Highline Trail Day 1

Highline Trail Day 1

Wednesday – 4/12/2023 Start: Pine Trailhead End: Chase Creek Distance: 17.6 miles + 1.6 mile walk out of Payson (19.2 miles total) I just couldn’t get comfortable in the back of the cramped Kia Soul rental car last night, and I spent the night frustrated as...
Highline Trail: The Prelude

Highline Trail: The Prelude

Tuesday – 4/11/2023 Start: Eugene, OR End: 260 Trailhead (near Payson, AZ) Mileage: 1,200 miles by air + 109 miles by rental car When planning my weeklong getaway to central Arizona this Spring, I knew I wanted two things. The first goal was to feel some warm...
A Little, tiny Heart Condition

A Little, tiny Heart Condition

If you’ve read my trail journals, you know I encountered a fairly scary health issue in 2022. I was on an 8-day hiking and climbing expedition in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. A few days earlier, we’d summited the highest mountain in the state –...
5 Adventure books to get you through Winter 2023

5 Adventure books to get you through Winter 2023

Welcome to my fifth annual winter reading list! Each winter, I recommend a few outdoor-related books to keep my friends motivated for the upcoming hiking season. As an avid reader, I enjoy fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and just about everything in between. Yet...
Camino del Norte Packing List

Camino del Norte Packing List

This was my second long-distance walk on Spain’s Camino de Santiago. I hiked both the Camino Frances and Camino Finisterre in September 2018 (you can find that year’s packing list HERE), and I probably could have used the same exact items for the Camino...
Day 31: A Sunday In Madrid

Day 31: A Sunday In Madrid

October 16, 2022 The prior three Sundays I walked in Spain were filled with frustration over closed (or late-opening) bars and cafes. But my experience today was remarkably different. I was in the capital city of Madrid, with all the hustle and bustle of any major...