In just fourteen days, we’re heading out on the trail in Maine! The freeze dryer is still humming along! We’re in the final stages of getting everything ready, especially since I’ll be in Chicago for work next week. I was bummed to hear that the cherry orchid didn’t produce any cherries this past year because of the freeze. We ended…
Tag: hiking
Gear Preview: New Smartwool Intraknit All-Season Leggings for the 100-Mile Wilderness
Hey friends! With our big 100-Mile Wilderness + Katahdin hike starting July 5 (my birthday 🎂), I’ve been fine-tuning my clothing system. I’m a huge fan of Smartwool — I basically live in it every day — so when I saw the new Women’s Intraknit All-Season Base Layer Bottoms in lavender, I hit “buy” pretty quickly. I’ll be honest: the…
Adventures in Hiking: Lessons Learned on the Rock Castle Gorge Trail
Where does the time go? I have been traveling quite a bit for work recently and have not had time to write about our adventures. And boy howdy have we had a few of them. On Memorial Day weekend, we went to carb day at the Indy 500 (Friday) and attended the race that Sunday. It was a great race…
Foothills Trail Journey: Tackling Ticks and Camping Challenges
This past weekend, we backpacked 21 miles on the Foothills Trail and made a loop using the Chattooga trail to make a loop. This area is COVERED in Lone Star ticks. We pilled over 50 ticks off of us and Ghost. After washing our shirts, there was still one alive and kicking, too. You have to use boiling water to…
Farm to Freeze-Dryer: Fresh Strawberries!
71 days until we hit the trail in Maine! Things are slowly coming along. Marty got the bag that will hold his hydration bladder inside his pack. His tube wouldn’t fit from the outside pocket to the front of his pack when it is fully packed, so he ordered a pouch/sling to hold it inside his backpack. Hopefully it works…
Why Smartwool Leggings are a Hiker’s Best Choice
Hello! The new client rollout went very smoothly for the first two days. Whew! The first few days are always the roughest with any rollout and I am thankful that it went well. I love my job SO much. It is a blessing to have such an amazing job with a great company. I am always amazed when I look…
Easter Weekend Camping: Gear, Food, and Scenic Trails
We took off work a little early from work on Friday so that we could get to the trailhead and get to a campsite. We needed to get back early Saturday so that we could celebrate Easter with Sean. It’s been hard fitting in backpacking around our work schedule, that’s for sure. I want to make sure that I’m in…
Easter Hiking Plans
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…
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…
Journey to Mile 0 of the Appalachian Trail
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…
My Little Red Bike 