It’s already warm when I wake up at six a.m. in my sleeping bag on the soft dirt at Hiker Heaven. When I strap my pack to my back at 9:30, the heat is oppressive. “I wish you weren’t leaving in the heat of the day,” Donna Saufley says as she hugs me hard. “I … More Big Kitty Paws (You Keep Me Running)

As week four on the trail is approaching, I’m learning that if it’s not one thing it’s another. I’m also learning that keeping good company can make the worst aches and pains seem inconsequential; that hiking with people who make you laugh–the crying and squealing and almost pissing yourself kind of laugh–are the best people … More Salad Days

I wiggle my head out of my sleeping bag and reach for my phone. It blurts and beeps and hums on the tent floor. 4:45 a.m. “Fuck.” I hit snooze and pull the sleeping bag back over my head. Eight minutes later. The alarm, again. “Fuck.” I turn it off. Roll onto my left side. … More Chocolate Shakes and Rattle Snakes

My temper tantrum/pity party/allergic reaction to the desert could not have come (and gone) at a more opportune moment. I wipe my snot and tears onto the already filthy sleeve of my shirt and trudge the last quarter of a mile down the dusty path to Ziggy and The Bear’s. Ziggy and The Bear are … More Fudge Swirl Mountain: Finding Solace at Ziggy and The Bear’s