. Sign me up. – Berit, editor
Ready your camera (and your patience): The Instagram-famous Infinity Mirror Room by Japanese pop-artist Yayoi Kusama is bringing six-hour entry lines to a city near you (D.C., Seattle, LA, Ontario, Cleveland) between now and 2018. – Daniel, editorial assistant
Starting this month, Uber will be randomly selecting users who summon their service in Pittsburgh to try out their fleet of self-driving cars. The future, folks, is officially here. – Daniel
This could be your mountain view. All photos courtesy of Calistoga Ranch.
As summer winds down (so sad!) and our thoughts return (so slowly!) to a busy work-filled autumn, all we want to think about is when we can travel next.
We're assuming you feel pretty much the same. So along with our pals at Lou & Grey, Auberge Hotels, JetBlue, Domino, Jetsetter, and theSkimm, we decided to end the summer with an incredible trip giveaway to Napa Valley. (Because there's nothing Northern California can't soothe.)
If that's all you need to hear and you don't even need to scroll to read prize details and to see incredible photos of Calistoga Ranch, then enter right now.
OTHERWISE, HERE'S THE PRIZE
The Hotel: 3 nights in a suite at Calistoga Ranchwith bath rituals at Auberge Spa, dinner at The Lakehouse Restaurant, and a Mercedes Benz to drive on a four-hour tour.
The Airfare: Roundtrip onboard Jetblue's Mint experience.
The Goods: $500 gift certificate from Lou & Grey.
The Itinerary: A curated travel guide from Fathom.
WHICH MEANS YOU COULD BE HERE
Outfit inspiration from Lou & Grey. Photos courtesy of Lou & Grey.
Tiny Atlas Solas camera bag. Photo by Emily Nathan.
Travel photographer and Tiny Atlas Quarterly founder Emily Nathan knows a thing or two about snapping a good photo. This month, the 24 Best Travel Photographer took the knowledge she’s gained photographing the world to create a camera bag that is both handsome and functional. We asked Nathan to unpack her bag and share the gear she can’t travel without.
As a commercial photographer and travel magazine founder, I'm often on the road. Travel is a way of life for me and I have, literally, built a life around it.
Along with entrepreneurship and travel comes adventure, exploration, and trying new things. I'm doing my best to pare down to the basics. Keeping it simple with one carryall for a day shoot is usually my goal: camera, memory cards, small laptop, camera lenses, extra layer of clothing, maybe a bathing suit, and go.
With that in mind, my latest venture is a collaboration on a beautiful camera bag with San Francisco-based Alite Designs, a great outdoor company founded by former North Face creative director Tae Kim (we recently launched on Kickstarter). It's cool and simple, while still highly protective of cameras, laptops, technical gear, and personal items. Let's get down to specifics. Here are my 10 essential items for a day out on a shoot.
Ever wondered where travel experts find their favorite places? Look no further than Instagram. At Fathom HQ, we use the app as a steady source of travel inspiration, but also as a practical resource for planning trips. By pinning pretty vacation photos to precise locations, well-curated accounts have turned into goldmines of recommendations. But the challenge remains: You need to know where to dig.
For this edition of the 24 Best Travelers on Instagram 2016, we filtered through hundreds of feeds to bring you a list of destination ambassadors — in-the-know locals who showcase the best of their hometowns on Instagram. We chose people with exceptional taste (and photography skills) to show you around places that rank high on many bucket lists, including Lisbon, Melbourne, Budapest, Casablanca, and Colorado.
Some accounts are like visual guidebooks brimming with hip restaurants and hidden finds. Others are more poetic and work wonderfully as starting points for exploration. We hope all of them inspire you to pack your bags and experience the world from a fresh perspective.
And not 10 or 25 or 100? You'll see 24 a lot around Fathom. For a few reasons: We want to deliver a balanced but concise mix of options, and twenty sometimes isn't enough. Also, 24 is our lucky number.
WWII-era pocket guides. Photo courtesy of MessyNessyChic.
What we're clicking on this week at Fathom HQ.
