Welcome to my blog.
Expect reflections on long distance hiking, hiking culture, nature, creativity and my undying love for backrests.
The crowds thinned out on the other side of the long, creepy tunnel at the end of the creepily-named “Road to Nowhere.” No one left out here but me and a couple of fishermen. And lots and lots of big rushing creeks.
One of the big perks of hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail during a pandemic is how effortless it is to stay socially distant. I saw one other human on the 14.7 miles of trail I hiked today. Which is exactly how many bobcats I saw, too.
Not one drop of rain. Not one flesh-eating bug. Not one bramble.
Today was a good day to resume this obscure hiking project.
When I woke up this morning to a steady rain, I remembered the first rule of long distance hiking—Hike Your Own Hike. And I remembered my friend Pattie’s one rule of life—if it’s not fun, don’t do it.
So I said “Fuck it,” and went home. I’ll come back when the rain, the bugs and the brambles all stop.
At least when I found myself pushing through six foot tall weeds, unsure if I was following a hiker trail or a trail made by feral pigs, those weeds were dry and this was a second day free from rain. It wasn’t always easy to find the bright side, today.
There’s always at least one day on a long distance hike where it feels like no matter how far I hike, I never seem to get any closer to my destination. Today was that day.
Did you know that endorphins leave the system after two days of rest? Me, neither! Until today. The third day.
I resigned myself to the fact that I and all my stuff would be at least a little, if not a lot, wet while hiking the BMT. But today I found there is something I love more on zero days than good food and clean sheets. Dryers set on high! If only I could crawl in and tumble around with my quilt. Nothing would make me happier.
I woke up at 5:30am to lightning, followed soon enough by thunder. This is not how the weather usually works this time of year. What other surprises might be in store for me today?
I’ve decided the Benton MacKaye Trail Association has a secret mission, and it’s not pretty.
I spent today trying to talk myself out of quitting. The battle was epic. But two things happened to bolster my spirits, and so I lived to fight that battle another day.
