Why I’m Hiking Lists
Pinky and The Brain Take On The Arizona Trail
When we finished the Appalachian Trail I didn't think I had another thru hike in me. Pinky would have turned around and hiked Southbound immediately if it hadn't been getting...
Why Not Fly to Maine? Why Walk the Appalachian Trail?
It's nearly a controversial thing to walk somewhere, anywhere, where I come from in Kansas. If there isn't parking right in front of the place we wish to frequent, there...
Beyond the Gear: Building My Physical and Mental Resilience for the PCT
What am I doing? Have I made the right decision? Of course I have. But everybody knows those feelings of angst before a trip. There are so many questions...
Post Pandemic Adventures Bucket List
“A Bucket List shouldn’t be about things that will make you happy before you die. It should be filled with things that will make you happy to die trying.” --...
Why Are We Doing This? Why Am I Doing This?
I was almost at the top of a ridge. I picked my way over rocks. The scent of honeysuckle and wildflowers surrounded me, filled my nostrils. Buzz of bees and...
Why I quit my job to hike for six months
A Kid in the Woods I grew up in a small town in Michigan, so our family adventures consisted of summer car-camping trips to the State Park and an annual...
How My 2019 Hike Ended
With my start date tomorrow morning it feels like the appropriate time to share the story of how my first PCT attempt ended. I had initially started the hike Northbound,...
The Reason
To put it bluntly, I have had a tough few years. In 2016 I lost my son in an auto accident. He was a single parent of two medically complex...
Why the PCT?
I've been telling people I will be leaving to hike the Pacific Crest Trail this May. I get the usual questions, " Is it safe? Why? Are you crazy?" I...
I’m Honoring My Late Father with My 2022 Thru-Hike—But I’m Quite Sure He Knows This
Who gave you the hiking bug? Most of you were, at some point in your life, brought to the mountains and shown a new world. I was a scrawny blonde...