Posts
I’m Not Myself When I’m Not Hiking
The first thing I did when I left the woods was buy a new outfit. In the insulated world of trail and trail towns, you never really notice that
7 PM on a Tuesday, and I’m Here
I had a clear view of Mt. Rainier when I realized that I'd fallen in love again. Somewhere in the the neverending swirl of thoughts, I'd caught
The Right Kind of Suffering
It wasn't raining in Trout Lake as twenty hikers loaded into two trucks, though it had been for the previous three days. It wasn't raining at the
Camp Jonah
According to a friend of a friend’s Instagram post, there are five different reasons people thru-hike. Maybe they come out here to connect with nature, or maybe they come out to connect with themselves. Maybe they want to escape their status quo or push themselves to their physical limit. Or maybe, like me, the thing that keeps them coming back is the community. Insert quote about irony. So, you can imagine my joy when a strapping young lad marched into me, …
Hazards of Smoke and Fire
"Did you hear that so-and-so is quitting?" "The smoke is just too bad. They decided to skip up." "We can just come back next year." "Yeah,
PCT Days Hall of Fame
T Hug Place of Origin: Tennessee Miles Hiked Together: Blood Mountain, Georgia to Franklin, North Carolina (80 miles) I looked out the
That Dirtbag Stole My Heart!
It started with a push. Day after day, Brian and I pushed big miles, trying to get as close as possible to Trail Days. Day after day, I walked as fast as I was capable of, perpetually feeling like I was falling behind. Day after day, I walked from water source to water source, carrying two liters at a time and rationing every single sip. I was exhausted. Exhausted! But taking a day off to rest just one week before a triple zero would be ridiculous. …
New Study Shows Hiking With an Engineer Has No Effect on Daily Enjoyment
In this article, researchers explored how twenty variables impacted one hiker’s daily enjoyment of the northernmost 300 miles of the California section of the Pacific Crest Trail. The sole participant of the study, an extroverted and super hot lady-hiker, age twenty-nine, had been hiking alone for the fourteen days prior to data collection, then hiked with an engineer during the duration of the study. That engineer was Brian. Only one variable (trail quality) showed a statistically significant correlation with enjoyment.
Sidequests to Make it All Worth it
The day that I decided to attempt thirty miles for the first time, the odds weren't exactly in my favor. It was 8:45 by the time I got out of camp,
Back to the Beginning
My youngest sister and I don't have a typical relationship. For much of my adult life, she has been my guide, my inspiration. I wouldn't be a
