In which I talk about the Camino, allow myself to love the AT, and am honest.
Tag: Backpacking
All Trails Lead to Roan Mountain
Roan Mountain, Tennessee was one of my tramily's favorite places on the AT. I wrote the following entry while in my tent during our first night in town. The next morning, we met Birgit, a local who befriended us and graciously welcomed us into her home. We felt so lucky, and so at home. I'll …
April Highlights
I'm continuing with my reflections from early on in the trail. Here are a few selected highlights from North Carolina and Tennessee. April 23, just before Hot Springs, NC, eveningWalking down the hill to camp, I couldn’t stop breathing in. That air, that green smell of oxygen, made me instinctually inhale. It smelled like summer, …
The First Few Days
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 …
IT’S TIME!!!!!!!!!! WOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!
It's here. It's finally here. After months of planning, training, packing, gear purchasing, paring down, and stuffing more food than is reasonable into a bear can, the time has arrived. Tomorrow morning we'll depart LA for the Eastern Sierra Interagency Center in Lone Pine, where we will pick up the permit that we reserved for …
Heavy(ish) pack = ultralight dreams
Above: My gear for the JMT in 2017, including the "maybe item" Petzl Glacier ice axe - 350g (will wait until the day before to decide based on trail reports). My Osprey Ariel 65 is off to the side at top right. My Kelty Cosmic Down 20-degree sleeping bag will go in a dry compression …
JMT training: a short saga (with pictures!)
I've been training like crazy for the JMT. This is mainly because I see this trail as having so many inherent hazards this year (e.g., snow on high passes, swollen creek crossings, mosquitoes by the bushel, to name a few), and I do not want my fitness (or lack thereof) to be added into this …
Continue reading JMT training: a short saga (with pictures!)
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 