Risa Fruchter

Hi! My names Risa. I'm an Israeli-American who always has her feet on one side of the globe and her heart on the other. I am an educator, a former combat soldier and a world traveler (trying to reach 30 countries by 30!). This May, I will be hiking over 2,000 miles on the AT with my dogs Kimbo and Sadie. My husband's still not sure when he agreed to this hike but promises to visit us on the trail with beer and dog treats! My first trail name was 'Dill'- think it will stick?

Posts

I’m Climbing Katahdin Today

I’m Climbing Katahdin Today

And I can't sleep. I'm too excited. So I figured I would write instead. It's 3am in the morning and I'm at the Birch's with some other

Sep 19, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
Hiking with a Purpose

Hiking with a Purpose

October was the first time I spoke about the Appalachian Trail out loud. It had been a rough three years. I had uprooted my life post college and

Aug 10, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
Aqua Blazing the Shenandoahs

Aqua Blazing the Shenandoahs

I first heard the term aqua blazing the week before starting the trail. I was trying to figure out where to start my hike. Corona had crashed my

Jul 30, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
Walking with a Face Mask: Hiking During Corona

Walking with a Face Mask: Hiking During Corona

There is one piece of gear I am carrying backpacking that I have never used before. Face masks. Now I carry two masks in my backpack in separate

Jun 23, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
How to Tell Your Husband You’re Hiking the Appalachian Trail

How to Tell Your Husband You’re Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Ever wonder how to you tell your husband that you’re dreaming about taking off life for five months to solo hike the East Coast of the United

Jun 23, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
Solo Hiking the Laurel Highlands; The Last 35

Solo Hiking the Laurel Highlands; The Last 35

It was mid-September and I was anxious to finish the trail before winter set in. So I packed up all my gear and impatiently waited till the weekend.

Mar 7, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
Solo Hiking the Laurel Highlands

Solo Hiking the Laurel Highlands

By the end of summer, I had the hiking bug. We had spent one glorious week in Acadia National Park, hiking, swimming and picking huckleberries to our

Feb 23, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
The Man Who Taught Me to Love the Trail

The Man Who Taught Me to Love the Trail

My grandmother always tells this story And like all family stories, it was in Maine in Acadia, on the small house on Seal Cove Pond. The house that

Feb 8, 2020 : Risa Fruchter
I Was Named after a Pickle

I Was Named after a Pickle

I promise you, it’s not what you think. My first trail name was given to me while hiking the Appalachian Trail with an outdoors program sponsored

Jan 27, 2020 : Risa Fruchter