As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm going to be sharing some more in-depth updates from the Appalachian Trail, with revisions from my original writing. Here are just a few thoughts from my first week on trail. 25 March, Day 2: Hawk Mountain ShelterI’m lying here in a three-sided wooden structure, between two strangers …
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Quick Update from the Appalachian Trail
Hi, hello there, whoever you are, dear reader! It is I, Sarahmarie, writing from a town near the Appalachian Trail. I have been out here for about three months now, and I don't have adequate words for what this hike has been like. I have made friends with some of the coolest and most determined …
Checking In: The Journey Towards the Appalachian Trail
Greetings, reader! Have you ever met a less dedicated blogger than yours truly? Seriously, I had so many ideas for writing: discussions about my hike on the Camino del Norte and Camino Primitivo last summer, traveling in England, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, not to mention some thoughts on gear and reflections post-JMT …
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Lower Antelope Canyon: Not Exactly Wilderness, But Totally Worth the Trip
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Janna and I went on a weekend trip to Page, Arizona, about 2 hours north of our beloved mountain town of Flagstaff. While the city itself is underwhelming, the two main attractions of the area – Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend – are some of the most photographed, …
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Vertical Tourists: Some Observations from Queen Victoria
This piece was written for my American Literature and the Environment Class, for our Place-Based Essay assignment. It’s 8 AM in Sedona. Not early morning – the sun has already peaked over the buttes and towers and otherworldly spires. But it’s not yet afternoon – the angle is still low, the air still thin and …
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Hi there!
Hello, Internet! It's me, Sarahmarie! Remember me? The one who wrote obsessively about preparing for and hiking the John Muir Trail last summer? I'm still here, and I'm writing again! Because time is weird and bizarre and very hard to keep up with, I find myself flabbergasted that it has been 9 months since I …
Beautifully Brutal: Some Reflections on the John Muir Trail
Here I am again: sitting at my desk, writing at my computer. It feels weird to be out of the wild, off of the JMT, enjoying the fruits of civilization, facing the turn of the seasons again. I’ll spare you the “time goes so fast, I can’t believe the trail is already over, etc etc” …
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hiker derp writes a blog about the JMT!
I've never been able to stick with blogs before. Whether they are too specific to sustain my interest, or too broad to share pertinent thoughts, I haven't had much success in the past. But alas. I am trying again. Because this year, I am attempting to hike the John Muir Trail northbound, in July, in …
3 reasons why I am hiking the John Muir Trail (or, why type 2 fun is the best kind of fun)
Reason #1: "Fun" I ran cross country all four years of high school. In the summer, as soon as the conference rules allowed us to practice, we met five times a week at 7 in the morning for runs that ranged from short-distance speed training to long, grueling, sweaty Kentucky 12-milers. When I started I …
Sarahmarie Specht-Bird 