8/2/2023 Wednesday I woke after a peaceful sleep in the narrow valley. I could hear the creek rushing nearby. No winds came in the night to shift the dead trees. I had been thinking of something my dentist and friend in Pittsburgh once said to me about why they crown teeth that have been treated Continue reading

8/1/2023 Tuesday The storms last night were terrifying. I woke at various points to lightning, thunder, rain, and hail. I felt deeply what I was: all alone on a vast tundra shielded by two aluminum poles and some polyester fabric. Continue reading

7/31/2023 Monday It wouldn’t have mattered if I had wanted to get up at 3AM this morning to avoid weather. The rains came and went right through the night and morning. By 8AM it was still cloudy and gray and spritzing. I waited an extra hour to leave, to honor my promise from yesterday not Continue reading

7/30/2023 Sunday Four days ago, I proceeded onto the Colorado Trail with supreme confidence. I’d already hiked nearly 600 miles on this trail in 2020 and 2022, with many more miles of alpine foot travel besides. But everybody gets spanked now and again by the mountains, and today was my day. Continue reading

7/29/2023 Saturday The morning cool was perfectly comfortable at my 12K elevation campsite near Willow Creek. I got an actual, honest-to-goodness, voluntary early start. I spent my pleasant morning in a valley full of massive mountains surrounded by valleys full of other massive mountains. It’s just endless. Totally endless. Continue reading

7/28/2023 Friday Today was such a varied adventure, with an opportunity to develop my storm dodging skills. Continue reading

7/27/2023 Thursday I hadn’t realized that this was a disliked part of the CT. Commenters in the navigation app, and other hikers on trail today, suggest that what comes after mile 340 is much better. I’m not there yet but today’s walk certainly marked a transition in the landscape. Continue reading

7/26/2023 Wednesday Yesterday, on the drive to Gunnison, Dad marveled at the views. We can see snow, he pointed out, but we’re roasting in the sun. That’s the magic of altitude. I mean science. That’s the science of altitude. Continue reading

There’s this weird instinct that I get after about three weeks into any long hike. It’s a nesting instinct. I start thinking about all the changes I want to make to our house. It becomes a way to cope with homesickness—I walk the trail and dwell pleasantly on all the changes Benny and I might Continue reading

I’m back in Colorado and resting at home. It’s been a lovely few days with Ben, who’d expected to wait another two months to see me. Preparations for my Colorado Trail Flip Finale continue apace! Continue reading

7/11/2023 Tuesday There’s no clear pathway to Maine. Vermont is under a state of emergency and they’re having terrible flooding there—VT is already notorious for muddy tread. Many creeks and rivers will be impassable and require lengthy reroutes by road. I desire a straightforward, classic, enjoyable journey. Continue reading

7/9/2023 Sunday Forecasts of late say more or less the same thing: it’s probably going to rain, maybe a lot. Which days it will actually rain is unclear. We’ve had whole dry days when the forecast spoke of inches of rain. That was not today. Today was some of the heaviest, most sustained rain I’ve Continue reading

7/8/2023 Saturday Mission: rest day. I overrode some tiredness yesterday to do a few of the rockier bits of southern NY in the dry weather. Not that it has at any point felt dry, on account of the endless non-evaporating sweat. Continue reading

7/7/2023 Friday The Lost and Found Hostel is a welcoming place—I felt welcomest where the AC was a blowin’! I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to hike in the heat today. Continue reading

7/6/2023 Thursday I enjoyed a nice leisurely morning. Ana was puttering around the house when I came downstairs. I got a selfie with Ana and her cattle dog, Lucy, who is a little bit sweet on me since I stayed with her and kept her safe during the fireworks. Continue reading

7/5/2023 Wednesday I was on the trail by nine. No rain in the forecast but plenty of heat. There’s still enough moisture in the ground (and in the trees) to keep the humidity nice and thick. Continue reading

7/4/2023 Tuesday I got poor Ana up early and we shuttled a car to a trailhead. That way I could drive myself back to their house after my hike today. On the drive through Unionville we saw many other backpackers. My question for Ana: do you think I can pass for one of them? Continue reading

7/3/2023 Monday Ana and Art—my friends who picked me up last night—took me out for a rich dinner and then back to a lovely forested home for climate controlled conversation and sleep. Continue reading