“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” – Henry David Thoreau
I intended to just drop into Wrightwood to resupply then jump back on trail, but once in the hiker friendly town my plans changed. I was able to snag a nights stay in a tiny house called Acorn Cabin. It was adorable and Mandy, the owner and her lovely family were a delight. Mandy said … Continue reading PCT: Wrightwood to Tehachapi
Had hoped for a more restful zero day in Idyllwild but town chores kept me busy. Regret not getting to meet the town mayor who is a dog! My kind of politician! Kind trail angel, Jeanine drove me back to the Hamble Park trailhead for the 2.7 mile hike back up Devils Slide Trail to … Continue reading PCT: Idyllwild to Wrightwood
An early morning flight to San Diego meant little sleep along with a bad case of pre-hike nerves. I spent the evening at legendary San Diego trail angels, Scout and Frodo’s home along with 20 other hikers. We slept in big tents in their back garden and enjoyed their amazing hospitality and an excellent dinner … Continue reading PCT: Campo to Idyllwild
Bodgey is a mature ginger cat on his annual winter trek around the warmer parts of the country. He is traveling in an RV with his humans, my daughter Klaire and her partner Patrick. Bodgey communicated through Klaire that he would appreciate my presence to provide extra petting behind his ears and under his chin, … Continue reading Travels with Bodgey: In Search of Desert Adventure
Some people might celebrate the conclusion of a 2 ½ year personal ordeal by opening a bottle of champagne. Me, I head to the Smokies and go for a walk. I chipped away at my 900 miler challenge for a three day lollipop-loop out of the Smokemont area. The beauty and solitude helped clear my … Continue reading Ahh, but the Smokies in the Fall!
Day 18: August 28 We spent last night at the Silver Ridge Lodge in Salida which was nice enough but pretty pricey for basic digs. Songbird and I did take advantage of the hot tub to relax our sore muscles. No laundry facilities and my clothes had taken on that tell tale hiker funk odor, … Continue reading Colorado Trail Part 3: Nemophilist & Songbird
Day 11: August 21 Shortly after enjoying a delicious breakfast at a little café down the street from the hostel, Slipper and Songbird arrived for a happy reunion of the Chicas, Slippers affectionate name for the 3 of us. Songbird's husband, Jeff graciously chauffeured us to the start of Segment 8 at Copper Mountain before … Continue reading Colorado Trail Part 2: The Chicas
A lot of thought and discussion went into where I would celebrate my birthday hike with the Chicas! South Dakota's Centennial Trail and New England were all on the table but we finally settled on Colorado. Slipper, who I erroneously referred to in past posts as Lady Slipper, and Songbird hiked Segments 4-7 last year … Continue reading Colorado Trail Part 1: Solo
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) starts at Clingmans Dome in the Smokies and winds it's way 1175 miles across North Carolina to the Outer Banks. My hiking friend, David and I had been talking about hiking segment 1 from Clingmans Dome to Waterrock Knob for some time and the planets finally aligned for us to give … Continue reading Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Segment 1
After a hectic and stressful week I was in need of some trail therapy plus hoped for a real life face to face with my Facebook trail friend, Yappy who I had never met in person. She flew in from the West to hike the Benton MacKaye Trail with her hiking buddy, Worries and they … Continue reading Ahh, the Smokies in Springtime!
What comes on the heels of a successful and wonderful hike? Another hike of course! My friend Lady Slipper is staying in the area for a month, so we planned another hike to follow our recent adventure on the Foothills Trail. Lady Slipper is still toiling in the world of work, though remotely, but making … Continue reading Exploring The Shining Rock Wilderness
Lady Slipper, Songbird and I began making plans a year ago to celebrate Lady Slipper's milestone birthday somewhere on a trail. We originally had discussed New Zealand but when that became improbable, the talk moved to hiking in the Smokies, a section of the Pinhoti Trail, or possibly the Bartram-Appalachian Trail Loop. Uncertain weather, sore … Continue reading Celebration on the Foothills Trail!
I really enjoyed hiking in the snow a couple of weeks ago, so went in search of more snow on this beautiful February morning. I read that the Smokies received 12" or more and though no snow fell where I live, knew I probably just needed to head a few miles north up to the … Continue reading February hike!
In a topsy turvy year, why should I have expected my hiking plans to thru-hike the 273 mile Long Trail (LT) in Vermont to be any different. The original plan was to hike with my dear trail friend, Mudsmeller after she completed her last northern stretch on the Appalachian Trail (AT). Unfortunately, Mudsmeller had a … Continue reading An End-to-End, Flip-Flop Hike on Vermont’s Long Trail
....,sorry no children or pets for me at this stage in my life, but tell me I can adopt a trail and I'm all ears or should I say hiking boots. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park requested volunteers to adopt a trail and hike it 5 times over the year, reporting back on conditions … Continue reading I adopted…..
