It is hard to believe that Easter is almost here! With only 96 days until we hit the trail in Maine, we are trying to get miles in. The last time we had a quick backpacking trip planned, work blew up on that Friday and we couldn’t get any miles in. Of course, we’ve been working out here at home…
Category: hiking
Backpacking Adventures at Hungry Mother State Park
Yesterday, we traveled up to Hungry Mother State Park in Virginia to get 6 miles of backpacking in. With 107 days until Maine, we need to get more miles under our belt. We had originally planned to backpack 17 miles on the Foothills Trail this weekend, but Sean had to go out of town, so we are dog sitting our…
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…
Saying Goodbye to My Beloved Malamute: Shadow’s Journey
Tomorrow is going to be a very difficult day. Lap of Love is coming to put Shadow to sleep. Even though I knew this day was coming, nothing could prepare my heart. Eight years ago, Sean and I rescued Shadow. Shadow lived with me while Sean was away at college. The lovable malamute became my best friend. Shadow came into…
Backpacking Adventure: Carvers Gap to US 19E Recap
This past weekend, we backpacked from Carvers Gap to US 19E. We tracked our hiking miles and it ended up being a total of 17 miles. We did hike to a few water sources. Most guide books say the hike is around 15 miles. Our 17 miles did not include any walking around campsites or anything off trail. We got…
Backpacking the Appalachian Trail: A Weekend Section Hike
This coming weekend, we are planning on backpacking 14 miles on the AT. We will hike from Carvers Gap to US 19E. It’s a busy section of the trail with many hikers claiming it’s the prettiest section of the entire Appalachian Trail. That said, it is the prettiest section in North Carolina, hands down. We are excited about the change…
Top Benefits of Using Grayl Geopress: Cleaner Water on Your Adventures
I am so excited about the Grayl Geopress! While we already own a Sawyer Squeeze water filter, we decided to give the Geopress a try. The biggest reason is that it filters out viruses as well as bacteria and other pathogens. We’ve recently experienced some pretty nasty things while hiking. Dirty diapers left right at the base of a waterfall,…
Healing Through Nature: My Journey to Section Hike the Appalachian Trail
I am in South Carolina for work this week and have done a lot of driving. It’s a big state! I was in Myrtle Beach yesterday and this morning. I am now in Columbia. As I drive around for work, I listen to quite a few podcasts. If you have not checked out the Huberman Lab podcast, you need to!…
Hiking with Ear Issues: My Experience. Gear Part II.
Yesterday, we loaded our packs and headed to Hanging Rock State Park. At just over a mile on the trail, I continued to get dizzy and ended up throwing up 3 times. Not fun. I did make it back and carried my own pack over a mile after this. Whew. Do not recommend! While we were at Red River Gorge,…
70 Miles on the Appalachian Trail
We are preparing to hike a 70 mile section of the AT this coming October. It’ll be a beautiful hike with the fall foliage in full glory. I have done many, many day hikes since getting out of the military, but I haven’t done a week long ruck or hike since then. I have officially been out of the military…
My Little Red Bike 