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59 Days til Start Date…What is the Continental Divide Trail?
The CDT is known as the longest, most remote, and most challenging trail of the three big trails (PCT, AT, CDT) that comprise hiking’s “triple crown” in the US. The trail was established by Congress just four days after the day I was born in 1978. Even though the...
Teaching Kids About Backpacking & The Pacific Crest Trail
My nephew Lucas and his "pack." I've been embedded deeply in the backpacking community for a couple of years now. I remember how foreign and unfathomable it seemed to me that people would thru hike for 5 months at a time. For most, those ideas and concepts don't come...
Maps, Waypoints, & Tracks for the CDT
*Updated 3/2016 In the previous post, Loading Topo Maps On A Garmin GPS for the CDT, I explained how to load topo maps onto a Garmin GPS for the CDT. I realize not all who hike the CDT take a GPS, but it is common, so this is for those who do. Now that you have maps,...
Loading Topo Maps on A Garmin GPS for the CDT
Many people who hike the Continental Divide Trail use a GPS. It is possible to hike the trail without one, but I am not one of those people who relies solely on map & compass. Basically, the CDT is less defined and more remote, so a GPS is helpful. I want to focus...
Happy Hiker!
My "Happy Hiker" soul collage. Today I got the opportunity to do something pretty darn cool and I wanted to share it with everyone. I got to make my first soul collage. This is a new concept to me and I think it's most often done during times of transition or...
Giving Back to the Trails
I will always be indebted to the Pacific Crest Trail for all the amazing ways it has changed my life. As I hiked the trail, I often thought of all I could do to give back to the trail. I know that donating is the obvious route and I definitely do that (here are the...
Updated Gear for the Continental Divide Trail
**NOTICE: Since this post, I have made even more gear adjustments that allowed me to drop significant weight from my Base Pack Weight. Those updates can be found on my "Lessening the Load" post. Happy 2013 everyone! January 1st marks the date that I start...
One Door Closes…
Hi Everyone! I have good news and bad news... I want to update you on the New Zealand contest that I applied to about a month ago. The top 20 finalists have been chosen and I did not make the cut. It was a disappointment, but I am surprised at how quickly that feeling...
Amazing & Inspiring Astro Andy
About a month ago, a story about a PCT thru hiker ran in a small town Washington Paper. It turns out that just as most PCTers were completing the trail this year, another hiker was quietly reaching the OR/WA border. Astro Andy started his hike on April 7th and had...
One Year Later, Part 2: Me
One year ago today after 148 days and 2,650mi. Today is the one year anniversary of my completion of the Pacific Crest Trail! Wahoo!!! In celebration of this momentous day, I thought I'd reflect on this past year, share some photos, and update everyone on my future...
One Year Later, Part 1: The Trail
Hi Everyone! I know it's been awhile, so I figured the one year anniversary of my completion of the Pacific Crest Trail deserved some recognition. In my next post, I'll update everyone on my post hike life and future plans. For now, I want to share my photos from my...
Want To Experience the Continental Divide Trail?
Since I plan on hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 2013, I wanted to find a way to introduce this jewel of a trail to all of my readers. Outside of the hiking community, few know about the CDT. I mentioned it in my UNPLUGGED post where you can see a general...
Twitter Announcement
Hi All! I'm testing the waters of Twitter! I know I won't be updating my blog for awhile, but I would like to keep people posted on my ventures this summer (with pictures from time to time) and the process as I prepare for the CDT in 2013. I have added a scroll on the...
Wired Goes UNPLUGGED!
Where was that all hike! Ah, yes it is true. The time has come for me to sign off and bid farewell to the blogosphere. But not without first leaving you with plenty of links and info to keep you entertained for awhile. This is a lengthy post, but take your time and...
Some Rockin’ Trail Relationships
A shotgun, shovel, and machete...Would yo have taken this hitch!? I recently did a guest post for Rockin'. A fellow blogger and hiker who...well, ROCKS! I did a review of some of my favorite non-hiker relationships along the trail. Including my first double zero...