VF Prologue: Getting to Italy

VF Prologue: Getting to Italy

Thursday, April 10, 2025 Start: Edinburgh, Scotland End: Pisa, Italy Distance Traveled: 1,494 miles (via rail, bus, and airplane) Before I could begin my trek on the Via Francigena, I had to get from my home in the Pacific Northwest US to Europe. Luckily, my sister...
Why I’m Walking the Via Francigena

Why I’m Walking the Via Francigena

Amid all the chaos in the US, I’ve decided I need to escape. I cannot watch the news for one more day. I cannot continue sit here as an unelected tech billionaire systematically dismantles our democratic institutions. Nor accept the hostility being aimed toward...
9 Essential Gear items for Desert Hiking

9 Essential Gear items for Desert Hiking

I recently talked about desert hiking gear with Lauren Toner on the Trail Talk Highpointing podcast. We both love hiking in the Southwest, and episode 69 of the podcast was all about my hiking and highpointing adventures throughout the Grand Canyon State. One of the...
5 Outdoor Books I loved in 2024

5 Outdoor Books I loved in 2024

Welcome to my sixth annual list of outdoor book recommendations. Each year, I consume dozens and dozens of books. Some are fiction. Others are memoirs. And quite a few of them are books about the outdoors. While my book tastes vary based on my mood, nothing helps me...