Gear failure! I hiked in the rain for an hour and discovered my umbrella has a hole in it, which makes it periodically dump water down the back of my shirt.

Jul 26
Jul 26 BMT Day 5: My Hike. My Way.

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

It was a yellow blazing kind of day. And now I’m into yellow blazing.

Jul 26
Jul 26 BMT Day 4: Nothing Can Prepare You for This

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

I heard the hootin’ and hollerin’, presumably from people jumping in the river, but nothing could prepare me for the circus that surrounded said hollerin’. At least there was an ice cream sandwich to be found after wading through Tubing Ville.

Jul 25
Jul 25 BMT Day 3: The Perfect Rock

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

I found the Holy Grail of bear bagging rocks. And I packed it out. I intentionally put a rock in my pack before hiking out.

Jul 24
Jul 24 BMT Day 2: Getting Used to White Diamonds

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

So far, the Benton MacKaye Trail has been well-marked; well-maintained with only a handful of overgrown sections and zero blow downs. But it’s only Day 2 and anything can happen.

Jul 23
Jul 23 BMT Day 1: Back on the Trail, Mixed Feelings and All

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

Two weeks ago, I asked Ralph what he thought and me taking a “little 300 mile walk,” and he said, “I think you should hike while you can....Also, it makes you happy.”

So here I am. On the Benton MacKaye Trail. It makes me happy.

Jul 19
Jul 19 Staying Safe on the Benton MacKaye/Appalachian Trail Figure 8

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

I’ve got an itch that won’t be scratched by day hiking. So I’ve made a plan to safely hike a long trail in pandemic times.

Oct 28
Oct 28 Stopping is Not the Same as Quitting

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

“Quitting is fundamentally different from stopping. The latter happens all the time. Quitting happens once. Quitting means not starting again--and art is all about starting again.” ~David Bayles & Ted Orland, Art and Fear

They may have been talking about quitting art, but the sentiment is the same for long distance hiking.

Jul 8
Jul 8 Slack-Pack-O-Rama

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, Sketching, roulette

Note to Self (And Other Middle Aged Long Distance Hiker Aspirants):

Never, EVER, underestimate the power of the trail to humble you. And maybe hurt you a little. Or a lot.

Also:

Your body is not fucking kidding when it says, "STOP."

Jun 8
Jun 8 Day 8: Red Things

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

They try to put hikers in scrubs at the Top of Georgia Hostel. No thank you. Scrubs as loaner clothes is not exactly a selling point, IMHO.

Jun 7
Jun 7 Day 7: Danger Noodle!

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

Glorious day today with only a rattlesnake for company. No hikers on the trail. Which means I may have finally escaped the churlish boy scouts. Yay!

Jun 6
Jun 6 Catching Up With Myself

Roo Giordano

long distance hiking, roulette

I’m not hiking that far every day, so I don’t know how the days go by so fast) and the blog goes so neglected). Tonight I’m at mile 54. Snail’s pace. Which I love. Here are some highlights.

Hey, Y’all.

Jul 27
Jul 27 BMT Day 6: Trail Fairies AWOL Now

Jul 26
Jul 26 BMT Day 5: My Hike. My Way.

Jul 26
Jul 26 BMT Day 4: Nothing Can Prepare You for This

Jul 25
Jul 25 BMT Day 3: The Perfect Rock

Jul 24
Jul 24 BMT Day 2: Getting Used to White Diamonds

Jul 23
Jul 23 BMT Day 1: Back on the Trail, Mixed Feelings and All

Jul 19
Jul 19 Staying Safe on the Benton MacKaye/Appalachian Trail Figure 8

Oct 28
Oct 28 Stopping is Not the Same as Quitting

Jul 8
Jul 8 Slack-Pack-O-Rama

Jun 8
Jun 8 Day 8: Red Things

Jun 7
Jun 7 Day 7: Danger Noodle!

Jun 6
Jun 6 Catching Up With Myself

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