Richard Murray

Hello and welcome! I am Richard, a 41 year old father of two beautiful daughters (ages 14 and 6), just making my way through the world. I will be doing something different than a normal thru hike this year, participating in the Hiker Challenge and section hiking the Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky one weekend a month. I will also be attempting a thru hike of the Foothills Trail in South Carolina around late April, and possibly joining my nephew on some backpacking adventures in Europe in the late summer.

Posts

Hiker Challenge Section 5 – Day 2: ATV Trails

Hiker Challenge Section 5 – Day 2: ATV Trails

Waking Up and Heading Out The trail today was a challenging mix of ATV trails over 15 miles. I spent a lot of time dodging around mud holes on wide

Apr 24, 2024 : Richard Murray
Hiker Challenge Section 5 – Day 1: The Woods Awaken!

Hiker Challenge Section 5 – Day 1: The Woods Awaken!

A week of rain Section 5 of the Hiker Challenge covered 29 miles, going from mile 117 to mile 146. On Saturday, I went 14 miles, camping at a local

Apr 22, 2024 : Richard Murray
Hiker Challenge Section 4 – Day 2: More Roads

Hiker Challenge Section 4 – Day 2: More Roads

Just Walking a Road I slept well the night before and woke up around 6:00. The other guys were already starting to pack up and we were all finished

Apr 2, 2024 : Richard Murray
Hiker Challenge Section 4 – Day 1: Road Walking

Hiker Challenge Section 4 – Day 1: Road Walking

Getting Started Of all the sections in the Hiker Challenge and on the Sheltowee Trace, this was the one I considered skipping the most. And

Mar 29, 2024 : Richard Murray
Hiker Challenge Section 3 – Day 2: Playing it Safe

Hiker Challenge Section 3 – Day 2: Playing it Safe

Allow me to Introduce the Red River Gorge The previous night's talk around the campfire centered on one topic – what to do the next day at the

Mar 21, 2024 : Richard Murray
Hiker Challenge Section 3 – Day 1: Misery Isn’t All That Bad

Hiker Challenge Section 3 – Day 1: Misery Isn’t All That Bad

Mt. Misery While the previous sections were 26 miles each, this section increased to 35 miles. This increase was a little daunting at first, but it

Mar 19, 2024 : Richard Murray
An Update

An Update

The Struggle is Real It is funny how life can work sometimes. You find things in the least likely of places, right when you need to find them. These

Mar 12, 2024 : Richard Murray
Hiker Challenge Section 2: What? More Rain? Okay.

Hiker Challenge Section 2: What? More Rain? Okay.

Author’s note: I begin each trip report with an explanation of the section's route, followed by a breakdown of each day. The route: Clear Creek

Feb 13, 2024 : Richard Murray
Hiker Challenge Section 1: Rain, Rain, Go Away

Hiker Challenge Section 1: Rain, Rain, Go Away

Author’s note: I begin each trip report with an explanation of the section's route, followed by a breakdown of each day. The Route: Northern

Feb 2, 2024 : Richard Murray
And So it Begins

And So it Begins

The Challenge is Quickly Approaching I am just a few days away from the first section of the Hiker Challenge! Over the years, the Challenge has

Jan 24, 2024 : Richard Murray