Well, today marks the day that I first cried on the side of a mountain. Kelly Knob - you beat me going up and you beat me going down. This was our second Tuesday on trail and our second miserable Tuesday morning. It rained all night Monday night. Everything was soaking wet and we had no choice but to get up in the rain and pack up soaking wet tents, food, gear. To make matters worse, our tent fly failed in the rain, causing it to fold inward...
We are officially 8 days away from our departure for Amicalola Falls & the start of our Appalachian Trail adventure! I am frantically packing resupply boxes (more about that later), organizing gear, and ordering things from REI. Packages are arriving at our doorstep by the dozens. So, what am I doing tonight - 8 days before we leave - while my dining room is covered in boxes and our guest bedroom is covered in gear? Why uploading my first...
I did not grow up in a very outdoorsy family. We enjoyed summer vacations and Spring Breaks in Florida. We played outside in the summer, and we even went camping...like four times!But it wasn't until I met Matthew that I was truly introduced to the outdoorsy life. We went camping within a month of meeting. We camped on the dunes at Assateague National Lakeshore - in a tent with a broken zipper. We froze. And then checked into a hotel. We...
We're at the point in our planning where we are conquering the acquisition of "The Big Three". The most important items for a long distance backpacking trip.The backpackers Big Three consists of their:1. Shelter2. Backpack3. Sleep system (sleeping bag & pad)Those who are 'in the know' tell us that The Big Three is the place to invest funds and not to cut corners. So I have been researching and reading and comparing. There is a lot to...
Spoiler alert: No one died. Background: Matthew spends his Fridays at estate sales. He loves hunting for the bargains - opening old, moldy boxes - climbing through dirty barns - sorting through a hoarded basement. Over the years he has found many treasures - a single Wisconsin Fishing & Scouting pin that was the envy of the most dedicated of collectors, real samurai swords, artwork by famous artists that I've never heard of before, and first...
Every summer our family takes a two week vacation in August. By and large these vacations have included camping in National Parks. We have been out West, we have been out East, we have been up North. However, all but one of these trips have been car camping adventures. Our family is very experienced with car camping in all of its forms - quick weekend trips to Indiana Dunes National Park, primitive camping at Echo Lake in Dinosaur National...
It's officially April 2021...that means that the next time we see March on the calendar, it will be time to head to Springer, Georgia! That's surreal to think about.Matthew had his official meeting with his church council and they voted to allow him to take a 5 month Sabbatical from March-August 2022. That was a HUGE hurtle to clear. He has an incredible Sabbatical Team who support him 100%. A few of them attended the meeting as a support...
It's not just a play on a classic song - dreams of the AT have started to infiltrate my dreams. I have dreamed of heavy packs, many waterfalls, tents, gear, and fellow hikers.We had several weeks of sub-zero weather here in the Chicagoland area and more than 3 feet of snow in 3 weeks. It was a long slog through the month of February. But now March is on the immediate horizon and with it brings 1 year until we leave for the trail!Our future...
A common statement that I am reading when I am researching all things Appalachian Trail is HYOH - Hike Your Own Hike. Don't worry about what other people are doing, wearing, packing, planning. Don't worry about the mileage of others on the trail, the length of their stride, the states they have already passed through. This hike is about you - your journey, your process, your experience.Sounds lovely.But, with a little over a year until our...
Our dream to thru hike the Appalachian Trail began way back in the early 2000s. I already own an AT patch! (purchased in 2016 at the ATC Headquarters in Harper's Ferry, WV)Matthew and I met in Princeton, New Jersey. New Jersey hosts a small, but rugged, stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Matthew had several opportunities to hike NJ and PA sections of the trail, sometimes backpacking, sometimes day hiking. We began dreaming of an opportunity...
