Thru-Hiking the Great Divide Trail Article

Summer is approaching and I soon will be returning to bring you 9 months of backpacking! I have exciting trips and updates on the way in the coming weeks before I set off. Until then, here is an article that I just had published on TrailGroove Magazine about the Great Divide Trail. Man, I love that trail! Not sure anything can top it, but I'm sure going try this summer with the high routes I have planned...

Click the photo to read the GDT article on TrailGroove

Thru-Hiking The Tahoe Rim Trail Article

Those of you that missed it this past summer, I teamed up with the incomparably awesome Why Not and Rockin' to hike the 173mi trail over 9 days. The latest issue of TrailGroove Magazine was released this week including an article I wrote about our Tahoe Rim Trail experience. In the article, I also explain why I think the Tahoe Rim Trail is one of the best "shorter" long distance backpacking experiences out there. Especially for those looking to hone their skills and try out a quite varied long distance trail experience.

Click photo to read the article on TrailGroove.

This is also a great preview to what my summer will hold. This fun trio will be teaming up yet again this summer as Why Not and Rockin' will be joining me on both the Sierra High Route (end of June-ish) and then the Wind River High Route (mid/late July). So excited to do these routes with Rockin' and Why Not!

With Rockin' and Why Not atop Twin Peaks side summit on the TRT.

While I tend to take the off season away from hiking, Rockin' and Why Not have been quite busy! Why Not recently completed hiking New Zealand's 1,800mi Te Araroa Trail that I aim to do next winter (read her daily journal here)...and as usual, Rockin' takes advantage to get out almost every weekend (whew!) and just spent spring break on a leg of the Hayduke (Rockin's daily journal here) with my friends Drop-N-Roll and Bubbles(follow their Hayduke thru-hike here). The spring weather and sun has just recently arrived here in Portland and I'm starting to get that wanderlust back in me...oh boy, it's gonna be quite a year ahead!

Reflecting On The Triple Crown

The second part of my interview with Gizmo from the Sounds of the Trail podcast is now available. For those of you bummed to be missing out on my presentations, this is a great opportunity to hear some of what I talk about in my presentations. In this particular episode, I talk about the Triple Crown experience and the overarching personal journey I had over those 7,600mi of trail. My interview is halfway through, but the whole episode is a great listen! If you missed the previous episode, here's the link to that one as well. Enjoy!

Sounds of the Trail: The Key Players (Starts at 24:30 mark)

Sharing The Journey

Those of you that have been following since the beginning of this blog will especially enjoy this post. You all know how much purpose I've found in sharing the journey I've been on since 2011, when I started thru-hiking. Although I don't post about my daily personal life (pretty much working a ton when not hiking to save for the next hike!), I do enjoy sharing the trail in various ways during the off season with articles, presentations, and podcasts. I'm happy to share two new things with you all...

Sounds of the Trail Podcast!
I was recently a guest in a very special episode of the Sounds of the Trail Podcast titled, "This Is Why We Do It." Sounds of the Trail is consistently ranked as one of the top podcasts in the category of Outdoor Podcasts on iTunes. This particular episode really is a MUST LISTEN for anyone seeking to be inspired and motivated to live this one life to its fullest!!! It is only 30mins long and be sure to listen to the full episode to really understand why this episode is so great. Warning, you may cry, so save it for the drive home from work rather than the drive to work if you don't want to arrive all puffy-eyed. Thank you to host Gizmo for the opportunity to contribute to such a inspiring podcast and for showing the true heart of thru-hiking and living one's dreams. The episode is linked above and embedded below, but if you'd like to download it from iTunes, here is the link to that.
Sounds of the Trail: This Is Why We Do It

**Special Presentation Announcement!**

Those of you that listened to the above podcast, and want to hear more about how thru-hiking has impacted me personally, this is the presentation for you. On March 14th, I will be doing a special presentation that is a culmination of all three of my hikes that comprise hiking's Triple Crown. Before I advertise this more on other platforms, I want to be sure to first tell those who are devoted followers. Seating is limited, and is expected to reach full capacity, so I want to give blog followers a chance to register before the general public. REI Portland has started to host monthly presentations to larger crowds in a more social atmosphere at the Lucky Lab (Quimby). I'm honored that I've been selected to present for one of these special evenings, and I'm especially excited to give THIS presentation.

Many of you may have already attended my presentations on these trails individually, but this is going to be different. Yes, I may recall some of the same stories and experiences, but this will focus more on my overarching personal journey over the years of completing the Triple Crown. The transformation and life lessons learned as I went from a relatively newbie backpacker to a Triple Crowner. Here's the link to register for the FREE presentation. Please only register if you truly plan to attend so you aren't taking the spot from someone else. Note that the event begins at 6pm, so people have time to get food/drinks, but the presentation won't begin until 6:30pm if you're worried about making it in time from work. I look forward to seeing everyone there for this truly special presentation.

Thru-Hiking the Hayduke Trail Article

I wrote an article about the Hayduke Trail for the awesome online magazine, TrailGroove Magazine. TrailGroove had yet to feature the Hayduke Trail, so I was happy to introduce it to a whole new audience. The article is a reflection and summary on my Hayduke experience, along with some of the high and low points of the trail. Seeing all the photos on the full screen layout is always great! In the next two months, I'll have an article on each the Tahoe Rim Trail and Great Divide Trail in TrailGroove Magazine as well. A note about this particular article, after the content and map portion, keep turning the pages. There are two more spreads of some of my favorite photos from the trail to flip through. Remember that TrailGroove Magazine is best viewed in full screen or presentation mode on your computer. Enjoy!

Click photo to read the full article on TrailGroove.com

FREE Navigation Instruction Videos!
While on the topic of the Hayduke, I've had many people ask me about that transition to routes that require a stronger navigation skill set. It can be intimidating and even with the courses I've taken, I often worry that I'm doing something wrong or that I need a refresher from time to time. My friend John, who I learned navigation from at the Mazamas in Portland, Oregon has created some excellent instructional videos that cover everything clearly and concisely. They were published by the Columbia River Orienteering Club and are an amazing resource! These instructional videos are just as good (or better!) than any class you can take on navigation and I highly recommend them. Mad props to John and the CROCs for providing these for FREE to the public!!!

Click Here for the link to all the instructional videos below....
Wilderness Navigation #1: Parts of a Compass
Wilderness Navigation #2: Red In The Shed
Wilderness Navigation #3: Taking a Compass Bearing
Wilderness Navigation #4: Following a Compass Bearing
Wilderness Navigation #5: Measuring a Compass Bearing From a Map
Wilderness Navigation #6: Plotting a Compass Bearing on a Map
Wilderness Navigation #7: Orienting Your Map
Wilderness Navigation #8: Using a Finger Scale
Wilderness Navigation #9: Adjusting Declination
Wilderness Navigation #10: Deciphering Declination
Wilderness Navigation #11: UTM Coordinates
Wilderness Navigation #12: Contours and Elevation
Wilderness Navigation #13: Contours and Terrain
Wilderness Navigation #14: Map Scale
Wilderness Navigation #15: Smartphone Tools for Wilderness Navigation