The privy is, surprisingly, not too bad. There’s a lock on the door and, on a scale of one-to-death by feces smell, it’s a solid four. As I’m about to set up my sleeping bag and settle in for the night, I remember the owner of the Hiker Hostel mentioning that they’re only six miles … More Day 1 cont./Day 2: Drying Out and Making Friends
The van lurches to a stop and we spill out into the parking lot near Springer Mountain. I’m queasy as hell from the long drive up the winding Georgia back roads and take deep slow breaths of the cold morning air. The ten or so of us hikers who spent the previous night at the … More Day 1: It’s Not an Adventure Until Something Goes Wrong
All day I have this unsettling feeling, kind of like the one I have every time I’m sitting on an airplane as it taxis down the runway before take off. You know the feeling, when the plane starts picking up speed, everything rattling and vibrating as you lurch forward faster and faster, holding your breath until the moment the wheels … More Finding My Trail Legs And The Fear of Becoming a Jock
With only seven days until I fly to Georgia to start the Appalachian Trail, the pre-hike anxiety is finally kicking in. It’s much better this year than it was last, though, when the months leading up to the PCT were spent in a near constant state of “what the fuck am I getting myself into” paralysis. This time … More One Week and Counting: Updates From the Couch
A friend of mine who is hiking the PCT this year asked me to recommend some good songs that I like to hike to, so I figured I’d share some of my favorite hiking playlists here. Good music is subjective, of course, and the music that I listen to on trail isn’t too far removed (if at all) from what I listen to … More Hiking Jamz
Because I’m working on a post about listening to music on the trail (through headphones, people!) And because, very soon, I’m going to Georgia.
Written in my tent in the rain. July. Northern California. PCT mile 1321.5 We squat beside a swampy hole in the ground And each other Plunging our plastic bottles beneath the surface And swatting at swarms of mosquitoes Who suckle our skin like teats It is futile We know They always win in the end. We filter cow shit from … More Water Source
Oh hey, Interweb! Guess what? I’m finally getting around to posting a gear list. Exciting, right? No really, though–it sort of is. Trust me, I used to be in the school of folks whose eyes would glaze over the moment someone mentioned gear. But something strange happened while I was hiking the PCT last year. I … More AT 2015 Gear List
This post is WAY overdue, but there’s no time like the present, right? Just wanted to let all of you out there in Internet Land know that after five months, one day, and a hell of a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, I completed my thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail on September 15, … More El Fin
Since I haven’t blogged in forever, I’ll catch you up to speed as best I can. Brevity. That’s the goal here. It’s not a strong suit of mine, though. So there’s that. Let’s see…I’m in Oregon. Oregon! It took me three and a half long months but I finally made it out of California and … More Bye California! Hi Oregon!
I Could Drive Forever 