Posts
Unencumbered: The Lure of a Life Without Limits
Somewhere between the mountain of dirty laundry, scooping the stinky cat litter, and tackling yet another sink full of dirty dishes, it hit me: In
Beyond Gear: A 36-Point Planning Checklist for Health, Home, and Finances
It’s easy to think that getting the right gear is the key to a successful thru-hike. Building the ideal kit for your hiking style certainly does make
Hunting Down Backpacking Gear On A Budget
Thru-hiking is expensive. With the exception of veteran backpackers who acquire carefully curated gear collections over the years, most aspiring
Happy Hiking New Year: 2018 is finally here!
This is THE YEAR I’m awake before dawn on this first day of the new year, filled with anticipation and a slight sense of panic. This is the year I
No Longer Nameless: My Trail Name Found Me
Code words. Secret handshakes. Silly hats. Every group has signs of belonging that signal to others whether you’re in or you’re not. Long distance
What is a Thru-Hike?
A few months ago saying, “I’m going to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail,” sounded like a pretty straightforward statement. Now it’s suddenly gotten a
Sometimes “Plan M” Looks Pretty Good
I knew it was going to be straight up before I got there. I knew because when my friends and I came out at Unicoi Gap a few weeks ago we climbed
My Hiker Gratitude List
I’ve always been a very independent person. If I didn’t know better, I’d guess that my first words were “I can do it myself!” So when I decided to
My Endless Quest for the Ideal Gear List
Searching for the Perfect Gear When I started planning my thru-hike, I assumed the “once and done” approach would apply to my gear selections. I had
The Hardest Question for this Aspiring Thru-Hiker to Answer: Why?
When I announce that I’m planning to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail next year, I get all kinds of questions. The most common ones are easy to