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...
500 Miles and a Failed Relationship
"It's Me or the Trail." I can still hear the scratchy voice barely coming through my phone. I raced along a ridge line in the Smokey Mountain National Park as...
Still Here, and Exploring Letchworth
This post has nothing and everything to do with thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's about getting these old bones and, especially, my head, ready to step through the arch next...
All Jokes About the Desert are Dry Humor
Coming out of Idyllwild, I had expected snowy conditions, but the extent to which that section challenged me both physically and emotionally took me by surprise. There were many points...
8 Reasons Vanlife is Perfect for Thru-Hikers
After hiking the Appalachian Trail, I became one of many thru-hikers to get involved with vanlife. As is often the case, getting back into the swing of "real life" wasn't...
Walking Toward Peace: Cindy Ross on Veterans Healing in the Outdoors
Cindy Ross is a triple-crowner, writer, and founder of River House PA, a non-profit dedicated to taking veterans outdoors. Her new book, Walking Toward Peace: Veterans Healing on America’s Trails...
Frameless Packs – Fitting and Packing
I recently bought my first frameless backpack, the Mountain Laurel Design Prophet 48L. I was always very hesitant to get a frameless pack since I have an autoimmune disease that affects...
Traversing the Smokies pt. 1: AT Days 15-16
Day 15: Fontana Marina to Spence Field Shelter; 19.4 miles After being dropped off back at the Marina parking lot, Penguin and I followed the AT up to the Fontana...
The Trail Provides, Always
They say it takes a village. A village to support a thru-hiker, that is. No matter how “solo” we’d like to think we are as thru-hikers, there always comes a...
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