After getting a Fine Arts Degree in Photography, I set out and thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2013. Upon my return, I landed a job where I got paid to nerd out about gear all day (Thanks REI). A year later I took it one step further into the outdoor retail world and started working for Mountain Crossings at mile 31.7 on the Appalachian Trail in north Georgia. Now I get to live and breathe the AT every single day!
Posts
The 4 Major Differences Between the AT and the PCT
Check out our resource for thru-hiking the PCT, Pacific Crest Trials. Many of us leave the AT with dreams of another trail but instead return to
5 Tricks to Successfully Thru Hiking
It's just walking, right?! I mean, really, it is. That's the mechanics of it, at least. But there is so much more than that to successfully thru
Mountain Crossings Reinvents The Shake Down
One of the unexpected cool things about working for a specialty outdoor retailer that is also a small business is how involved you get. I mean
Watch PCT Documentary “Only The Essential” Now!
Just shy of a year ago I got word of a documentary about the Pacific Crest Trail that we were super exited about. Only the Essential was still in the
5 Most Common Newbie Thru Hiker Emotions
Working for a local, specialty outdoor retailer is an incredible experience. For a practitioner of that sport, it can be a dream job. As a former
6 Characteristics of Successful Thru Hikers
Before I stepped foot on the Appalachian Trail as a thru hiker attempting to reach Katahdin, I was convinced that I was going to meet a lot of people
Top 5 Items Sent Home in a Shakedown
Shakedown The act of having an experienced backpacker cull through your backpack in search of unneeded items. I have only worked one thru hiker
Early Impressions: Nemo Rhapsody 15° Down Sleeping Bag – Women’s
Note: The following is my early impression of the Nemo Rhapsody 15 degree sleeping bag. I will either update this review or write a separate one
Trail Karma: Protecting What We Love Most
For most of us who seek the adventure, freedom and beauty of places like the Appalachian Trail, a pristine view off of a mountain peak is the
A Scientific Explanation of Hiker Trash (in 25 Images)
New studies have taken aim at uncovering one of America's most unknown and exotic subcultures, commonly referred to as "Hiker Trash". With the wave