You quit to hike the Appalachian Trail?!?

Today was the day, the day it became real for me. I have resigned and let my team know that I will be leaving my position to go hike the Appalachian Trail. It has been a tough day to say the least. I’m not leaving work because I hate the job or because I got […]

A Review of “Walking With Spring” by Earl V. Shaffer

Walking With Spring is a memoir by Earl V. Shaffer that tells the story of his hike of the Appalachian Trail. His was the first recorded thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and took place in 1948. Shaffer had returned from World War II and was looking for a way to deal with the trauma he […]

Journey to Harpers Ferry, WV

The family took a nice trip down to northern Virginia over the kids’ February vacation. Along the way, I took the opportunity to stop in Harpers Ferry and to visit the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The ATC office is considered the midpoint of the Appalachian Trail and is rather significant to thru hikers. […]

Why I want to hike the Appalachian Trail

When I talk to folks about wanting to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) the responses are mixed. Some folks are surprised, some supportive, some ask how I’d get the time off from work, some think I’m crazy, and still others don’t think I can. I’ve explained (to varying degrees of success) why I’d like to […]

From the top of Garfield

A video I took from the top of Mount Garfield – 360 view around the surrounding the summit!

Partial Pemi Loop – Part 2

Given our day of strenuous hiking on Day 1, Dan and I slept like rocks and woke up a little stuff but generally no worse for wear. There wasn’t any running water around so we got by with melted snow to cook our breakfast. My JetBoil performed like a champ and I had brought a little […]

Partial Pemi Loop – Part 1

The Pemi Loop is a collection of trails in the White Mountains that connect to create a lollipop loop out of the Lincoln Woods Visitor Center. It is considered one of the best hikes in the Northeast given its route over a whole bunch of 4,000 footers in NH. It is a strenuous hike (as […]

Bear Mountain Birthday Hike

Last weekend was my 40th birthday and my wonderful wife took me to Bear Mountain in NY for a beautiful day hike.