by Paty | May 26, 2025 | Italy, Via Francigena
In February, I publicly announced my plans to walk 400+ kilometers on the Via Francigena. Soon afterward, several friends began referring to this upcoming trek as my “Italian Camino.” I can see their point of view. This new pilgrimage resembled my other...
by Paty | Apr 10, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
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...
by Paty | Mar 17, 2025 | Italy, 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...
by Paty | Mar 11, 2025 | Arizona High Points, Gear
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...
by Paty | Feb 23, 2025 | Arizona High Points, Day Hikes, Southwest US
Arizona County HP: #6 Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 4) Summit Elevation: 9,453 feet Mountain Range: Santa Rita Mountains Ancestral Lands: O’odham Jewed, Sabaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam PLANNING DETAILS...
by Paty | Jan 7, 2025 | Books
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...
by Paty | Oct 10, 2024 | Oregon High Points, West Coast
Oregon County HP: #21 Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 5) Summit Elevation: 8,027 feet Mountain Range: Northwest Great Basin Ranges Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Nüümü (Northern Paiute) PLANNING...
by Paty | Oct 2, 2024 | Oregon High Points, West Coast
Oregon County HP: #20 Difficulty: ⭐️ (on a scale of 5) Summit Elevation: 9,738 feet Mountain Range: Northwest Great Basin Ranges Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Nüümü (Northern Paiute) PLANNING DETAILS...
by Paty | Sep 22, 2024 | Colorado Trail, Rockies, Trail Journals
Mile for mile, the Colorado Trail was one of my favorite high-altitude adventures. But the elevation wasn’t the only notable thing about this epic long-distance trail. As I hiked from Denver to Durango in 2024, I tried my best to keep track of many of the...
by Paty | Sep 19, 2024 | Colorado Trail, Rockies, Trail Journals
When I began my Colorado Trail thru-hike in Waterton Canyon on July 23, 2024, I started out hiking alone. This is pretty typical of my approach to long trails. But it didn’t take long to form a trail family on this 500-mile journey. For the first few days, I...
