Sep 7, 2026
The End
Follow me to Maine!
Northbound Appalachian Trail thru-hike / Georgia to Maine
Map
The full route stays visible from day one, and pinned check-ins appear once the hike starts.
Spotlight
Featured trail moments and standout snapshots from the trip.
Sep 7, 2026
Journal
Open any entry without leaving the homepage. Entry numbers match the mileage log below, and older updates scroll sideways.
Sep 8, 2026
This will be my last post on this site – tomorrow I head back down to Florida (well-before Jaylen’s 9th birthday, I might add. And a massive thank you and shoutout to Grace for taking such good care of him in my absence), and I thought it important to share a summary of the hike, for anyone curious or wanting a ‘highlight reel’ of the journey. I took my favorite moments on the trail, my biggest challenges, and my big life-changing takeaways (so far) having just completed it yesterday. It’s very detailed and deeply personal, but I tried my best as usual to keep it light and fun. Better to get these things recorded while it is still fresh in-mind.
Before I share that, I just want to share a few words of thanks, to every single person that followed along on the journey and supported me and paid attention. And to everyone whom I met on the trail, who provided me with more than I could have ever imagined… I don’t know if I could have done it without you all. There are incredible people scattered around the whole country: family and strangers and friends and coworkers and hikers, and more than anytime in my life, I have felt immense love and gratitude for my fellow humans.
I got sent off in the coolest, most wholesome way possible in FL, then you all watched me spread my wings and tackle my 2026 Misogi (Shinto purification/renewal ritual which in Western culture manifests as a personal annual challenge with a ~50-50 chance you might fail), cheering me on every step of the way, and I’ll never forget that. It has lifted my spirit in ways I didn’t know were possible.
Re: this site, I’ve loved writing since I was little. I’ve kept a journal since I was a teenager. It’s one of my absolute favorite things in the world to do. The trail showed me how amazingly interesting and impactful people can be when they are unapologetically authentic and not afraid of “letting their freak flags fly”… So please share your gifts and superpowers with the world! You never know the chain reaction it might start. Hopefully you all got a kick out of mine.
I’ll end it here, because the post below is my longest yet:
– Whack-A-Mole, signing off. Much love. 🐭🥊💥
//
As the hike comes to an end, I’ve spent time thinking about my favorite parts. Like in most things, it is a lot of little moments (common themes: people, food, animals, friends/family, novel experiences). I figure I’ll list some for future reference while it’s still relatively fresh in my mind. Here we go, and in no particular order:
* Seeing an owl and a squirrel play chicken on a tree, then only to watch the owl fly away, then come back and swoop it up in its talons just moments afterwards
* Having dinner and staying the night with the Hoopers in VT – seeing family while on trail was such a morale boost!
* All the wild blueberries that started somewhere in Pennsylvania or NJ and followed us for hundreds of miles. Distracting, but so, so tasty.
* I was so excited to get my AT thru-hiker hangtag like a total nerd, then after I got it, I stopped caring about it. But I still have it, and that’s cool
* Getting breakfast at Mountain Harbour B&B with On It after a really tough rainy hiking day over the Roan Highlands; keeping pace with two fast hikers (for a day)
* Getting a perfect payback day with amazing weather during my trek over the Grayson Highlands
* Finding fellow Honda motorcycle enthusiasts multiple times over the course of the trail was comforting and reassuring
* Getting to see my family during my injury week in Massachusetts was really nice, although it wasn’t under the best circumstances
* Ordering the colossal-sized 28” meat lovers pizza to be delivered directly to the shelter back at the Partnership Shelter
* Seeing and interacting with so many friendly (and often gross) cats and dogs on trail (but leave your dog at home, seriously), at hostels, and in town
* Finally obtaining my hot pink Sambob Alpha hoodie and having it become my whole identity… from “Whack-A-Mole” to “Peppa-Mole”
* Getting my trail name, thank you Dreamcatcher!!! Also, giving out two: Horsepower, and Firefly. And suggesting more, which were not taken… ouch. Sorry, “Terrier”
* Getting to hike Mt. Moosilauke with my mom and Kathy was super cool – they kicked butt on one of the tougher hikes on the trail!
* Finishing and promptly exiting the state of Pennsylvania, perhaps and hopefully forever
* Surprisingly, and said no one else ever, the entire state of New Jersey was quite pleasant
* All my work-for-stays in the White Mountains were actually delightful, and allowed me to hike lightly through some of the toughest terrain on trail.
* Going into D.C. for the day to get lunch with my cousin Mia and walk around the city!
* Seeing two bears, and meeting the hiker 2Bears (who helped me a lot planning the end of my hike)… also seeing two different types of rattlesnakes (getting rattled at by both) and a copperhead was really neat
* Poet’s HMW pregame speech. It was legendary.
* Being one of the first hikers to use the cold plunge at a hostel up in VT – all that plunging in FL finally paid off!
* That delicious barbecue back in Gatlinburg still has lots of real estate in my brain. For a town that everyone seems to dump on, I didn’t find it so bad
* Going to the two overnight spots with caretakers and being very well taken care if – one in VA and one in MA
* Catching a back-to-back sunset/sunrise with Jukebox from a fire tower in Vermont
* Taking Perry, who I met on the trail, up on his offer to stay at his house, eating amazing food and watching NCIS with him and his wife
* Eating Mexican food with Upbeat, then going to watch TV and shop at Kroger the next day
* Having a long, deep conversation with Grateful in Duncannon, PA of all places
* There was a lovely dinner at a church in Delaware Water Gap that we could also stay at, and an adjacent jazz club that was hopping, and both lended a huge morale boost. I also got to shoot a basketball here for the first time in months, and again leaving VT heading into NH. A Hiking Hooper, indeed!
* Hanging out with the two retrievers at the Sterling Inn, and having Sue who runs it call me Justin the whole time, but only me by name for whatever reason! I missed hearing my real name a lot
* The butterfly that attached itself to my leg somewhere in NY and hiked with me for a long time
* Getting to spend awesome quality time with Pat and Anna in NY, and get some real food (and a much-needed haircut)
* That sunset on Bromley, goodness gracious!
* Walking around Waynesboro, VA aimlessly and getting dragged on / dragging myself on side quests
* Seeing Sir-Stops-A-Lot not one, not two, but three times! And it was always right when I needed it, because of course it was.
* Swimming around at Uncle Johnny’s during a zero day with a seemingly-real modern-day hippie, and going into town for smoothies
* Getting trail magic seemingly everywhere, especially when I needed it most. Specifically the shuttle driver on the abandoned road during my 8.5mi walk to get food…
* Meandering through an on-trail zoo in NY for no reason (my reason was because it was on the AT – it’s reason for being so is unknown to me*)
* Having a fire with Horsepower, On It, and Dreamcatcher one of the first nights on trail
* The time I stopped hiking for a while to just sit atop Max Patch or Big Bald or one of those massive, windy open mountain ridges down south with boundless panoramic views – it was so relaxing
* The plethora of sugar-laden frosty treats I indulged in at almost every opportunity. I must have eaten 10lbs of ice cream on the trail, not exaggerating
* Watching VHS tapes (strictly Steven Seagal movies) all day at the Quarter Way Inn and having phenomenal breakfasts there, too
* Leaving Boiling Springs, PA at about 4pm with a gallon of water to do another 13+ mi and somehow making it
* Hanging out with Side Quest McMurphy (SQUIM) with a view of NYC at night from a far-off-trail shelter! For fear of roaming timber rattlesnakes
* I would be remiss without saying this – every, single, note, someone, back, home, left, for, me, on, my, website (also texts and phone calls, obviously). I felt so much gratitude and love throughout my entire hike. The messages got emailed to me, and anytime I had a new one, it gave me a burst of energy that someone out there was thinking about me. Then I got to think about them. To think about you! It was so special and sentimental to me, and I cannot wait to take the time to go through them all again. When I say the best moments were the little moments, this is the perfect example. When I took my phone off airplane mode and got enough service to get my notifications, few things made me happier than seeing someone check-in on me, offering wisdom, or words of encouragement, or praise, or just love. Thank you, it means more than I could say here.
* The highest point on the trail was Clingman’s Dome/Kuwohi in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
//
That list made the trail seem like summer camp… without further ado, my lowest points on the trail:
* Nobody tells you ahead of time or talks about it much out here, because we all just put up with it, but the strain that carrying 30+ lbs on your back all day puts on your neck and shoulders is immense. Especially on a trail where you essentially have to look down every step of the way. Every morning you’re back to about 90%, but when 3pm or 4pm rolls around, it’s a mental battle to not just dwell on gravity taking its toll on you. Yoga, here I come!
* Never wanting to slow down, and missing views because of the rain were kind of a curse for my hike. Most notably, I saw nothing of the Roan Highlands, or from atop Mount Washington, or from several other peaks whose vistas I had heard were spectacular. Very little view from atop Kuwohi, the highest point on-trail. McAfee Knob was foggy and hazy. And Killington in VT, although I had been up there prior. And all the other places I won’t remember because they were unworthy of pictures. But such is life – I got very lucky overall!
* My achilles tendonitis did flare up quite a bit in TN, to the point of needing to take a day off the trail. Switching shoes I think is what saved me, so huge shoutout to Uncle Johnny’s for getting me straightened out on that front. It was night and day afterwards, at least as far as the tendonitis went. And, knock on wood, I hope it stays away for good.
* Paying ATM fees has always ground my gears (this isn’t really worthy of this list but hear me out). This seems petty, but in Duncannon at the laundromat, they double-charged ATM fee. Who does that? Seriously. Pennsylvania, do better. You couldn’t. You actually probably couldn’t… thieves.
* There were these guys, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, section hikers, who were terrible, and I got stuck hiking around them for a few days. At one point they had tried to steal my bear canister from the woods within earshot of my tent which I promptly shut down. They were loud, obnoxious, had fires in spots you shouldn’t, camped in places you shouldn’t, owned exotic pets you shouldn’t and bragged about it. There were tons of losers on the trail (sorry to say it, it’s the truth), and these two quite possibly take the cake. Which, and trust me on this, is not easy to do out here. But, out-hiking those types is seldom a chore. Onwards!
* The obvious one is my cellulitis infection in my back that finally came to a boiling point in Massachusetts… and thinking I had a hernia. That was the most upset I was on trail, and honestly one of the most acute upset spells I’ve had in my life. I was in jeopardy of losing the only thing I wanted to do. But alas, it all worked out. More or less. The swelling in my back never went completely down, and I’ve still been dealing with pain and discomfort since getting it drained back in MA. Switching packs did help a lot, though. And I’m sure eventually it’ll go away when I’m not backpacking all day, every day.
* Being really inexperienced at backpacking and particularly camping was definitely rocky at times, but no more than when I would do logic-defying things like leaving crumby food in my tent in a mouse haven, or neatly placing my shoes outside the safety of my vestibule on a night of heavy rains. I totally learned a bunch of lessons the hard way, but that ended up being one of the more gratifying parts of the experience. The trail definitely schooled me a few times
* I went too far down the self-help / psychology audiobook route at one point and sent myself spiraling. It took days to get out of that funk. We are what we eat (or listen to, I guess), so I learned to be a little bit more thoughtful and deliberate about what I read or listened to out here in my seemingly fragile hiker state. Sometimes it’s best to leave Pandora’s Box alone!
* I found myself off the AT by accident numerous times, probably to the tune of about 5-10mi in total over the course of my journey. In retrospect, it is a way smaller deal than it seemed at each of those times, but few things are more frustrating than realizing you spaced out and lost the trail. 15 minutes ago. Downhill (uphill back), in the rain, in the late afternoon when you just wanted to get to camp. Only twice I think it was significant enough to be aggravating, but still, follow the white blazes!
* Folks may have forgotten, but I also got bit/stung in or on the nose sometime back in Virginia, and that caused me a ton of trouble. I spared this website the graphic photos, but it was horrific… Oozing… I’ll stop there… Honestly, my nose still isn’t back to normal from it (need to do hot compresses for a while, or you know, go to a Dr.)
* I veered off the trail by accident after leaving the Grayson Highlands, ended up on a crest trail when I should have been on a ridge, then found myself on a horse poop-laden path (THOUSANDS of HUGE flies EVERYWHERE) where I pulled/strained my left calf. Then, I decided to bushwhack, probably about a half mile up a steep hill, back onto to the ridge trail. It was one of my worst days on trail and I don’t think I had the heart to ever complain about it on here at the time. Again, don’t leave the trail…
* When I started the trail in Hokas, I got horrible blisters on my pinky toes because the shoes were too narrow. It was unbearably painful, and I had to tape them and clean them every night for a long time. I was also wearing two pairs of socks at the time for some reason (it was completely unnecessary in hindsight), and they’d often end up a bloody, dirty mess. Ouch, ouch, ouch, just thinking about it. Ouch. But now, my feet have never been in better shape, for whatever reason. Proper footwear really does make all the difference (signs of me getting old)
* Losing stuff is frustrating to me in normal life, but because I’m organized it hardly ever happens. So I’m not equipped to deal with it – and out here I lost a handful of things and it was such a bummer each time (but I’m getting better at it!). I lost the knife that wasn’t mine to begin with, a bandana I got for free (sort of), and neck gaiter I bought, a pair of underwear (mixed laundry at hostels is a nightmare, @Notch), a sandal (how the heck did that even happen, especially after a SOBO hiker returned it to me a week prior, literally in his mouth. Odd duck, he was), and probably some more stuff. Argh! On the flip-side, I accumulated way more cool stuff, so I’m net-positive overall for sure.
* I had a few finicky gear issues that I learned to live with – most notably, my inflatable sleeping pad leaks air to the point of discomfort by 3:30am like clockwork. But I can practically top it off in my sleep now, so it’s really not too debilitating. We’ve discussed the pack change enough above… annoying and expensive but necessary to finishing my hike I’d say. My JetBoil Flash worked great when it wasn’t acting like a flamethrower or not starting for one of any number of reasons (humidity, it wasn’t in the mood, bad propane canisters, I didn’t thank it enough, yada yada). My four pairs of shoes were great minus the peeling of the outer sole from the body of the shoe, on each pair, usually in about a week. I’m being too easy on my gear here… my hiking poles were utter trash. For more reasons than I could comfortably list here. My tent was fine but smells bad. My sleeping quilt also smells, and wasn’t really warm enough on cold nights. My pillow was PHENOMENAL. 10/10. Allstar of the crew. It never smelled because it has a washable cover and was designed by upstanding, amazing people. And I didn’t get any waterborne illness, so my water filter was also a hero. Amazing work, team.
* Oddly enough, I have a bit of imposter syndrome as I finish up the trail, and that is an odd feeling. I know that I hiked 99.95% of the trail, or some percentage very close to that, but in my brain, I’m like, there’s no way I did the whole thing? But I did. I walked continuously from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail. I’m having trouble letting that sink in, and that’s annoying. Maybe it’s denial over the hike coming to an end. Or maybe I’m nickel and diming myself for not doubling back on the Charlie’s Bunion trail (0.25mi, maybe?), or walking in one side of Unionville, NY and out the other (bisecting the trail by about a mile), or walking on the road for a couple miles with Upbeat in Shenandoah after hitting a wayside restaurant, or my horrible bushwhacking adventure that I never went back to collect the white blazes for. Or walking the rail trail directly into Salisbury, CT, cutting off <2mi of trail… You know, as a matter of fact? Who cares…
* Just general FOMO: missing seeing all my friends back in FL, missing my cat, missing playing golf, and basketball, missing working with awesome people, missing Aldi (yes, the grocer), missing my air fryer, missing deodorant, missing the beach, missing palm trees. You know, all that stuff we take for granted. All the stuff I took for granted*. But the good news is, that’s all still there.
* The lowest point on the trail was in the zoo in NY.
//
The things I’m going to say are probably going to come off as extremely cliche, but I am going to just do a brain dump and see how stupid it looks in a few weeks. My takeaways from the trail:
* People are generally good and nothing anyone could say to the contrary will ever make me change my mind about it. I’m not naive, but I refuse to be bitter.
* The human body is very adaptable. If you tell it to sit lots, it will do so strikingly well. If you tell it to hike lots, it will (begrudgingly) get really good at that, too. It takes whatever sustenance you can find, and tries its absolute hardest to turn it into rocket fuel. Thanks, human body. I appreciate you.
* Similarly, we can feed it trash, and as long as you walk a lot, there are seemingly few effects (okay, some of that has to do with being 30, and genetics). But seriously, I am amazed, but am so excited to go back to eating real food.
* Everything is impermanent. Not in a sad “all good things come to an end” way but in a “how good is this right now” sort of way. Experiences, things, even us. The one great constant is change, or however it goes.
* The list of things you actually need to survive is extremely short. Having money is critical to that, but you can fit it all in a backpack otherwise. Almost everything fits into the “nice to have” category in real life.
* Everything always works out. Until it doesn’t, but until then, it does. And up to this point, I’m batting 1.000. Much better than my actual career batting average… And we all are, truthfully! At least from the Big Strikeout.
* People that can actually sing well while playing the guitar are extremely talented. That is my positive way of saying that the majority of people that try to do it absolutely suck. I was subjected to lots of mediocre guitar playing, accompanied by awful singing while at hostels and occasionally at shelters. Let’s just… sit. We don’t need to do all that.
* Nature is really healing. Water, wind, the sun, trees, animal sounds, the stars, planets, and the moon, even clouds, all have a profound calming effect. I knew that to be true before, of course, but understand it now on a deeper level.
* I can do hard things! We all can. You don’t have to… But you can, if you want to. And it feels wonderful to. Sometimes not until you’re done, though…
* Wherever you go, there you are. There’s really no running from anything. Definitely not yourself.
* You can’t change other people or what they do. To live and let live is all that can be done. Although, that’s easier said than done.
* I talked about it ad nauseam in a much earlier post, but the key to everything, and particularly out here, is your chosen mindset. Nothing is difficult unless you let it be so. Focusing on what you can control to the extent possible is the name of the game.
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Sep 7, 2026
This morning around 6am I began my ascent up the Hunt Trail, the official AT route up to the summit of Katahdin. This isn’t an exaggeration: it was the most difficult hike on the whole trail. My recon mission yesterday served me well though, and bringing my full pack ended up being the right move (for me, today – for others it may not be the right play). I saw that Doc, a hiker from our Birches campsite thru-hiker group had gone up alone at 5:30am, so I hiked quickly up after him (who was going to take his photo?). After passing Moose Man, Songbird, and Mile Marker, I caught up not only to Doc, but Medicine Man as well just above the tree line.
I don’t know how to describe the trail up. Maybe there are YouTube videos. Picture climbing up 1000s of feet in a relatively short distance. It’s extremely steep, very windy, COLD, and just downright dangerous compared to all but maybe three or four other hikes on the trail. But the three of us hiked it together, slowly as a group, up to the “Table Lands” where it flattens out a bit, but is still SO windy. The forecast said 15-25mph or something in that neighborhood with gusts going higher. It felt like more – it was borderline destabilizing. But it was sunny out, and much better than yesterday…
Shortly before 9:30am, Medicine Man, Doc, and I came within view of the summit, and took a moment as a group before heading up to do our last dance on the Appalachian Trail. As we each touched the sign, in order of our start date, the significance of the moment continued to sink in. We were done. We shared a hug, we took photos, we enjoyed the views. And we quickly got down because it was just uncomfortably windy. I cannot stress enough just how windy and cold it was. I am so glad it’s no longer windy and cold (as I type this from a comfy hostel bed, full of Hawaiian pizza).
At this point, my plan was to hitchhike to Millinocket. I haven’t had cell service in days, and couldn’t come up with anything better. But Doc saved the day, having his Great Aunt and Uncle agree to drive Medicine Man and I to Millinocket. Not only that, but then we all got pizza together with Doc’s family, and reigned in the huge accomplishment. It felt like a real celebration, and I am so grateful they included us. Especially given that at that point, none of us had showered for almost a week. They had very patient noses.
Medicine Man and I hit a bar and waited for a 6pm hostel check in, handled that, showered up, got more pizza, and returned and that’s where I’m at now.
