Bandit

Growing up in the south as a displaced northerner, I've never been able to fit in perfectly anywhere. After subsisting on little more than dirt and pennies as an AmeriCorps and SCA intern at Bear Mountain State Park, I rekindled my love for all things green, dirty, and 100% natural. Follow my adventures as I head northward on the Appalachian Trail on February 27. I promise I'm sort of funny.

Posts

Love and the Appalachian Trail

Love and the Appalachian Trail

There comes a point when you have to listen to your body. I should have listened to myself five hundred miles ago, but I didn't. I hiked over five hundred miles on a severely sprained ankle, an ankle that doctors also strongly hinted may also have been fractured.

Jun 30, 2016 : Bandit
Hiking Blind

Hiking Blind

I'm off the trail (again) because my ankle decided to go and wreck itself again. But it has been healing beautifully and I'll be back on the trail

Jun 8, 2016 : Bandit
Hot Springs to Atkins to ….Greensboro!?

Hot Springs to Atkins to ….Greensboro!?

I twisted my ankle in the Smokies, and I decided, in the worst way, that I could walk it off. I "walked it off" for over 340 miles before deciding that maybe my softball-sized ankle needed some medical attention.

Apr 26, 2016 : Bandit
Rock Gap to Hot Springs

Rock Gap to Hot Springs

Relaxing during a zero to recuperate from a sprain (more on that later) I was able to reflect on my past few weeks.  Day 14: Got dropped off at

Mar 27, 2016 : Bandit
Woody Gap to Rock Gap

Woody Gap to Rock Gap

Tonight, I sit in bed at an inn in Franklin, North Carolina. My stomach is full of beer and pizza, and I could fall asleep in the next three seconds.

Mar 10, 2016 : Bandit
Amicalola Falls to Woody Gap

Amicalola Falls to Woody Gap

As much as my joints might hurt, I'm having the time of my life. Seriously. I've got a belly full of beer, I'm freshly showered, the blister tape is off my feet, and Vitamin I is kicking in.

Feb 29, 2016 : Bandit
What’s in my pack?

What’s in my pack?

This, my friends, is my life. What I'm going to be carrying on my back for the next several months. This is my life.

Feb 21, 2016 : Bandit
BINGO-ooo and a bottle of rum

BINGO-ooo and a bottle of rum

Bingo (n): Cliche phrases people say in an effort to understand why the hell you would want to go on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Feb 9, 2016 : Bandit
Gratitude and Awe

Gratitude and Awe

I can’t believe the outpouring of kindness over the past week from the moment I was named a Badger Sponsorship finalist, to well past yesterday morning when it was announced that I was the winner.

Feb 3, 2016 : Bandit
Jitter Bug

Jitter Bug

Is it possible to be too mentally overprepared? Even so, I still have these silly pre-AT jitters. When I wonder, “What the hell am I doing?”

Jan 15, 2016 : Bandit