Travel Archives | Life with Caitlyn

3 Breathtaking Washington Hikes Near Olympia & Seattle

February 26, 2021

Looking for Washington hikes that are absolutely worth the trek? Then boy do I have you covered.

Washington is absolutely chock full of gorgeous trails, and I have a never-ending list of hikes I still want to complete. But today we’re talking about three Washington hikes I would take anyone who visits on.

I’ve picked out a short hike, and medium hike, and a long hike so people from all levels will have something to try out!

High Rock Lookout Hike

Length: 3.1 miles
Elevation gain: 1318 ft
Pass or fee: None
Bathroom: Port-A-Potty at the trailhead
Distance from Olympia/Seattle: 2 hours/2.5 hours

Heads up: This trail is occasionally closed due to restoration. Make sure you check for closures before planning your hike here! Also, during the winter the trail can be almost completely covered in snow. Keep that in mind if you’re wanting to climb the rockface at the end.

This is one of the shortest hikes I’ve ever done but the most worth it hike I’ve ever done. The trail is an extremely steep uphill battle. It was nowhere near undoable since it’s so short, but I definitely stopped every 10 minutes or so to take a breath and get a drink of water.

evergreen trees staggered with rows on mountains behind on a washington hike

There are two “fake” views before the real view at the top of the mountain. So be warned when you think you reach the end. Not yet, but close! At the top, you’ll reach a rock face that you have to scramble up and then you can enjoy the old lookout cabin and the views of Mount Rainer.

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Three Days in Boston: What to Do and How to Budget for your Trip

February 23, 2020

Boston is a historically rich and beautiful city that I’m so glad I traveled to on a whim last November. I was originally planning to meet up with Lauren’s Journey but things came up and I decided that even if I couldn’t meet her I could go alone!

I hadn’t really explored a place alone since being in Europe so I was a little scared. But Boston was such a great place for me to dip my toes back into solo travel!

Below you’ll find a map of all the places I visited and places I wish I had visited. The map also includes some brunch and regular food recommendations!

Getting Around Boston: the Subway System

Boston’s subway is soooo easy to use. You just have to know the name of the last place on a route because that’s what trains are called.

For example, if you were trying to go from Park Street to Hynes Convention Center you would take the green line. But there are four trains: the Boston College (B), Cleveland Circle (C), Riverside (D), and Heath Street (E). But the E trains don’t go to Hynes Convention Center, so you’re left with the B, C, and D trains. None of which have Hynes in their name, but they all cross that specific stop. You just have to look at the map at the stations! And make sure you’re in the right station, inbound or outbound.

Inbound trains are heading towards downtown and outbound trains are heading out of downtown. It’s pretty easy to get a hang of and I only went into the wrong station once. But I noticed before I paid thank goodness!

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Knack: The Best Backpack for a Young Professional

June 30, 2019

* I received this product as a gift for review from Knack Bags. I may make a small commission if you make a purchase through one of my links with no additional cost to you. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Life with Caitlyn.

As my college life came to a close and post-grad plans started to loom, I immediately started thinking about giving off a more professional vibe. It started with me buying nicer work pants, an actual watch to wear every day, and now a professional tech/travel backpack.

It was perfect timing when Knack Bags reached out to me a couple of months ago about trying out one of their backpacks. My mind immediately brought up images of all the men in suits and woman in heels walking around downtown last summer during my internship toting professional looking passenger bags and backpacks to carry all their belongings. Nothing screams professional like a grown-up bag to carry your grown-up things right? So I said yes.

I’ve been using the bag for about two months now and guys I am IN LOVE with this backpack.

traveling with the knack. shows hidden water bottle compartment

Knack Bag Details

I picked out the medium Knack bag in the Saville Gray color. It also comes in Loden Green, Sleath Black, and Burnt Orange (this is a limited edition color). They also carry a large backpack, and will soon have a small version as well!

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Everything You Should Do in Glasgow

April 29, 2019

I’ve been putting off writing this post for months (almost a year) because I knew I would get emotional when I tried to write it. We’re talking, I’m going to book a plane ticket right now, emotional. But we’ve had growth people!!

Instead of feeling sad when I think about my five months abroad last year, I instead just feel nostalgic. Like looking back on fond childhood memories or hanging out with your besties in high school. Scotland has become a figure of nostalgia for me, so I’m ready to sit down and write this out!

I did live there for five months, and one of my bff’s is from there and still lives in Glasgow, so I feel like I’m pretty qualified to give good advice on how to spend your time there. Although my pal across the Atlantic may disagree with my “American” touristy ways.

If you’re going to be visiting Glasgow anytime soon, I got you.

Getting Around

Glasgow is a very walk-able city. It’s extremely easy to walk from the city center down to the River Clyde or over to the West End. I walked most places to save money while I was there, but on days I was in a rush or didn’t want to walk a mile or two I’d take the subway.

The subway it super easy to navigate, too! It’s just a huge circle and if you stand on one side of the platform you go clockwise and if you stand on the other side you go counter-clockwise. Pretty easy, right?

Plus, each subway station and car has the map posted. There’s no way you’ll get on or off at the wrong place unless you’re not paying attention.

Glasgow also has a really good bus system, but I never used it since I have a fear of buses. However, I never had any issues getting anywhere just using my own two feet or the subway.

To give a better impression of how close everything is I decided to make a map with every place I mention in this post. I know it seems like some things are super far away, but I promise they aren’t. Especially with a quick five minute ride on the subway.

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