- Out of Virginia
It only took six months, but I’ve finally escaped Virginia. Crossing the Appalachian Trail border into Tennessee, about 3.5 miles south of Damascus (Va.), was a long-coming revelation. Don’t get me wrong. Virginia is a beautiful state. It has the Shenandoahs and the Blue Ridge mountains. It has charming towns and wonderful people. But for … - Midday Escape from Daleville
It was broad daylight. Around 11 a.m. I’d been trapped in Daleville for nearly two days. Holed up inside a kind of fortress that brazenly displayed a neon sign out front: “Super 8,” its bright yellow light screamed through the night. I knew I had to get out, by any means necessary. Daleville the town … - Back on the (Cold) Trail
Sleeping bag liner? Nah, shouldn’t need it. Insulated gloves? No way, overkill. Base layer? Don’t want to carry the weight. My first night back on the Appalachian Trail, March 18, it became apparent I had erred. I hiked 10 miles from a rural trailhead at Jennings Creek, about 30 miles north of Roanoke, Va. The … - Rock Star on the Trail
My daughter Livvy is a rock star hiker. I already knew this. But it was reiterated for me recently when I hiked through New Hampshire’s White Mountains as part of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Livvy’s recent completion of the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,600+-mile challenging hike from the Mexican border in California to the Canadian … - Shifting Credibility as a SOBO AT Thru-hiker
As an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, once you’ve trekked southbound through Maine’s gnarly trails and into New Hampshire’s White Mountains, attitudes and perspectives change dramatically. You gain a new kind of street (or, in this case, trail) cred. Fellow thru-hikers look at you differently, talk to you with a heightened respect and seek your knowledge in …Continue reading “Shifting Credibility as a SOBO AT Thru-hiker”
- The Perfect Harlequin EndingTrigger warning: this story includes scatological references. Rarely do a book of questionable value and a purpose borne out of desperation so perfectly align. It was my first day heading into the 100-mile wilderness to begin my AT thru-hike. (It was actually my second thru-hike day, the first having been a hike up Mount Katahdin …
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