A case for bicycles! Cruising two wheels is a cure for writer's block, a vehicle for women's lib, and a "creaturely joy," according to this 1926 ode. – Jeralyn, editorial director
I loved this nine-minute animated short film on Paris from 1958. And I didn't understand a word of it. – Daniel, editorial assistant
Would you take a family honeymoon? Fathom contributor Lucy Laucht makes a case for updating the traditional post-wedding vacation. – Berit, editor
I just got back from a hiking trip in upstate New York (which coincided nicely with National Parks' 100th birthday!), and I'm already dream-planning my next escape thanks to the fantastic National Parks Adventure showing at NYC's Museum of Natural History. Here's a trailer. – Becky, assistant editor
Michael Heizer, a pioneer of the earthworks movement, began his mile-long City sculptural installation in the '70s in the Nevada desert. It's a monument to outlast humanity. – Jeralyn
I adore Japanese architecture, so I'm thrilled about Tokyo's newest museum dedicted to mini architecture models. – Becky
As summer comes to a close, we're already reminiscing about the places we've been and the things we found that we can't imagine living without. Like a beautiful bottle of California-made olive oil or a series of stunning prints celebrating the 100th birthday of the U.S. National Parks Service. Take a look at the items Team Fathom has on the radar this month.
Bedroom à la Bauhaus. All photos courtesy of The Poli House.
Fathom's Daniel Schwartz recently returned from Tel Aviv, where he caught word of a new boutique hotel backed by a big-name designer. It's expected to turn heads this fall.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
A much-anticipated luxury hotel slated to open this September in the epicenter of Tel Aviv is reimagining what staying in means for a city that's all about going out. Set in a beautifully restored Bauhaus building, The Poli House was designed exclusively by world-renowned industrial architect Karim Rashid with Tel Aviv's magnetic soul in mind. Rashid says it best: "We usually only look to the past for inspiration, but the mentality of Tel Aviv is very contemporary, focusing less on the past and looking forward to the future.” His 40-room boutique looks to be proof of concept.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The hotel overlooks Magen David Square, which splays out into some of the city's biggest byways: Shenkin Street is known for shopping, Allenby for nightlife, Nachalat Binyamin for its biweekly outdoor craft market, and Carmel Market for its hordes of produce and food stalls. Neve Tzedek, the city's first (and arguably most charming) neighborhood, and the tree-lined arteries of Rothschild Boulevard, are a few streets over. It doesn't get more central than this.
The rooftop pool. Photo by Assaf Pinchuk.
The rooftop cocktail bar.
A Poli Deluxe bedroom. Photo by Assaf Pinchuk.
DESIGN SPECS
Rashid turned what used to be The Polishuk House, a commercial Bauhaus building erected in 1934, into a cosmopolitan hotel filled with forward-thinking design. Think outer-space chic — fluid lines, ultra-modern furniture, and device-friendly colors that nod to Israel's booming tech sector. Contending for local hotspot status, the hotel sports a panoramic rooftop pool and cocktail bar, glass-ensnared spa treatment rooms, and a cultural center with an art magazine and design store, meeting spaces, and a gallery exhibiting local artwork available for purchase.
GOOD TO KNOW
Because Tel Aviv is always looking up, the front desk is on the roof — elevators with mood lighting are the only route to the check-in desk. Guests also have free access to local sites, which include Tel Avivian necessities like a professional gym and the popular vegan-friendly cafe, Loveat.
GETTING THERE
Heavy rush hours mean that the drive between Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) and The Poli House can take anywhere between twenty and 90 minutes. Try and coordinate arrival times to avoid commuting between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m, Sunday through Thursday.
Dear Data is a collection of postcards between two designers (one in Brooklyn, the other in London) who communicated via snail mail infographics every week for a year. My favorite week was their week of cities. – Becky, assistant editor
For an instant post-vacation glow, head to the Upper East Side's new facial bar Silver Mirror. Specialists use special Japanese technology to give skin that dewy, luminous look. – Berit, editor
In low and sprawling Los Angeles, a new restaurant aims for great heights: The glass-walled, circular room is perched 950 feet in the air. – Jeralyn, editorial director
I learned a ton of fascinating facts about jellyfish (my new favorite sea creature) from Stuff You Should Know's latest podcast episode. Biggest takeaway: Peeing on a jellyfish sting might do more harm than help. – Becky
Super excited to learn about the East Coast Greenway project. The 3,000-mile off-road bike path connects Maine to Florida. Help make it happen. – Berit
If you're looking for a career change, this could be your big break. Queen Elizabeth II is looking for assistants to tend house at Buckingham Palace. And you don't even need hospitality experience to apply. – Daniel
THIS WEEK ON FATHOM: Hotels We Want to Visit
The Poli House in Tel Aviv. Photo courtesy of The Poli House.
Your favorite greens are taking over the beauty industry. Photo courtesy of Youth to the People.