I have lots more to say about the trail, but will find a way to share it in due time. Thank you all for following along. I did it!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Sep 6, 2026
7:30pm Tent Update: Two Eagle Scouts commended me with an honor fire-making badge this evening. All those nights on the lake really paying off out here. Having a campfire on the last night seemed like a no-brainer, and we all sat around warm and cozy as Ranger Pete gave us the lowdown. Pretty standard stuff, really, just hike up the massive mountain and then hike down it, don’t get hurt, then leave the park as expeditiously as possible. Easy!
I am going to bring my full pack tomorrow. I’m not bowing out on the last day! That was hogwash to even consider. I’m hardly carrying any food, anyway, and my multivitamins are gone, so it’s like carrying a pillow (sure…). It’ll be fine. Especially after having done the hardest portion of the ascent today, I have a good idea of what to expect. Plus, my plans for tomorrow are kind of up in the air. I have needed cellphone service to figure all that out, and I haven’t got it. But, once I reach the summit and touch the sign, my hike is OVER, and I’m going to allow myself to hitchhike to my heart’s content.
//
Noon Update: I hiked the 12 miles out to my campsite for the night, filed my paperwork, got my hiker pass for tomorrow, set up camp, and now have a bunch of time to wander around before the ranger comes and sees us all at 5. So I’m going to walk around sans backpack for what feels like the first time in forever. It’s surreal being here…
Very shortly afterward: I had some energy to burn and decided to preview the trail for tomorrow a bit (in part also to see if I could have someone do another one of my fantasy football drafts), to the tune of the tree-line and some scrambling, about 6mi round trip. It is going to be challenging but the views are stupendous. Hopefully tomorrow is a bit less windy, and I do think that’s the forecast. There was apparently hail and sleet up there today. But tomorrow! Tomorrow will be sunny.
I’m really conflicted on whether or not to take my full pack up to the summit tomorrow. I really haven’t slack-packed once yet the entire trail, so it seems wrong to start tomorrow, but if I were going to on any day, tomorrow would be the one. If you are all willing to keep it a secret, I might take some of the heavy stuff out and leave it at the Ranger station. That way, I’ll technically have my pack minus a little bit of weight.
//
Forget everything I said yesterday. I woke up today very early and got to see Katahdin in all her splendor. My goodness what a mountain. It was very clear in the sky, and as the sun began to rise far below its towering silhouette, I felt what countless others have surely felt admiring the beast of a formation. I was really pretty awestruck, more so than upon seeing any other mountains on trail. Needless to say, I am so very excited to have the opportunity to hike it.
My first order of business was to get to the line for the signup sheet, of which only 12 hikers can sign, and I was happily greeted by the other early risers as #10. No one else showed up until an hour later when Ranger Don came, and we proceeded to have the most AT picture perfect spot-on moment: he turned his radio on and we all huddled to listen to a live reading of the BSP (Baxter State Park) weather forecast. Great news – tomorrow really seems like the clear winner. Changing my plan was absolutely the right call.
From there I had to handle a bit of paperwork, listen to what to expect, and make some stupid jokes to the chuckling of the group, before setting out on a beautifully easy walk through essentially a birch tree forest alongside a river. Because my miles were capped today, it was the most stress-free hiking I’ve had the entire trail. Not that the other hiking was ever stressful, but I felt like I could just linger and mosey and prance as opposed to my usual trudging and laboring and stomping. Splendid!
There are some hoops to jump through to have the honor of finishing the hike here, but the minor inconvenience adds to the experience. In fairness, I could have just walked up today if I had wanted to. But it’s a fun crew of other thru-hikers and I’ll take the time to savor the experience with them, creating some memories that’ll last for life.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Sep 5, 2026
4:30pm Update:
I’ve been hanging around the Abol-whatever for some time, and have to say that I certainly see the allure in this place. Even the guy who barked at me for riling his dog up – you’re right man, dogs aren’t toys (he didn’t actually say that but it wouldn’t have been totally unwarranted). I shouldn’t have been juking your dog out and spinning away from him and acting like we were playing tackle football. If I want to get my own dog and do that, fine. Lesson learned. Justin would never, silly Whack-A-Mole.
Speaking of which, people and their dogs, man. I got charged at by a pit-something on the trail the other day whose owner was like “he’s friendly but rambunctious!” Fortunately, I love dogs and am not scared of them in the least, but to let your large dog run at a stranger off-leash? That’s crazy! Then another full grown standard poodle was jumping all over me, which was fun, but also because it was me and I was cool with it. These dog people have lost their minds… Plus all the hiking dogs out here all look arthritic and half-dead. Seriously, the dogs out here hiking DO NOT look good. I’m all for getting your dog outside, but how about letting it run around in a field? As opposed to making it hike this terrain day in and day out. “They love it” yeah… The hips don’t lie.
But anywho, the view of Katahdin from Abol Bridge (the dinkiest bridge of all time) was startlingly beautiful. It’s a monster! One which I’ll be climbing… drum roll please… earlier than anticipated! Monday is the best pick for weather, and after talking to FarOut-famous Ranger Don (Donald Duck), he said it’s cool if I want to shoot for a Labor Day summit. I’d rather have the surefire weather so it’s etched forever in my brain as a gloriously sunny day. I’m very easily manipulated by weather, so I want the best chance possible to get this right. But whatever happens is fine, too.
That’s the plan as of now. I’ll wake up early tomorrow morning, put my name on a silly list, have an easy hiking day, be forced to socialize with other hikers all afternoon, eat more trash, then wake up early again and do one of the toughest hikes on the trail. I will do it with ease and take lots of photos to prove my hiking dominance to the world (really just for the mems). Then I’ll come down, literally and figuratively, from that hike, and the whole hike, and work on returning myself to a functioning member of society. It sounds super easy. There’s no way it’s going to be a total bummer. 0% chance. My reintegration into normalcy is going to be a breeze. Going back to FL in storm season won’t be a culture shock. Driving a car again won’t be weird. I totally won’t miss all the awesome parts of the trail that much. /s
//
I can’t believe it. I actually started hiking at 7 today. For no good particular reason, either. I stuck a perfect landing on my last resupply, because when I stopped for my brunch, I ate my absolute last of everything: 2 packets of ramen, 1 entire package if instant mashed potatoes, and 1 packet of olive oil. Somewhere in the realm of 1,200-1,300 calories of ultra-processed Japanese-American-Italian trail fusion. I know some of you are knocking it. Don’t knock it. But also, I’m never going to eat any of that again. As of soon.
I had two big goals today – the first being to get my skinny butt up to Rainbow Ledges to get my first up close and personal look at Katahdin. I’ve been intentionally dodging other views of the mountain so my first one was special. People say it can be very emotional. Frankly, it was neither spectacular, nor emotional, but it was still special. It was fairly obscured due to clouds, but I could definitely tell that it was rather large. I’ll likely get better and perhaps more emotional views at my second goal: Abol Bridge/Pines. This marks the end of the HMW and the near-beginning of Baxter State Park.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Sep 4, 2026
A couple of sprinkling rain showers today, but nothing crazy. Fairly easy hiking, although I’ve never seen so many tree roots. I keep saying that I conquered the last climb of the trail, but today I REALLY did (I didn’t). You know the Russian dolls? Every time I climb a peak in the HMW, it seems there is one half the size the next day. Then by the time I’m done, somehow, the largest doll of them all is stuffed inside the second smallest one. Like a sick magic trick! And that’s Katahdin. But it’s solid gold, and I totally don’t mind having to send it up one last time. This is indeed, what I came for…
I am thoroughly enjoying Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods. I had intended to start listening when I entered Maine, but figured I could use the boost now as I finish the HMW. It is at times relatable to a tee as a hiker and phenomenally researched (when he isn’t chronicling his and Katz’ adventure). I am laughing a bit, and learning lots about the flora and fauna of the trail. The historical context he provides to the areas adjacent to the trail is fascinating as well. I’m learning simultaneously about Stonewall Jackson and anthracite coal, about the eastern mountain lion as well as what the prevailing science said about ice ages circa the writing of the book. He can be a bit cheeky, but it’s a worthwhile read.
Tomorrow I will enter Baxter State Park! In true Whack-A-Mole fashion, I’ll hike as hard as I can to get to my goal, then kick my feet up. Unfortunately, I’m similarly inconsistent in some other areas of my life as well. Even back to my little league baseball days… I had one season where I’d either strike out or hit a home run every at-bat. Spoiler alert: I think I hit 5 homeruns? So I struck out a LOT. If anyone has played Mario Party, my general life performance is the equivalent of the Bowser die. Go big, or go home, I guess. Toodles.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Sep 3, 2026
8:30pm Tent Update: Dang I’m good! Back to my originally scheduled plan. Just had to light a fire under myself. Who said I was out of juice? Got to camp and hung out with Tenderfoot for a while, now I’m listening to loons. Life is good. Tomorrow is my last full day in the HMW. You blink and it’s gone 🙁
//
My first rain day in some time! It certainly puts a little hair on the chest. I hid in my tent for as long as I could, and finally succumbed to my impending doom. Fortunately, this stretch of the trail isn’t completely lichen and moss covered, so slip-and-falls are off the menu. “Hi, yes, I’d like to file suit against the Appalachian Trail. Yes, yes, that’s right. The most unnecessary place to be in the world, yes. Yes, I was texting before I fell. No, I will not accept fault.”
I got no view over Whitecap Mountain, which is where you can first get a solid glimpse of the finish line, but after noon or so it stopped raining. Thank goodness. Then I finally made my descent, so outside of a few more bunny hills, the tough stuff is over and done with. Phew.
I ran into Blarney Fife who I hadn’t seen since PA, making his way south after flipping up to Katahdin – very cool! He too had to get off the trail for a week due to injury. The further I go along, the more I realize that the trail is very much non-linear for most people. I met Knee High, who has been section hiking over 20 years and plans to finish on this stretch. So cool!
I’ll be rationing my food tonight and tomorrow so that I can get into Abol Bridge the following day not entirely famished. That’ll be my final resupply there. And I guess I will also be taking a zero day there to wait out Labor Day, so I was incorrect in my earlier post. If all goes as planned. Not if, really, when all goes as planned, because I’m 100% summiting on the 8th, regardless of the weather or anything else.
I don’t really like forcing myself to hike a certain number of miles every day, but at least I am confident enough now as a hiker to know what my limits are and what I’m capable of. When I was just a baby backpacker, I used to make three plans each day! That seems so silly now. Now I make one plan, and either miss it horribly or surpass it usually. Any whom.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Sep 2, 2026
Update: Adding to the list of items I have lost out here, my right-footed sandal! Well, shucks…
The last couple of nights I have landed short of my intended target and kicked the mileage can down the road a bit. It’s tough terrain, and I don’t feel totally juiced up. These miles mentally feel a bit like a formality. I’m sure other NOBO thru-hikers (that are actually hiking the AT – got jumped ahead by a group today that found a nice, smooth detour to take) feel similarly.
Is it me fumbling at the 5yd line again? I’m still going to score the TD, but the adrenaline finally wore off on getting here. I know I’ll perk back up after I finish up the climbing tomorrow, and get my first real look at the Big K.
Long post ahead. Not totally sure how it’s going to read through the eyes of folk living with roofs above their head, so proceed with caution.
//
I didn’t mention this the other day, but while at Shaw’s, there was a special guest who we all got an opportunity to sit down and talk with… Warren Doyle (look him up!), who holds the record for hiking the Appalachian Trail the most number of times (18), including 9 successful thru-hikes. He started back in the 70s, and it was really interesting to hear his perspective on how the trail has changed over the years. He is a walking encyclopedia of everything Appalachian Trail.
His perspective on the trail I think was a microcosm of how generational differences can cause people to view changes or deviations critically. And I’ll agree that in some cases, “the good ol’ days” were better. Who doesn’t miss Blockbuster? But from my silly little ape brain perspective, the happiest folks I’ve seen are the ones that embrace the changes bound to happen over time (not necessarily saying to embrace Blockbuster becoming the chronic binge-watching of TV).
We are social critters, and if the culture is moving in one direction, socially, at least, I think it’s usually *safest* to be a herd sheep. Now sure there are tons of exceptions to that, and I certainly am no stranger to bucking trends or being a hater, but in terms of hiking, I put myself pretty firmly in the “follow the crowd” camp (minus painting my nails… I’m going to be all good on that). If “the people are the trail”, getting along with the people is key to making the trail experience better. Right?
I still don’t know what to think about what he shared. It was mostly about hiking, but some of it extended past that. Into the, “Well, back in my day… hey, hey! Get off, of my lawn!” territory. He was largely dumping on how people hike the trail nowadays. While acknowledging that it’s difficult nonetheless and an incredible achievement. It was funny to watch hikers slowly trickle out of the room.
But I wanted to hear it all out, and see what I could take from it. Apparently what I took from it was confusion. Why would someone who has hiked the trail so many times seemingly want to polarize the community, particularly the future of the thing they dedicated so much time/effort(/money) to? It’s a little like if [insert 80s NASCAR driver] called drivers who practice on racing sims, losers. Alrighty champ, your (antiquated?) way or the highway!
I’ve obviously struggled with and fallen to the temptation of being critical of hikers, too. Especially with “thru-hikers”, as I discussed on here. There are people out here, just like there are people in everyday life, who can be downright frustrating to be around. I’m in an constant battle to “live and let live”, or out here “hike your own hike”, so I get where he’s coming from, and it can be liberating to share your truth, even on deaf ears. When people are intoxicated and chatty and obnoxious and are loud and curse a lot and are rude out here (or IRL), it darn near drives me nuts. It’s a good portion of the reason I hike alone. See? I’m doing the thing again! It’s such an easy trap to fall into…
So on the flip-side, I think a lot of his points were well-taken or at least well-heard by the group – there is a heavy reliance on smartphones out here, the AT-adjacent community has tried to make the trail more inclusive and approachable (which is generally good) at the expense of watering down elements of the experience. There is now, certainly more than there was 50yrs ago, an economy around the trail that relies (in some instances, preys?) on hikers. The gear industry is huge and dictates how many folks hike, for better or worse. There are probably needless SOS calls and rescues from people who were woefully underprepared. Totally could see where WD was coming from on that stuff. After all, he has probably forgotten more about the trail than I’ll ever care to know.
And it’s true, you can hike the trail with comfort and convenience more so now than ever (although, the hypocrisy of criticizing the perceived rising costs of thru-hiking while at a hostel got me good). Is that a bad thing? I’d argue no. You can vlog the whole thing to your ten followers if you want to. You can build a website and update it daily, like clockwork, for well-over a hundred days, not missing a single post, obsessively scrambling to put something out, even if you’re grasping at straws for what to say, even if you find yourself repeating yourself, even if you find yourself repeating yourself, even if…
In short, there is no shortage of finding ways to engage with the trail and outside world that you simply could not have 5, 10, 25 years ago. And that is bound to turn some of the older heads away, or at least create some friction with the “in-crowd”. Bitterness, jealously, confusion, misunderstanding, general resistance or unwillingness to change? I don’t know what to name it, but it is certainly not just limited to hiking. There’s an ever-widening gap it seems, with technology being the main wedge, between the youth and the elders. And I want to be respectful of someone who accomplished something incredibly difficult, but I just couldn’t take this guy seriously when all he wanted to do was complain about modern hikers. You try being 22 years old, man, and let’s see you out there. C’mon.
I asked him rhetorically if he thought there was a way in which to hike where you can be “fully immersed” (this ambiguous standard by which he said modern hikers fall short of) in the hike while also leveraging the technology which makes it safer/easier/more connected. He said of course – moderation. Balance! And there it is again. Which I knew to be the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it, because hikers using smartphones isn’t going anywhere… And hiking how people did in the 70s for the sake of garnering respect from them is ludicrous.
There won’t be an event short of anything catastrophic that will change our phone behavior. Hardcore rebels can defect and go the flip phone route all they want, because thank goodness we still have the freedom to do that. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to change what anyone else does with their own life. And having defected from many things over the years, if nothing else, it can certainly be isolating to take the road less traveled.
Rant almost over. It’s bigger than hiking. Change can be rocky. Thru-hiking the trail is easier than ever, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing to admit. He disagreed with me on that surprisingly, but hasn’t tried hiking the “new” way. In fairness, many younger hikers haven’t given the “old” way a shot either. Maybe hikers really are lazier/less prepared/more irresponsible/less knowledgable and aware than ever, but without an objective way of measuring that, saying it to a group of them falls into the hater rhetoric category. The times they are a changin’.
Note to my future self: take the approach of “what can I learn from you” rather than “what you can learn from me” as often as possible. First seek to understand, then to be understood.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Sep 1, 2026
5pm Update: I will hit the 2,100mi mark today… which more importantly means that… less than 100mi to go! How exciting. I am going to camp atop Barren Mountain to celebrate… Also, there’s cell service galore in the HMW. I’ve been lied to again! But alas, I do need to conserve my phone battery. Every time I take it off airplane mode it gets zapped. Lasagna for dinner!
//
What a great stay at Shaws. They were accommodating, cool, and thoughtful. Poet gave us the best (and best-timed) pregame speech of all time in the shuttle to the trailhead. And he knew each of us, about 10 of us, and made sure to say goodbye to each of us by our trail name. He set the stage wonderfully for what this is and what it will be – the end of a long journey. It’s an opportunity to enjoy the last moments of a very unique period in life.
With that, into the HMW I go. The first few days will have a bit of mountain climbing, then it’ll flatten out. It is so pristine out here though. Much of Maine has felt remote, but here it’s even more so the case. There’s no road noise, no telephone poles, no towns in a cleared out valley off in the distance. Just peace and quiet. Minus the train tracks I passed this afternoon, and eventual blowing of a train horn. Truly the sort of place which feels like it has been here forever, and will remain long after we’re gone. Amazing!
I was able to get a shuttle driver to agree to pick me up from Millinocket and bring me to Bangor after I finish, so that’s a done deal. Now I just have to walk the miles to Baxter State Park, and live up to my green moose hat. My hat which is now very sweat-stained and sunburnt and tattered, and that adds to the novelty of it. I don’t necessarily want to have a shrine to the A.T. in my next place, wherever that ends up being, but perhaps I’ll do a shadowbox or something crafty to put all these souvenirs in one spot. Then hang it on the wall and stare in awe at how/why I hiked all these dang miles. That’ll be cool. I also think I’ve said that before in one of these posts. So apologies for the regurgitation of content.
But yeah, the only thing outstanding is getting a spot (there are only 12 available) at the Birches campground/shelter for thru-hikers on the 8th. There’ll be a lot of other hikers trying to summit that day because of the Labor Day indigenous ceremony prior, so I’m going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. With the way everything else has been falling into place…
Day One, complete! Goodnight!!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 31, 2026
Well, there isn’t much to do but finish the hike and head home. I got my second-to-last resupply done today. The last one will be for a couple days at the end of the 100-mile wilderness. I made my travel plans home (Breeze flies direct from Bangor to Tampa on Wednesdays at 10am for anyone curious. For cheap!). I walked the 1/10mi downtown and back, twice. I sat around in the sun and ate a sandwich. I took a nap. I indulged weird hikers in conversation. I pet a dog. I bought a pizza from a Mainer and ate an entire quart of Gifford’s Moose Tracks ice cream (doing as the Romans do). I sat by a fire. Tomorrow, I hike.
My diet, for those curious
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 30, 2026
The loons serenaded the “pond” (definitely a lake) all evening, and I slept wonderfully. There’s nothing better than waking up to the sun in a tent with nothing to do for the day but walk. And some nights I do a great job of taking everything out of my pack in an orderly fashion, and it makes my morning a breeze, and it was one of those days as well.
I ended up doing just that, to the tune of nearly 20 miles into the town of Monson. Which is the last town before the hundred mile wilderness starts (HMW). I’m going to take an actual zero day here tomorrow to get all my affairs in order to finish this darn thing. The hiking won’t be particularly hard but it’s very remote so I am going to be a bit more careful in my planning than I usually would be.
