A SOBO Bubble, a Timeshare, and a Good Cause

At long last and with great trepidation… we entered the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And just like every time we’ve entered a National Park on this trip, it started to rain. For four days. But just like our time in the Shenandoah National Park (AKA Joaquin’s Reign of Terror), all the hikers in the…

An Appalachian Trail Thanksgiving

Circumstance and the trail have put us exactly where we needed to be on Thanksgiving day. Because we had to backtrack to hike the section we missed while I was hurt, we found ourselves rolling into Hikers Thanksgiving in Hot Springs, NC with the sweat still drying on our backs. Miss Janet is a legendary…

Half Way and the Half Gallon Challenge

At 1,165.4 miles, we are officially past our halfway point in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia! It’s insane to think that we have come so far, and yet have so much more to go. Every time I consider the figures, I’m simultaneously proud and mystified at what I never fully believed myself capable of. But, here…

The Christening of the Treasure Hunter

One of the most well known traditions of the Appalachian Trail is the taking on of trail names. Throughout the trail, at the beginning of sections, at shelters, at certain places in trail towns, there are registers in which hikers write a note about their day and their plans. Sometimes hikers leave notes for other…