Towntime

I head into a town once every week or so to resupply, take a shower, do laundry, sleep in a bed, gorge at a restaurant, or some combination thereof. In no particular order, here are some pics of town life from the first half of my trip.

The Half Gallon Challenge

The Appalachian Trail is a mammoth undertaking in its own right, but there are several optional feats that hikers can partake in along the way. Because masochism. For example, the 4 State Challenge has you traversing about 43 miles across 4 states (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania) in one day. Insane. I recently listened […]

Halfway There

I can’t believe that over 300 miles have been hiked since my last post! The summer days are growing longer, and time is flying by at an ever-increasing clip. I am finishing up writing/editing this post on an Econolodge bathroom floor in Harper’s Ferry, WV as my parents sleep. They drove in from Cleveland to […]

With Ponies to Spare

I hiked 25 miles into Daleville, VA yesterday. This lands me near 730 miles, 1/3 of the way through the trail. Apologies for the recent lack of posting. I often have the intention of working on the blog at night in my Notes app so that I can copy/paste the content cinto WordPress when I […]

Onward to Virginia

I’m spending the weekend in Damascus, VA after completing 470 miles and 3 states on the trail (Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee). In a couple weeks, the small mountain town of Damascus will be host to Trail Days, the biggest and most eagerly anticipated AT festival every year. There will be music, gear vendors, a […]

Sharing the Trail

I hiked my first 20 mile day yesterday! 20.7 to be exact, up and down and up and down and up. Aside from general and completely expected foot soreness, I’m feeling surprisingly solid today. Ibuprofen (or as hikers say “Vitamin I”) and yoga stretching before bed certainly helped. My longest hike with a full pack […]

One Month Down

**This is my first actual post on the blog. The previous 3 entries were migrated over from my page on TrailJournals.com. I found that site to be difficult to navigate as a reader and challenging to manage on my phone. I look forward to posting more frequently! Today marks a full month on the trail, about […]

Week One

8 days in and many, many more to go. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the adventure. I’m averaging about 10 miles a day and starting to feel my “hiking body” take shape. The pack is resting more comfortably on my frame, my shoulders are holstering the weight with less strain, and […]

Into the Woods I Go

Today will be my first day on the trail! I flew into Atlanta yesterday afternoon and spent the night at The Hikers Hostel (fantastic place, including a pickup from the train, a comfy bed, and warm breakfast to kick off the day). Most of the anxiety I had about my trip melted away over the […]

Two Weeks and Counting

I start my Appalachian Trail thru hike in 16 days. What an insane sentence to write. If you told me a year ago that this was the next chapter of my life, my mind would be blown. In the winter of 2016, I moved across the country to California to support my then-husband during his […]