I’ve finally started going over my journal/notes/memories from the trail and writing new blog posts (more to come!) This one begins where I left off last, in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania… What a lazy morning! We sleep in til 7:30. Eat pop tarts while we pack up our things. Dowse ourselves in Deet because we’re in the thick of … More Another Day, Another Storm
Hey guys! Sorry for the radio silence. This is why: Hiking is hard Blogging is hard Blogging while hiking is really, really hard I know, I know–it’s just walking. And it’s just writing. And it’s just writing while walking. But the longer I put it off, the heavier and hairier the task became, until finally updating … More Katahdin (I Could Walk Forever)
Hi guys! I’m in New York City right now for my big sister’s wedding this weekend. Got off trail in New Jersey on Tuesday, getting back on where I left off on Sunday. Seven states down, seven more to go!! Also, if you’re lookin’ to kill some time, I recently got interviewed about the A.T. … More From the AT to NYC
It’s an easy eight miles into town from the shelter. I’m on the trail before seven, hiking fast across the ridgeline as the sun tries to burst forth from behind the slate-colored clouds. Thousands of feet below, an explosion of green. Roads snake through pastures and trees. Tiny doll houses dot the landscape. Everything big … More Lightning Hangover: A Zero Day in Pearisburg
The birdsong begins before my alarm, an overlapping chorus of tweets and peeps and chirp-chirp-chirps. It’s a comforting sound, a sound that sounds like home. Which it is, really. Over the past year, I realize, I’ve spent more nights sleeping outside than in. I roll onto my side and open my eyes. They fall closed. … More Big Miles, Big Bears
We pull into the parking lot at Clingman’s Dome in the early evening. Alanna keeps the car running while I take too long to gather my things. Her heater is turned up all the way. Outside, the sky sags dark and heavy, unrelenting rain. “I can take you back to Asheville if you want,” she … More In the Smokies I Sleep in Shelters, In the Smokies it Always Rains
In the morning, I pack my things as the sun rises, eat pop tarts and drink cold instant coffee while I shove everything into my pack. The boys are still asleep in their tents when I set out on the trail. It’s cold, but not raining, so I hike in short sleeves because I know … More When it Stops Raining We Sleep Beneath the Stars
A strange thing happens after I part ways with Two Bad Dogs: I see ZERO THRU HIKERS on the trail all day (and only four section hikers who are heading south.) This is quite surprising, as this happened only once on my entire PCT thru-hike, and there are more than twice as many people on … More All the Young Dudes
In the morning, I hike a mile to the road then thumb a ride into Hiawassee from a young hippie couple. Space Time is in town, so we eat breakfast together at a greasy spoon, then I resupply at the grocery store for the next stretch. Ellen and Patrick show up and we hitch a … More Old Friends and Never Ending Rain
The crusty kids from Virginia and I hike together today. Patrick flies along the trail, barging up the big climbs and jogging down the steep descents. I’m amazed at how fast he hikes with that giant pack; camp shoes swinging wildly from carabiners, a coiled silver sleeping pad thwap-thwap-thwapping against the backs of his thighs. … More Safety in Numbers/Staring Contests (Never Camp By a Road)
I Could Drive Forever 