profile

Hi! I'm Alec, an outdoor writer, photographer, and content creator.

Alec Sills-Trausch

Alec is a landscape photographer and outdoors storyteller with a zeal for pushing boundaries in the wild. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, and visiting remote places, allowing him to photograph locations the rest of the world shies away from. In addition, Alec loves to write about his travels and craft articles that help educate and inspire others to find their joy in nature.

PostsLinks
Featured Post

Gear Corner: Discounted Backpacking Gear For This Summer

Note: Hi! You might notice this is coming from a different email address. Don't fret; it is still me. With email rules changing, I moved to an email hosted via my website, which looks more official. Hopefully, the email gods smile down on me. The weather's warming up, and backpacking season will be here before you know it! Some of you surely have all your gear lined up and ready to go, but others may need a few additions or be totally new to backpacking. If the latter is you, I know how...

9 days ago • 1 min read

Hi ya'll! I'm writing this from Tasmania, Australia, and likely from the future, where I'm some 15-18 hours ahead of the United States. (So far, no news to report as Friday wraps up over here!) For the last week, we explored three National Parks in the Northern Territory: Kakadu, Litchfield, and Nitmiluk. It was warm (90+) and humid (80%), but they're slowly entering their dry and cooler seasons. The last couple of days were way better than the first when I started sweating almost...

15 days ago • 1 min read

I love talking about gear. It's one of those ever-changing and "fun" things in the outdoor space that is slightly different from just the classic hiking and traveling. As many may know, REI is having its March Member Moment, where all members receive 20% off a full-priced REI item. Combined with your dividend, it's a really nice chance to score gear at a heavy discount. If you haven't used your coupon yet, today, March 25, is the final day to get your discount. (Your dividend won't expire for...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Watching the aurora borealis in -27F temperatures A couple of weeks ago, I was in Fairbanks, Alaska, and even trekked further north into the small town of Wiseman inside the Arctic Circle to witness the northern lights. Wiseman, 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle, is nearly entirely off the grid and has a year-round population of nine. Yes, you read that correctly. Nine whole people live there year-round. (They're easily outnumbered by sled dogs.) Both Fairbanks and Wiseman offer some of the...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read

Hi everyone! This one will be short because I just returned from a work trip to Fairbanks, where I hardly slept due to chasing the northern lights. And then Jaimie's birthday is this weekend, so we're packing up for a little weekend trip up north. So, life's a bit chaotic, but some photos from the trip are below. (I'll have more soon.) But I wanted to let you know that REI is having a flash sale until March 11 on backpacking tents that are the cream of the crop. It's until supplies run out,...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read

Some personal news! Today is my one-year cell-iversary! A year ago today, I had a bone marrow transplant and received my own stem cells back into my body. Funny enough, I produced so many that I got more the following day. (So technically, I have multiple cell-ivesaries haha). It was an arduous process for my family and me, but I am happy to report that one year later, I'm cancer-free and so stoked to get back to living life without worry! To all who donated, sent messages, and prayed, thank...

2 months ago • 5 min read

This week, I've been in NYC for the IMM Travel Conference, where I was fortunate enough to get 1:1 meetings with tourism destinations across the US and the Globe. It's pretty crazy to think that just two years ago, I had never worked with a tourism destination and was just plotting how to make this entire freelance business work. While having a meeting doesn't mean anything, it's a great way to stand out, and I'm confident that these will lead to some amazing opportunities this year and going...

3 months ago • 6 min read

This is a quick newsy email update for those planning to visit Washington this summer. I wanted to make sure you all saw it ASAP. New Timed Entry Policy for Mount Rainier National Park What you need to know about the new Mount Rainier Timed Entry Policy When is it: Summer 2024 between the hours of 7am and 3pm. Paradise Corridor: May 24 - September 2 Sunrise Corridor: July 3 - September 2 You do NOT need a permit if you enter before/after, but you still need your America the Beautiful Pass....

3 months ago • 1 min read

Happy New Year Everyone! Welcome to the newbies here, and hello again to those who have been here for many months. Regardless, thank you for reading and supporting this crazy job I have. Here's a little recap of why I've been quiet this year. Unfortunately, my run of avoiding COVID came to an end on December 30 (it was fun while it lasted). It kicked my butt, even though I did get Paxlovid which is an anti-viral. I think it would have been much worse for my immunosuppressed self without the...

3 months ago • 2 min read

Today's newsletter is sponsored by REI.com. Thank you to the REI team for supporting my small business! Happy Holidays! This is an action-packed newsletter. Hold on! So, I did a new thing this past weekend. Jaimie and I headed into the mountains outside of Seattle and *legally* cut down our Christmas Tree. It was not the classic look of a traditional Christmas, but it still has some character. A permit to cut one down costs $10, and the trees in the Seattle lots range from $60 to $200....

5 months ago • 3 min read
Share this page