Hiker Intro
Final Days Pre-Trail (April 16, 2021)
I spend a lot of time musing over how starting this thru hike feels a little different from starting the Appalachian Trail, four years ago. Four years later, it seems...
Star Giraffe
Check it out: We are sitting in a line on a Thermarest foam pad: Cheese Slice, myself, Magnet, and Tosser. Our heads are tilted up and we are drinking in...
PCT Shakedown Hike on The Shawangunk Ridge Trail
Testing out all my PCT gear on a shakedown hike of the 70+ mile Shawangunk Ridge Trail
2021 PCT Thru-Hiker Gear Breakdown
Gear breakdown - my favorite! I am a total gear junkie and have spent many hours researching each piece of gear in my pack; I am excited to share this...
10 Ways I’m (Emotionally) Preparing For The CDT
First, thank you to the trees back East where I grew up. Thank you to the lakes, the loons, and the cold winters of my teenage years further North. Thank...
A 16-Question Interview with a 2021 NOBO PCT Hiker
Remember a long time ago when I described how, until recently, I “let” my friends do basic backpacking chores for me, like filter water, use a Jet Boil, and carry...
In Praise of Tests
Yo-Yo Taming As we pulled out of our driveway in Northern Washington, I suddenly started sobbing. The gut-wrenching kind of sob that makes you blow a lot of snot on...
Why I’m Hiking the Great Divide Trail (GDT) during COVID-19
So I guess I'm hiking the Great Divide Trail (GDT) this year. Like many others, I had bigger, more ambitious plans before COVID-19 dropped by unannounced for what has been...
From the Cornfields of Illinois to Thru-hiking the New England Trail
My Hiker Origin Story Growing up, yearly trips to Montana filled my midwestern dreams with nightly images of peaks, trails, and raging rivers. However, I was never what you would...
Quarantine Dreams: 11,000 Miles in 2022
“If your dreams don’t scare you, you aren’t dreaming big enough.” I first came across this quote in an interview I read somewhere with one of the greatest adventure athletes...