flip flop
Why I Am Doing a Flip-Flop Thru-Hike
What the heck is a flip-flop? No one who has learned that I’m thru-hiking the AT has been shocked; not in the least bit. In fact, most have wondered what...
Hiker Hopscotch: Making a New Plan
I don’t know if a thru-hike ever turns out to be what the hiker imagines it will be. Sometimes (most times?) it’s a more amazing adventure than the mind can...
Stories From The Trail Ep. 14: Halfway There with Turnaround
Back in Episode 9 we met Chris, who was beginning his Appalachian Trail thru-hike the following day. This is Chris's first long trail, and he's having the time of his...
What It Feels Like to Finish a Thru-Hike
The final days leading up to finishing a through-hike and returning to civilization are a confusing mix of anticipation, terror, pride, sadness and relief. Here is what you might experience...
Back At It: Lashing Out My 2016 Thru-hike
Turns out the pain I experienced last summer was temporary. Like childbirth. And here I am back doing it again. I have now traipsed along 1400 miles of the trail...
Five (Final) Reasons to Flip-Flop your Thru-Hike
Once you go unconventional, you never go back. It's been encouraging to hear from so many flip-flopping thru hikers since I started posting my own reasons for going this unconventional...
Three More Reasons to Flip Flop on the AT
Getting my trail legs on. The good reasons for doing a flip flop hike just keep piling up. For a variety of them, I'm starting north on April 26* at Grayson...
Unconventional Wisdom: Is a Flip-Flop Hike Right For You?
Unconventional Is My Middle Name For a long time, I’ve been convinced that the only way to hike the AT is to start on Springer Mountain and end on Katahdin. I...
Shrewsbury to Bennington
The Cairn Gardens^ Corn is Heavy! I had a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, home fries, and fruit at the Perry house in the morning. They dropped...
1500 Miles and Hitting Halfway
This is where I would talk about the gastrointestinal distress brought on by consuming a half gallon of ice cream, except that the general store is closed on weekdays after...