Long distance hiking
Blogpost, Pt. I: Hiking to Feel at “Home”
Hi! Hello! Pearl here! This spring I am starting my northbound (NOBO) thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). My start date: April 24, 2019. I will be starting my second thru-hike....
Stories from the Trail: Second Chance Hiker
Long-distance hiking is hard enough when you're a little overweight. Hard, but not impossible. After all, look at how many people use thru-hiking as a way to do just that....
Preparing for My Journey on the Appalachian Trail: Part I
One week from today I will embark upon the journey of a lifetime---backpacking the Appalachian Trail. This crazy adventure will begin at Amicalola State Park in northern Georgia. Here I...
Things (Mostly Animals) I Hope to See While Hiking
Appalachia and the Appalachian Mountains host some of the most interesting ecology and geology in the United States. Here I highlight five awesome things I hope to find/see/take a photo...
Why Overpreparing for a Thru-Hike Is Overrated
I’d say we’re all pretty lucky. We’re lucky to be hiking in a time when there are comprehensive and yearly updated guidebooks, water reports, and GPS apps at our fingertips,...
I Said No: Some Ramblings on Pre-Trail Anxiety
I sit at dinner with one of my older sisters and my parents. I’ve become bad at conversing, for thoughts of the PCT have consumed all of my available headspace....
Depression, Surgeries, and Regeneration
Well hello there, Trek folk! I must say, it has been over a year since I last updated this blog. I feel guilty about letting it go to the wayside,...
Why Did I Not Know This Sooner? Hiker Hindsight
"Why did no one tell me about this?" The number of times I asked this question during my thru-hike was more then I thought it would have been. That might...
Resupply Strategy on the Continental Divide Trail
Salt Lake City, Feb. 8, 2019: How do you get food over a distance of 3,000 miles? In this post I provide a brief summary of what you have to...
Maximal Miles in Minimal Footwear: My AT Thru-Hike in Barefoot Shoes
Over 2,190 miles of coiled roots, sharp rocks, loose gravel, thick mud, slick leaves, snow past my knees, sheets of ice, wobbly wooden boards, river fords, and seemingly never-ending climbs...
