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Expect reflections on long distance hiking, hiking culture, nature, creativity and my undying love for backrests.
All in roulette
This was day two of a five-day trip along the Appalachian Trail through the White Mountains, from Franconia Notch to Crawford Notch.
Apparently the rumors of White Mountain ruggedness and ability to challenge even the most seasoned hikers start way down in Georgia.
But I learned a few years ago that TIARAS give you secret hiking super powers.
I finally had a chance to try out my new tent, the Lightheart Gear Solo, this past week on an overnight trek along the Art Loeb Trail. (Two words: ball buster. The hike, not the tent.)
Here's what I thought about it--the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy has been quietly buying up land and putting in into conservation easements and we in Western NC are the more fortunate for their work.
In the twenty years I've lived here, I've never hiked in this area.
And now there are at least three hikes that are in the rotation and more to explore, thanks to the CMLC.
"If you can be stopped, you will be stopped." ~Joshua Benavides
I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about thru-hiking the AT.
It's interesting, but, except for one universal fear, no one really talks about their struggle with fear. It's almost like no one is afraid or has any reservations at all.
We know that can't be true, so I'm going first with my "What if?" list and five things you can do now, months before your hike, to deal with the fears that are sure to reveal themselves between now and your start date.
Every day you get to spend walking and dreaming and celebrating your badassery is a good day.
This training hike was a good two days in spite of the challenge.
Or maybe because of it.
This is a GREAT hike for training for an Appalachian Trail thru-hike because it is EXACTLY like a typical day on the trail would be....HARD.
So when the day is done, and many miles have been hiked in unforgiving footwear, I like to give my little piggies a special treat.
I like to massage them with my special Thru-Hiker Foot Balm.
I wanted to share my special Foot Balm recipe with you because I want your feet to be pampered and appreciated, too.
Your feet are going to LOVE this!
I'd planned a 10-miler, but then face planted in so many spider webs that I opted for more miles through a fun section of the Art Loeb Trail.
No more spider webs. Just some amazing fungi and miniature fairyland moments on moss-covered nursery trees.
And Ruby’s hips gonna hafta be happy when she's sleeping out in the woods.
So when I bought a sleeping pad sight unseen off the interwebs, I didn't hold my breath.
But I'm really pleased with my new Klymit pad. Keep reading to find out why and to see how it compares to the most popular ultralight sleeping pad on the market.
Trail: Shining Creek Trail to Shining Rock
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation: 2,500 feet (bad ass!)
Date Hiked: 8/16/16
These training hikes are testing my strength and endurance, but also testing my commitment and my ability to talk myself down off the ledges. In other words, they're firing up my fears in a big way.
We challenged ourselves this week on an overnighter where I purposely chose a trail with a bit of a reputation, Section 1 of the Art Loeb Trail.
It was HARD, and it triggered all kinds of fear and doubt about my ability to finish a 2,000 mile thru-hike. I had to talk myself down off the ledge and in this post I share four ways to appease that fearful voice inside that wants to keep us small.
Meet Dick...my inner fear-monger.
I'm training for my upcoming Appalachian Trail thru-hike and I'm fortunate to live in a place that makes training easy and fun.
Even in the rain, this loop is one of my favorite training hikes in my lead-up to my thru-hike.
Which I'm certain will leave me begging for an umbrella, a rain coat, a poncho and dry undies before all is said and done.
My motto is "Hike Strong. Hike Long. Hike Happy."
And to achieve it, you have to navigate the delicate balancing act of paring down what's in your pack but still saving room for little luxuries that will satisfy the happy part of this equation.
On the one hand, lightening your load will help you hike long.
On the other hand, eating well on the trail is, for me, near the pinnacle of hiking happy.
I've pared my trail kitchen down to a tiny, cozied package, so read on to see what's inside.
