I first met Derick Lugo, who went by Mr. Fabulous back in those days, on the Appalachian Trail in 2012. We were both bright-eyed thru-hikers with our sights set to Maine. He was not yet an author and I was not yet a blogger. While I don’t recall our first encounter, I do recall the…
I’m branching out of my usual hiking related content today to share with the youngsters out there (can I use that word now that I’m 30?) 30 things I learned by the age of 30. I turned 30 back in January so I’m a little late to the game on this one. However one of…
I remember when I landed my first out of state seasonal job after college. I announced to my family that I was moving to Colorado to work at a pizza shop in a ski town. They thought I was wasting my time and education. Seven years later, they probably still think the same thing. I’m…
It’s been 8 years now that I’ve been into wilderness backpacking. I’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail, walked across Nepal’s Himalaya, worked as a wilderness guide in Utah, and had plenty of shorter adventures in between. I’ve also been told recently to put more emotion into my blog posts. Therefore, I’m sharing with you guys the…
You know the bro-hiker type, though he comes in many different forms. Maybe he’s got an ultra-light pack and wants to give you unsolicited advice on your gear choices and why his are better, citing everything in his pack to the gram even though you didn’t ask. Or he’s the dude at the campsite grilling…
This post is sponsored in partnership with REI and the Force of Nature campaign. All opinions are my own. This year, REI has launched their Force of Nature campaign with the goal of leveling the playing field for women in the outdoors. More often than not, it’s men who’s stories of outdoor accomplishments are told…
This is the eighth full month that I’ve been living out of my car, and what a crazy experience it’s been. I’m currently considering getting an apartment because my car is nearing the end of it’s life and I don’t want to buy another. Before I do that though, I thought I would share the…
Ruby McConnell had me by the introduction to her new book, A Woman’s Guide to the Wild: Your Complete Outdoor Handbook. She writes about feeling like she needed to earn her place as an outdoorsperson and how she often made poor decisions in the wilderness for the approval of her male counterparts. Through years of experience,…
I just finished my ridge runner training week in Connecticut, and I will be spending the summer working along the Appalachian Trail. I’m excited for the opportunity to give back to the trail. The most asked question we get is… What is a ridge runner? The short answer is I am a glorified trash lady/…
It seems like I’m constantly hearing talk about how the outdoor industry doesn’t do a good enough job producing women’s gear, such as in this Appalachian Trials article. Or more particularly, the women’s gear they do produce primarily comes in colors like bright pink and vomit-hued pastels. And often when outdoor retailers do make quality…