Richard
Useless fact: I named my left quad "brute-force" and my right quad "ignorance". Alternative fact: originally from the UK, I've lived in the USA for over twenty years. I've spent most of my trail-time in the western states of the US, but also hiked in Scotland, Canada and New Zealand. I planned on being in the PCT class of 2020, but had to postpone. My 2021 SOBO attempt was interrupted by fires and closures. In comparison, my 2023 CDT thru-hike was almost problem-free. --Richard, aka "LowRange"
Posts
Cowboys and Idiots
Picture the scene: it's the year 1493. Christopher and his good friend Amerigo have returned, bringing the first cows to the New World. Here's part
Silver City, Golden Arches, Final Footsteps
From my campsite, it was less than ten miles to Silver City via the Walnut Creek alternate. A nice, easy road-walk on a warm, breezy morning. My
Surviving The Gila River Alternate
I'd worn a hole in both pairs of my Darn Tough socks by the time I'd hiked 2,400 miles. One reason I decided not to replace them was the hardened,
Hanging Around in Pie Town
Lunch at Asian Super Buffet was probably the best $16 I've ever spent. Afterwards, a couple of pounds heavier, I walked a few hundred yards to check
Old Boots, New Mexico
Within a day of entering New Mexico, the scenery started to change - lower elevations meant no more alpine tundra. Instead, the trail wound its way
I Think You Should Leave
Less than an hour from camp, I reached a clearing in the trees and felt direct sunlight for the first time in 36 hours. Under normal circumstances,
Juan Day at a Time
The rain stopped not long before I got up, and it held off for most of the day. Wet, overgrown trail meant wet feet for the first few hours. There
To Creede, or Not to Creede
If you read enough FarOut comments, sooner or later you'll see one that falls into the "scaremongering" category. In reality, things are rarely as
Exposed Ridgelines and Scary Weather
I was up and out of camp earlier than normal, and soon arrived at Highway 34. The consensus in the FarOut comments was that permits were necessary
From Warm Wyoming to Cold Colorado
By midday, downtown Rawlins was getting hot. I was eager to leave, but the "No Pedestrians" sign at the 6th Street bridge meant walking back to the