“Sometimes we spend so much time and energy thinking about where we want to go that we don’t notice where we happen to be.” – Dan Gutman The car ride up to our latest Appalachian Trail section hike was an entertaining one. From stopping at a gas station called “Fill’er Up” next to “She’s Got … More Low food, trail miles and bears, oh my!: PA 183 to PA 443
“Everyone you meet always asks if you have a career, are married or own a house; as if life was some kind of grocery list. But nobody ever asks if you are happy.” – Heath Ledger Two weeks ago Ken and I returned to Pennsylvania for a weekend trip on the Appalachian Trail to work … More Getting in and out of my own head: PA 443 to Peters Mountain Road
“If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill Happy Thanksgiving readers! The approaching end of the year always makes me look over my “Uber List,” which is essentially the combination of a bucket list for the year with a smidge of resolution. One of my goals was … More 22 miles to round out 2022: Peters Mountain Road to Sherwood Drive
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher November tends to be a tough month for me, between the dwindling daylight, the approaching holidays and teaching students whose angst seems exaggerated by the changing conditions as well. … More 24 + 12 Does Not Equal 30 … Oops – Woodrow Road to Sherwood Road
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson After an internal debate, I decided that we would head out to do our small section hike last Friday. Charlie and I had been sick, but not so much so that we were unable to do a light backpacking … More Some Rocky Roads in Quartzylvania – Woodrow Road to Caledonia State Park
Two of the four of us are slightly under the weather today, but that’s not stopping me for preparing for our weekend backpacking trip. Bringing the kids along with us as we section hike the Appalachian Trail creates more logistics and also more expenses. They each got backpacking sleeping bags, long underwear and sleeping mats. … More The Little Camelbak Who Could
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis The remnants of Hurricane Ian are slowly making their way over the midwest and the air is damp and chilly. The prior weekend we were out in Shenandoah and the weather was cool … More Blooms from Decay: Smith Roach Gap to Skyland
“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” – Henry David Thoreau I know the calendar year is what most adults consider “a year,” but for me, my years are counted by the academic calendar. About this time last year I was getting back from Harpers Ferry from my … More Unfinished Business in Connecticut : Backpacking with kids
“Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for … More 30/-1 Between Comfort and Survival
Thanksgiving morning I left my boys with their dad, and headed back out to Wolfsville Road in Maryland. I began section hiking the Appalachian Trail three months ago at Wolfsville Road and went south. This trip was not only the completion of the Maryland section, but we also hit the one hundred mile milestone, a … More Being Like A Snowflake: Wolfsville Road to Caledonia State Park
Found in the Forest 