Wild Affinity

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by jennica kaplan

  • Destinations
    • National Parks
    • United States
      • Northeast
      • Wyoming
      • Montana
      • South Dakota
    • International
      • Switzerland
  • Backpacking
    • Guides
    • Itineraries
  • Gear
    • Backpacking Gear
    • Camping Gear
  • About

Switzerland


  • 8 of the Best Adventures in Ticino, Switzerland

  • Brienz-Rothorn: Epic Ridge Trail Near Interlaken

Hi, I’m Jennica and I’m an obsessed hiker, backpacker, and world traveler. I enjoy building my outdoor skillset so I can venture further, and I hope to inspire you to pursue your wildest outdoor dreams.

About Me
Recent Posts
  • Your Guide to Badlands National Park

  • My 2025 Backpacking Gear List

  • Learnings From An Early-Spring Backpacking Trip

The best kind of run… when just as much time is sp The best kind of run… when just as much time is spent stopped to look at things as actually running 😌 what a lovely place this is 🌱🍄‍🟫🐸🍂🌲🐌#vancouver #running #nature
You don’t need fancy new gear to have epic adventu You don’t need fancy new gear to have epic adventures!Some sustainability and accessibility reminders as we head into the holiday sale season:
👉🏼Social media can make it seem like you need new and fancy things to get outside, but you might already own something that will do just fine!
👉🏼Secondhand marketplaces like Facebook & @geartrade exist !!! and are an economical and sustainable way to find the gear you need
👉🏼Trends are forever changing. And we’re all the same to nature anyway.Getting outside at all, in a way that is safe and comfortable, is a win 🙂‍↔️#getoutsideandplay #sustainablefashion #running #hiking
The last month has been full of pinch me moments. The last month has been full of pinch me moments. I dreamed of these views for years while living in NYC and now they’re outside my door. And wow did this hike kick my butt. I haven’t been this sore since my last marathon 🫣The part of fall where hiking gets trickier and it’s not yet ski season always has me a little antsy. Glad I snuck one more in before the conditions exceed my comfort level. Time to slow down until all the holiday travel 💛#britishcolumbia #winterhiking #viewfromabove
I start and stop a lot of things… but somehow runn I start and stop a lot of things… but somehow running is probably the most consistent thing in my life.Since I started running (at 15 years old), it has brought me immense peace and confidence in myself. Pushing through discomfort and miles that felt impossible, to emerge on the other side full of pride and accomplishment, has taught me so much about resiliency and life. I never ran on a highschool team or with a coach but I stuck with it, because something about it felt so inherently human.I’m so grateful for it, and I guess, grateful to myself for doing it. Stressed, upset, or with a seemingly unsolvable problem, it’s ALWAYS better after a run.Best of luck to all this year’s NYC Marathoners! I hope you fall in love with running again & again. But if you never want to run 26 miles again that’s totally reasonable too 😅On that note, time for a run 🤭🏃🏽‍♀️#nycmarathon #runnergirl #marathoner
I think I like it here 🙂‍↔️Feel so incredibly bl I think I like it here 🙂‍↔️Feel so incredibly blessed to get to call Vancouver home for a while ❤️#beautifulbritishcolumbia #vancouver
Fall is always so fleeting. Every year I feel like Fall is always so fleeting. Every year I feel like I’ve not yet accepted summer’s end and suddenly fall is almost gone too.As we head into slower months and shorter days, I find myself worrying that I didn’t do enough during the hiking season… wishing I’d shoved a few more adventures into a summer that included a trip up Kilimanjaro and moving to a new country. Feels silly as I type it.& regardless, there is SO much good coming this winter🎿🚠🙂‍↕️⛷️Enjoy some favorite moments from this first fall in Vancouver💛✨#fallscenery #beautifulbritishcolumbia
You’ll have to take my word for it, these were *ch You’ll have to take my word for it, these were *chefs kiss*#campinglife #outdoorcooking #roadtripping
If I had all the time in the world and no rent to If I had all the time in the world and no rent to pay, I would’ve spent a full month, maybe even two, inching my way to British Columbia.When I first moved from California to New York, watching the landscape change gradually as I drove towards my destination helped my mind process what a massive life change this was. I processed the gravity of moving thousands of miles away from anywhere I’d ever called home, as I drove them.This time, on the 90 through Wisconsin, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington, the landscape slowly became something that resembled home, as the Black Hills rose from the Great Plains and soon after, the Rockies brought pines. And I think for the first time I admitted to myself just how homesick I’d been.Seeing bison in the wild, once a central piece of Native American life and then nearly extinct, was breathtaking.One takeaway from this trip was that I will definitely be making an investment in a telephoto lens.#wildlifephotography #nationalparks #americanroadtrip
This trail’s reputation preceded it, and I was int This trail’s reputation preceded it, and I was intimidated. But when we got the opportunity to do it with friends on basically a whim, there was no way we could turn it down.We were there, the weather was perfect, and I knew the time was right. There is no growth in the comfort zone.We started at 5:30am and arrived at the parking lot just before 5pm. I don’t think there’s a better feeling than the sense of accomplishment after a successful day in the mountains. And it’s that feeling that keeps me pushing, growing, and coming back for more 🤸🏽‍♀️#pnwadventures #hikeyourownhike
I’ve never regretted getting up a little earlier 💛 I’ve never regretted getting up a little earlier 💛🧡❤️#badlandsnationalpark #coffeetogo #campinglife
Wild Affinity

Wild Affinity

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