Why I’m Hiking Lists
The Story of Sparky: Why I Hike
There are always plenty of questions when you tell someone you’re setting off to hike a 2,000+ mile trail, but the most common one is pretty simple: why? Knowing why...
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...
Nature Doesn’t Discriminate
Back in 2016, I set out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail. After 600 miles, I ended my hike due to complications with my implanted neuromodulation system. Upon return from...
Hiking Home: Mental Health and Why I Hike
Bipolar Hiker finds healing and a bit of humor on trail.
What Solo Hiking Is Really Like
The Morning Routine of a Solo Hiker It’s 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning when my alarm starts going off. I inhale deeply, turn off the incessant beeping that has...
Onesies and Winter Camping: Or, How I fell in Love with Backpacking
I was born into a family of hikers. My grandfather helped found the East Coast Trail, a 300-kilometer hiking trail in Newfoundland. My parents brought my older sister when she...
From Never Backpacking to Springer in Two Months
From having never backpacked in my life to Springer Mountain, this is the story of how I decided, planned, and hit the Appalachian Trail in two months.
Beauty in Brevity: Why I’m Hiking the Appalachian Trail
Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers. Let me keep company always with those who say "Look!" and laugh in astonishment, and bow...
Hey, Ya’ll : What I’ve Been up to, Why I’m Hiking the PCT
Why I hiked the Appalachian Trail: Every thru-hiker gets the question “Why are you hiking the (insert trail name here)?” Perhaps this inquiry is easier for some and more difficult...
Finding the Building Blocks of Life Along the PCT
I begin by writing where the idea first came from to thru-hike. Then I go on to explain why I'm thru-hiking. Explicitly, I'm thru-hiking because the mental tools that it...