It was over before it began. Almost. To be accurate, it was over six hours after it began. On the bright side, I’ve hiked 1% of the Mountain-to-Sea Trail. On the indifferent side, there is a high likelihood that I will never hike the other 99%. On Sunday, my mom drove me two hours down … Continue reading
One year ago today, I stepped foot on Springer Mountain, the Appalachian Trail’s southern terminus in Georgia, and began walking north. It feels like a lifetime ago. In the same breath, I remember everything about that first day. The blindingly white snow that lined the road en route. The waterfalls of ice on the treacherous … Continue reading
I’ve spent about twenty seven minutes (give or take) planning for this newest hike on the Mountain-to-Sea Trail, and I’m just about ready. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating – but not by much. I guess I’ve had enough time in the preceding months to reflect on my Appalachian Trail thru hike to figure out what worked … Continue reading
Mountain-to-Sea Trail: a simple footpath stretching almost 1,000 miles across North Carolina from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks. Hear ye, hear ye. I’ve decided to finally get off my lazy butt and do something physical again. In case you’ve never read my dribble before, hi! In … Continue reading
The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and I know that means many to-be thru hikers are in the market for gear. I can’t blame you. I spent hours upon hours this time last year searching for seasonal deals on websites like Sierra Trading Post, REI, and backcountry.com, not to mention a dozen or more visits … Continue reading
Over the six months and eleven days that I was eating my way from Georgia to Maine, I had a total of 24 mail drops sent. I would also go to grocery stores to supplement with fresh items such as cheese, eggs, and fruit as well as grab a few items here and there from … Continue reading
In the beginning of March, I was frantically getting together all of my gear and finishing up last-minute preparations for my thru hike. It’s hard for me to believe, re-reading my blog post from then (click here to read), that that was less than nine months ago. It feels like a lifetime. In any case, … Continue reading
I know this may come as a surprise to some of you, seeing as I am a rugged, trail-worn mountain woman (just go with me here), but I am – how shall we say – a nerd. Nerd Jor has been in hiding for a while, mostly because she’s been busy trying not to unceremoniously … Continue reading
A solid week ago now, Lentil texted me, demanding, and I quote: “Update your damn blog already!!!” Despite the friendly chiding, I was still preoccupied with my post-AT adventures. And since I had been solidifying these plans for a while pre-Katahdin, I couldn’t just interrupt them to write a blog post, if you’ll excuse my … Continue reading
March 7, 2013 – September 18, 2013 I’ll share more in the following days, but I wanted to let you all know that I summited Katahdin yesterday as the 462nd thru-hiker for 2013, six months and eleven days after I started at Springer Mountain. Thank you all for your support, from trail magic to letters … Continue reading
My Meandering Trail 