A jam-packed travel schedule can be exciting — it can also be disruptive to a healthy lifestyle. Jet lag, roadside dining, and airplane air can cause dry skin, a tired body, and a weary mind. The minute we get home, we search out big salads and fresh green juices to restore us back to our former selves, and we're not surprised to see ingredients like kale, spinach, and sprouted greens infiltrating the beauty scene.
Coconut granola with yogurt and nectarine slices. Photo by Martin Lof.
Helene Henderson, the Swedish-born owner and chef of Malibu Farm Pier Cafe, opened her farm-to-table restaurant when the dinners she served on her two-acre farm outgrew their intimate setting. The former pop-up cafe is now a permanent staple of the Malibu food scene. We asked her to share a recipe from her new Malibu Farm Cookbook: Recipes from the California Coast.
MALIBU, California – We usually serve Malibu granola at the cafe. It's nicknamed "The Mayor's Granola" because Laura Rosenthal, who served as the mayor of Malibu, makes it. She won't share her super-secret recipe, but making your own version is easy. I prefer nuts and dried berries, but you can mix almost anything into it.
The recipe is vegan and gluten-free. I usually eat my granola with unflavored kefir, but it's also great served with almond milk.
COCONUT GRANOLA
Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 c. oats 1 c. walnuts 1/2 c. raw pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp. sesame seeds 3 tbsp. brown rice syrup 3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted Flaked, sweetened coconut 1/2 c. dried berries, such as cherries, cranberries, or both
PREPARATION
1. Combine oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds in a medium-sized bowl. Toss with brown rice syrup and coconut oil. Season with salt.
2. Place on a baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients start to toast.
3. Add sweetened coconut and dried berries, and return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Transfer the granola to a plate and let it cool. It will crisp as it cools.
A Shinto shrine-inspired house beyond the lily pond. Kiki Smith sculptures hiding in a patch of ivy. A poolside patio straight out of a Slim Aaron's photo shoot. These are the scenes at the 16-acre East Hampton home of architect/textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen (a.ka. LongHouse Reserve). The late summer foliage makes for garden perfection. – Jeralyn
From 1926 to 1935, Chicago had its own version of The New Yorker. The magazine cover art was just as iconic. – Daniel
Tired of promising themselves they'd "go eventually," best friends Aaron Bailey and Sterling Montes finally embarked on the adventure they'd been dreaming of for years: hiking the length of the Pacific Crest Trail. They take a break from chasing sunrises to give us a halfway-point dispatch.
So, what made you decide to take this trip? We met in college a few years back and would backpack with a group of friends on long weekends. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) was always a longer trip that we all talked about but right after school we both started working in tech (Sterling in SF and myself in NYC) and we saw two years fly by. We eventually figured if we don't do it now we'll put it off forever. Sterling was deciding between moving to NYC or doing the PCT — he chose the PCT, and there was no way he was doing it without me.
What was the best tip you got before you left? Go light weight. We were told the more you shed the better. Simplicity and minimalism make for a better thru-hike. (A thru-hike is technically a continuous backpacking trip that extends over 400 miles. It's the official term for hiking the trail in its entirety.) We quickly learned that weight leads to more injuries, shorter distances, and a worse time. We tried to cut off as much pack weight before the trail thanks to some tips from former PCT thru-hikers, but then cut off even more once we were on the trail. Less is more in the truest sense, not only physically but also mentally. We all learned the common lesson of simplifying.
Where is the start point and how did you get there? The start point is literally a few yards from the Mexican border in Campo, CA. We saw the fence and border patrol as we started hiking. Getting to the Southern Terminus can often be difficult, especially if you are traveling from another state or country. Typically two famous trail angels (people who help out hikers) named Scout and Frodo host people at their house and shuttle them to the trail head.
We were fortunate to have our two good friends, Brendan and Tom, join us on a road trip down the California coast. We stopped and visited friends the entire way down to get a last minute fix of community before departing on our journey of solitude and adventure.
Setting up camp. Photo by Aaron Bailey.
Morning light. Photo by Sterling Montes.
Distance completed: 1,597 miles.
Distance to go: 1,028 miles.