I got some of the important business out of the way today – I marked the schedule that I plan to summit on 9/8, got some cash money via the ATM, and picked up a few stickers for my bear canister back home. Coupled with a bit of food and an Oakhurst chocolate milk, it felt like a successful pre-zero day.
More info to come – I am going to put a note on my site, but it’s likely that I won’t be updating it daily while in the HMW. I will upload the posts each day when I can, but I need to conserve battery and won’t have service. But rest assured, I’ll be in there hiking my little heart away!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 29, 2026
Happy 4-month anniversary, Appalachian Trail! I know we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. That’s it for puns. It was a very low hanging fruit and I plucked it. (The honeymoon phase with the trails comes later; it just keeps getting better). You’re my favorite trail ever and I love you for infinity XO!!!
The Sterling Inn delivered! They had us all in for apple crisp and a peanut butter cookie pie ordeal last night, and made the most splendid breakfast this morning. I even got a hug out of it on my way out!! Hugs are hard to come by on the trail, but always welcomed. I guess you have to give hugs to get hugs… I digress.
The hiking today was fairly easy, not as much so as yesterday, but doable. I snailed along. With the construction of my schedule, I do have a bit of time to burn. The two honeybuns at lunch probably didn’t help, either. Speaking of lunch, my JetBoil Flash keeps turning into a flamethrower. It’s really unfortunate. Today the hair on my hand fell victim to its wrath.
I’m going to keep moseying along. Monson tomorrow, maybe. Maybe the next day. Well, definitely the next day. But maybe tomorrow. Doing almost 20mi before 1pm, while possible per yesterday, requires me waking up early. And that’s for the birds. We’ll see. Goodnight!
P.S. I am sorry to anyone who has left a note, then the website did something weird, and it probably didn’t send. If I had a computer it’d be fixed. Long story short, I was running out of storage on my hosting account from all the picture uploads, I tried to compress them, and it did something weird caching the pages. TMI? Regardless, there are 226 beautiful notes that I will hold so dear <3 please keep trying!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 28, 2026
UPDATE: Made it safely to the Sterling Inn in Caratunk, ME. The ferry stopped running at 2, and I got there with about an hour and a half to spare. I’ll count today as a nero day… Definitely not because of the MPH, but the time of arrival at my destination. It feels good to have some time to do chores and relax and chitchat with other hikers. Off to the local brewpub!
I fell twice very hard today. Not painfully, but quickly. Falling definitely turns autopilot off for a few minutes. Fortunately it happened within minutes apart, so I was able to get back to auto-hike mode fairly quickly. Darned roots!
I am going to spend Saturday and Sunday hiking to Monson, and will spend the day at the famous Shaw’s on Monday. Then I’ll enter into the 100-mile wilderness (for 4 days? Maybe 5, depending on the weather). I want to summit Katahdin on 9/9 because it’s easy to remember, and close enough to the 4-month mark (minus my week off) where I will round down 🙂 but all of this is contingent on the weather. Thank goodness for 2Bears who basically gave me the guide on how to finish the hike as a NOBO.
Weird that it’s coming to an end…
//
Thank the stars, it’s Friday! I need Avicii today if I am going to have a shot of making it. It is now just past 9am and I am 9mi on towards my goal for today. This is doable!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 27, 2026
8pm: I made it to a picturesque “pond” (lake) with cellphone service and am in the process of doing a fantasy football draft. How un-hiker-like! The rain is coming down and there’s thunder and lightning, so boy am I glad to be tucked into my tent. Goodnight!
//
“Southern” Maine with an epic, knee-destroying, foot-crushing, ankle-breaking sendoff. There were extremely rewarding views of nearby ponds and ski mountains, and green peaks as far as the eye can see. But now, that’s it… Unless I can’t read an elevation map, which wouldn’t be entirely surprising, the big climbing is more or less done until the Big Kahuna. Yahoo!
18.6mi tomorrow before 2pm (relatively flat) to catch the ferry crossing the Kennebec River, then I’ll take the afternoon off in Caratunk and hang out at the Sterling Inn… Let’s see if I can do it? Can’t hurt to try.
I’ve been noodling on the inevitability I have felt towards this hike. Because I was drawn to it for a long time, and it was eerily easy (in hindsight) to get out here. I’ve been contemplating what that pull actually feels like within me, and how I could explain it… Now this isn’t gonna be perfect:
When I look back at the last 4 months, it’s like I’ve been on autopilot, a realization I had last night in my tent. But autopilot ONLY for all of the hiking and hard climbs and difficulty. I really haven’t payed it much mind – it just unfolds and happens. For all of the other stuff, being APAP (as present as possible, just coined it), falling back in love with nature, meeting the most amazing people, I am 100% driving the boat. I try to put as many of my mental eggs in that basket as possible, knowing that everything else will follow suite. And it has paid off, I feel like someone else or something has been using my body to hike!
I say this to mean that at this point in my journey, as I currently understand it, the hiking has came second; hiking is the vehicle by which I’ve been allowed the neat paradigm shifts. Long-distance hiking is the environment where you take everything apart and keep or discard all the pieces as everything gets put back together (heck, for me it has been. Surely it’s different for everybody). Layers get peeled back like an onion – sometimes they sit on the counter for a while, then you spot them again and decide what to do with them.
Un-metaphorically, I’m talking about reckoning with the past, about shaping an identity, carving out a future. All that big picture stuff you ponder when you have way too much time on your hands (I need to go back to work).
But I’ll describe what hiking-as-a-vehicle feels like, about getting drawn into living out here on the Appalachian Trail. It’s as if an (almost) childlike divinity grabbed my hand and said:
“Come on, let’s go on a walk! I want to show you what I built. [Enter all my anxieties and fears]. Don’t worry about all that stuff, I’ve got it covered for you!!”
Then we go and see the most pristine natural breathtaking beauty the country has to offer.
Then it’s like “These are my friends. [Enter my fears and anxieties again]. Don’t worry, they’re a lot like you, you’ll get along great! They want to help you on your journey!”
And that keeps happening with all these amazingly cool, serendipitous, beautiful moments out here. Then at the end, I’m sure it’ll say something like “Wasn’t that so cool? [YES!] Don’t forget about everything I showed you!” And then I cry as I climb down Katahdin…
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 26, 2026
7pm: Sir-Stops-A-Lot run-in, again!!! There is no vehicle you want to see more on trail than his. Any vehicle with AT symbols on it, but definitely his van. He was wrapping up for the night but hooked me up with a bunch of sugary goodness to finish out my day of hiking. One lucky Mole I am! Vibes are high!!
//
5pm: People talk about doing 10mi before 10am… what about 7mi after 5pm? This is what you must do when you like sleeping in, hiking all day, and sticking to the plan. Plus I lallygag with my pace in the morning compared to my potential, which is nice. Leisurely strolling turns into trail running.
//
2,000! Thank you legs; thank you back. Such a cool milestone! Definitely the most meaningful of all the multiples of 100. No offense, 2,100.
Today was a serious mountain climbing day… I don’t want to be counting my chickens before they hatch, but because I climbed Abraham, Spaulding, Sugarloaf, and Crocker today, that really just leaves Bigelow for tomorrow morning, then the trail changes drastically. Which I don’t want to jinx, so I’ll hold off on talking about.
Due to said big climbing day, I have decided to skip the town of Stratton (no food challenge, bummer) and the highly-recommended hostel in favor of pushing to the Sterling Inn the day after tomorrow. I’m not in the mood for a zero day when there is work to be done tomorrow. Maybe I’ll zero or even double zero up in Monson. Goodnight!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 25, 2026
Today was another amazing weather day. I have been VERY lucky. With the exception of a 10 minute rain storm yesterday, which I have experienced many of from my time at the lake house, it has been blue skies and sunshine all day, every day.
I skipped a handful of gross water sources prior to arriving at the holy grail of sources, potentially the fountain of youth (a trail magic cooler with Mountain Dew in it). Grabbed myself a Milky Way and had a big old lunch. Dropped my pulled pork rollup so got some extra nutrients from the local leaves. All is always well.
Some huge things coming up:
-I guess today, around the 1980mi marker, I hit the 90% done point. Which reminds me of the peak highlight of my football career (there weren’t many), where I picked up a fumble, ran it back about 95 yards for a touchdown, but bobbled it within the 5yd-line. It still counted as a TD because we were in 7th grade, but I’m hoping to score this hiking touchdown without any fumbling controversy. Should I Gronk spike my hiking poles on the summit of Katahdin?
-tomorrow I will hit the 2k mile mark. In my head that makes me a 2,000-miler! I’m not sure what the original AT was, but I’m pretty sure it has extended over the years. They’re making us work harder.
-one of these days, I will have walked the distance of the whole AT, according to my watch. I technically already have probably, because I zero-out my steps on zero days, but my site tracks my trail mileage and walking mileage, and I’m about +200mi more than the trail. Where’s my refund?
Also, because I’ll be taking all these posts and all my journal entries and putting them in some kind of coffee table scrapbook (for myself, not to sell…), I’m going to include random tidbits during the remaining days. Sometimes it’ll be stuff like yesterday’s rant (the answer to the rhetorical nature of yesterday’s post was of course, as it is in so many other cases, BALANCE. @ 30 I am just now becoming wise enough to get that), other times it’ll be more practical, or creative, or who knows. So, about hostels:
One of my favorite things about the trail is all of the independently owned and operated and extremely unique hostels along the trail. They serve as meeting hubs for hikers, places of rest and recovery, and are even happy to take our hard-earned money from us, believe it or not. I’ve probably been to 20? 25? And with the exception of a couple, I’ve stayed at all the AT staples along the way. My favorites tend to be eccentric in some way, and usually offer some sort of excellent food. They provide an afterglow – after days on end of feeling utterly worn out, a hostel stay can singlehandedly reinvigorate your hike.
Several of the most famous and well-liked hostels are here in Maine, and these are the ones I plan on staying at from here on out:
Maine Roadhouse (Stratton) -> Sterling Inn (Caratunk) -> Shaw’s Hiker Hostel (Monson) from there, the famed 100mi wilderness -> AT Hostel (Millinocket).
I’m going to be doing lots of camping in between of course… for those 4 stays I’ll probably end up camping 12 nights? AHHH! Keep me away from the low double digits, that is too weird! Single digits will have me turning around to go back to GA (on-trail).
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 24, 2026
If you’re just here for the regular update, I am alive and well. I hiked almost 20 miles with my new legs in amazing weather. The Maine blueberries are hitting way different. And as of 6:10pm, I heard my first loon. Also got awesome trail magic and talked Honda motorcycles for a while – which are huge wins.
*Disclaimer – no, I did not partake in any shamanistic rituals at the Om Dome… I am just feeling grateful so out comes the woo-woo. And the end of this hike is making me particularly sentimental. AND this little site has become a place to occasionally share my inner world. In my personal written journal out here I do a bit more of that, but I like sharing here because I know some things are bound to resonate. If you have time for additional ramblings, feel free to read on
//
A key discussion in the book I was reading yesterday was, in Conway’s eyes, the juxtaposition between the circularity of nature vs. the rigid boxiness of the manmade world (literally and figuratively, physically and beyond). The more I thought about it today, the natural order IS usually pretty spherical, or at least ‘rounded’; Eustace Conway explains it more eloquently than I could try to (our seasons, the Earth, life and death, all follow this circularity, he says).
I understood his point to be that we have created, and/or accepted, many unnatural diversions in modern life and that every day, we deviate further from our own biology and that of the natural world around us. In essence, we have ‘boxed’ ourselves in from quite a bit, including our full potential. Or at the least, from many of our survival instincts. While incredibly nuanced, I think there is some truth to it. But who doesn’t value comfort and convenience? Why should we ignore the fruits of human progress to retreat to the woods, as Conway did? I’m typing this from a smartphone, after all.
~I will point out that this reminded me that I once made a friend laugh by telling her that it seems like we stop sitting to go sit down to drive somewhere to sit down again and repeat this infinitely. We are such a sit-centric species!~
But as my own hike comes full circle, I am realizing increasingly that I didn’t come here in a vacuum; into the world of ebbing and flowing that is the Appalachian Trail / and what I’ll call *safe* nature. Of peaks and valleys, rain and sun, night and day, stress and release, to name a few Eustaspheres. Into a place with higher stakes (Conway must have never driven on 19…)
So many parts and eras of my life led me to this point, preparing me for my greatest journey yet. I’ve been getting called to do this for a long time, but I long rejected the call. Because I wasn’t ready in all the ways you need to be in order to do this. It’s the culmination of all the things below, and more I don’t recognize yet, that make up the circle of my own hike, of my time spent returned to a more primitive lifestyle (I say this as I got Walmart delivery literally yesterday, but let me finish getting my Paul Bunyan on).
Here are a few:
-living on 5 wooded acres with a brook and cave and tons of beautiful forest (and old junkyard) to explore
-camper camping with my family as a young child down the Cape, either at the campground or on the beach (shoutout Shawmee Kroll [sp.?] and Sandy Neck)
-spending so much time up in Maine as an older kid, having fires and being outside with friends
-in middle school, going on my first overnight field trip with friends to a retreat called Nature’s Classroom
-in high school, reading ‘Into the Wild’ and feeling so inspired, later reading ‘Wild’ and again feeling so inspired
-spending my summers and off-days in college moving furniture and working for Habitat, carrying heavy stuff
-studying abroad eventually and getting used to being (really far) away from home
-moving down South, living on the beach, loving it, having to leave it, and feeling lost and away from home
-running my first marathon a couple years back (this hike has made that race look like a cakewalk. Also, I did sign up for my 1st ultramarathon in October… if I’m going to be in ridiculous shape I might as well get a medal for it)
-the stuff, whatever it is, that makes it possible to dream big, work hard, be alone, and find lots of love everywhere I look. A lot of people helped me on that journey, and I am grateful for that
-whatever it is that keeps me safe and strong and happy out here. I’ll take credit for following the path laid out before me, but since I booked my flight, this whole experience has felt like an inevitability in my life. I have never felt more meant-to-do anything else in my life
So as I finish up these last couple hundred miles, I’m going to continue to put faith in my body, my character, my journey to get here, and in all the beautiful forces that have been guiding me along the whole way, long before the trail. It has been such an incredible journey 🙂
If you made it this far, thank you. I’m excited to give you a big hug when I see you again!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 23, 2026
After a quick 4 or so miles this morning (my new lowest trail mileage day so far, a huge win [not sarcastic, finally learning to slow down after 4mos]), I got picked up for my first zero/“nero” day in a bunch of weeks, and spent the day relaxing here in paradise in BFE, Maine. I got my resupplying done (too heavy again, of course), relaxed the legs, ate an awesome dinner, and am in the process of getting lost in “The Last American Man”, a book by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. It is absolutely fascinating, and came at the recommendation of the hostel owner here. Not much else to report – tomorrow I will get back on the trail. ~50 miles of tough climbing then it opens up. Goodnight!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 22, 2026
10pm check-in: Safe and sound, comfy and cozy in my tent! It ended up being a longer day than expected. Wanted to leave as few miles for the morning as possible. Did a 0.6mi walk to get water + 0.6 back in the pitch black and had a late dinner. But thank you to Learning Curve for the awesome trail magic at lunch at Grafton Notch – I think we met all the way back in Franklin, NC but I didn’t remember until after. I will see him again at Shaw’s Hiker Hostel, one of the most famous on trail. Zzz…
//
7:30 PM check-in: I’ve now done 23 miles, and I have just over a mile until the campsite. Hard push here at the end of the day, but got some pretty gentle terrain for Maine, which I appreciate.
//
5 o’clock check-in: I’m going to use voice to text because I have some ground I still need to cover. I’ve done about 16 miles so far today, including the Mahoosuc Arm, Old Speck, and the Baldpate mountains. Lotta cool stuff has happened today. I met a lot of awesome day hikers, which slows me down a bit, but is very much enriching in other ways. Shoutout to Tim! Tim rocks!!
I am shooting to get to a spot a little less than 9 miles from here as it currently stands. That will put me about 4 miles away from where a shuttle will pick me up at 8:30 in the morning, and then bring me to the hostel for my 0/nero day. I’m looking forward to getting a little bit of time off my feet. And also taking ownership of my new hoodie!
A fun tidbit: I stepped in a bog today. It was kind of like a pool of quicksand. I was literally up to my knee on my left leg in thick mud. Fortunately, I didn’t sustain any injuries. It took me a bit to get all the mud out of my shoe, and my sock is pretty well-caked with mud still. But it could’ve been much worse!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 21, 2026
Hello! When I don’t have cell service, I get these posted ASAP the following day, and backdate them to 8pm the previous evening. I’m actually writing this at 7:30; after taking a brief walk for cell service, I decided that this can be one of those that gets posted late. I hope y’all understand… Let’s talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly from today:
The good – I made it to Maine! I completed 13/14 of the states the AT goes through, and have only one left. A long one, but only one. So I really walked from Georgia to Maine!! Also, I did the slowest/hardest/most dangerous mile on the trail today, Mahoosuc Notch, and did so in just under an hour, and without getting hurt (injured* I did manage to bash my ankle bone against a rock and had to really walk it off). That’s a huge win. I was talking to myself the whole time, and tried to make it as fun as possible. “Gotta Spiderman my way through here… Let’s do this without breaking my leg…” etc. Otherwise it would have been supremely more stressful.
The bad – My knees and ankles are toast. Not injury-toast, but hey-you’re-using-us-a-lot-toast. Sorry guys. Give me two more solid days and I will kick you up for the better part of an afternoon, at least. Because of my late campsite arrival last night, the tent spot pickings were limited, and I ended up on quite the uneven plot. So not a great night of sleep – but tonight I am Flat Stanley and will sleep like Stanley from The Office. After spending the day acting like a character from the imagination of Stan Lee… Dodging holes in the rocks like Stanley Yelnats… Clothes are dirty, Stanley Steamer…
The ugly (me ugly whining on deaf ears for a minute) – I whine about “thru-hikers” sometimes, but a section hiker told me today he gets a thru-hiker hangtag every year. It’s the one thing out here that distinguishes people who started at the southern/northern terminus from everyone else. It’s a badge of honor. Do better!
I was also told by someone today that they thru-hiked a 500-mile section of the PCT. That isn’t a thru-hike… That’s cool and difficult, but you hiked a large section of the PCT with a backpack. You didn’t “thru-hike” it. Sorry!
Also, while I’m at it, skipping sections of the AT, including but not limited to, difficult climbs, entire state/national parks, partial states, entire states, or any part of the trail you deem not worthy of hiking, means that you are no longer thru-hiking the AT. Whatever you are doing may still be very impressive and/or difficult and/or unique, but it is not thru-hiking the AT… and saying you’re going to go back and do it after summiting Katahdin is cool and all – I also saw a polar bear on the trail yesterday (things that didn’t/won’t happen for 800, please, Ken).
The “hike your own hike” mentality of being inclusive of whatever someone wants to scrap together to call a “thru-hike” is wild – it’d be the equivalent of letting a Navy Seal pick their training regimen, and calling the ones who skipped or failed BUDS “Seals” the same as the ones who actually did it. Not the same Seal!
Walking from GA to ME is impressive, but if you’re not going to hike the trail, don’t call yourself a thru-hiker, and don’t get the hangtag (or the certificate for that matter). @all of the people who magically showed up on-trail after the White Mountains. (The detour around the Wildcats was a cop-out and you all know it was.) Rant over.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 20, 2026
8pm Update
Safe and sound tucked into my tent. On the side of a hill kind of, but it’s workable. Quite a popular shelter tonight!
5pm Update
I ran into a pack of familiar hikers and stopped to chat. I have a little over 5mi left in my journey for today. I slept so well in my tent last night, I can’t wait to again this evening. It’ll probably be PB&Js for dinner so I don’t have to cook in the dark.
2:30pm Update
I got an ice cream sandwich from a trail angel who has been doing this 15yrs – thanks guy with Greek trail name I forget. I have 11mi and 4,000ft of elevation gain to my destination. Let’s see how this goes…
//
1,900mi done! <300mi to go. I am going to do it! It feels surreal. I am pretty exhausted, but really excited as well. I’m overdue for a day off, so when I get another ~50mi or so I’m going to take a zero at the Om Dome hostel. And retrieve my Sambob Alpha 90 hoodie for the chilly nights and mornings! So I’ve got that to look forward to, and crossing into Maine… and Mt. Moriah marked the end of the tough climbs in the White Mountains on the trail. All positive stuff.
