by Paty | Feb 21, 2022 | Arizona Trail, Gear, West Coast
It’s been a few years now since started long-distance hiking. And over that time, I’ve made a lot of changes to my gear set-up. I moved from a sleeping bag to a quilt. I started with a semi-freestanding tent, then moved to a single-walled trekking pole...
by Paty | Oct 21, 2021 | Books, Gear, Oregon Coast Trail
Do you want to know my biggest challenge while thru-hiking the Oregon Coast Trail (or OCT)? It wasn’t the road walks along busy Highway 101. Nor was it the long stretches of solitude without a trail family. It wasn’t even trying to time the ocean’s...
by Paty | Sep 19, 2021 | Gear, Timberline Trail, West Coast
My 40-mile trek around Mt. Hood was my last backpacking trip of the 2021 season. The mid-September weather was still dry and warm, so I was able to pack pretty light for this adventure. Nonetheless, I still wanted to try out a few pieces of gear that weren’t on...
by Paty | Jul 19, 2021 | Gear, Oregon Coast Trail, West Coast
Packing for the Oregon Coast in June/July was a much more daunting challenge than I ever expected. First up, I wanted to pack appropriately for the weather conditions. Locals joke that there are only two seasons on the Oregon Coast: (1) rainy or (2) windy. I’d...
by Paty | May 27, 2021 | Gear, Mt. Whitney
Trying to summit Mt. Whitney right in the middle of May can be a rough time of the year for an adventure. Lucky for me, the Sierras had below average snowfall this past winter, which meant less ice and snow to deal with above 10,000′. Consequently, I was able to...
by Paty | Mar 12, 2021 | Gear
It’s 2021 and I’m super ready to start the hiking season! I’ve been planning my tail off, in fact. Although the pandemic is still quashing my super long trail dreams of hiking the PCT or CDT, I am still excited to sink my teeth into a few shorter and middle-distance...
