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What is Peaks and Penguins?

Peaks and Penguins is an ultra-running, nature-loving, plant-eating, travel adventure blog. It’s about mountains and animal habitats, human-powered exploring and appreciation for lovely landscapes.

I choose to write long and whimsical stories over how-to guides. It’s my mission to get people excited about experiences, and I believe a lot of description sprinkled with a little practical information is the best way to do that. I don’t filter my photos because I think our Earth is most beautiful in its raw form. I eat only plants, don’t buy what I don’t need, and try to travel under my own power as often as possible. I work offline to pay for race entries, books and bus tickets. My blog is my shy way of sharing my experiences with the world.

What you’ll find on Peaks and Penguins is a mixture of animal encounters, tales from trails, and worldwide wanderlust. I write (at length!) about my personal experiences to provide a window into my world. There are stories from my homes (Canada, USA, South Korea & China) and from all around the globe! Adventures on this blog are active: running, hiking, biking and paddling are my favorite ways to travel!

An image that captures the essence of high altitude trekking in Nepal. The sky is a shad of unbelievable blue, dotted with puffy white clouds. Towering, snow-capped peaks rise up into it. In the foreground of this image, several stone cairns have been built at a lookout, each carrying a little wish or a prayer.
Nepal
An image of a very photogenic giraffe! Standing on the right side of the frame and lit by the warm, orange glow of sunset, this giraffe is looking intently at the camera through it's long lashes; it's neck extended into the middle of the frame above some scraggly, thorny bushes.
Tanzania
A beautiful image that transports the viewer to the wild landscape of Patagonia. A red flower rises up through the left side of the image. Beyond is a rocky mountain slope that quickly plunges away towards a milky blue lake. A large, almost blindingly white iceberg floats there, in front of more rocky slopes and under a brilliantly blue sky.
Chile

Here are some examples of the kind of things Peaks and Penguins is all about:

Climbing every mountain – adventures in Korea’s national and provincial parks

All around Olle – a circumnavigation of Jeju Island

A tale of two ultras – my first ultramarathons!

Without a Map – biking across Korea with no tech and little skill

Who is Peaks and Penguins?

I’m Carrie! I’m the author and main photographer of this project. I write constantly and compulsively: archiving fleeting moments and recording scenes, online, offline, on scraps of paper and in notebooks and on the backs of my hands. I also love taking photos of awe-inspiring landscapes and creatures that I meet on my journeys. I’m a planner of long trips (and a spender of savings), a sucker for complicated logistics, a snack monster and the organizer of the training schedules.

An image of the author particularly favored by the author. In it. she is lying in a patch of grass, with only her head and upper back visible. She is wearing a Korea 50k buff as a headband, and she is looking smilingly at a cluster of flowers. This image was taken on the slopes of Mt. Siguniang in China where she and her husband climbed their first 5000 meter peak!
China

But I don’t explore alone! My husband/best friend/adventure partner/all-category favorite Kent joins me on epic runs and round-the-world trips. He brings the fun, encourages us to take downtime for relaxing, is an outstanding chef and runs super fast up hills. He also captures beautiful scenes, especially videos, panoramas and, due to my inability, every selfie we take.

An excellent image of the author's husband, capturing him at his best. He is darkly tanned from the African sun, and wearing bright green sunglasses. His lips are pursed, as though he is suppressing a smile. He is holding a coconut with one hand, with some of its edible flesh in the other. He is wearing an exciting hat made of banana leaves, standing in the shade of the jungle. This image was taken during a spice tour on Zanzibar, a treasured memory!
Tanzania

Together, we’re KnC Team North America: a couple of animal-loving adventurers testing the limits of our endurance on epic runs, and our wallets on big trips.

An image of the author and her husband standing atop Osmena Peak on Cebu island in the Philippines. The pair are wearing sunglasses and smiling happily at the camera. Behind them are many rolling green hills. This picture captures a happy moment on the last day of 2014, with the pair celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary with a nice spot of mountain climbing.
Philippines

Where is Peaks and Penguins?

Here you can find a lot of posts and pictures from our adventures in South Korea – where we were based for eight years!

One of the author's favorite images. It was taken on a minor trail off the main ridge of Wolchulsan. A large stone pagoda rises up through the center of this image. It made of a rose-colored stone, and has spots of green moss on it. The jagged ridge of Wolchulsan is visible behind the pagoda, but the focus is on a stone Buddha carving, high on the side of the mountain.
South Korea

We explored every national and provincial park (explore them with us here!), ran some of the best and toughest trails, trekked all around its islands, and cycled coast-to-coast across the rugged peninsula. I want to show you how much fun can be had in this still-secret gem of a country. There’s a reason we stuck around as long as we did!

There’s also something for everyone here, from shopping, cuisine and clubbing in the cities; to quiet temple retreats, solitary trails and craggy windswept peaks. I can’t say I’m much of an expert on the former, but the latter is my life. South Korea is a mecca for trail running in a mountain paradise, with bonus beaches and biking. My hope is that maybe some images or stories from this blog will inspire you to plan a trip or a stop-over there.

A beautiful image of the lanterns of Samgwangsa Temple at night. The classical shapes and colors of a temple building rise into the inky sky above a sea of brightly colored lanterns. The lanterns are strung on balconies and form walls and roofs. It is very dramatic and eye-catching!

After a stint in China, Peaks and Penguins is currently based full-time in the USA. Curious about why? Check out this life update – or this one! I’m using this time to catch up on awesome stateside adventures – and catching up on Canada too!

But there are stories from other ‘where’s’ too. We’ve traveled to over 50 countries together so far, so you can also discover African animals, the Andes and the Amazon of South America, or peaks across Asia with us.

Why Peaks and Penguins?

For all those wonderful people who persisted in asking us for more details about our adventures and encouraged this project, Peaks and Penguins is for you.

The name Peaks and Penguins encapsulates the dual themes of our adventures. There are two kinds of trails that we just love: those that lead up or around mountains, and those that lead to animal habitats. Mountain peaks are a big part of our lives. And penguins, in addition to being adorable, are capable of enduring incredibly harsh conditions and making epic journeys. They don’t always move fast, and aren’t always graceful, but they go places. Just like ultramarathoners do, and just like we do.

Thanks for joining me on this journey!