I got a late start and spent much of the morning coming down from the summits. Lots of rocks, tough on the knees, ankles, and feet. Requires a lot of focus which gets a tad tiring. The window to do a 30-miler in NH has long passed. There was one day I may have been able to, but this is a tough stretch! I passed a guy doing an FKT (fastest known time) attempt on the summit of Mt. Washington with his supporting cast, and I bet he’s doing 30+ up here. His name was Tim Elliot or something like that? Not for me but hey power to ya, bud.
Tomorrow is going to be tough. Being in Maine will be a morale boost, but that means it’s time for Mahoosuc Notch. A.K.A. the slowest mile on the A.T. Then Old Speck, which is the 3rd highest peak in Maine. Tomorrow issues, I suppose. Writing this during lunch, so I’m going to get as close as possible and work on getting a great night of sleep so I can tackle tomorrow. Adios.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 19, 2026
I realized last night at the hostel (The Libby in Gorham, B+) that I’ve never seen the Goonies. Nor have I seen the original Jurassic Park. So I’m a poser!
I got all my errands done and got to spend ample couch time. Post-resupply pack weight: 42lbs. I did not learn from Connecticut-gate that I should probably cool it. But why not try to tackle the Wildcat peaks at peak capacity? Just a little leg workout. And nothing makes me feel more invincible than carrying two bread sleeves full of already-made PB&Js. I will walk, indefinitely.
I got commended today by a day-hiker for not taking the detour. That’s the way to my heart! I am honestly tired of the fear mongering around the Whites. Sure, it’s harder than NJ/NY/CT/MA/VT, which were easy relative to quite literally anywhere else on the trail with the exception of WV/MD. But it’s not impossible. Otherwise people wouldn’t do it. And a thru-hiker almost 1,900mi into their journey is about as capable as you can get. Anywhom.
Needless to say, the trail has been pretty empty. Jukebox slack-packed a 20miler today, so I was solo with my 42lbs doing the steep ups and the steeper downs. I also met EJ, who is cruising through the 48 4k-fters. They had lots of cool tattoos and shared one of the best views so far atop Wildcat.
Then I met Dave from Worcester, AT class of ‘90, who was kind enough to get a couple bowls of soup for us. Turns out he lives in Worcester and works at BMR, a rival high school to where I went. Small world! I am always in awe when people thru-hiked the AT prior to smartphones. I’m playing on easy mode. Minus the hiking part, that’s still the same.
I’m here at Imp Campground which has a wonderful mountain overlook view. I had a bit of a fall today but escaped with a chipped nail (seriously, it could have been so much worse). So Alan’s message about staying safe couldn’t have come at a better time. Not getting hurt is my #1 priority. Basically out of the Whites, just a couple more days in NH. Whack-A-Mole out, yo.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 18, 2026
I am proud to announce that today is my second shortest day of hiking on the trail. The only time I did less miles was in Erwin, TN. The traverse down from Mt. Madison was very slick, quite steep, and full of rocks. But! The good news is, I am finally going to stop “working” long enough to go resupply. And stay in an actual bed. My feet also won’t complain about getting a little extra time off.
The next few days will be very tough hiking, but I’ll have the supplies needed to get the job done. Wildcat is notoriously difficult. As is the southernmost section of Maine. Not much else to report, though. Trying not to get injured on this tough terrain is the main thing on my mind. Hopefully the hostel tonight has a good movie selection… Currently sitting in an Adirondack chair waiting for a shuttle pickup.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 17, 2026
Checking in from the lovely Madison Springs Hut. I don’t know what has been going on, but I locked in another work-for-stay. Jukebox and I will work in the kitchen in exchange for leftovers and getting to sleep on the floor. Trust me when I say this is a great deal. I have gotten the hut experience ($180/night) three nights in a row for free… no complaints!
Today’s hiking was very foggy, very misty, a bit rainy, not much in the way of views, but I successfully summited Mt. Washington and entered the Presidential Range! That is the highest peak in New England and I believe the second highest on the whole trail. So back to everything being downhill… A couple more days in NH then onto Maine. Morale is high, the only thing higher is my longing to get back to Florida. But in due time.
Also, I forgot (neglected) to mention that I lost to a 12 year old in chess the other night. I am not afraid to admit this. In terms of other cool or unusual trail experiences, I dropped a weather report from the ceiling this morning at the hut when the “Croo” member prompted me by saying “…and actually the weather reports are being dropped by helicopter as we speak…” The trail is a blast. And also notably, Jukebox knows every folk song known to man and will sing free of charge. The makings of a great hiking buddy.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 16, 2026
My employer of the evening is the Mizpah Hut! I am hooked on doing this. Basically I can hike to a hut, wait ‘til 4pm, offer them help, and get dinner and a stay inside for free! So cool!!
Today was a pretty easy day comparatively. To what tomorrow will be. And it’s going to be rainy. But I’m going to do whatever needs to be done. To not be inflicted serious harm atop Mt. Washington. Or minor harm. Shooting for a harmless thru-hike remainder.
I am stoked to upload pictures. The White Mountains are the most beautiful part of the trail so far. Hard hiking, amazing views. Goodnight, all!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 15, 2026
Last night was quite a journey. It was cold again (for the first time since NC)! And my snoring comrade + bitter cold = a bad sleep but a bad sleep + great stars = amazing gazing. So I spent the odd witching hours of the wee morning contemplating our puniness in the cosmos. And my own puniness on Earth. In a good way. I’d happily trade two hours of that for two hours of sleep. Then I went back to sleep. Then I woke up.
Then Franconia Ridge whooped my butt! I had high hopes for today, but ended up at Galehead Hut not so far from where I began, and enlisted in a “work for stay” i.e. if I spray/wipe down the tables, and Ranger Vic sweeps the floor, we get to eat as many leftovers as we can and sleep on the floor of the hut. Because it’s the AT and of course that’s a viable option. I love all the cool, intricate traditions of the AT. Many of which are founded on trust, charity, and sheer kindness.
And the stars were once again amazing. After stepping out for some chilly meteor viewing, I snuck back inside for my floor-bound slumber, which beats the rocks off sleeping in a tent on a platform next to a (very friendly, and who offered to show me around Greenville, SC) snorer. The only drawback is I am to be out by 6am. Which gives me a good excuse to actually hike tomorrow. And I need to resupply food, so that’s just as well.
Planning on hunkering down Monday so I don’t have to try climbing Mt. Washington in the rain. More to come, thanks for reading. Sorry if my website is being spotty. My web host got hacked or something. The comments functionality might be a little wonky. I was able to send a test one by refreshing the page after hitting submit. Anywhom.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 14, 2026
After a great stay at The Notch, I got on the early shuttle and hiked up South/North Kinsman Mountain(s), 2 4,000fters, then did some miles to Liberty Springs Campsite. Doing steep uphills at the end of a 20mi day is always a great physical/mental battle, but it’s great to be here, and tomorrow is going to be an amazing day for views. It’s finally chilly again!
I am sharing a tent platform directly next to a very nice, but snoring already, South African section hiker. A great night for earplugs. Goodnight!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 13, 2026
EDIT
Like everything on the trail always seems to, today just worked out. Just as I was walking up to the agreed meet-up spot, my mom and Kathy pulled up! And we were primed to start the climb. It was one of the climbs where you earned the views, but as we got up higher, the fog started to burn off, and we really lucked out. It was nice and windy up there, and we got to hang out for a bit before parting ways up on the summit. Pretty bittersweet to say goodbye to your mom on the top of a mountain, but I feel more purposeful now, and that there’s a job to be done.
I tackled the descent (so slowly, because old shoes) and got to see a really long, beautiful waterfall. I finally made it down all the way, got to the parking lot, saw some fellow hikers, and the rest was history. We got picked up and brought to The Notch Hostel, where a new pair of shoes awaited, and unbeknownst to me, also an amazing homemade dinner. And great company.
And tomorrow is Groundhog Day again. Going to test out what these White Mountains are made of…
//
Today was a real hiking day, with real ups and downs, and real views. And thank goodness, my mom and Kathy came along for the journey! They kicked butt, and we got to have an awesome lunch on the summit. Such a cool awesome day 🙂 (will update more later)
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 12, 2026
-Spent a bunch of time last night after getting to camp looking for water with a headlamp to no avail. Thank goodness we are mostly water.
-Fire tower sunrise. Absolutely brilliant colors. Identifying funny clouds with Jukebox.
-Grilled cheese trail magic (thanks to the folks at the Notch Hostel. See you tomorrow!)
-Hikers Welcome Hostel. Seeing old Trail-adjacent people from GA. So cool!
-Long chitchat with hiker Gumby. Really nice to talk about the trail and life. Seems like folks are warming up here as the trail cools down.
-Hiking Mt Moosilauke tomorrow with my Mom and Kathy!!! So exciting to have some trail company. It’ll be a 10mi day, and I’m looking forward to that very much.
-Tomorrow I have new shoes getting delivered to the hostel! My last pair 🙁
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 11, 2026
Bullet points:
-Walked to the 8am open of a grocer, bought a Gatorlyte drink, a Chobani protein thing, and an apple cider. Drank them in quick succession, in that order.
-Set my sights on the Hexacuba shelter, strictly for the name. Ended up falling short and for good reasons to be detailed below.
-Had amazing views sprinkled throughout the day, less amazing mosquitoes, and legitimately the best weather on the trail so far.
-Right before the final climb of the day up Smarts Mountain (best views on the AT so far from the tower), I ran into Sir Stops a Lot again. He had about 10 pizzas, tells the best trail stories, and is just a cool guy. I last saw him in West Virginia!
-Got to the top and got to watch the dwindling sunset with a new trail character Jukebox. We then went on a futile hunt for water, set our tents up in an old enclosed shelter, and talked about the Odyssey.
-The exciting part of being here, and less exciting part of not having made it to Hexacuba, is that tomorrow there is trail magic less than 12mi from here. Grilled cheese and “tons of refreshments” sponsored by PolarSteps. Twist my arm!
-Very quickly here I am going to be moving into the White Mtn’s which I can’t wait for. I won’t be fear-mongered over how difficult it is. Eating a bowl of cereal with your opposite hand is difficult. Singing the alphabet backwards without practicing is difficult. Hiking is fun.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 10, 2026
7PM UPDATE:
I’m an eager beaver and am crossing into NH. Bye Vermont 🙁 I stopped to support local… which when I upload pics, you’ll know what I mean. I also stopped and played basketball for a while. And boy. I stunk. And also, I did 30mi again today which I DID NOT MEAN TO! I was consciously trying to slow down!! I started hiking past 9!!! I went on side quests galore. Ugh… Not a true NH 30 though so it doesn’t count. All cozy inside my tent. Don’t tell Dartmouth I’m on their land 😉
//
ORIGINAL:
Back to dictation momentarily with no spellcheck or rewrite because I want to finish up my miles for the day. I’m not really ready to leave Vermont yet, so I’m going to stay on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River (make it make sense!) tonight (hopefully). I believe there’s a church that has bunks and also allows hikers to tent out, so hopefully they will take me in tonight.
Vermont might be my favorite state on the trail so far, in-part because the pacing is phenomenal. It pushes you almost to your limit, and then eases off at the perfect times. At least for my hiking style, it feels like a perfect match. There are lots of views and it’s quiet and serene, and the people are just phenomenal. A+ state.
Tomorrow, I’ll cross into New Hampshire, through the Dartmouth College campus, which is exciting! Dick, my Nana‘s longtime partner and my grandfather figure in so many ways was a Dartmouth grad, and he played basketball there. Which is super cool. I have so many great memories with him, bringing us to the beach on the Cape in his Jeep in the summer, and spending holidays, and doing crafts with him. So to be on his old stomping ground feels pretty special.
It’s funny how many ties I have to Vermont;: last night and this morning Curtis and I passed by the Norwich University exit, which is my dad‘s alma mater where he played football. And tonight I’ll be in the town of Norwich. And I neglected to mention when I saw it, but I passed the UVM Catamounts cross country ski track – and my uncle Bruce raced on that team! And my mom went to UVM! So much Vermont!
But, impermanence. Soaking it up while I can.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 9, 2026
Let’s do some more human-generated content. Today was a wacky one, then a great one! I woke up early and hiked quickly for a long time. Up lots of hills. Down lots of hills. I did this continuously until I needed food, water, to use the bathroom, or to look at something cool.
By noon I had done 16 miles, which I think was a first. I did this because I had somewhere to be! And now it’s 4pm and I’ve done 26.2mi and I’m getting ready to embark into Woodstock with a fellow Hooper. After hitting a farm-stand to stave off my hangriness, of course… Nothing says “good to see you again” like a horrible, dehydrated, distracted attitude. But that’s taken care of so we’re off to the races. Very excited to see familiar Hooper faces!
I’m kind of sad now though – all these miles are bringing VT to an end. How the heck did that happen so quick? Like I’ll be in NH tomorrow at my current pace? What the heck? Vermont has been so pretty. And the food has been so good. Everything is organic and homemade and rustic and heirloom and this-and-that-free and crafted with care. It’s hearty. But I know Maine is hearty, too, so I just have one thing in my way.
9pm check-in: WOW! We ended up having an amazing dinner, then I opted for an overnight stay. Which was so gracious to be offered. And I was completely spoiled with awesome treats and food and company and dogs. Lots of great memories at this property from family reunions over the years. Overjoyed with gratitude. What a send-off from VT… Go Hoopers! Curtis is going to drive me back to the trail tomorrow morning. ILOVERMONT!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 8, 2026
Back to human-generated content today. Each of these words is crafted via my thumbs. And my brain! No proofreaders, no rewriters. So I may make real human mistakes. And that’s oKaY! Nautical!! Let’s begin!!! (AI would never…)
I hit a wonderful farm-stand this morning for sourdough bread, chocolate milk, hummus, blueberries, an ice cream sandwich, and other stuff, and didn’t eat it all necessarily in that order. I needed fuel for the second-highest peak in VT, Killington! It’s great to be over 4k feet again.
I spent much of the day doing that, and chatting on the phone, and lallygagging, or doing what feels like lallygagging after yesterday. If there is terrain conducive to it, I’ll try for 30mi in NH/ME too. It’s a fun and exhausting challenge. Take that, ultramarathoners! With your dinky little water packs and flat terrain and one-day events (I’m half-kidding as walking and jogging are different ballgames).
I hit the 500mi remaining marker today, and that feels wild. I remember how excited I was to have hiked 500mi… now I’ve done 1,200 more! It goes quick, as everything does. In the grand scheme of things, it’s all just a blip. A blip I’ll cherish and reflect fondly on and be proud of… but still just a blip. A happy blip!
Tomorrow I am meeting up with fellow Hoopers which I am super excited about! I’ll have to push some miles in the morning, but it’ll make dinner and the company all the more worth it. Goodbye, for now!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 7, 2026
Today, I’ll be using dictation again because it’s incredibly quick. However, I genuinely enjoy typing out the updates more than talking to them out loud. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to use Apple Intelligence to proofread at least the entry and observe its capabilities. I believe it’s an AI similar to Grammarly, not like ChatGPT. While I don’t particularly enjoy the trajectory of AI, I did use it to create this website. Of course, every single update has been written entirely by me, as you can probably infer.
Despite the declining readership, I continue to share my personal thoughts and beliefs on these updates. (Lol.) Not to get political, but what are your thoughts on flock cameras? Just kidding, don’t answer that. I don’t need this blog on a watchlist. I also don’t believe that readership is declining. I appreciate all the notes, texts, and calls I receive. They mean the world to me and make me feel completely un-alone out here on the trail.
Last night, Magnet’s advice to stay on top of Bromley Mountain was fantastic. Approximately 20 other hikers shared the same idea, and with a bit of rain and wind, we managed to make it through the night. The sunset last night was one of the most breathtaking I’ve ever witnessed. Mountain sunsets are a unique experience compared to ocean sunsets due to the depth and elevation changes over the horizon.
This morning, I started early around seven and completed 13.5 miles by noon. It’s enjoyable to see which states I can attempt to cover 30 miles in. Today, I’m making that attempt here in Vermont. As of 2:48 p.m., I’ve covered 19.2 miles.
It’s 5:24 p.m. and I’ve covered 26.2 miles today. The remaining 5.7 miles will be challenging, but I believe I’ve got it. I’ve already completed most of the elevation gain, so now it’s time to coast.
I’m wrapping up this update early, even though I have 2.7 miles left, because my brain is fried, and anything I say from here on out won’t make much sense. This might be the last 30-mile day I can do on the trail, as the days are getting shorter and the terrain is getting tougher. But it felt great to push myself today. Tomorrow, there’s a farm stand that apparently has really good cold brew coffee, so I’ll happily treat myself to some after earning it today. Good night!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 6, 2026
Let’s try something fun today: I’m going to dictate to my phone and whatever it ends up typing is what I’m going to end up posting. No edits, just stream of consciousness directly into the Notes app on my phone and then onto my website.
I woke up today at the wonderful wicked way station and had a couple of Jimmy Dean croissant breakfast sandwiches, then was able to get back to the trailhead for 8 AM and immediately went up Stratton Mountain, which is a relatively easy hike, but offered some of the best views that I’ve had and what feels like months. There was a fire tower at the top, even though I’m scared of heights, I muster up the courage to go up there, and it was totally worth it.
After that, there was a blue blaze trail to Stratton Pond, which I of course took because I read some really good FarOut comments about the pond, and that was also worth the extra bit of effort. From there not much else really happened exciting, I just pushed on to Bromley Mountain, and after talking to some southbound, they suggest suggested that I go stay at the ski patrol hunt up at the top.
Speaking of which, I met my two favorite south bounders today, bourbon, and magnet. Big shout out to them for being cool, there are actually a good source of information (the southbound) but I found that you kind of have to take what they say with a grain of salt. I was more than happy to take whatever those two said today with a box of salt, maybe even a salt flat because they were just that cool
Please forgive any grammatical errors in this update, but I am just going to post it as it is for fun. Isn’t voice recognition technology and dictation crazy? It has gotten so much better and I still think it’s one of the things that will help bring people together in the long run across cultures more than anything else. Having the ability to communicate with people verbally is very important, because nonverbal cues across cultures are very difficult to pick up on. I have learned. Even talking to a Ukrainian last night, their social norms and facial expressions and mannerisms are so different than ours.
Anyhow, thanks for reading this jumbled mess. Very excited to get back out there and hike again tomorrow. Vermont is so pretty and the hiking is amazing.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 5, 2026
Today is a great day. I “nero’ed” to the Wicked Waystation, mostly because the name is cool. Actually, mostly because I was out of food. Until I hit a woodsy trail magician with an aggressive, albeit sweet, Great Pyrenees. And I ate a peanut butter sandwich that the dog was ready to kill me over. But then, I was road walking the 6mi to the hostel when George, a Sarasotan who summers in VT, picked me up! It was my first “hitch” but technically he offered and I didn’t have my thumb up so I’m not counting it. Purism intact. I am an angel who can do no wrong.
Then I got here, and found out they recently finished setting up a cold plunge in the back yard?!? Before anything else, I sunk myself right into that 49-51 degree water, for the first time in months. New knees unlocked! That’s how I knew I was in the right spot. Took a shower, threw the laundry in. Meandered down the road, did a bit of shopping at the local country store, and plopped myself under an umbrella to write this.
Since I’m in Vermont, I feel like I have to shoutout my fellow Hoopers who are all doing cool stuff here in the Green Mountain state. Like really cool stuff. The trail doesn’t go too close to Randolph, but I’m channeling Hooper energy as I traverse their beautiful state. For anyone curious:
Jay Hooper (politician): https://www.vote4hoop.com
Sam Hooper (leather glove maker): https://vermontglove.com
Miles Hooper (goat farmer): https://www.ayersbrook.com
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 4, 2026
…I feel like I was hiking better on them than off them! Like Limitless pills. They were making the terrain easier, because correlation equals causation. I’m fine otherwise though, my back is all better, and the not-a-hernia probably-a-hernia hasn’t been bothering me at all. And my energy levels are good, so no complaints on the health front. I definitely wouldn’t be in a good spot without the week off; I’m glad it was validated as the correct choice.
