Hi readers. Are you there? Are you still subscribed? Are you missing my PCT posts? I am too. Every single day. I'm meant to be grading papers right now, but that's clearly not what I'm doing. I'm drinking an IPA and listening to a Big Thief record and thinking about the trail. It's February in …
Saturday, April 16, 2022 Katie makes us a divine breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, and Boudin sourdough toast. We take it easy this morning since we all had a pretty big day yesterday. I’m savoring the taste of real food and the sensation of not having to move in the morning for the rest of …
Continue reading Days 3 and 4 in California: Good Food, Fun Places, and a Happy Easter!
It’s fairly easy for me to wake up this morning, which is probably due to a combination of the time difference and the deep, deathlike sleep I had last night. I think I’m still recovering from the longer-than-expected travel experience yesterday. Calla lilies spotted on my morning walk I start the day by walking to …
It’s 2:15 AM when I finally land in Oakland. The flight was delayed, and it lands two hours late. When the wheels hit the tarmac, I wake with a start. California! I’m in California again! I get my bag at the baggage claim and call a Lyft. I think I’m going to pass right out …
It was 3 degrees this morning. Frosty! I am very proud of how I got up before 7 and survived without coffee for a whole half an hour before we stopped at The Baker's Wife pastry shop for breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, all of which were delicious. As a bonus, they had a very …
Continue reading Minnesota, Day 2: Friday, February 25, 2022
I’m in Minnesota! And it’s cold. Extremely cold. I wouldn’t be visiting this place this time of year if it weren’t for KG, one of my two original tramily members from the Appalachian Trail, living here. But there’s also something magical about this kind of snowy fridigness. People just deal with it, and no one …
Continue reading Minnesota, Day 1: Thursday, February 24, 2022
There's a saying in the thru-hiker community: Either you do one of the Triple Crown trails, or you do all three. I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2019, nearly three years ago. This year, I am embarking on the second trail of my eventual Triple Crown. I am officially thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in …
Continue reading I’m Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022!
7 miles - Ramshorn Lake to Buffalo Horn Trailhead The last day on trail is always the worst day on trail. Although I was ready to take a shower, wash my hands, and be done with rolling around in the dirt, I wasn’t ready to leave the woods. I love waking up as the light …
Continue reading Gallatin Crest Trail Day 4: Friday, July 16
July 11, 2021, 9:30 AM - In the air - flight from MSP to Bozeman, MT It feels weird to be flying again. The last time I was in a plane was coming back from Portland, Maine after finishing the AT. Several entire lifetimes seem to have passed since October of 2019, and I’m so …
After completing our little Zaleski State Forest backpacking loop on October 30, we loaded up in Wiggs's car and hit the road. We did not go straight back to Columbus, however. Instead, my very nice boyfriend agreed to reroute half an hour west so that I could visit three Ohio History Passport locations: Leo Petroglyphs, …
Sarahmarie Specht-Bird 