Welcome to my blog.
Expect reflections on long distance hiking, hiking culture, nature, creativity and my undying love for backrests.
All in long distance hiking
By the time I hit the trail on May 11, I want to be able to hike twenty miles and still be able to get up off the ground the next morning. And then keep doing it. For days.
My plan is to train like a marathoner.
Part one of a series on how to train for a thru hike (and why even bother when everyone else seems to “hike themselves into shape.”
Follow along as I plan my upcoming hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, with loads of information about gear, resupply, outfits, healthy eating and pre-hike training. Let’s do this!
Sometimes I think my trail name should be Notebook.
I carry three on every hike.
So much for ultralight.
This morning I sat on top of Springer Mountain, remembering to appreciate the accomplishment of walking 539.3 miles, of completing something I set out to do.
I’m not gonna lie, y’all. I’m ready to do something else now. Something other than spend my entire day walking in the woods.
So today I became that hiker I usually try hard not to be. I became that hiker who puts her head down and churns out miles.
There are so many people on the trail right now. Lots of day hikers. Lots of people out for a few nights, getting a taste of the Appalachian Trail. Big groups of friends and couples and the occasional solo hiker like me.
It wasn’t until I was bundled up in my sleeping bag at the end of the day, updating my log book, that I realized I’d crossed the last big threshold of this odyssey—the 500 mile mark.
The end really is in sight, now.
The climb up Tray Mountain reminds me of why I love hiking. And hate how zealous trail maintainers have become.
I decided to break my Stealth Site streak because I heard about a tent site perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop at the Tray Mountain Shelter. I love a rocky outcrop where I can sit and enjoy a view along with a cup of anti-inflammatory Turmeric Tea before dinner.
I crossed my final state line, today, and it was bittersweet.
The Stealth Site Maven continues her run of holding out for the perfect place to camp.