No complaints on the people front either. I think sometimes I have given the impression that I am lone-wolfing out here on the trail. But I’m not! Here are all the familiar faces I saw today:
Zoo
Rocky
Hot Tang
Toby
Nightcrawler
Snake Eyes
Phantom
River
Some of them I met hundreds of miles ago, and the familiarity makes the trail feel even homier. Then I met a dozen or more new folks, had varying degrees of conversations, and all was well on that front too. Minus the TMI about lymphedema. Maybe, don’t hike the trail? I’m not a doctor. But it has been very social out here since getting back on trail, which I am loving. Spirits are high as we cross into wrap-it-up territory.
That said, Vermont has really been beautiful so far. I chose to scale a fire tower today, against the wishes of a few strongly-worded signs in order to get an awesome view. Everything is so green! It was well-worth the parkour. I’ve done about 30mi here and have 120mi or so left to go. It’s all a little bittersweet, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ready to head back to FL once this is all over. I miss lots of special people there, and animals, and sunsets, and super friendly strangers, and a million other things. But for now, there is a job to do!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 3, 2026
Goodbye Massachusetts :’( for now. Hello Vermont!!! Also for now. They weren’t kidding when they said it’d be muddy here. Wowzers. I got downpour’d on, and the mudslide was complete. Everything is feeling good, had an awesome trail magic to start today. Bathed in a stream this evening (just got all the mud off my legs). Embracing my inner Vermonter. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice – I can dry out! Fairwell.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 2, 2026
With the wonderful support of Perry, I was able to tackle today with the same effort and pace of the last couple days. What can’t a man accomplish full of chicken enchiladas, blueberry pancakes, and orange gatorade?
Full of fuel, I climbed the highest peak in Massachusetts – far out! The AT path to Mt. Greylock is definitely the long way up, but I do need to get the glutes and quads ready for the rest of this journey. And the knees. So I’m going to look at climbs as practice for the final one. Warmups for the big kahuna. And today was just that. It had been too long since I had climbed an actual mountain.
There are a bunch of cool milestones coming up shortly:
-1,600mi, so less than 600 left to go. That’s weird!
-Crossing into VT, my third-to-last state. And one I am very excited for!
-In a few days, I’ll hit the 75% mark. I ordered a large pizza, and ate 6 slices pretty easily. I’m now full, but have no fridge (or friends) and just need to finish the pie, crust and all. Going to need to wash it down with something.
Otherwise, I’m finally done with my course of antibiotics. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Western medicine (ha), but it’s nice not to have a grapefruit amount of swelling in my back…
Also, a PSA to anyone who feels like striking up a conversation with a hiker out in the wild: please for the love of God just be interested in them, or at the very least, be interesting yourself, or just keep it pushing. We really don’t have to chitchat; I just want to enjoy the view I spent hours hiking for, for a few minutes, alone. I’ve been carrying 30+ lbs on my back for 3+ months, I really don’t feel like carrying a conversation too about your woulda/coulda/shoulda dreams. I’ll spend tomorrow overanalyzing my lack of conversational patience (no I won’t – do better, “Brian”. I refuse to feel guilty for excusing myself from lameness). Rant over. My inner ‘Massachusetts’ is creeping back.
Not much else to report or vent about otherwise! Happy belated August!!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Aug 1, 2026
EDIT
//
I didn’t bother doing a full write-up last night because I didn’t want to be a rude houseguest. But holy cow! I met Perry and Chris and Maddie’s dad hiking in PA, and we stopped on the trail and had a great conversation. Perry said hey man, when you get to Dalton give me a call, I’ll put you up, do your laundry, make you food. I, being someone who is learning to embrace the wonderful kindness of others, rang him up and he delivered exactly on those promises. And they turned out to be the coolest, kindest people! My home state is taking care of me so good. Feeling so grateful.
ORIGINAL POST
//
I am watching NCIS with Perry (who I met while he was section-hiking in PA) and his wife Maddie in Dalton, MA. He made the best chicken enchiladas, and I just woofed down a Klondike bar. They opened their home to me out of the kindness of their hearts!
Today was legitimately the luckiest day I’ve had on trail, and maybe ever. So much amazing trail magic. So many awesome hikers. I’m so grateful!!!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 31, 2026
I was going to continue the Star Wars theme for post titles, but I really don’t feel like associating my hike with anything Sith or Empire or Clone-related. And that doesn’t leave me many titles. So tonight I’ll just keep it real! Big hiker camaraderie day!!!
The day started off great because On It and I crossed paths yet again after not seeing each other for months, and we hiked to the coolest cabin on a pond where there were so many other hikers, and lots of south-bounders. Apparently tomorrow at 6am there will be pancakes. Lucky hikers!!!
Mostly all the folks who stopped at Hooper Mama’s trail magic were here, so it was cool to put some faces to some names. Of course, they had all heard of my recent health issues, and were concerned. But we’re back! Back enough to be back, anyway.
Things are feeling pretty good. The conditioning is slowly coming back. Believe it or not, the feet do a lot better with daily use rather than being kicked up for a week when it comes to hiking long miles. But they’ll get back to their former glory, I know they will. I am going to keep pushing through MA and see if I can get back to my former pace.
I want to thank anyone who encouraged me and supported me during my time off the trail. I hadn’t realized how much the trail had come to mean to me, and your texts, hugs, prayers, and good energies lifted me to the point where I could get back out. I am forever grateful for each of you.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 30, 2026
Like Odysseus, I have found my way back home. The Hooper Mama was kind enough to shuttle me back out to Great Barrington, and after a long hug, I made my way back onto the trail. Everything seemed clearer than before. More vibrant… Then I remembered I deep-cleaned my glasses before I left. Oh well, so much for not knowing what you have ‘til it’s gone. Whack-A-Mole Scene 1, Part 2, action.
Within 5mi I hit two different trail magics, which I felt a little guilty indulging in, but hey, if I’m back, then I’m back. And I’m back. So I’m back… Hooper Mama went up ahead and set up shop at a road crossing with trail magic of her own, which is so cool! She got to meet some hikers I had passed, and surely brightened a few days. I did a light day myself, and made it to the shelter before the rain started back up. Couldn’t quite make it to the HM TM stop, but that’s alright!
I am still carrying way too much food (ugh, twist my arm, I have to feast tonight and tomorrow morning), but the new pack is making a world of difference. It feels like I am starting from scratch as far as conditioning, so it’ll take a couple days to get my trail legs back. Plus, I am just going to take it easy because antibiotics, and infection, and stuff. And, because what’s the rush? Barring some kind of tectonic plate activity, I don’t think Maine is going anywhere. If it does, the fish to fry will be too big to fry.
Hooper Mama Trail Magic
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 29, 2026
My first day on the trail was three months ago today, and similar to my trail start, today was a total rain day! So it’s fitting I get myself back out there…
Today, I ran some errands consisting of mailing things around, and scouring Shaw’s for treats. I kicked it with my oldest pal, and went to see The Odyssey (again) with Hooper Mama. The plan for tomorrow is to head back out to the trail. I am excited! And nervous. But mostly excited.
Here are the cats, Jazzy & Jojo!
🐈⬛
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 28, 2026
Thank you to all who have been reaching out! I haven’t been in great spirits and it’s nice to hear from others. Hiking almost everyday for 3 months then stopping suddenly for a week is a bit of an adjustment, who woulda thunk?
Shoutout MK for the breakfast sandwiches this AM. That was a huge morale boost. Didn’t do much again today. Watched the original Blade Runner. Met up with Earl & Katie for dinner (my brother and his wife) which was really nice. Social interactions! Good!
Tomorrow is going to be a serious washout in Western MA, so the trail gods are keeping me inside for at least another day. More time to recover I suppose. It’s, uh, fine! Gotta control the controllables. The weather isn’t controllable. For me anyway. I don’t think.
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 27, 2026
NASCAR is highly entertaining. Spending time inside day-after-day ain’t it. Very excited to get back on the trail. My back has healed rapidly. Takeoff Wednesday? Farewell.
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 26, 2026
Every day is better than the last in terms of comfort and swelling and such. I am feeling back to 80-90% walking around, and am starting to get the new pack loaded up. I don’t want to jump back out too early, but I’m so excited to get to hiking again, and making progress towards achieving my goal.
With that said, the best part of being here, and of the whole journey, has been getting to spend more time with my family. These memories are going to stick with me for a long time, and makes me feel very thankful. Massachusetts is a special place with lots of special people.
I don’t really have any other pictures to share, but I’m going to send my first pack back to Osprey for some repairs, so I’ll share those here for fun. Hopefully they’re able to fix or replace the pack for me and I can keep it as a spare. I was totally overloading it with weight.
Update #90 in the books. It’ll be 3mos out here as of the 28th. I’m still making pretty good time, even with all these zero days!
New pack vs. old pack
Ripped straps!
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 25, 2026
Making recovery progress! Not going to gross anyone out with the fine details of draining a nasty infection from a back, but I am getting there… trail ETA, +2, 3 days?
Today was my big bro’s 34th bday, so we went to Worcester to watch the Pawtucket Hot Wieners beat the tails off the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. A big win for the WooSox!
Settling in to watching Ford v Ferrari with my mom for the evening after some Ben & Jerry’s bday celebratory ice cream. Keeping up with the NASCAR/racing theme. Not much else to report from the Whack-A-Mole neck of the woods.
The Woo crew!
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 24, 2026
And hello. From the couch. I finished an incredible 4-part documentary about Dale Earnhardt Sr. today. It was on Amazon Prime. Highly recommend it! It really brought me back to some of my earliest memories of go-karting around the track up in Maine or up and down our driveway in MA. Outrageous fun.
Last night we went over to, and a huge shoutout to J & R B, and M K, our dearest longtime family friends’ home for a heartwarming, spectacular dinner. Spending time was absolutely wonderful. I got sent home with the best homemade cookies, and have since been doing everything in my power to tack back on some weight. If I’m going to act like a couch potato, I might as well eat like one. For now.
My back is still quite swollen and uncomfortable. I am so very lucky that this happened when it did, because the situation got much worse very quickly. And I definitely could not have continued hiking much further past where I got with the mounting discomfort. And tomorrow is my older brother’s birthday! So we’re going to a ballgame, and that’s really exciting. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be much better than today, so let’s will it into existence!
Lastly; some food for thought, from a German proverb, I think: anyone who travels with ambitions never travels alone.
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 23, 2026
Thank you to the WAM community for the outpouring of support… today is much better than yesterday. I was able to get into the urgent care as patient #1 this AM, and the thing in my back was a cellulitis infection. So it got lanced and drained, now I’m on antibiotics. What I thought was a hernia is likely swollen lymph nodes from the infection. One big bullet dodged, another I am in the process of dodging. Sitting is painful, sleeping was restless, but I am on the mend.
I also got to spend a few hours with my Dad running some errands, including picking up a new pack. Shoutout to Nicole @ the Cranston REI for being an amazing listener and fitter. I ended up going with the non-ultralight version of what I already had, which is sturdier and will fit considerably better. And I am very familiar with the pack adjustments and everything already.
PLUS I got a dry bag for my food so I can do away with my bear canister, and a new titanium spork. And some fuel. So when I am ready to take on the trail again (maybe Sunday?), I’ll have everything I need. THANK GOODNESS all of this happened while I was in Massachusetts. And I get to see my family and friends? More cellulitis please! (No more, it’s horrible).
The next couple updates may be boring, but I haven’t missed a day and don’t want to. But thank you again for the well wishes and support; it means so much to me. On and off the trail, people are amazing.
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 22, 2026
And this is precisely why I should not label my posts with deceiving titles. I am now the boy who cried wolf. But rest assured, everything is okay(ish). I figure I’ll give you all the rundown and keep y’all posted over the coming days –
I have several issues and they are all contributing to one another to some degree. Basically, I have a huge cyst/welt/sore on my back that has worsened over the past couple days, and I believe I either developed or aggravated a hernia. Neither of those things bode particularly well for hiking.
Both things flared up yesterday after I resupplied A LOT, and carried more weight than I had in a while… With my ill-fitting pack… It was a mistake of my eyes being bigger than my stomach, and getting carried away in the store. After a few miles, I began to feel really uncomfortable, the rain started, and I was all aboard the struggle bus.
The antecedent, is my pack. Well I guess it’s my weight loss. I guess REALLY it’s my experience (lack thereof). And I suppose because I knew better, it was really my failure to act. I should have bought a new pack months ago when my current one stopped fitting. But I did not, and tried to adapt it to my quickly-changing figure. For the purposes of improving the immediate situation, I suppose I can leave musings around how I found myself here for another day…
Regardless, the hip belt and lower back apparatus were the real troublemakers, and the constant rubbing against my left back pelvis bone caused whatever this thing is to flare up. And I think the extra weight in conjunction with the placement of the hip belt aggravated the hernia thing.
Being in MA (thank goodness I was close to home), I reached out to Hooper Mama for a trail rescue. I was at the point where continuing on without going to Urgent Care seemed extremely risky and irresponsible. Plus I was hiking in the rain without a rain jacket. It was miserable.
As a cherry on top, I also took my worst spill on trail so far. It was one of those where I didn’t want to move and find out how bad the damage was going to be. Fortunately, it ended up being a walk-it-off type of fall. But with the other pains, and the rain, then that, I was actually wanting to go home. The trail gods struck me down, but I am going to do what I can to resurface again!
To fix the situation at hand, I need first to continue to watch the Redsox game with my mom and a heating pad on my back. With the cats walking around. Because that is great for my mental health. In the morning, I need to go to Urgent Care to see how screwed I am. Then, depending on how that goes, I need a new pack. And to reduce my weight dramatically. Assuming I’m not told that if I continue the hernia might rupture or something. Ugh. I don’t even want to think about it. Anyway…
So far, I am losing pretty bad to the home team. I’ll keep this updated as I firgure everything out. And when in Rome: I hope some of you saw this coming – Go Redsox! 15 games in a row!!! They are whacking some serious moles! Gotta find a couple positive things to focus on. So grateful for the Hooper Mama!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 21, 2026
Seriously, I want to be back in MA! (I’m sorry, I can’t stop with the click bait-y post titles. I feel like a YouTuber – my last post will be “I’m DONE with the AT”…)
It’ll be tomorrow now, though – torrential downpours, thunder & lightning, and a tornado watch in CT with no rain jacket put my butt in a shelter. And somehow just in time because this is the most severe weather I’ve seen on trail. They had an awful storm in this area around July 4th, and there’s still so much debris everywhere from it. I guess Connecticut likes to party.
I managed to stop in the lovely town of Salisbury to resupply before the storm hit. And that’s where I met Kathy – it was great meeting you, too! Thank you for all the awesome questions and interest in my hike.
I’m glad I got up early and hiked, because it feels like it was a full day even though I wanted to do another 8 or so miles. Oh well. Two big climbs to start the day tomorrow, including one which will put me at the highest point in CT. Cool!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 20, 2026
Hello and good evening from the lovely state of Connecticut. I think I am only going to be doing a one-night stay here. But it’s not bad! Some great views, it is very well-marked, lots of water. I am going to venture into Salisbury tomorrow to do a bit of resupplying.
I made the grave mistake of forgetting my rain jacket in NYC (my friends are shipping it up here, thank goodness). And tomorrow there is rain. Which means I’m going to have to get creative with my rainfly and big contractor trash bag to try to keep things remotely dry. A bridge to cross tomorrow. As an aside, I’ve always liked the phrase: “if you believe that, then I’ve got a bridge to sell you”, but I don’t think I understand it. Is it because all bridges are public for the most part? Will a reader help me out with this?
Lastly, I wasn’t sure if I would get 60,000 steps in a day, but I did today! Onto 70,000 (kidding… or am I?). But no, I think today was the most I’ve ever walked in a day, and that’s pretty cool. I was pretty happy doing it all day for the most part. The weather was fantastic, and the hours kind of fly by.
Well, goodnight all. I am excited to go “home” tomorrow. It’s a huge milestone for me on this trail. So cool. Grateful. Goodnight.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 19, 2026
I am overwhelmed with gratitude as I sit back in my tent after spending two nights in the city. New York was different than any other time I had visited; the city was the same but I was seeing it through a different lens. I don’t know the full extent of how the trail is reshaping me, but I’m starting to feel it.
I felt sad leaving my friends, and the glimpse they gave me into their city lives, but I didn’t try to fight that off. I did a short day to let it process, and to get in the right state of mind to continue my own journey. I am coming to terms with it being simultaneously far from over, while rapidly nearing the end.
And this darn trail, of course, delivered trail magic via hiker Soda Bread, who filled us up with bread and cheese, hummus and veggies. At the shelter. Man. My gratitude has gratitude! Today is my last day in New York. Goodbye, New York.
The Yankees… this is getting old. But yeah, the Yankees suck.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 18, 2026
I didn’t feel like hiking in the rain. So instead I walked around the city in the rain. And hung out @ Hostel Anna & Pat with Boss for the day. Feels like a huge win from a recovery and overall wellbeing standpoint. I’ll go back to the trail at some point tomorrow. I’m blessed to have such amazing friends.
P.S. The Odyssey was highly entertaining. Me falling asleep during it was no reflection of the quality of the film.
P.P.S. The Yankees lost to the Dodgers last night. Because of course they did, they suck.
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 17, 2026
It is really nice to be back in the Big Apple. Summer NYC has a boundless energy, and it was totally worth the extra miles to come here and visit Pat (one of my oldest and dearest friends) and his wife Anna and their dog, Boss. I got my laundry done, stocked up on real food (by stocked up I mean ate, not packed), and tonight we are going to see a late showing of The Odyssey. I may hang around tomorrow as well, because why not. Sitting on a non-hiker-hostel couch feels great. Life is good. When I return to trail, I’ll basically be in Connecticut. And as my amazing wonderful Aunt Jodi mentioned to me today, I believe I am now 2/3 done with the trail. If not, then very close to being so. And if my math is mathing, that means that I have to do half of what I’ve already done, once, and I’ll be standing atop Mount Katahdin. That shouldn’t be too hard (spoiler: it is and will be!).
So thankful for these amazing friends and getting to spend time with them. NYC Whack-A-Mole out, yo. And oops, almost forgot. The pro baseball team here that isn’t the Mets isn’t any good. Never has been, never will be. NEW YORKKK.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 16, 2026
In honor of a Walt Whitman statue I saw at the zoo yesterday and neglected to mention, today’s entry will be a bit more creative than usual! Enjoy!!
[Y] would I make another boring old update when I can revert back to poem-writing like a 5th grader?
[A] ir quality is not really an issue I’ve had to face on the trail until these past few days. I didn’t think anything of it when two days ago the sun was casting a pinkish/orange-ish reflection on the ground. Come to find out it’s been very hazy because of the wildfire smoke. That totally explains why the color of the sun was off, and now I can smell the smoke
[N] ana turned 94 today! I love you Nana!! We talked on the phone, but a while back she told me that at one point, her family phone number was literally “444”… in honor, I hiked to mile 1,444 today.
[K] atie from Colorado is now Firefly! I suggested the trail name and she took it – her and her family had to evacuate, and her planned start date/location changed, and she had a wrench thrown into what gear she packed, but she’s out here now and crushing miles. Go Firefly!
[E] ating a late lunch today at the Acorn Cafe today was a phenomenal choice. $5 burgers? In today’s age? Unheard of
[E] ight miles and eighteen hundred feet of elevation left to go @ 5pm as I write this. It’s very doable! I’ve been in worse situations
[S] even hundred fifty feet of elevation gain, 3.5mi, 10 minutes before 7pm. I need water. Is water in the room with us?
[S] adly, as the night crawls on,
[U] nder the weight of my pack, I
[C] an’t seem to muster up the strength to write more…
[K] ?
