Pickup and I have traveled together for hundreds of miles. He helped me get off trail in Marion and return in Glasgow when my knee was injured. He is never without a tube of Duke's mayonnaise to top off his lunch wraps. Pickup is also a rare hiker
By now we have left New Jersey behind and are traversing the state of New York by foot, bus, car, and train. I haven't hiked in the northeast very long, but some differences stick out. The locals we encounter are still friendly and helpful when we encounter them,
Since Laura's first verse was pre trail name and about catching norovirus, I wrote another one in the Smokies. She was impressed with the flora's similarities with the forests back home in Finland. well this here's the story 'bout an evening snack loves
I've touched down in Branchville, mile 1325.6. One night at the Cobmin Ridge Motel, then we hike out to the highest point in New Jersey. Hospitality awaits; I have generous contacts in Tappan, Harlem and Connecticut who have offered us rides, beds, floors, and backyards. For me,
By now I feel fully recovered from surgery. Tomorrow afternoon I'll return to the surgeon's office to have any staples and stitches removed. On Wednesday I'll be landing in Newark and taking a car to Branchville, NJ where Pickup and Strider will be walking
Paperback was also known for carrying a multi-tool in addition to his book collection. He was also very interested in honey bears, which he couldn't find back home. well this here's the story 'bout a paperback library and toolbox made to fit into his pack
Savor is the party's veterinarian, an avid adventurer with a habit of taking the time to prepare good food and enjoy it. well this here's the story about a hiker named Savor takes her time with everything because she likes the flavor wandered down that holler
Just seven days from the first hernia diagnosis in West Virginia, I have had surgery in Tennessee. This was an extremely fast and lucky turnaround for a non-emergency general surgery. To expedite the procedure, I started by calling every general surgeon in my hometown in Tennessee. Then I called every
One of the goals of my hike was to set myself up for phenomenological exploration of happiness. When I immerse myself in hardship and take away my everyday habits and stimulations, what are the things which consistently make me happy? What keeps the dream alive? My reflections on need turned
I met Wise and Dying at Muskrat Creek shelter, on the day I first performed this song for hikers. Wise has an interest in flora and enjoys jumping from rock to rock. I may have spun this into something of a tall tale. I heard that looking backwards from a
The span of trail between Front Royal and Harper's Ferry was particularly fruitful. Every day we found some combination of ripe blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, and wine berries. We didn't have time to pick them all, though. The east coast heat wave has forced us
Strider suggested a trail song verse about Shenandoah, and it was quickly delivered. We met a ridge runner in the park who told us that the bear population, usually one of the highest on the trail, was decimated by a recent outbreak of mange. The trail maintainers of the PATC