Posts
John Muir Trail NOBO: Weather, Friendships, and a Final Push Through Fear (August 19-25)
A typical campsite. I loved my Durston X-Mid Pro, my Fire Maple stove and heat exchanger pot, and my pricey Bearikade bear canister. By my third
John Muir Trail NOBO, Week 2: High Passes and Hard, Joyful Work (August 12-18, 2025)
Rae Lakes If my week one northbound on the John Muir Trail was about easing in, week two was the Sierras saying, “Alright, let’s see what you’ve
Starting North on the John Muir Trail (August 5-11, 2025): The Trail Provides
Mount Whitney lit up by a full moon It’s taken me a good while since I completed my northbound (“NOBO”) solo thru-hike of the John Muir Trail to
Final John Muir Trail Preparations
A high-elevation training hike at Square Top Mountain Before long I head to California to start my John Muir Trail northbound (NOBO) hike. I'm
Six weeks to Mount Whitney
On a shakedown hike in Colorado's Lost Creek Wilderness Six weeks from now I begin hiking northward on the John Muir Trail. Preparation time has
My JMT origin story … take two
Rolf looking out over Mono Lake, 1987 Sophie and Rolf A year ago I was reaching my final stages of preparing for a dream hike of mine: the John
My John Muir Trail Origin Story
Self-portrait looking toward Mono Lake, 1987 It’s July 1987. A footloose 29-year-old with a 60-pound North Face external-frame backpack (yes,
Gear lessons learned from thru-hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail
I've written a previous post with details about thru-hiking the 300-mile Benton MacKaye Trail, so this post will just be a shorter selection of
My thru-hiking experience on the Benton MacKaye Trail
The Hangover on the Benton MacKaye Trail On April 29 my companions Eric and Elizabeth and I finished our thru-hike of the Benton MacKaye Trail: a
Good gear for the Benton MacKaye Trail
I’m halfway through my northbound thru-hike of the Benton MacKaye Trail and it has surpassed my expectations on so many levels. Once I’m done hiking