Goodnight! 🐭🥊💥
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 15, 2026
Not actually. But I did pass through the lowest point above sea-level on the entire trail today! I guess it really is only up from here. I’m going to keep doing bullet points until I don’t because I can add things throughout the day and not feel obligated to spend my evenings spinning together engaging tales (I’m going to turn this all into a coffee table book for myself when I’m done so the entertaining updates are for present me, future me, and present you [and maybe future you, too]). Alas:
– I was so excited to lay my tent on a beautiful patch of grass last night, that is, until a rattlesnake alerted me, ever-so-politely, that he had already laid claim to the site. I yielded. I didn’t even know NY had those? It was a timber rattlesnake for those curious, whereas the earlier one I had seen was an eastern diamondback rattlesnake
– “Side Quest McMurphy” (of course, a resident of Tennessee) and I shared the shelter and got to talk lots about the trail. Good guy, not easy doing this @ 23. Keep truckin’
– I got to go to a zoo, free of charge! Kind of a dream hiking day… They had fans which sprayed water. And the lowest point on the whole trail was 120ft above sea-level at the bear exhibit. But there were no bears…
– If only the Appalachian Market liked hikers as much as hikers frequented the store, the world would be a better place. Change the name of your store, or embrace hiker trash! It wasn’t anything flagrant, just an air of unfriendliness. Maybe that’s just New York?
– Speaking of which, the Yankees suck
– I went to the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center today to charge my power bank, and ended up taking a cold outdoor shower that was something of a spiritual journey in and of itself. I feel truly anew. A Baptism of sorts outside this random baseball field in the middle of the woods near the AT near the Hudson River kind of near New York City near me wanting to get to Connecticut so I can get nearer to my wonderful home state of Massachusetts.
– I also did laundry because there was a rack to dry my clothes on, so the visit feels very productive.
– Did I mention that the Yankees suck?
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 14, 2026
Bullet points today because less writing, more hiking:
– The Yankees suck
– Thank you for the plum, Roger!
– I met Alondra, who was awesome and who I am hopeful will continue hiking the AT and someday maybe the whole thing 😉 welcome our newest reader!
– The one thing, standing in the way, of me completing this trail, is: blueberries
– I passed the 1,400mi marker today. Progress!
– I got stuck at a weird distance from the Trailside Zoo, only open ‘til 4pm, with few camping options closer, so I am going to do less miles today, read my book, and tackle the zoo (and the Appalachian Market, and a deli) tomorrow!
– Perhaps someone can decipher this for me – I had a monarch butterfly fly around me for a while, sit on me, then finally attach itself to my leg as a hiking companion today. I am taking it as a great thing, but it was stinging me slightly
– The West Mountain Shelter has the best view of all the shelters on trail hands down. Almost clear enough out today to see NYC, which would have ruined it
– And that is because… the Yankees suck
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 13, 2026
I crossed over into NEW YORK for good this morning. The Yankees suck.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 12, 2026
At this point, I go into most days blind. Elevation is meh, whatever. Not something that moves the needle much over the course of a day. In NH & ME? Sure, I’ll pay attention so as not to make dumb decisions. But here, so far, I’ll get few 1,000ft climbs per day – it’s nothing like the climbs down south. By the time you break a sweat and your heart starts beating, you’re at the ~honda~ ridge line.
Having to resupply? As Upbeat once noted, ask not for a light pack, but for a strong back. Carry more food, go into town less (or eat less lol). Thank goodness there is a lot of variety with tuna packet flavorings and instant mashed potato seasonings. And speaking of packs, mine doesn’t really fit anymore. It hasn’t for well over a month. I’m too cheap to switch / for better or worse, I’m kind of attached to this one. Yeah it sucks, but it’s mine!
Shelters, tent sites, water? Play it by ear. That decision can usually be made on the fly in the late afternoon. A good day is 20 miles. A great day is 30 miles. Enough of those and I’m back on the beach for football season…
And some things I can’t control; last night myself and two Navy vets were stuck camping out with a dozen Children of the Corn who were doing a silent team-building activity (apparently) to set up their camp for the first hour after I arrived. Then, for the next 4 hours, they didn’t shut up. And from 5:30am on they didn’t shut up. I have never been more pro-team-building… Let’s see if you guys can work together silently to identify a new campsite!!! (My grumpiness aside, it is great they were enjoying the outdoors)
So today, after leaving town, I realized I had forgotten to get more TP! Fortunately, I hadn’t (and haven’t) been in the position of needing more when I really needed more, but I needed more. Not NEEDED more. TMI yet?
So I kept walking down the road, sure enough, some kind New Jerseans put a sign in their yard that there was trail magic in their carport. Sure enough, in the cooler, there was individually wrapped TP gifted by their neighbor Turk. SURE ENOUGH, they even had Polar Seltzers (shoutout Worcester). What the hecky?
It’s moments like that I feel like I’m getting my hand held through the trail. It’s a very comforting feeling. It keeps me going. Then, later in the day, Puma, who finished her hike last week, was doing trail magic AGAIN and loaded me up on Asian treats and coconut water before my last big climb of the day. This dang trail!
Until next time,
Whack-A-Mole 🐭🥊💥
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 11, 2026
New Jersey just keeps exceeding expectations. Pretty easy, beautiful hiking, great food, kind people. Perfect weather for most of the day. My feet are still recovering but are feeling better each day. Next time (there isn’t going to be a next time), remind me to wear boots in PA!
I had a deliberate slow start today because the lunch spot was 5mi away and opened at 11:30. I’m glad I went because I got to watch and talk golf with a couple other hikers. Not quite a deli blaze, but it was nice to sit in the A/C for a bit.
In other news, I passed the 60% mark today! The toughest challenges are ahead, but that’s a good chunk of change. I’m still in good spirits about the whole thing. Smiles per hour off the charts. I love the trail, and in my personal journal, I had the realization that my experience with the trail (this trail, and the trail of life) is more a reflection of ME and my attitude and energy and love than it is of the AT, or life. The trail/life being great comes from me, not from the trail/life. Things are inherently just what they are, then we prescribe meaning to them.
Michael Singer does a better job explaining it in the early chapters of Living Untethered. Proselytizing session over. Yee-Haw!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 10, 2026
EDIT: the mosquitoes in NJ certainly have hands*
//
NJ day 1/3 done! It far exceeded expectations as far as bodies of water, views, and blueberries. Also had a wonderful (first of many) deli lunch complete with a root beer float. Back at it again tomorrow!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 9, 2026
Well, well, well. Yesterday and today I received advice from very knowledgable people on trail. Yesterday was from someone who advised me NOT to try to hike the really difficult section I discussed yesterday, yesterday. He basically said to stay at a shelter and do it the next morning. What did I do? I didn’t listen, worked out fine. W Whack-A-Mole.
TODAY, Little John (a ridge runner), told me that today would be a PERFECT day to hike into Delaware Water Gap and stay there, because free church dinner (which was SO GOOD) and no cover at the jazz club. I took the advice, cranked out 20 miles before 3pm, and some more in a light rain to get to town, and now I feel like $1,000,000. W Whack-A-Mole. For both listening to advice and not listening to advice.
Lots of hikers here, going to kick it and tackle New Jersey in the morning. You can tent out at a drive-in! How cool. Another ridge runner gave me the down low on all the best food as well. Man, I am so glad to be done with Pennsylvania. I was beginning to get very tilted by the rocks. And my feet as well. But alas, the hike goes on. More moles to whack.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 8, 2026
I saw my first copperhead snake today! And just barely – it was very well camouflaged. But it feels like an accomplishment, albeit a little unnerving.
Today had the toughest climb on the trail so far, in my opinion. I can’t even really do it justice trying to explain it, but here it goes: mountain made of a pile of refrigerator-sized rocks. What felt like a 75 degree angle. For some amount of time, exposed to the sun. But hey, it’s over now!
Everyone I have been meeting seems to be from Chattanooga. Or have some affiliation with it. I am feeling drawn to the place.
At camp tonight, on top of a breezy mountain with a grassy spot to set up my tent. Here early enough because rocks + night = injury and injury = not allowed. Going to (maybe) wake up early enough tomorrow to put myself in NJ tomorrow before nightfall. So it’ll be my last night in PA, assuming the terrain tomorrow isn’t a minefield. Bittersweet? Not really, just sweet. My feet hurt. I gotta be GONE!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 7, 2026
I don’t complain on here much. Or outside of here. About the AT, anyway. But ouch! These rocks suck! I thought people were exaggerating about “Rocksylvannia” – they are unrelenting!
I liken it to riding a motorcycle in traffic in a city, at least with how much focus it requires. It is more mentally exhausting than physically, because every step has big consequences, and there are a bunch of different ways to skin the proverbial cat. So after a few hours of doing that, I feel like people were just trying to run me over on 19. Anyway. Rant over.
In two days I’ll be out of PA and I’ll be back to my cheery old happy-go-lucky-self. I am staying at the Lookout Hostel tonight, because I was entirely out of food and had stinky clothes. A very cool spot so far!
AND I ended off the day with several SUPER easy (people say “cruisey” on trail which has become a pet peeve of mine) miles and trail magic from some past hikers. W Whack-A-Mole. L Justin for letting the rocks get to him. WAM would never.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 6, 2026
UPDATE
I skipped Wawa and headed up to the tent sites. Surely there will be more Wawa opportunities. Go Team USA!
//
Lots of thunder last night, but I slept like a baby. Got started lazily around 9:30 and managed to avoid all the rain all day. Wasn’t sure where I was going to end up until I met two guys about my age who said there was a Wawa in Port Clinton… and one of them was an Aussie from Brisbane! So to Port Clinton I went. Picking the most amazingly ripe blueberries along the way. Thanks, Pennsylvania. Something fun for the loyal readers below:
With less than 1,000mi to go, here is my hike by the numbers so far –
Audiobooks completed: 13
Physicalbooks completed: 1 (The Martian)
Bear encounters: 1
Rattlesnake encounters: 1
Ticks I have plucked off myself: ~10
Tree fallings witnessed: 3
Pairs of shoes: 3
Zero days: 5
Longest day: 32.1mi
Lost items: 2 (one of which wasn’t mine to begin with, it went off to find a cooler owner)
Trail magics: ~15
Truly rainy days: 4
Falls: 2 (both were slow and lumbering and did no harm)
Slips, trips, and stubbed toes: too many to count
Food challenges attempted: 2
Food challenges completed: 2
Hostels stayed in: ~15-20
States traversed: 6
Photos/videos taken: 978
Friends made: lots
People I’ll stay in touch with: 5 so far?
Sketchy people encountered: lots less, <5 in total
Hitchhikes: 0
Slackpacks: 0
Resupply boxes: 1
Fun: infinite!
Only a few more days and I’ll be in Jersey. Weird!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 5, 2026
Storm en route, shorter day. Lunch @ Stay-AT-Swatara. When I get around to uploading pics there’ll be good wildlife shots on this update. Tomorrow I’ll hit the 1,200mi mark which means I’ll have less than 1,000mi left 🙁 the beginning of the end! Not really, just being dramatic. I could hear fireworks from my tent last night, so I celebrated in essence. Adieu.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 4, 2026
Back to the regularly scheduled programming today… I got an early start and it was an easy day with only a few thousand feet of uphills. So I am currently up a hill, comfortably in my tent. I missed trail magic today by the hair of a dog! That’s what I get for dilly dallying.
I’ll be in “Port Clinton” in a couple days, and will be finding myself smack dab in the middle of ~the bubble~ (for better or for worse)… Man! It’s such a mixed-bag out here, but a few people have really given me some awesome brain food to chew on. People rock!
Hiking rocks! I hope you all are having a safe and enjoyable 4th of July. HBD ‘murica.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 3, 2026
In celebration of Independence Day, and in acknowledgment of the temperature outside, I have taken a zero day. No biggie. Back on trail tomorrow. Nothing interesting to report, just reading my book and recovering physically. I’m just here so I don’t get fined (an obscure NFL reference – nobody is fining me!). Send positive vibes and thoughts and prayers!
Whack-A-Mole ^’26
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 2, 2026
I have made it safely into Duncannon, PA before the real heat of the day, and I am going to hang out here and recover until tomorrow. It’s a neat little trail town with a laundromat (the only other time I was in a laundromat I needed quarters for my apartment laundry… I got yelled at [but still got my quarters]). What an experience!
Not much else to report on. Legs feel pretty tired from trying to do big miles. My marathon streak is over, but I am happy to have done 4 in a row! “Marathons”… not like I’m out here jogging. But still. A fun little mid-trail challenge nonetheless. If it didn’t get so hot, this would have been the perfect part of the trail to do it on. Whack-A-Mole out!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jul 1, 2026
NEW POST:
Well, the trail isn’t going to hike itself. Don’t leave hard work for tomorrow (on repeat)… Against my better judgment and general common sense, or lack thereof, I decided to push on out of Boiling Springs at 4pm to do another 15 or so miles (very flat). Tomorrow is going to be hotter than today, and I’d rather hike in cooling-off-low-sun than heating-up-high-sun. I carried out a gallon of water much to the chagrin of my back, but I’m not trying to get dehydrated in the middle of someone’s cornfield.
Also! Dirt Nap gave me (2) slices of pizza on my 28th walking mile today!!! What a guy. Trail magic from and to a fellow hiker is the standard we should all strive for.
I remember telling On It I couldn’t wait to become a hiking machine. I AM THE (hiking) MACHINE! Hopefully that reference is understood. I am just a guy. I am a good hiker now though. I am going to sleep like a baby tonight. Read below for a chuckle at my expense. MARATHON WEEK CONTINUES (safely… I don’t think I’ll even bother to try to get close tomorrow)
//
OLD POST:
Welp. Marathon week is no more. Or it’s on pause at least. The heat index was 107 today, and it’s going to be up over 100 degrees tomorrow, and the Whack-A-Mole doesn’t feel like becoming a Whacked Mole. So I am going to chill out. For now.
There’s a notoriously exposed and waterless section leaving Boiling Springs, PA for about 15mi, and I don’t think I am going to try to tackle that today. Or maybe I’ll night hike it (I am writing this around 3:30pm) and avoid the heat of the day. We’ll see. The woods get a little weird after 10pm not in a tent. But I’m also going to have to do it sooner or later and I’m not going to wait around until it cools off…
On the flip side, I had my first dirty soda (Dr. Pepper, key lime, coconut, and whipped cream), and I feel like I’m in Utah again. What a delight. Also- how did I go from an adamant non-soda drinker to a multiple time per week soda guy? It’s fine. I’ll stop. Or maybe not.
Anywhom. All is well. Can’t stop, won’t stop. It’s the climb. Woaaah, we’re halfway there!!! Bye.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 30, 2026
Today is a big day. A monumental day. Today, I will attempt to eat a half-gallon of ice cream in a single sitting. I’m also officially halfway done with the trail, but who cares. Ice cream.
I am going to share before and after thoughts, for fun:
BEFORE (1pm, 6mi from challenge location): This will surely be easy. I’ve been practicing with pints of Ben & Jerry’s at hostels. I love ice cream, and dairy, and thank goodness my stomach isn’t easily upset. It’s hot out today and it’ll probably turn to soup, which is basically a milkshake. Am I too cocky about this? What’s the fail rate? Strawberry?
AFTER (3:30pm, 15 minutes post-challenge): 2,530 calories in 21 minutes, 25.25 seconds. I spent $14, and got a wooden spoon to show for it. That was stupid. Why did I do that? Why am I hiking the AT? I need a nap.
Dave and Tanny also had the best trail magic setup today!!i had to leave a little room for the challenge but I had a ham & cheese wrap, an apple, banana, sausage sandwich with grape jelly, and a smattering of snacks. Whack-A-Mole is a lucky fella.
Also, for those who care, I am 3/3 on marathons so far this week. I’m not sure how sustainable the pace is going to be, but I’m aiming for 7 in a row. Then I’ll chill out. It’d be way easier with no elevation, and without a pack… but that’s boring!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 29, 2026
As my Dad pointed out, I’m in the state with the most miles left besides Maine. Cool! The rocks haven’t started yet. Neither have the views. Going to try my hand at eating a half gallon of ice cream tomorrow to celebrate mile 1,100, the real halfway mark of the trail. Thank goodness I live in FL because this humidity and coming heatwave is hitting / going to hit other hikers like a ton of bricks. It’s like a lunch walk for me! Toodles.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 28, 2026
I am pre-writing this post while still hiking because it may end up being a later night than usual! I had yet to do 30 miles on the trail in a particular day and figured this would be a great point to try. Hopefully future me makes it safely and soundly!!
Having a fresh resupply and a full pack is a blessing and a curse. More weight. But also more (and better) food. But as I eat through it, and my legs become more sore after stringing together long days, the soreness and pack weight loss offset one another. Strong legs may run so that weak legs may walk (I think that’s the Shriners saying?).
I slowed myself down a couple times today, one due to a stove igniter malfunction during dinner and another to have an awesome conversation with Terry (Tari?) and Oz, who queued up the best questions I’ve ever been asked. Thank you guys!
It was seemingly on the verge of raining all day, but it held off and stayed relatively cool, so no complaints on that front. The new shoes rock. Tomorrow, I will pass from MD into PA, which is hugely exciting and will mark my journey into the 7th AT state. WOW! Going to continue my Marathon Week to see if I can do 7 in a row. Farewell.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 27, 2026
Today I took a zero day and the Amtrak from Harper’s Ferry into Washington D.C. to spend time with my wonderful cousin Mia! We walked all about, had amazing food per her recommendations, and I got to enjoy the capital city (the capitol city?) for the first time in many years. I am safely back in HF, WV and will hit the trail again (solo) tomorrow for my marathon week attempt.
I am stoked for the second half of the trail. I think it’s where the challenge (and hence, the growth) is going to be. Adios!
Found a hidden gem
Lol
Lol
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 26, 2026
West Virginia!
I’ve made it!! To the psychological halfway point!!! This town is very quaint. We got our pictures taken at the ATC Headquarters, and they are in the official book for 2026. The Halfway Hideaway Hostel is incredible (shoutout Sir Stops a Lot for the pulled pork sandwiches!). Dogs galore. Resupply box. New shoes. So much to be thankful for!
Getting off trail for a trip into DC tomorrow to have lunch with my amazing cousin Mia!
Uploading lots of pics from the last several days of hiking. It’s going to be sad continuing on without my hiking partner Upbeat, but I am destined to meet more friends along the way.
Hasta la vista!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 25, 2026
We hiked the Virginia Roller Coaster today! Lots of elevation over a relatively short distance. We landed at the spectacular Blackburn Trail Shelter, complete with a solar shower, bunkhouse, and Trader Joe’s banana bread and a lemonade courtesy of the caretaker Fern!
It is starting to heat up out here, but we have an easy cruise into Harper’s Ferry tomorrow for the “psychological halfway point” of the trail, my goodbye to Upbeat who is returning to Finland 🙁 and the jumping off point for me to head into DC Saturday. Also, I have new shoes and a resupply box waiting for me courtesy of Grace!
PS I got stung on the foot by a wasp today. I survived.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 24, 2026
A reflection as I come up on halfway: I remember being very apprehensive about deciding to hike the trail, announcing it to people, planning the logistics, and otherwise putting all the wheels in motion. Every other time I had really truly decided to try something, I had given it my all after taking the leap. But I really didn’t know if my ‘all’ was going to be enough for the AT (and I still don’t!). Accordingly, it wasn’t a decision I took lightly. I knew then and know now that the first test is getting everything in order to try the thru-hike. That’s where it’s easy to fail before you even start. Let alone the dread of starting a journey that the majority of people embarking on fail… but I trudged through it anyway and gave myself a shot at experiencing a dream of mine. Holy smokes, that was just less than 2 months ago!
Then and Now, a few examples:
-I truly did not like camping and had lots of concerns about figuring that out at the eleventh hour with no gear: now I sleep better in my tent than I do in a bed.
-I’ve always enjoyed day-hiking, but I’ve had a host of lower body injuries that I thought for sure would make my thru-hike really difficult. Every single one of them (knock on wood) has subsided entirely, and I hike everyday pain-free.
