by Paty | Oct 22, 2019 | Places & Events, Southwest US
In early October 2019, I finally got the chance to attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I’ve always wanted to see this spectacular event. But I never lived close enough to pull it off. Now that I’m living the nomadic RV life though,...
by Paty | Oct 18, 2019 | Day Hikes, Southwest US
Ask most people to describe New Mexico, and they’ll probably envision the sparsely inhabited desert scenes from the tv show Breaking Bad. Nothing but tumbleweeds blowing across miles upon miles of dirt roads and flat terrain as far as the eye can see. But head...
by Paty | Oct 11, 2019 | Southwest US, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #17 Date Visited: October 8, 2019 Route Taken: Williams Lake Trail & Wheeler Peak Trail from Taos Valley Ski Resort – 8 miles roundtrip Type of Terrain: A challenging steep trail that gains 3,000 feet over 4...
by Paty | Oct 4, 2019 | Hiking
While I was out hiking the Appalachian Trail, friends and family often asked me, “What do you plan to do when you finish?” My mother-in-law even wondered whether I planned to hike Mt. Everest, since my adventures keep getting bigger and bigger each year...
by Paty | Sep 27, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Hiking
Few things bring people together like spending every waking moment together in a challenging environment. Sharing major hardships and small victories on a journey forges a special bond. Before you know it, the people you barely knew a few weeks ago have become your...
by Paty | Sep 20, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, The South
I love metrics and stats! Anyone who’s seen the yellow AT journal I carried on my thru-hike can attest to how much I geek out on numbers. So, here’s some of the interesting facts, figures, and opinions I gathered during my thru-hike. Where I ranked among...
by Paty | Sep 18, 2019 | Northeast, US High Points
Order of Visit: High Point #16 Date Visited: September 9, 2019 Route Taken: Trail from parking area on Highway 101 (0.3 miles round-trip) Type of Terrain: Easy, flat dirt trail Elevation: 812 feet Ancestral Lands: Nahaganset, Narragansett,...
by Paty | Sep 6, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Northeast, Trail Journals
Day 126 September 5, 2019 Route: Katahdin Stream Campground (Mile 2186.8) to Baxter Peak/Mt. Katahdin (Mile 2192)Daily Mileage: 10.4 miles – round-trip to the summit and back I left off in my weekly journal with my discovery that I couldn’t...
by Paty | Sep 5, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Northeast, Trail Journals
Weekly Overview DAY 120 August 30, 2019 Route: Monson, ME (Mile 2077.5) to Long Pond (Mile 2092.6)Daily Mileage: 15.1 miles Today was my first day in the 100-Mile Wilderness, but I didn’t feel that daunting pit in my stomach that many hikers get when they...
by Paty | Aug 30, 2019 | Appalachian Trail, Northeast, Trail Journals
Weekly Overview DAY 113 August 23, 2019 Route: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To (Mile 1962.2) to Poplar Ridge Lean-To (Mile 1982.3)Daily Mileage: 20.1 miles I assumed the spot where I set my tent up last night was a pretty good indicator I really wanted to be...
