I'm sure many of you are familiar with Jim Carrey's version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Iconic. My brother believed that Amelia, my oldest, resembled Cindy Lu Who from the original Dr Seuss version. So much so that, 9 years ago, he created this: Poor Cindy Lu Who. Look at her face. She has woken up on Christmas morning to realize that Christmas has been stolen. Now in the Jim Carrey version it is at this time when sweet, bereft, Cindy...
Dozens of times each day I find myself stepping to the side of the trail to allow another hiker to pass by. Sometimes these are South-bound hikers who are coming down a steep trail. Trail etiquette states that the trail is yielded to the hiker going up. However, I am quick to jump to the side of the trail to allow someone to come down. It gives me a moment or two to catch my breath on the ascent. However, more often than not, the hikers passing...
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...
(Disclaimer: none of us had hypothermia. Don't worry, mom.) We now hike with Max the Mouse. Max was bequeathed to our family by a sweet old man at our first shelter. Pearwood approached us with a lime green knit hat atop his head, "Are you headed to Katahdin? I was, but I'm not anymore. But Max needs to get there." So into Charlotte's pack went Max. Max's courier was not the only one who left the trail after that first night. The trail tested...
Matthew and I knew that we were taking our daughters out of school and away from their peers for 5 months. That reality was not lost on us and we seriously considered the repercussions of our choice. But we so wanted our girls to have the experience of the trail and the community that hikes it. And I will say that in the first 4 days, my prayers for my daughters have been answered in abundance. Charlotte was so excited to experience "trail...
We have now reached one day before we leave for the Appalachian Trail. And I am currently sitting in our dining room (as I have been all day, every day. All. Day. Every. Day.) surrounded by gear. First aid, electronics, water filters, quick-dry towels, micro spikes, and a small pile of four headlamps. These headlamps are taking on a new significance for me this evening. pile of headlamps, waiting to be packed into packs Everything has felt like...
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...
