There’s no place to hide
This first week on trail has been tough. My mind is telling my body it can do more, even though it doesn't feel up to it. This is the problem...
Evolution of a Section Hiker
“I'm taking a walk. I'm going outside.” Taking A Walk, John Prine The Appalachian Trail is about 2,200 miles and it supposedly takes ~5,000,000 steps to completely hike the Appalachian...
Challenges
I love challenges, guess that is why I chose to do a thru-hike. It is interesting to see how I can push myself: how many miles can my feet take...
The day I Became a Thru-Hiker
“I’m in the most insane landscape on the planet”, I thought to myself as I crested the third horseman. The San Juans were unlike any mountains on the trail so...
Day 44: Mud Fields to 400 Miles
Great Breakfast Once Again I did not want to wake up. Everyone in the hostel was up and moving by 6:30. I stayed in bed with my eyes closed until...
Accept the Unexpected…
Kennedy Meadows We reached Kennedy Meadows South and stayed at the Grumpy Bears Retreat. Grumpy Bears is another place that I would highly recommend all hikers stay. The owners were...
Life on the Edge
Before I came to the PCT, navigating through snow was one of my biggest concerns with the terrain I’d face while on trail. I had considered taking a snow skills...
Rating Taylor Swift’s New Album by Hikeability
Taylor Swift’s albums have defined the stages, or “eras”, of her life - almost as much as they have defined mine. After my birthday in 2006 I had a gift...
Sometimes the (Virginia) Blues is Just a Passing Bird: Days 60–64
There are places on the AT I’d known about years, but they seemed like a faraway dream — or even just the seed of an idea. McAfee Knob is one...
Fall in Southern Maine Might Be My Favorite
Author’s Note: I finished my thru-hike in October 2023. Welcome to my very late trail update. I wrote myself daily notes along the way to remember what I wanted to...