In our new ambassadors’ blog series, we’ll introduce you to the awesome people who taste the adventure every day! Our next trailblazer is Morgan, a visual artist and backcountry ski mountaineer based near Seattle, WA.
My name is Morgan Smalley. I’m a full-time abstract visual artist and backcountry ski mountaineer born and raised in a beach town due north of Seattle, Washington.
To me, adventure means so much more than just an extreme activity – it’s something embedded deep within the spirit, a curious nature. It takes on many different forms, pushing you to try new foods or dye your hair blue, climb higher, dig deeper and take on risk of defying convention to pursue your dreams.
My favorite outdoor activity is backcountry ski touring, which combines a few of my most favorite things – the solitude of wilderness hiking with the thrill of downhill skiing – throw in not waiting in long lift lines and I’m a happy snow camper!
Before I turned 30, I wrote a list of thirty goals I wanted to accomplish. A few goals included solo ski tour, solo camp trip, snow camping etc… with my birthday quickly approaching and so many things left on my list I decided to combine a few goals into one epic weekend adventure and set out for a solo ski tour up Mt. Rainier to spend the night at Camp Muir. I made it to Muir after 7 grueling hours uphill with an aggressively heavy 70 L pack on my shoulders just in time to set up my tent and watch the sun set over the mountains in the distance. While I can now make it to Muir in less time I often look back on that moment of sitting above the clouds with a heart full of accomplishment and shirt full of backsweat – knowing full well that there is no end to what I can achieve.
During lengthy days in the backcountry it can be difficult to consume a sustaining amount of calories to fuel my lofty adventures. I often struggle to eat and drink enough to keep my body moving so with dehydration creeping up, choking down a dry trail bar is just about as appetizing as eating chalk. After years of trial and error, I’ve found that I need a balance of fresh fruit and high protein snacks like Kalahari Biltong. The burst of sugar from the fruit gives me an instant energy boost while the protein and sodium provide for long-lasting endurance and hydrating thirst!
Some of my top intentions for this year are to really lean into my intuition, fine tune my technical ski mountaineer skills and develop my voice as a woman in the backcountry. Through this, I’m hoping to summit several of the 10,000’+ volcanoes in Washington, including Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and a second summit of Mount Baker and Mount Saint Helens.
Kayaking or Hiking
Skiing or Snowboarding
Mountains or Beach
Biltong or Crisps
Winter or Summer
Camping or Glamping
Surfing or Paddle Boarding
Cycling or Running
Beer or Wine
Explore Alone or Adventure Buddy
Cardio or Strength Training
Follow Morgan on Instagram at @mksmalleyart
Visit her website: https://www.morgansmalley.
Kalahari Snacks began after the adventure of a lifetime, when best friends traveled to South Africa and raced 175 miles in an Ironman and Ultramarathon within a week. There we discovered the age-old traditions of crafting and preserving beef with simple ingredients.
Since then, we’ve been rooted in our mission to share these styles and elevate the way people experience food.
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