What is a hiker to do? The Friday Hoofers are on hiatus, my new hiking partners, Ladyslipper and Songbird are safely back in Virginia, my volunteer trail maintenance assignment in the Smokies is on hold and to top it off the Pisgah National Forest closed most trails to hiking and camping yesterday! Last week during … Continue reading In search of the elusive Hog Creek Cave Falls!
Christmas is not my favorite time of year unless children are involved and unfortunately that was not the case last year. I found myself the week before the most recent big day feeling a little out of sorts and with a bad case of itchy feet, and not caused by any fungus among us. Despite … Continue reading Curing a Case of Itchy Feet on the Florida Trail
Just a short but sweet hike today with Frolicking Dinosaur on this relatively new trail, a few miles from home in the Jocassee Gorges area. Located off the road up to Sassafras Mountain , South Carolina's highest peak, and just past where the Foothills Trail crosses the road at Chimneytop Gap. Happy New Year and … Continue reading First Day Hike 2020: Beech Bottom Falls Trail
Recent record breaking, frigid temperatures and an early snow in the Smokies created an opportunity for daughter, Klaire to snag us a spot at the Mount Leconte Lodge in the Smokies. Just so you know how difficult it is to get a reservation at the Lodge, the 2020 season is already completely booked and your … Continue reading Making “National Take a Hike Day” a five day event!
The above quote attributed to Rachel Carson, one of my heroes. Wednesday, Day 1 It drizzled rain on the 2 hour drive to the trailhead at Big Creek Campground in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, though had stopped by the time I arrived. I pondered taking my new piece of gear, an ultra lite … Continue reading “A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.”
I had planned on heading into the Balsam Mountain area of the Smokies near Cherokee in a couple of weeks, but after reading a fellow hiking bloggers post about the area, decided that there is no time like the present. The weather has been fabulous and I was in desperate need of some trail therapy. … Continue reading Hike more, worry less!
My spring automobile accident still has it's claws in me and I continue to be aggravated by a return of shoulder pain that led me to reluctantly receive another cortisone shot earlier in the week. My daughter's partner, Patrick, advised me that this would be a perfect time for him to help with his expert … Continue reading Smokies! Hiking! Massage!
So, after completing the Appalachian Trail and being inspired by hikers I met in New England who were attempting to hike all 48 of the 4000 foot mountains in New Hampshire, I set myself a local goal of hiking all the trails in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. There are approximately 800 miles of … Continue reading One step at a time in the Smokies!
She develops a serious case of Nature Deficit Disorder! Over the last several years of hiking I have been reminded several times of the fragility of life and how your path through life can turn on a dime and in the blink of an eye. My own blink of an eye moment, I could have … Continue reading What if Nemophilist can’t hike?
Ever since I moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains and became a hiking junkie, the Art Loeb Trail (ALT) has been on my radar. This 30.1 mile trail traverses a beautiful section of the Pisgah National Forest from the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp down to the Davidson River Campground near Brevard, NC. A couple … Continue reading Art Loeb Trail
I was extremely fortunate to have my daughter, Klaire and her partner, Patrick invite me to join them for a week on their winter travels. Klaire and Patrick manage his parents RV park, https://www.smokybearcampground.com/ in Gatlinburg TN. They work extremely hard during the season but then can travel during the winter months when the campground … Continue reading Amazing Arizona!
As part of my post Appalachian Trail re-entry adjustment and in an effort to keep my trail legs from atrophying, I have joined a great hiking group called the Pisgah Hikers. I have spent most Fridays with a hard core group of seasoned hikers called the Friday Hoofers. They welcomed me into their tribe and … Continue reading Friday Hoofing it on the 23 Feature Loop Hike
Word is that whatever you do on the first day of the year, you'll be doing plenty of that activity for the rest of the year, so not to tempt fate and insure that I'll be doing lots of hiking in 2019, I headed out to the Foothillls Trail a couple of miles down the … Continue reading First Day Hike 2019: Foothills Trail, Eastatoe Gorge Spur
If last years hike was challenging, this years hike was incredibly demanding with health issues threatening to derail my hike, the most difficult though beautiful section of the trail to walk, and cold weather near the conclusion. Despite all of the obstacles it was an extraordinary journey that was definitely a highlight of my life. … Continue reading Appalachian Trail 2018 Part 2
Although I have section hiked my favorite local trail multiple times, I thought a thru hike would help me regain my trail legs in preparation for my return to the Appalachian Trail later in the summer. Here is the link to the journal I kept of this hike http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/22788 … Continue reading Foothills Trail 2018