Carl “Professor” Stanfield on the Other Side of Thru-Hiking: A Summer Dream Job at an AT Hostel
Hiker hostels are one of the great treasures of America's long trails. The colorful characters and buildings that make up hostel culture can seem intimidating at first, but it usually...
Day One – Leavetaking
It Begins with Tolkien Before I start writing about my adventure I want to share a quote from the Hobbit that inspires me as I move forward. It is a...
Appalachian Trail day 1-6
Day 1 Amicalola Falls to Stover Creek Shelter (11.1) What an incredible day. It felt surreal to hike the approach trail and stand on top of Springer Mountain after dreaming...
Do I Need a Justification?
Trying to Make Some Sense With a little more than two months before I stand at the southern terminus, I've begun to think about my intentions for this thru-hike. I'll...
The Thru-Hiker’s Lexicon
Before hiking my first thru-hike in 2023, I never would have thought I needed training in hiker terminology. I have received questions from the outdoor community such as, “What does...
Step by Step: The Thru-Hike CDT Edition
My Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) thru-hiker name is Brainstorm. In 2023, I completed the PCT after graduating from school—something I had dreamed about since 2015. I remember the earlier years...
2 VERY different shelter nights on the AT
The rundown of two very different nights spent in shelters on the Appalachian Trail. One peaceful rainy evening and one snowy cold night.
What the VF?
As a novice to this space, it’s exciting to learn new things, and it starts with all the hiking lingo abbreviations many of the bloggers use on The Trek: SOBO,...
Hiking to Boots off Hostel on the Appalachian Trail
After hiking late into the night last night, I definitely wasn’t ready for an early morning. My alarms went off between 4:30am-5am but I just kept snoozing. Then I heard...
Frozen Over on the Appalachian Trail
This morning it was freezing cold waking up. My toaks cup full of water was frozen solid and so were my other water bottles. Last night I slept fine and...