This year I took opportunities to provide trail magic for northbound hikers on both the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails. I knew of a person from my hometown hiking the AT this year, so I decided to surprise them with some trail magic as they passed near home. I contacted
This year marks the 100th year of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. It began as a two day conference in Washington DC in March of 1925. The trail was completed in 1937 and the first thru hike was in 1948. The ATC has strong presence in Damascus, VA, home of the
A good year draws to a close, and the next promises new and different challenges. I'll be saving the last 120 miles of the AT in Southern Virginia for next year, when the weather is warmer and there are more fists to bump. For now, 95% will just
After the Midwest road trip I spent a night at home, then set out for Hot Springs, NC the next day. A month after Helene brought high winds and water to the region, I knew essential infrastructure would probably be at or near most of the trail towns, but otherwise
I spent three days closing the gap between east Kansas and southern Michigan. This leg included a stop at Indiana Dunes National Park, which features a nice stretch of beach with a steel mill awkwardly bisecting it. I could see the peaks of Chicago across the lake. Soon after the
When I got home from Harper's Ferry with a few weeks to kill, I started planning a way to use this time as a potential lifestyle transition. Inspired by Strider's success at van life, I set out to turn my car into a platform for working
I arrived in Harper's Ferry late on a Saturday afternoon. Unlike my last visit, the town was swarming with tourists. The final trail sections were pleasant. This is the final stop of my Pennsylvania completion tour. The final 250 mile section in southern Virginia will need to wait,
I don't follow the news much at all while on trail, but I have learned the the southeast United States is experiencing catastrophic flooding at the moment. So much infrastructure is gone that it's hard to get a full view of the scope of the destruction.
My solo SOBO completion tour continues. I write from Port Clinton, PA, where St. John's has a hiker pavilion down the street from the trail. The local pizza shop delivered a couple of sandwiches, and now I sleep under a roof on a rainy night. Some of my
Mount Katahdin deserves her own verse to cap off the trail song. I may still write some more verses, since I'm still on trail for a while. well this here's the story 'bout Mama K she cares all about the friends we made along the
The final act of my AT journey is finishing the sections I had to skip on the way north. This includes 300 miles from Branchville, NJ to Harper's Ferry, WV and 250 miles from Glasgow, VA to Marion, VA. The two weeks leading up to and immediately after
We crossed the river into New Hampshire and walked through Hanover, home of Dartmouth. We did not stop in Hanover, but I might have more to say about it later. The first 40 miles of New Hampshire were the last easy miles we would see for weeks. From Mount Moosilauke