Blog
CDT Section Hike Summer 2015
The Continental Divide Trail is not easy to get to, but it is worth the effort.
This past August I flew to Colorado, met my hiking partner at the airport, and then we picked up a rental car and drove 6 hours toRock Springs, WY. …
Read Full Story • comments (2)
Hiking Hall Pass
All marriages have “arrangements,” right?! Those small bargains that you make with your partner to stay sane and married.
Brew and I agreed when we became parents that as soon as I finished nursing we would allow each other two weeks a year to do WHATEVER. For Brew that means …
Read Full Story • one comment
Walking with Spring
I recently finished the book, “Walking with Spring.” The book is a hiking memoir by Earl Shaffer, the first Appalachian Trail thru-hiker. Shaffer recounts his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1948, a journey spurred by the hope that a long trail might be enough to …
Read Full Story • one comment
Foray into Foraging
To say that I have always had an interest in plant identification would be a lie. I remember on my first thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail, I grew quite annoyed with my friends when they pulled out their half-pound flower identification book and then put their noses to the ground …
Read Full Story • comments (2)
Business lessons from the trail
Recently, I have been getting a lot of e-mails and questions about how to make a living or start a business in the Outdoor Industry. So I thought I’d write a post about my experience and nine lessons I’ve learned as the founder and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company.
Read Full Story • comments (5)
Spending your first night in the woods: some basic advice
It’s been a long time since I spent my first night in the woods, but I haven’t forgotten what it was like. I must have been about 12 or 13 years old, and I was on my first overnight backpacking trip. I had my mother’s old gigantic …
Read Full Story • one comment
June is the month for trails
This June we will celebrate National Trails Day and Great Outdoors Month. But, the danger of celebrating a day dedicated to trails and a month marked for outdoor enjoyment is that some might see the commemoration as a was to consolidate wilderness activities into a single …
Read Full Story • comments (0)
Bartram Trail Recap: I don't tweet on trail, but if I did...
I like to unplug when I go outdoors, but I also like to take notes to remember what happened. I turned my recent Bartram Trail notes into a set of mock tweets to recap the section between the Nantahala River and Wayah Bald. Enjoy
Read Full Story • comments (4)
How to plan for a long distance hike
Everyone plans for a long distance hike a bit differently, and there’s certainly no right or wrong way to go about pre-hike planning. Some people obsess over gear, some try to get into shape, others spend all their energy on their mail drops and meal planning, and yet others spend …
Read Full Story • one comment
Hiker Steps towards Conservation
The word “Conservationist” seems like such a weighty term that I used to think you had to dedicate your life to land management or donate your entire personal worth to be a considered a ‘real’ conservationist. Over time, however, I observed that small steps taken by everyday folks can add …
Read Full Story • comments (9)