Life on the Trail

A description of my daily routines while thru hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Puzzle Pieces: Returning to Normal Life After the AT

I was recently struck by a quote from former Appalachian Trail thru hiker and author Cindy Ross. “Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking. You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.” This rings true to my post-hike life. This entry is as much an update as an […]

Puzzle Pieces

I was recently struck by a quote from former AT thru-hiker and author Cindy Ross. “Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking. You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.” This rings true to my post-hike life. This entry is as much an update as an attempt to […]

Success

Last Thursday, September 7th, I summited Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park and completed my northbound Appalachian Trail thru hike. The 2189 mile trail took me through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The hike took me exactly 24 weeks, about 5.5 […]

New England State of Mind

Long time, no update! I write this post in Berlin, New Hampshire and I’ll soon be crossing into Maine, the 14th and final state of the trail. I’m unsure if my brain has yet to fully consider the feat. The White Mountains have been as challenging as expected, especially with a body that has its […]

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 […]