-I found the route/stop planning to be completely overwhelming in theory before leaving, and in practice at first. I have since found a system that works and keeps food in my pack, my clothes and me smelling relatively okay, and my spirits high.
-I didn’t know how the people in my life would take the news that I was doing this: with the exception of almost no one, every single family member, coworker, and friend has been incredibly supportive throughout the whole journey, which I am incredibly grateful for.
Despite my naïveté, I believed in myself when I started, and I do even more so now, but it’s not like I don’t worry about it all still, even if it’s a lot less than I did when I started. It’s not black-and-white, but I think some of the reason I hike to my limit most days is because I know I’ll be too tired to worry or to be anxious about the future and what’s to come or if I misstep and mess up my knee or if I get bit by a bad tick and don’t find it or if I just up and decide one day that I’m tired of sleeping in the woods every night. If I can preoccupy myself with enough fast-paced walking, by the time those thoughts try to make their way in, my “hiker brain” has kicked into full gear and I can think exclusively about food, water, and shelter.
Today and tonight for example – we talked about ice cream and donuts for most of the day (we just had to hike 25mi to get to them before they closed; easy), along with a bunch of silly and serious things, sometimes didn’t talk at all, sometimes listened to birds, discussed plans for the day, for tomorrow, laughed about people we’ve met, and just enjoyed the trail. All of which is a great distraction from the fact that while I’ve made it a good chunk of the way, I’ve got a lot more climbs ahead of me. And I think that’s okay – it’s human to not have it all figured out, and to acknowledge that hey, I don’t know what’s going to happen down the road. But, I’m going to keep giving it my all, and see how far down the rabbit hole I can go!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 23, 2026
On some days, you hike 10 miles by 12pm. On other days, you eat 5 bagels by 9am. There are days I do both, there are days I do neither. Today was a bagel day, not a mile day.
Stopped for lunch at allegedly the best wayside, the Elkwallow Wayside, and had a smash burger, a blackberry shake, and some wonderful homemade fudge. It did deliver.
After the rain started to give way, we put on some really good miles out of SNP to Tom Floyd Shelter. I hiked the last 6 miles in my Bedrocks. Thanks, Tom! Goodbye, SNP! The end is nigh!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 22, 2026
There is and there was a storm, so Upbeat and I shuttled over to the wonderful Open Arms Hostel in Luray, VA. We did an unsuccessful (for me) outfitter run, a moderately successful WalMart run, and a wildly successful Mexican dinner run. Now hanging out watching My Octopus Teacher and resting these old legs with a house full of hikers. Back to it tomorrow!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 21, 2026
Lots of friendly deer. Easy hiking. Good waysides. Laughing with friends. Perfect weather! Great miles. Back at it again tomorrow.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 20, 2026
I typed up a whole update, then swiped out of it and lost it. So Clif Notes it is:
-Hiking has been leisurely and enjoyable lately
-Back to hiking with Upbeat for the next week ‘til he gets off the trail
-Be careful guessing where people in Europe are from based on their accent unless you’re pretty certain
-Finally ran into a Ridge Runner: super cool woman from JP, MA
-Getting to Harpers Ferry next Friday, the psychological halfway!
-SNP is not super easy as I was told
-Going to start marathon week in PA with new shoes
-Goodnight!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 19, 2026
After watching Galaxy Quest and sleeping in the cafeteria of a church, I re-embarked on the trail today with Upbeat and Lennon, and we are officially in the Shenandoah National Park (which is super exciting!). That said, we really had no views today whatsoever, but got to throw the ball around at one of the road gaps which was a highlight in and of itself. We landed at Blackrock Hut about 20mi into the park after a leisurely paced day. Dinner was 2 Knorr sides, some instant mash potato powder, and a chicken packet all mixed into my Jet Boil. Decent protein, enough calories!
I like keeping every apprised to what’s next on the docket – so there’s a restaurant or wayside or something-or-other tomorrow with a famous blackberry shake (speaking of which, our pace was leisurely today in part because we were stopping to eat fruit) which I am eager to try. And then, I suppose I’m equally as excited to leave the park as I am to be in it, because it’ll only take us a few days to push through it. And lastly, I suppose I am excited to leave Virginia (no offense Virginia). The gratification you get for completing a state helps the feeling of progressing on the trail. And that has stagnated a bit. But alas, it is happening!
I’ve noticed, you’ve probably noticed, that in my writing I use parentheses a lot (like, a lot a lot). It just seems like a way to add bonus material to a sentence without making the actual core sentence longer. I figured I’d acknowledge it so no one thinks it’s an unconscious thing. I guess Massachusetts public school teachers let it fly!
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 18, 2026
Seasons greetings! I decided to take my third zero day here in Waynesboro. I woke up, got a continental breakfast, had a great conversation about Goldwings with a fellow traveler, watched some golf, packed my things, went to the library, went to the movies with Upbeat, Lennon, and Caboose, got a fantastic burger, and landed back at the church for a free hostel stay. Very relaxing day! Back on the trail tomorrow ASAP.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 17, 2026
I had already typed up my post, and my finicky iPhone Shortcut to post deleted it. And I have the patience for bullet points now, because I used up most of it on switching phone carriers, which admittedly wasn’t bad. Remember how big of a nightmare it used to be to have to go into the phone store? I digress.
-Hiked shorter than anticipated last night. Got great mountaintop campsite.
-Easy hike off trail this morning. Ran into SOBO Squirrel. Laughed about yesterday.
-First person I called “June” from list of 20+ trail angels picked up on first ring, said she’d pick me up to go into town in 5 minutes. “This darn trail!” anytime magic happens.
-Fugitive walked up, we brought him as well.
-Tour of the town, lay of the land. Invitation for dinner at church. Dropped off at hotel, made sure I had room.
-Called back to make sure all was well, insisted I called again in the morning for a ride back to the trailhead. A+ person.
-Donut truck. Authentic Mexican truck. Oreo donut. Massive burrito. Mandarin Jarritos. World Cup (re-runs? Felt live).
-Walmart resupply. Surprisingly not bad. Obtained Epsom Salts.
-Laundry.
-Going to shower and head over to the church for dinner at 6.
-Waynesboro stop extremely successful. Into Shenandoah tomorrow. Need to get my park passes.
This format is interesting… not really much else to say! All is well here. Nice to take half a day off. VERY excited to keep it pushing tomorrow.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 16, 2026
Another slowpoke day, until it wasn’t. Quick story time: before I became Whack-A-Mole, a seasoned hiker proposed calling me Changeup. I didn’t appreciate the pretense or manner in which he suggested it, so I balked at it. But it has now kind of come full circle – I really do hike at drastically different paces, which was the essence of his proposed trail name (as my brother would tell you, I have actually been doing this my whole life, particularly in airports). But Always struck out (on a spitball, no less), and I continue to embrace my Whack-A-Mole self. A whacked mole cannot always do 3mph… Changeup? Never…
Back to the hiking: I think my body is asking for a zero/nero day, perhaps in Waynesboro, perhaps in Harpers Ferry after the Shenandoahs. Time flies by and I forget it has been hundreds of miles since I have taken a day off. Plus, I need to switch my phone plan (Mint Mobile and Ryan Reynolds stink!!!) which will require time, patience, and Wi-Fi.
Recognizing that I was struggling to connect with other hikers had the intended effect; I had great encounters with both Lennon (not Lenin, I checked) and Squirrel this morning. Lennon and I shared jokes about Russia, stories of having lived in Massachusetts, and the changing dynamics with parents as you progress into adulthood. Talk about scratching the surface!
And as far as Squirrel, I had passed her last night going up a mountain, then saw her at a road junction this morning, trying to hitchhike (with a dead phone) to the same place ~I thought~ I was about to walk to. I offered my charging bank, checked my map, and began walking what ~I thought~ would be 2.5mi to a country store. Squirrel decided to stay put and try her hand at hitching a ride. After about 2 miles, I concluded I was nowhere close to where I needed to be, and turned around only to run into Squirrel again after about a mile…
We had both given up, me on walking there, her on hitching there, and I kid you not, she had just muttered “I’m just going to call a shuttle…” when one drove by! Mind you, this was on a very remote road where few cars were passing… Long story short, we all got where we needed to go, thanks to some next-level luck (it was really 9 miles each way to the country store…). And the interactions were deeper than the ones I had been finding; I guess I just need to allow for more natural spontaneity. And to add a corny cherry on top, perhaps I had to allow myself to get a little bit lost to find what I had been missing. OK, enough of that.
As an aside, I also have a newfound fascination of ants. After placing a crumb in the path of a lone ant, I watched its Herculean effort to bring it somewhere else. It dropped it several times; finally the crumb broke into small pieces. I then gave it one of the smaller pieces which it could better manage. And back up the rock it went! I’d like to think it was sharing it with its family of ants. It was in that moment, that I too felt like an ant. With less legs. And fewer mouths to feed.
Time to keep marching!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 15, 2026
In classic Whack-A-Mole style, I took the morning nice and slow, then decided to do 20-something miles after noon. And I think something like 10 miles after 6 which was a new land-speed record for me. But it felt great!
My reason for doing so is that I am a tortilla and a tuna packet away from being out of food, so I wanted to be as close as possible to the Montebello General Store when it opens at 8am. In my quest to take in enough calories, I grossly underestimated how much food I’d need to get to Waynesboro. So I am adapting my plan a bit, and will need to do a 5mi detour before I get back on the trail. Such is life!
Setting up camp with my headlamp was surprisingly easy – especially since after sending things home, there are far fewer things to unpack. And I haven’t re-weighed my pack, but I’d guess I probably got rid of 6-7lbs, plus the glass jar of strawberry jam I was silly enough to pack out. As much as I love PB&Js on the fly, I will not be making that mistake again. Ounces and pounds matter out here!
It went from 90+ degrees and super humid the last few days to mid-70, sunny and dry air all day today. It was truly perfect hiking weather. And all the water sources got topped off with the rain showers. BUT. I received an email today, only the second one I’ve gotten from the AT folks, that between miles 810-890 (roughly) there have been tons of reported norovirus cases. Like they sent the email to everyone on the trail. And that’s exactly where I’m at.
So that means to me, that I’ve caught up to the tail end of the “bubble”, and that I need to be diligent in staying away from these sickly hikers. Wash my hands a lot, not go to shelters, etc. I am probably just going to try to do big miles and get to Harpers Ferry ASAP. I don’t like being around a bunch of infected folks.
Also, I’ve been struggling a little bit to connect to my fellow hikers. With the recent exception of Upbeat, and a handful of friends I haven’t seen for weeks now, I’m not finding myself having anything in common with the people I run across. Even though we all have this huge thing in common, which is hiking the AT! I try to be friendly, introduce myself, ask people questions, but I find that more often than not, the conversational back-and-forth is not really reciprocated. I often have great surface-level interactions when passing people on the trail, but for every one of those, I get two weird blank stares, mumblings, whatevers, by people seemingly too cool or too smoked out to interact with other hikers.
I’m not going to let it stop me from trying! I hope I’m not intimidating 🙁 or even worse, that I’m no longer cool? Or perhaps that I was never cool in the first place? Oh man…
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 14, 2026
I haven’t been delivering the quality content that my faithful readers deserve and rightfully expect – so tonight, I am going to make a sandwich for you all. Follow along below (no, my mind is still very much intact; if I am going to continue to do this daily I need to make it fun for myself, too):
We’re going to go bottom up here because that’s a seemingly more sensible way of assembling a sandwich.
Bread: rye. A VERY interesting Cape Codder took 30 minutes of our time (we allowed it to him, but still) on trail several days back to talk to us about all things wheat, the chromosomal values of different breeds, the real mystery of the Coca-Cola recipe, the Salem Witch Trials, etc. I had to cut him off so we could continue our hiking, but it was a very enlightening conversation (if you can call it that) nonetheless. Speaking of rye, he seemed no stranger to the effects of lysergic chemical reactions.
Meat: venison. Sorry to my vegan readers, but there are deer galore in Virginia. And they are too friendly for their own good. They are nice looking critters, so it’s a bit of a shame, but bear meat seems like it’d be too tough and tortoises are too harmless. And the fowl out here are aggressive. Bambi sandwich it is.
Cheese: generic cheese. I don’t get passed on the trail often (shoutout to the 6 or 7 people that I know are much faster than me, and the likely countless more I haven’t met), but a Frenchman with the trail name Cheese passed me today. So on the sandwich he goes. Two other people also passed me today – I’ve been deep into my audiobooks since Upbeat decided to stay at the hostel for a zero day and some UFC. Goodbye for now, my Finnish friend!
Sauce: a homemade blueberry compote, perhaps. One of my favorite things in the world is eating wild fruit, and today marks day 1 of my fru(it)-hike. No, this will not end up with me at an urgent care. I need the antioxidants. Whatever the birds and the bears leave will be mine.
No crust, triangle cut.
Now that’s fully assembled, generic cheese and all, it sounds disgusting. Do your best to keep it down. But hiker hunger is real so I am going to dive in and enjoy (ha-ha). Adieu!
P.S. hiking was good. I got rained on a little bit on the final two miles to the shelter. I set up my tent next to a beautiful sounding stream. Back to it again tomorrow 🙂
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 13, 2026
Hiking the Appalachian Trail requires a lot of tiny decisions, daily. If ever I was indecisive, this is really beating it out of me. The decision of consequence today was – to shelter, or to hostel? The answer ended up being, to hostel.
It’s a fairly easy answer to come to when your clothes smell bad. So now it is time for food, a couch, and learning how to play Pearl Jam! Tomorrow I will be 800mi in 🙂
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 12, 2026
Short update today – using Upbeat’s phone connection. Ended up doing more miles than anticipated today due to an unforeseen circumstance. We then trail ran to get ahead of a big thunderstorm. Safe and sound, into Glasgow tomorrow!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 11, 2026
After a nice leisurely morning of continental breakfast, a wonderful first-time Kroger experience, and Apple TV, I set back on the trail after Daleville en route to Glasgow then Waynesboro. There are some amazing views ahead and I am entirely here for it. Got trail magic again today (seriously that makes about 15 times! The trail is so good to me). I have been on a PB&J kick because I think the macros are conducive to hiking hard. Anywhom, made it to Bobletts Shelter, going to try to eat some of my pack weight down and get some rest. Good night!
33.3%!
PB&J kick
A trail magician
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 10, 2026
It’s official – I am out of Southern Virginia, and the Triple Crown of Dragons Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs is donezo! It tooks 50k steps, but Upbeat and I got to Daleville for a bit of Mexican food and positioned ourselves for a Kroger resupply tomorrow. What outrageous fun!
I’m going to share my 3 new baby carrots to look forward to:
1) After 2mi tomorrow, I will be 33% of the way done with the trail
2) I’m really excited to make it to the Shenandoah National Forest
3) I don’t think I have ever been to a Kroger, so I’ll get excited for that tomorrow!
Thank you for reading as always, and I will catch you all on the flip-side!
McAfee Knob!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 9, 2026
Checking in live from the booming metropolis of Catawba, VA. Did the first leg of the Virginia Triple Crown this morning, Dragons Tooth, and am now staying at Huckleberry’s Hostel (with homemade chili over baked potato on the docket for this evening). Played fetch with a dog. Got paid a Big KitKat to watch another guys dog while he went into a gas station. Watched another guys stuff as he disappeared for a half an hour for some reason.
Feels crazy to have now done 700+ miles on the trail. In a couple days I will be a third of the way done, as far as mileage is concerned. After tomorrow I’ll be out of Southern Virginia, and will need to switch maps on the FarOut app. Upcoming is McAfee Knob (an iconic photo opportunity) and the ever-elusive third leg of the Triple Crown I can’t remember. Then eventually it’ll be onto the Shenandoah Nat For, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the “wayside” restaurants that allow you to carry less food and pig out as you walk. Really excited for my food tour to begin.
We may perhaps get a bit of rain here the next few days – which I’m okay with because it seems desperately needed. Getting all the usual hostel chores done. Nothing else unusual to report. Until next time,
Whack-A-Mole out
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 8, 2026
Yesterday I talked about manifesting bears. By talking about not seeing bears. Fortunately, the power works both ways. I will explain why:
Since Upbeat told me he has only had trail magic once on the trail, I’ve had this ringing in my ears, but I have refused the thought, and CERTAINLY have not said anything. Well today, sure as God’s got sandals, I got hollered at coming down from the trail, beckoned over to the parking lot…
Dopamine ensued.
Come to find out, hot dogs, fresh off the grill, TRAIL JUICE (gatorade powder, iced/sweet tea), and brownies. Wow. Thank you Alan/Allen. He has been doing trail magic 25yrs. The AT community goes hard!
Otherwise, it was a solid mileage day. A couple big ascents (MAXIMUM EFFORT) and lots of technical ridge hiking. Easy day tomorrow into Huckleberry’s Hostel to do some laundry, get some more food, and give the body a little rest before hammering out the rest of southern Virginia.
Thanks for reading – shoutout Randy Baker!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 7, 2026
Leading up to today, for weeks, I have been telling anyone who will listen that I have yet to see a bear on the trail. I think the reason for that is three-fold: I don’t look for them, I avoid places where people encounter them, and to a degree, it’s just sheer luck, or lack thereof (as for why I tell people – it’s relevant to the trail, I’m perplexed by it, and my data brain is trying to come up with a %age of people who have seen >0 bears). At this point of the trail, my bear-blindness definitely makes me a minority; I know several people who have had their food eaten, face-to-face encounters, mama bear and cub situations, furry butts scurrying up or down the mountain sightings. So the bears are certainly bear-ing this year. And that’s fine, we’re all stomping around their home, leaving crumbs of highly processed foods everywhere we go.
But when I put my tinfoil & bearskin hat on and start shouting from the rooftops that there are no bears on trail, I know exactly what kind of energy I am ushering into my life. Thinking and talking like that puts you in the “priority queue” as far as the universe is concerned, and the humble pie goes right into the oven. It is during these moments though that I still look for a rocking chair or makeshift stump to knock on, because I would really be fine without any encounters…
Would have been fine*, I should say, because I must have left some wood un-knocked and sure enough this morning, up on a ridge, 30-40ft ahead of me with its head down getting into a snack sat a big old black bear. Wave of calm stayed over me – I felt safe, we were a good distance apart, I saw him before he saw me, so my gut reaction was to make some noise and coerce him along. It worked easily, and off he went on his merry way. Humble pie served fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream? I’ll take just the one slice, thank you.
My Finnish hiking partner for the day, Upbeat, hadn’t seen one either, and he lagged behind a bit too far and we weren’t able to get him marked down for a sighting. But! The lid is off, Virginia has bears! Him and I are planning to do 20mi tomorrow, and 14 the following day – and you can bet I am going to be keeping my eyes peeled. Is there a punch buggy game for bears?
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
(This is just me being a goofball)
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 6, 2026
The short summary of today – it felt great. A wholesome breakfast (I got multiple plates of). Some amazing views. I got to chat with Splinter lots to pass the time. Solid elevation gains. I GOT TO PAINT A WHITE BLAZE. I finally feel like myself again, even with a full pack + the extra food I am going to start carrying. I wasn’t happy to go from 198lbs -> 183lbs so quickly. I didn’t want to drop below 180lbs at all, so I am going to consciously take in more calories. No more fasted hiking for the time being :(. Also, hiking while fighting off a nasal bite/sting infection was tough. And that is no more, so back to business!
I felt compelled today at two separate times to have a moment of silence for four people, and figured I’d share as many of you knew three of them, and the rest of you minus a few know one.
Atop a large pile of rocks, on an ascending ridge line, I felt called to hold space for Dawn, Lane, and Pete, three Clerk employees near and dear to the hearts of many. I had been thinking about each of them off-and-on during this particular ascent and the journey as a whole, but standing over a large wooded valley, I stopped, let time stand still, and felt each of them to the extent I could. It’s a small gesture, but it felt right in that moment to honor them explicitly. A steady, determined (Pete) but gentle and unmistakable breeze (Dawn) began rolling up the valley, through the lush vibrant green forest (Lane). Like I said, it was a small moment, but it felt special. They were each very special individuals who touched so many. And for a time today they were in spirit on the AT with me!
