A few of you kind souls have asked about sending care packages while I’m on the trail…to which I respond with a resounding yes and thank you. I haven’t been very good about planning ahead more than a couple days at a time, but that’s getting easier. So in my blogs, I’m going to start … More Mail Drops
Since leaving Hot Springs… Day 35: Hot Springs to Spring Mountain Shelter, 10.9 miles. Day 36: Spring Mountain Shelter to Jerry Cabin Shelter, 15.4 miles. Day 37: Jerry Cabin Shelter to unnamed campsite, 12.8 miles. Day 38: Unnamed campsite to Bald Mountain Shelter, 12.1 miles Day 39: Bald Mountain Shelter to Erwin, Tennessee, 16.4 miles. … More Tennessee
This one’s about how part of the Appalachian Trail experience includes spooning with strangers. Scattered all up and down the trail, usually about 6-12 miles apart, are little shelters built by volunteer crews. They’re three-sided structures, usually made of wood, with a roof and an open front. Some are small and simple, maybe with a … More Shelter Life
Since leaving Fontana… Day 24: Fontana Dam to Mollies Ridge Shelter, 11 miles (entering the Smokies). Day 25: Mollies Ridge Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter, 12 miles. Day 26: Derrick Knob Shelter to Double Spring Gap Shelter, 7.2 miles. Day 27: Double Spring Gap Shelter to Icewater Spring Shelter, 13.8 miles. Day 28: Icewater Spring … More Smoky Days
Since leaving Franklin… Day 18: Winding Stair Gap to Wayah Bald Shelter, 11 miles. Day 19: Wayah Bald Shelter to Wesser Bald Shelter, 10.6 miles. Day 20: Wesser Bald Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), 5.9 miles. Day 21: NOC to Sassafras Gap Shelter, 6.7 miles. Day 22: Sassafras Gap Shelter to Cable Gap Shelter, … More Snow Days
Since leaving the Blueberry Patch Hostel… Day 13: Dicks Creek Gap to Muskrat Creek Shelter, crossing first state line (11.8 miles) Day 14: Muskrat Creek Shelter to Standing Indian Shelter (4.9 miles) Day 15: Standing Indian Shelter to Carter Gap Shelter (7.6 miles) Day 16: Carter Gap Shelter to Winding Stair Gap (15.9 miles) “Hey … More North Carolina
I won’t even bother with a daily breakdown since my last update. Since leaving the hotel, I’ve walked a total of 16.7 miles…which will hopefully be around my daily average after not too much longer. The morning of my first full day back on the trail, I woke up to a downpour that, in the … More Slow Days
I’m perfecting my “Look how beautiful it is” gaze for when I stop to catch my breath and let someone pass. They think I’m being all contemplative and stuff, really I’m just trying not to die. I am becoming an expert at snot rockets. Wednesday was the first night I had to break out my … More Stray Observations
(If you missed the first update last night, you can read that here.) Have I ever told you that I have the coolest sisters in the world? Caroline and I drove through the night last Thursday in time for a Friday breakfast with friends, then, after an unplanned off-road adventure, we reached Amicalola Falls State … More Amicalola Falls to Unicoi Gap
There’s a funny scene in the first or second episode of Orange is the New Black, when one of the other inmates laughs at Piper for thinking she knows what to expect from life in prison because she’s read books about jail. I’ve been thinking about that this week because, no matter how much I … More Week One
Water Tower Graffiti 