Advice
15 All-Too Common Beginner Backpacking Mistakes
We all start somewhere. We all begin as beginners, as novices. And even for experienced hikers, new gear constantly demands we play catch-up. An experienced backpacker in the early ‘90s...
If I Could Plan Again
A change in planning strategy for the Appalachian Trail
Two Weeks on the Appalachian Trail
135 miles on the Appalachian Trail There have been trials and a lot of misdirection. Even though there are blazes all over the place I still sometimes get confused. The...
How To Plan an Appalachian Trail Thru Hike as a Canadian
Top down planning First thing is first, you have to determine how you're going to plan this thing. In my opinion, top down is the only way to approach it....
Managing Others + Self
“You’ll get homesick.” “You can’t do this alone.” “You’re a vulnerable woman.” “You’re avoiding the real world.” “You’re not an experienced backpacker.” Manifesting the worries of others and
Don’t Be an A**hole and Other Helpful Hostel Tips
Towns along these trails offer amenities and supplies to hoards of footsore and funky-smelling folk that wander through. Hostels are a key part of this infrastructure. For those unfamiliar, hostels
Tennessee-North Carolina-Tennessee..where am I?!
The AT criss crosses the NC/TN border for miiiiilessssss. And ya know, the days are flying by out here. It’s weird, collectively they are flying by, but the days themselves...
Happy Gnomads Hiker Hostel: A Review
Run by thru hikers Jumanji and Sunshine, Happy Gnomads is a place for thru hikers, by thru hikers.
Neels Gap to Franklin
Well, I made it farther than 25 percent of hikers! After passing through Mountain Crossings without giving my shoes up to the shoe tree, I have now made it past...
Amicalola to Neels Gap
And so the journey begins on a rainy day in North Georgia as we drive into Amicalola Falls State Park to begin my thru hike of the Appalachian trail. After...