For the first time in 9 years, I have Christmas cards in the mail before Christmas Day! Woo Hoo! Christmas has been a struggle for me since my family was broken up. I know people don’t like to hear about that part, but it is completely normal for women to feel this way after abandonment– even 9 years later. This…
Category: backpacking
Dickey Gap to Damascus – Our 50 Mile Backpacking Adventure
It’s been a month since we got back from our backpacking trip on th Appalachian Trail. It was epic! I have not had time to write about it because I have been busy with work and trying to get fully staffed. It’s been rough-ish as I am hiring in 3 of my 5 divisions right now. The holidays are a…
Heading Out on 50 miles!
I got my backpack together on Sunday. I added 3L of water which weighs almost 8 pounds. Yikes. I added a complete Smartwool base layer because of the cool temperatures at night. The total weight before adding the keto muffins I baked? 41 pounds. I also need to add my vitamins. I think I will definitely need my daily vitamins…
Celebrating Our First Anniversary: A Journey of Friendship and Love
Life continues on without Shadow. The huskies seemed to be okay yesterday, but neither of them ate any breakfast this morning. Could be that they just are not hungry or they could be grieving. We went for two walks yesterday with Ghost and Ammy. The house seems a lot more quiet without grumpy grandpa. I think in retrospect, we realize…
Life Lessons Learned: The Let Them Theory and a Kayaking Adventure
Kayaking trips are something I don’t think I have blogged about much in the past. We enjoy kayaking on day trips and we also enjoy kayak camping. This past weekend, we paddled 12 miles on the Catawba River with our kayaking group. It was our 6th annual River Feast and a Toys for Tots toy drive. It was a great…
Max Patch to Hot Springs: A Backpacking Adventure
We had a great adventure last weekend. We hiked from Max Patch to Hot Springs. It ended up being just over 21 miles with an elevation gain of 2,966 ft. From the summit of Max Patch to Hot Springs has an elevation loss of about 4,629 ft heading north bound. It was a moderate hike with several ascents that were…
Exploring the Sam Knob Loop Trail
Last week at work was a beast! I got home from South Carolina Friday at 8:30pm. We had already packed our backpacks because we knew I’d be getting in late. We made a fairly quick turn around and headed to Brevard, NC. We did not roll in to Brevard until after midnight. Whew! This backpacking trip was worth the late…
Repurposing an Old Jacket into Insulated Food Pouches
We have been wanting to get food insulation pouches for quite some time, but never got around to it. You can get them for $15- $50, ranging from simple to fancy. They are not hard to find in stores or online. The insulated bags help freeze-dried food rehydrate better and keep it hot longer. I cannot attest to the fact…
My Little Red Bike 