hiker
From Neuroses and Anxiety to Routine and Monotony
I’ve been noticing some internal shifts. They happened slowly, then all at once. I love that quote, or misquote, from The Sun Also Rises. “Gradually, then suddenly,” is the actual...
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...
Serendipity: Evolution of a Trail Name
I first heard the special language of the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains. It was the early 2000s. A dear friend and I were hiking the Presidential range and...
I Recommend Camping on the Side of a Hill for at Least One Night
I reached Cosby Knob shelter at about 6pm. One of my first 20+ mile days. I started the day at Icewater Spring shelter. The tenting area at Cosby Knob is...
And Then, Terror
“I think I have to come home with you back to NY. I don’t think I can do this alone.” My section hiker friends, Janet, Brian, and Peter, were going...
Finding My Rhythm, Aligning with the Rhythms of Nature
Rain and grey dominated the drive from NY to GA. Moments of blue and light peeked through, then rain again. During my shift at the wheel I fine tuned the...
Via Dinarica: The BEST Thru-Hike You’ve Never Heard Of
The Via Dinarica is a network of long-distance hiking trails through the Dinaric Alps in the Balkans of Southeastern Europe. There are three trails: the White Trail, the Blue Trail,...
Welcome
You're invited to read along as I walk along the Appalachian Trail. (First backpacking selfie, 2015) WHO: Hi, my name is MG. I’m a first-generation Filipina-American woman and I’m privileged...
Winter in SoCal…
It’s here. The very end of my southbound thru-hike, less than 30 miles to go. The end has not been without its intense difficulties. I thought I had experienced all the...
The Fear is Real…
I’m realizing I get scared easily on this thru-hike. Is it because I am alone? Is it because the trail is difficult? Is it the unknown that awaits me in...