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 […]

Making a Cooking Pouch

Following up on my last post about Making a Pot Cozy, I wanted to share directions for making a cooking pouch. This pouch has the same purpose as the pot cozy in that it conserves fuel and frees up time that would otherwise be spent tending a stove. This pouch is perfect for many popular trail meals that can be cooked right in their own packaging. It’s perfect for Knorr sides, Idahoan Mashed Potatoes, and other similar foods. Simply heat your water, pour it into the package, seal it in a ZipLock bag, and cook it in the pouch for 15 minutes – food time!

Winter Hiking

Just because it’s really cold outside doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get out there and hike! With the right preparation, hiking in the winter can be very enjoyable. Snow cover lends a hush to the woods that completely changes the experience. I love the peace and serenity in the wilderness at this time of year. Sure, […]

Hiking at Night

If you’ve never tried night hiking, you should! Hiking after dark is completely different than hiking during the day time. The trail is completely new – everything familiar is suddenly gone, the forest sounds completely different, and it is exciting! There are a few things you should know before venturing out at night. Being prepared […]

Bigelow Hollow State Park

I set out on a nice autumn day to do some backpacking at Bigelow Hollow State Park. The park adjoins Nipmuck State Forest so most of the signage covers both. It is a nice property in northern Connecticut – 9,000 acres according to the official website. Most of the locals call it Bigelow Hollow even […]

Leadmine Mountain / Heins Farm

The combination of trail systems at Leadmine Mountain and Heins Farm are the trails I consider to be my home base. I have logged many miles in these woods and rarely need to consult a map any more. Located in Sturbridge, MA, these trails aren’t crazy in terms of elevation but offer great hiking and […]

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 […]

Zion National Park – Watchman Trail

We moved on from Bryce Canyon to our next stop, Zion National Park. Zion is different from any other National Park in that it is really only accessible via a shuttle bus that takes you up and down the park. I guess the idea is to minimize the vehicle traffic. While relatively close to Bryce […]