All jokes about the desert are dry humor
Coming out of Idyllwild, I had expected snowy conditions but extent to which that section challenged me both physically and emotionally took me by surprise. There were many points (the...
8 Reasons Vanlife is Perfect for Thru-Hikers
After hiking the Appalachian Trail, I became one of many thru-hikers to get involved with vanlife. As is often the case, getting back into the swing of "real life" wasn't...
Walking Toward Peace: Cindy Ross on Veterans Healing in the Outdoors
Cindy Ross is a triple-crowner, writer, and founder of River House PA, a non-profit dedicated to taking veterans outdoors. Her new book, Walking Toward Peace: Veterans Healing on America’s Trails...
Frameless Packs – Fitting and Packing
I recently bought my first frameless backpack, the Mountain Laurel Design Prophet 48L. I was always very hesitant to get a frameless pack since I have an autoimmune disease that affects...
Traversing the Smokies pt. 1: AT Days 15-16
Day 15: Fontana Marina to Spence Field Shelter; 19.4 miles After being dropped off back at the Marina parking lot, Penguin and I followed the AT up to the Fontana...
The Trail Provides, Always
They say it takes a village. A village to support a thru-hiker, that is. No matter how “solo” we’d like to think we are as thru-hikers, there always comes a...
PCT Shakedown Hike on The Shawangunk Ridge Trail
Testing out all my PCT gear on a shakedown hike of the 70+ mile Shawangunk Ridge Trail
Days 1-3: Beast Mode from Springer
Day one started out just as you'd expect. Fail to really pack your pack the night before, sleep in a little, have a leisurely breakfast at the lodge, go back...
Days 40 through 45 on the Appalachian Trail
Day 40 I woke up early even though I was in a comfy town bed. I think my body is used to waking up with the sun so I can’t...
2021 PCT Thru-Hiker Gear Breakdown
Gear breakdown - my favorite! I am a total gear junkie and have spent many hours researching each piece of gear in my pack; I am excited to share this...