One hundred and nineteen days until Maine. One day shy of 4 months isn’t as far away as it seems. We are working on getting some more backpacking miles under our belt before time slips away. The best way to build endurance is by getting out there and doing it. Lugging the pack up challenging inclines prepares the mind and…
Exploring Bald River Falls Gorge and Scenic Trails
We had an AMAZING weekend. While things did not go according to plan, we still got a great backpacking adventure into the weekend. The campsite we were originally going to be staying at ended up being closed. It happens sometimes. We get there and the bar is down, blocking the entrance. We had originally planned on staying at Holly Flats…
Balancing Keto and Fitness Goals in 2026
I hope you had a happy St. Valentine’s Day! I got up early yesterday morning to work and then ran some errands. I got a few treats for Sean and Marty. We do follow a strict keto diet on most days, but on holidays, we do allow ourselves to have some treats. We keep an eye on Marty’s bloodwork and…
Freeze-Drying Journey: Creating Meals for the Trails
I made it back from Missouri and my time has been filled with work and more work. I got home prior to the ice storm, then I worked Sunday to get Monday’s work rescheduled due to weather for the next week. The new client rollout in Missouri went well. I didn’t have any time to see any sights there, but…
Hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness and Summiting Katahdin: Preparing for the Challenge
Happy Sunday! I am in a small town in Tennessee this morning. I stopped here last night as I make my way to Missouri for work this week to help roll out a new client. Flying on an airline is not my thing. After the last crazy flights to and from Oregon, I decided that anything that is 13 hours…
173 Days to Monson!
Happy Wednesday! Only 173 days until we hit the trail in Monson, Maine! Less than 6 months to go. Woo! It seems so close, but yet so far away. It takes a lot of planning to get to day one on the trail, so we are deep into planning mode right now. We are working out the details of each…
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Fixed: My First Hiking Experience
Happy New Year! Yesterday, we backpacked to the summit of Mt. Jefferson to test out my new gear and my new ear. I was going to title this post, “Testing New Gear and My New Ear in the New Year,” but I refrained. Ha ha. The elevation of the summit is 4,665 ft, which is a good test of the…
A New Ear for the New Year
Happy New year! I’ve got a new ear for a new year! I got a tube put into my ear today. It was a complete surprise. I wasn’t expecting a tube when I made this ENT appointment six months ago! It’s a very weird sensation to have your ear drum numbed. It took several hours to wear off.And…..as many times…
River Update
He will be able to be neutered with a special anesthesia protocol. He does have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.His murmur is grade IV/VI. He will stay on the blood thinner and after he is neutered, we will add a second med. They can’t tell us how fast it will progress. The second medication will help relax the heart muscle. The findings: -There…
Arrived! LiteAF Backpack: Lightweight Gear for Hiking Adventures
On the 5th day of Christmas, the postman brought to me my LiteAF backpack that I ordered back in October! I was so excited that it arrived almost one month early. It weighs in at 48 ounces and takes off 3.5 pounds from my other backpacking backpack. This will significantly help me keep my total pack weight below 40 pounds…
My Little Red Bike 