Your itinerary so far: The PCT stretches from Mexico to Canada on the eastern mountain ranges of California, Oregon, and Washington. 1. The Desert: We started southeast of San Diego and trekked through San Jacinto, Big Bear, and the Mojave, ending in Kennedy Meadows. 2. The Sierra starts just after Kennedy Meadows and immediately passes Mt. Whitney. We continued through Kings Canyon along the John Muir Trail. After hiking through Mammoth we hit Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. 3. Northern California: Northern California begins in the Tahoe area and continues through Lassen National Park up to Shasta. Oregon and Washington are next.
What about at night? Last night we actually stayed at a hostel. We pulled our longest day, 40 miles, to make it in to a tiny hiker town called Etna. We slept in our tarptents (a tarp draped over our trekking poles and staked down) because all the beds were taken.
An evening's campfire. Photo by Sterling Montes.
What do you know now that you wish you had known on the first day? We wish we'd have planned our food better. We eat fine, but we are always super jealous of hikers who have freeze-dried or pre-dehydrated homemade meals that they'd been making months before the trip. Calorie-to-ounce ratio is really important when packing food, so acquiring a diverse set of calorie-dense food is crucial.
Thanks for letting us follow along via your Instagram feed and your blog. How are you staying online while going off the grid? We get service on top of mountains or ridges sometimes, but we mostly get it when we head into town to resupply on food. We use Anker external battery packs to make sure our phones don't die. Our phones play an important role in our hike because our maps are on them. They tell us where we are and where water and campsites are — which helps us plan our days. We use an app called Guthook— it's like Google Maps for hikers, and absolutely essential. Our phones are more utilitarian than ever, a tool rather than a distraction, which is a nice change of pace. The same goes for social media; it actually really helps us stay in touch with people rather than acting as a constant stream of distraction.
This was especially great: Meeting the coolest people in the world who all have the same five-month goal as you.
But this wasn't: Drowning in clouds of mosquitoes.
Let's talk about stuff. 1. Glad you packed:Therm-a-Rest Neo Air— our bed. It's key to our recovery and so amazing. You spend at least 30 percent of the PCT in your sleeping bag on a sleeping pad; make it comfortable. 2. Wish you'd packed: Dehydrated meals. Some people have an entire system dialed and they eat like kings every day. 3. Didn't need: Any rain gear. It's only rained once and for only an hour. But supposedly we'll need it in Washington. 4. Any new inventory? Bug spray, gallons of it.
Swimming with trail friends. Photo by Aaron Bailey.
Summiting. Photo by Aaron Bailey.
Speed round of favorites. 1. Meal or meals: Poptart-oatmeal-almond butter combination. 2. City/region/part of the route: Sierra to John Muir Trail portion. Everyone in the world should be required to do it. 3. Thing you did: Hard to decide. There was using our sleeping pad to float down river rapids, catching and eating fish without a rod, coming upon lakes to find 20 of our favorite people on the trail swimming.
One place you didn't get to visit, but wanted to: Summiting Mt. Shasta. We are constantly passing beautiful areas and keeping tabs on spots along the way. I have so many spots I want to go back to and explore. It's crazy having a general idea of good places to camp across all of California.
Any surprises? We encountered a sign that said "Trail Magic Ahead" on the trail. Before we knew it we were eating pizza and drinking beer out of the back of a Suburban in the middle of the wilderness. These Trail Angels happened to be good friends of one of our fellow hikers. They followed us for a few days and met us in the middle of nowhere with provisions — it was amazing. They are now some of our greatest friends from this journey.
Watching the sun rise. Photo by Sterling Montes.
Sunset. Photo by Sterling Montes.
You can't stop thinking about: What else could possibly come next? How far can my body go? What else could I possibly learn about myself? How can I give back after the trail? We can't wait to be trail angels.
The Kodak moment: Summiting Mt. Whitney at sunrise.
What's the #1 tip you'd give a friend who wanted to go? Don't give up. Ninety-five percent of people quit not because of the physical challenge, but because of the mental one. Just keep walking; you won't stop learning things about yourself.
Where to next? Just under 100 miles until Oregon.
FOLLOW THEIR TRAVELS
Don't miss Aaron and Sterling's #FathomTakeover on Instagram at @FathomWaytoGo.
Showing us how it's done. Photo by Jordan Whitt / Unsplash.
Few experiences thrill us more than a first day on the ground in a new country, which is why we make a point of trying every jetlag remedy out there. From light devices that naturally adjust your body clock, to a holistic flower elixir, we've done them all. Our biggest success: a good night's sleep. Here are the potions, oils, and sleeping masks we're packing to help us achieve a full eight hours of shut-eye when our circadian rhythms are slow to adjust.
