Menu

Start Here
Destinations
- Map
- Canada
  - British Columbia
- USA
  - Oregon
  - Washington
Adventure
Gear

Start Here
Destinations
- Map
- Canada
  - British Columbia
- USA
  - Oregon
  - Washington
Adventure
Gear

Browsing Category

Oregon

Peter Iredale Shipwreck at Fort Stevens

Visit one of the most accessible shipwrecks on the Oregon coast!

Battery Russell at Fort Stevens

Learn about a historic military fort on the Oregon coast.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast

Explore this stunning, romantic lighthouse on the rugged Oregon coast.

Hey, I'm Sam

Outdoor Adventurer

I'm a Canadian hiker, traveler, and outdoor adventurer based in the Okanagan. Join me and learn to embrace your inner explorer!

Subscribe & Follow

Must-Read Articles

1

Okanagan Bucket List

2

10 Hiking Essentials You Should Always Pack

3

Bear Safety Tips Every Hiker Should Know

Explore the Okanagan

Join 1,000+ adventurers and check out new places every week.

Okanagan

Gear

I'm kicking off the weekend with a little morning

I'm kicking off the weekend with a little morning hike, followed up by some play time with the kitties and reading. What’s your favorite way to kick off your weekend mornings?

I still can't believe I'd never been to the hills

I still can't believe I'd never been to the hills at Kal Lake until a few days ago. It's a little crazy! 🤯 I've been to Rattlesnake Point quite a few times, but the hills were entirely new territory... and they were AMAZING!

Plus it helped in my dream of visiting all the provincial parks in the Okanagan!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I'm definitely gonna be doing a lot more hiking in the area. Who's with me? Tag your quarantine buddy and add Kal to your hiking list!

I've been working on our garden a lot the past few

I've been working on our garden a lot the past few days! We've almost finished up our garden boxes and I'm getting ready to transfer some of my baby plants to the great outdoors — hopefully they like it! I know almost nothing about gardening, but it's fun learning and watching my plants grow 🌿 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Even though I can't go on as many outdoor adventures as I'd like, it's been an adventure getting the garden going!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What have you been getting up to?

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself" — Amelia Ear

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself" — Amelia Earhart⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If I've learned anything during this time of no travel, it's how to find adventure in the smallest of things. It would be easy to get bored going on the same routes over and over, but I'm constantly looking for new things to check out! The flowers are growing, my neighbours are improving their yards, and the orchards are blooming! I've noticed cool graffiti I've walked by a million times and even appreciated how quickly the trails thawed. Such small, little things, but they keep me entertained!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Have you noticed yourself seeing the little things more these days?

Do you ever struggle with identifying yourself as

Do you ever struggle with identifying yourself as "outdoorsy" because you don't spend every spare moment hiking, thinking about your outdoor adventures, or surrounded in greenery and gear? My hand's up! 🤚⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
For the longest time, I felt like an imposter running my site because, truth be told, I don't go hiking all the time. Sometimes I spend an entire weekend playing Civ, don't hit the trails for a month, and I've even gone an entire year without camping. But you know what? That's okay! I'm here to tell you that you CAN be outdoorsy while still bingeing Netflix, gaming, or doing whatever else you love! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Because you know what? You are actually allowed to have other interests. *que sarcastic gasp* While I wholeheartedly believe the outdoors are wonderful, I also believe your whole world doesn't have to revolve around it. Sometimes it feels like it's supposed to in order to call yourself outdoorsy, but that's just a load of bull.

I loooove the spring! With all this time at home,

I loooove the spring! With all this time at home, I've been embracing gardening, random local walks, and new microadventures. Like camping at home!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I've seen tons of the people enjoying backyard campouts here on the 'gram and I LOVE it! Sometimes I can't stand social media, but I do love seeing the creativity quarantine has created. It's made me want to have my own #stayhome campout, but we borrow a lot of our gear from my parents so we don't actually have a tent here at home. I guess we could camp without one, but I'm not super into that. I might as well sleep in my bed! I think one of these days I'm going to have to steal their tent, though!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Maybe this weekend? If you guys wanna join me (virtually of course), we can all go backyard camping on Saturday night and have a blast! (This photo isn’t from my backyard, it’s from a trip last summer)

©2017 Explore the Map. All Rights Reserved.

Legal
Work With Me
Contact