Having taught Freshman English for years, I couldn’t help but think about the ties to my last hiking adventure to the cycle of a “Hero’s Journey.” Two years ago, sitting at a friend’s house debating what our “Eat, Pray, Love” post divorce moments would be, I said that I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. … More Life is Better in Airplane Mode
My recent tour de New England began in Connecticut with my parent’s vow renewal to honor their 50th anniversary, and ended with a hike in Baxter State Park in Maine. I am very thankful that my original plan to hike the AT in sections from north to south sequentially had already fallen by the wayside, … More Serenity After The Unstable
I haven’t purchased a magazine in a very long time, but Real Simple’s publication about the power of positive thinking jumped out at me in CVS last weekend and I grabbed a copy. Having been in therapy, life-coaching on top of being a self-help book junkie, I already knew that there is plenty of scientific … More Navigating Spiderwebs
“Waterfalls wouldn’t sound so melodious if there were no rocks in the way.” -Rishabh Gautam My kids and I created a 2021 Summer Uber list consisting of all the (reasonable) things we want to do during our summer vacation. The list is only 10 items long. I decided not to add “pee on a bear,” … More Add To Checklist: Go With The Flow
I took the kids to the section of the Appalachian Trail closest to where we live this weekend to hike an out-and-and back to Annapolis Rocks via the AT. We hiked about 7.5 miles, with an elevation gain of around 990 feet. I wore my Camelbak backpack with a bladder with all of our supplies. … More Division: Parts of a Whole
I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1985, when I was two years old. I’ve been told the story about what happened when they drew my blood at the hospital, and I feel like I almost remember it. I became irate when the nurse started drawing blood from my veins, and I started yelling at her … More It’s In My Blood
People talk to me about hiking now, and often express interest in joining me. I put it on social media that I wanted to do a hike this weekend, and I would be willing to stay more local, do a less intense trail and even start later in the morning to be accommodating. I had … More Both Feet off the Ground
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau Before this past weekend’s hike, my friend Maria checked our … More Skipping Stones
Although I did not hike last weekend, I did have a trek that led to some self-reflection and insights. For the first time in over a year, I got on a plane, and went to Providence, RI. I ventured to New England to get some furniture and odds and ends from my parent’s house. I … More Integrity in the Face of Self Preservation
My boys and I went to Harpers Ferry this weekend, at the request of my older son. We parked at the visitor’s center, hiked past Lincoln Rock, downtown, up the Maryland Heights Loop, and back into town. The total mileage was about 7 miles, with an elevation gain of 1,404 feet and took us about … More I Wouldn’t Trade This For Anything
Found in the Forest 