Less than 10 minutes later, I felt called to do the same for Poppy, whose presence I often feel with me both in memory and in spirit (and sometimes even in mannerism, which makes me chuckle). I knew I had to find a sunnier spot in the trail to take the time for him. Without much thought, I found one such spot, steadied myself, quieted my mind, and brought every essence of Poppy as I could onto the trail with me. I looked up into the sky, as he may have, and was greeted by two things: the sun (duh), and a cloud shaped like a sea turtle! But because of where it sat in relation to the sun, it glowed as if the green band of a rainbow was covering its shell. Thinking it was my glasses, which have several special coatings, I removed them only to find the same tinted turtle, albeit much blurrier now. The light really was doing something special for this cloud I stumbled upon – how cool?!
Of course, the significance is we used to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium lots, and to other cool spots on the seashore and I believe we’d sometimes see sea turtles. And a couple years ago, after Poppy’s passing, my mom got me a sweatshirt full of sea turtles. Duuuuuuuuuuude!!!! (Finding Nemo reference). I didn’t take a picture because when magic strikes I sometimes find it best not to. But I’ll remember that mountain moment for a long time, and I’ll stash it in my collection of other happy Poppy memories.
Thank you for allowing me to share if you have made it this far. A lot of folks say the trail and being out in nature tends to make you emotional… today was the closest I’ve gotten to that so far thinking about all those special people. Minus the time “Trouble” by Avicii came on shuffle after too much coffee on a sunny morning. Any whom.
Keeping the SOBOs on trail
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 5, 2026
Not Woods Hole Massachusetts, but Woods Hole Hostel in Pearisburg, VA. Super cool spot! Getting dinner here tonight and breakfast here tomorrow. Resupplied, showered, laundering, and excited to get back on the trail tomorrow! There is a guitar, so I intend to progress my learning.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 4, 2026
Well hello there. I cold-plunged! In a waterfall somewhere in SoVa. It felt really nice on the feet, ankles, and knees. Shoutout Arctic Bath & Coffee in St Pete, FL! Landed myself 2 cheeseburgers and 2 corndogs at the world famous Trent’s Grocery. Tomorrow I am going to go to the equally if not more famous Woods Hole Hostel, at least for a bit. Tent site tonight has nice running water sounds, should be a nice evening.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 3, 2026
Hi! It was a great day today – perfect weather, very doable terrain, nice people along the trail. I finished the audiobook for Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (zoinks!) and a brief-ish history of the AT, which was very interesting and relevant, and I have now moved onto Coach Becker’s suggestion, Atlas Shrugged (which I am absolutely loving so far. It reminds me quite a bit of When We Were Orphans, but with more characters ‘spoking’ off the main plot. Who in the world is John Gault?).
I am excited to pass the 600-mile mark tomorrow, and have a couple legendary AT hostels coming up this week to look forward to. And swimming at the Dismal Falls. The legs and feet feel good, and I’ll likely get back to the mileage I was doing before NoseGate.
I need to clarify two things I had previously stated which are now incorrect:
1) I am cutting my hostel streak short – my nose is feeling better and there are none around. I had to stretch the legs today and put some miles on! Hopefully the swelling is further reduced tomorrow. Fortunately it hasn’t impeded my breathing, it’s just uncomfortable.
2) Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam is beyond my current skill-level! So perhaps I will pivot my plan of learning riffs to instead learn foundational basics, which will allow me to understand more easily how to play Yellow Ledbetter. More to come on this – I won’t be defeated in this endeavor (the hike, or the Pearl Jam).
Goodnight, and thank you for reading!
Sundance
Just a little valley view
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 2, 2026
Thank you for all of the nose wishes! I am giving myself permission to stay in hostels until this thing clears up, so tonight I am at Burke’s Garden Hostel (staying in a renovated Amish pole barn!) which is great because a storm just crossed the valley as I got settled in. I am going to start learning guitar riffs at each hostel with a guitar, so I learned Come As You Are by Nirvana last night, and tonight I am going to learn some Pearljam. Then by the end of this journey perhaps I’ll remember enough to show off when the opportunity presents. Free Waffles!
A view from today!
The storm looming on the horizon
Getting goofy and weird out here on the trail!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Jun 1, 2026
Hello again from the Quarter Way Inn… I decided that my legs (and nose) needed a 0 day, so here I am! So far, I have watched:
-The Wedding Singer
-Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
-Under Siege
-Marked for Death
(Yes, I’m on a Seagal kick.) Hopefully someone else takes over the VHS and I can be freed from the corniness. I am going to take another antihistamine this evening and see about getting back on the trail tomorrow. I must have gotten bit or stung by something. It is rather uncomfortable but I do believe that the swelling is turning the corner.
On the bright side, there is wonderful breakfast here! 10/10 would recommend if anyone is ever in the Ceres, VA area.
One month sans razor
This hostel is beautiful
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 31, 2026
Checking in from quite literally the Quarter Way Inn! I am in hostel heaven: they have a VHS player, puzzles, and a front porch swing. I had the best lemonade maybe ever today at the Sweetwater Restaurant, ordered the biggest pizza of my life last night to the shelter, and got stung or bit on the nose by something, but I prevail! Taking a zero day to watch old movies is so tempting…
My poor nose
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 30, 2026
I decided to get up early today and go for it so I can reach the Quarter Way Inn tomorrow, and it was a success! Lots of rolling hills today, and finally some ridges again. Ordered a pizza from the trail-side phone – tip: don’t press 1 first like it says. Pizza for tonight, pizza for tomorrow, pizza forever.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 29, 2026
One month, living in the forest, hiking the AT, complete! What a fun journey it has been so far. As promised, here are some assorted ramblings from my first 30 days on the trail:
When I first started, I honestly had no clue what I was doing. Admittedly, in hindsight, I was ill-prepared. I left my shoes outside my tent to get rained on, I invited mice into my tent via my food, I hadn’t learned to use my water purifier prior to flying to Georgia. I had camped in the yard a handful of nights, of which I went back inside to sleep in my bed 3 of them. I hiked 7 miles (flatly) with my pack (packed much lighter than what I carry now) another handful of times. I did however fill in a lot of the experience gaps with tips, tricks, anecdotes, and straight-up lies about the trail. That gave me a false confidence that I knew what I was getting myself into, but also a real confidence that I’d be able to figure it all out anyway, like countless hikers before me had. Belief in my own adaptability outweighed my lack of sureness (and skill), and the gamble has paid off thus far
I’ve been asked how I can afford to do the trail. There are a bunch of factors, and I’ve made a lot of sacrifices (and have had a lot of help), but after being out here a month, it’s clear that I couldn’t afford NOT to do the trail. Getting to do this is a wonderful privilege, and this is truly one of the most unique and fulfilling chapters of my life. Knowing what I now know, and in anticipation of the rest of the journey, I would have sacrificed even more if needed to give this a try. Not to say I’m going to adapt my lifestyle to become an avid long-hiker now, but in the present, it is a very rewarding lifestyle to live. I no longer see it as I am putting my life on pause to hike the AT. In some ways it has felt like my life has been on pause for a long time, and by starting the trail I pressed play
For a while, I was carefully planning each day the night before. I have since backed off on that, and now make decisions more or less on the fly. Letting go of the reins has been a relief; I was overexerting control on the trek and treating it as I would a project with a strict deadline and many critical milestones (still working on undoing this line of thinking – when I push myself enjoyably, the progress takes care of itself), whereas it is really more of an open-ended journey in which I can leave logistics up to fate and how I am feeling at a particular moment. Outside of figuring out a way to obtain more food when I start to run low, this trail offers the convenience to be able act in this way, and I have found it to be extremely forgiving of missteps. It’s not an invitation to act carelessly or to lack vigilance, but I have gathered that it is perfectly okay to go with the flow. I’d happily take that with me when I leave the trail, please!
When a stretch of trail feels difficult, I reorient my thoughts quickly, by asking myself rhetorically:
-This feels difficult, but relative to what? (A double-session football practice, a Sunday long run while marathon training, doing long hours of computer work?)
-What was I expecting this to be? (Easy? Surely not. The physical demands of the trail was one of the factors that drove me to it).
Not as ways of invalidating the suffering, but by embracing that this undertaking is categorically different than anything else I have experienced. Thus, I believe that seeing the trail as ‘difficult’ is a choice (my wonderful and wise neighbor Donna helped me understand this), especially when framed against all the other things that are ‘difficult’. The trail is an objectively big undertaking in its scope and gravity, but it’s only subjectively difficult
Furthermore, fostering a high tolerance for discomfort and keeping a positive attitude no matter the circumstances are two of the most important traits worth embodying on the trail. I had a jumpstart with both given I’m an adrenaline junkie and have a couple of tattoos, and from all my time playing sports, running, and doing hard physical labor (and navigating hurricane aftermath), but the trail has tested and certainly sharpened each value as well. Although avoiding discomfort and unfortunate circumstances entirely is skillful in and of itself, or at the very least, just plain lucky, it’s not always possible to do so out here. The trail is ever-changing and physically demanding, our bodies are simultaneously strong and fragile, Murphy’s Law loves visiting from time-to-time… so being flexible/tough and eternally optimistic are butt-savers, and well-worth the occasionally-needed mental gymnastics
In addition to the personality traits above, “controlling the controllables” is really the name of the game… Terrain, elevation, weather, shelter/tent site/town locations are all well out of anyone’s hands. Attitude, routines, planning, executing, fueling yourself, hydrating, etc. are well-within everyone’s grasp, and that’s where I attempt to focus all of my mental energy. I run everything through that simple Serenity Prayer filter: is this something I can change or control? If the answer is no, the thought or worry goes the way of the dodo
Speaking of things you can control, early on someone said that out here (On It said it was Dreamcatcher), you have so much time to think that it’s beneficial to give thoughts and musings a definitive end, so they don’t stew forever. I have enjoyed employing that method, and like Elsa, I find myself deciding to let things go A.K.A. accept or surrender them (some things I’ve held onto for a long time! But out here you realize the mental toll letting things fester rent-free can have on you). It’s okay to kick the can down the road, or to kick it off the road entirely. I found that I was dragging too many proverbial cans down the road, like I had just gotten married or something, and on the trail that’s loud and disruptive. If only you could return your wasted thoughts for a $0.05 deposit, I’d have a clearer explanation on how I afforded the hike (I hope the metaphor landed)
Hopefully these thoughts are coherent enough to provide more insight into my world out here. I’d be happy to answer any general or specific questions about the journey or the trail, but in the meantime, a month in, I am going to continue playing it cool and keeping it fun. I’ll leave this update with my attempt at poetry for the day: Letting rain, tough terrain, and ankle pain roll off your back like a mane keeps the thru-hiker sane, and trail life far from mundane
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7377-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7409-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7396-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7398-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7400-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7415-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7386-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7373-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![I [did] walk 500 miles…](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7389-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 28, 2026
Leaving Damascus this morning there was a long detour trail, of which I am still on! I think it’s a 20mi detour or so because the “Virginia Creeper Trail” is currently undergoing some repairs and renovations. But there were some pretty views, and upon re-entering the official AT tomorrow, I will get to walk through the Grayson Highlands (wild horses!). So that is something to look forward to…
I have learned out here to keep 3 things in the hopper to look forward to… right now it is making it to the 500mi mark (tomorrow morning), walking through the Grayson Highlands, and swimming at Dismal Falls, then I’ll add making it to 550mi which will be 25% of the trail. After I get through those things, I will dangle myself three more carrots, and repeat this process until the only thing left I have to look forward to on the trail is finishing it. But that’s a long way away, so for now I will just keep setting small short-term milestones for myself. Baby carrots, if you will.
It has also been really nice getting some time to read (via my ears) some books I have been recommended or had on my own reading list for a long time. I have done 4 so far:
-A Million Little Pieces – a fictional autobiography
-When We Were Orphans – a historical fiction mystery thriller
-A Random Walk Down Wall Street – a meta analysis of investing strategies
-Man’s Search for Meaning – part autobiography, part psychology primer
If anyone has any recommendations or wants an accountability partner for reading a book, let me know and I’m happy to indulge in one! Shoutout Robby for giving me three suggestions today.
Tomorrow, being my official 1 month on the trail date, I will share more about life on the trail for those interested, because 30 days is statistically significant and I have a little more experience under my belt now.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 27, 2026
I am outta GA/NC/TN!! And I got my Official AT Hangtag signifying that I really am indeed a “thru-hiker”, part of the Class of 2026! This was a big symbolic milestone, and now I don’t need to stop in WV and can attempt the 4-state challenge 😉
I have been criss-crossing lots of people I enjoy camping around: Carnage and I had lunch together, then I met Andrew (who I trail-named Firebird) who is cycling the Trans-Am trail!!! It’s 4,200 miles from Virginia to Oregon – his Dad did the inaugural one 50yrs ago. Splinter and I ended up @ the same hostel as well. So even though I’m caught in front of and behind some of my favorite hiking pals, I am still finding fun and interesting people to interact with!
I didn’t necessarily need a resupply or to sleep in a bed again, but it’s kind of a “when in Rome” situation because Damascus is in many ways the social hub of the AT. There’s a long detour on the way out of town tomorrow, and as a purist, I am going to of course hike the whole thing. I haven’t shared this on here, but I do plan to do my hike within certain constraints:
-Hit every white blaze, take full official detours wherever applicable
-Do the entire hike with my pack (25lbs ‘dry weight’ w/out food & water / 35lbs with a full bear canister of food and 2L of water)
-Avoid hitching rides or shuttling unnecessarily if possible (I will of course if the need arises)
From what I gather that makes me a ‘purist’, but I am okay with that, even though it has sort of a snobby connotation. I need to find a way to not be annoying about it, because it has been seeming to come up more on the trail as aqua-blazing and shortcutting opportunities become available. Hiking your own hike applies to every type of hike and made up genre and sub genre of hiking we claim… just being out here is great and a privilege as Splinter wisely pointed out.
But for now and the foreseeable future, I am going to try to hold onto my AT trail purity and see how far I can make it playing by my own imaginary rules. Back to trail tomorrow!
Another one bites the dust
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 26, 2026
Another day, another dollar! Nothing groundbreaking to report. Lots of music. Minimal views. Easy terrain. Good spirits. Into Damascus tomorrow!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 25, 2026
It got a little rainy last night, but I woke up this morning, made my coffee, put my headphones in, and got to work! That’s my recipe for when I want to be somewhere by a certain time, to beat the rain etc. Play some upbeat music, high BPMs, like today I played some KC and the Sunshine Band and Avicii, and trudged through the humidity (which seems to have just arrived on the trail; welcome).
I feel better when I am physically challenging myself, anyway. It’s an awesome way to take the mind off things, and get lost in nature and the trail. I hike the amount of miles that feel natural when I am pushing myself. After a month on the trail, perhaps I’ll give some more reflections about this whole journey, but I will say now that the trail is as fun/difficult/challenging as you let it be / make it for yourself.
Whisper and I got to Boots Off Hostel shortly after 2, and it was wonderful to rid myself of days worth of hiking stench. Took the van into town for a resupply, ate too much, socialized with my fellow hikers, and now I am prepping to do it all again!
The most exciting thing is I am 2 hiking days away from Damascus… Virginia… Which holy cow how did that happen so quick. And also, it’s a quarter of the trail, so once I enter, I’m going to be there for a while. A problem for another day. Goodnight!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 24, 2026
I crossed the 400mi mark this morning, after what was quite possibly the best breakfast I’ve ever had. Everything from scratch, buffet style, the best quality ingredients, holy smokes it was good. I’ll add a picture of (one of) my plate(s) soon.
Then it was the complete opposite of yesterday – pretty good weather, super easy hiking. Yesterday was the toughest day on the trail, but I like working extra hard on rainy days. Mentally it’s a bigger challenge and I enjoy being uncomfortable and remaining calm and collected. And tough weather conditions are what great gear is for (shoutout Anna).
The plan for tonight is to set up camp and do an easy 15 miles into town tomorrow for a bed, a shower, laundry, and probably some more town food. As Dozer and Cash said last night (both very experienced long-distance hikers): after a while, thru-hiking turns into a food tour. I’m not going to complain about that!
Also, how cool is this: Cash started in Key West in March, and has hiked to the point where I am at now. He plans to continue hiking past the AT route to Quebec, and will be 1 of ~25 people to thru-hike the entire “ECT” (I believe that’s what it is called). You get to meet the most amazing people out here.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 23, 2026
Packed some miles on in the rain. Roan Highlands views spoiled. 6-7/10 highest points on the trail traversed. Most notably, passed Drew Boysen (YouTuber) who started SoBo in January. At a campground, live music, got a burger, fried cheese, NA Corona and an ice cream sundae. Best bfast on the trail tomorrow at 7:45 AM sharp. THE TRAIL ROCKS.
A brief view, mostly fog and heavy rain all day
Finally, a view! (After 25mi)
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 22, 2026
Good evening! Basically did a replay of yesterday. Easy to have Groundhog Days and find deja vu out here, but I don’t think the fresh air will ever get old. Rain held off all day and all my stuff dried out, which was a huge win. On It and I landed at the shelter nice and early, and I got to see Dozer again! It has been weeks. His friend Cash started in Key West in March, and is now with us (there are levels to this…). For reference, his base weight (w/out food & water) is 11lbs I think? Mine is… 29lbs? And you learn quickly out here how much water weighs. I can feel the 2L quite a bit when they’re full.
Tomorrow may try to put on some bigger miles. The “best breakfast on the AT” is 25 miles away. If you know me at all, you know that has my name written all over it. Just gotta figure out some logistics to get there and pay the night before for it…
Any whom. Thank you all for the messages. I can’t believe how many people have stopped to write, and the messages admittedly fill me with joy and gratitude as I’m out here. When I get service and see that my website has emailed me, it always puts a smile on my face. It feels amazing to have so many wonderful people in my corner. I am blessed beyond belief.
-Whack-A-Mole
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 21, 2026
As I’ve said before, it’s always tough leaving ‘town’ and the new and old friends you make and see, but I hit the trail early this morning, and after a big rain day, I landed safely at camp. When I said I was going to take it easy, I guess I meant I was going to do less miles by choice, but the rain aided in my moderation. Like the winter, or crying baby on a plane, it makes you appreciate the flip side all that much more. And then On It (my first trail friend) came stumbling into the tent site which of course was a welcome surprise. Silver linings (playbook is one of my favorite movies – fun fact).
Tomorrow there is also a bit of a detour due to Hurricane Helene, and I’ll just say that it’s nice to navigate the aftermath by a choice of my own making, rather than out of survival and necessity. It pains me to see that there is still aftermath, here and back home in Florida, and that there was ever ‘math’ at all honestly. But such is life, and I love being reminded of the resilience of people via rebuild and restore efforts. We always move forward, just like me, on the trail, tomorrow… ¡adieu!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 20, 2026
Lots of positives today!
I went back into town for a Groovy Smoothie, and to pick up a frozen pizza for tonight. Then I got back to the hostel and swam for a couple hours, ran into some trail friends, and picked up a real book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin. So all is well on the mental health front..
On the physical health front, I am ditching the Hoka Speedgoats for a (slightly larger) pair of Topos Traverse “the ultimate thru-hiking shoe”… more room in the toe box, rock plate for the tough terrain, the size up because most thru-hikers tend to gain between 0.5-1.5 sizes on their hikes, and some other features that are superior to my Hokas. Although my blisters haven’t been an issue whatsoever, the extra space is welcomed, and hopefully the drop on these offers a bit more support to my achilles.
I’m excited to see how tomorrow goes once I get back on the trail. I’m nervous but hopeful that easing back into the mileage will keep the pre-existing ankle stuff at bay. I don’t want to make these updates all about that though, so from here forward assume that no news is good news!
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 19, 2026
Whack-A-Mole, checking-in live from the great metropolis of Erwin, TN. The forecast is probably going to rain tomorrow, therefore, coupled with a flaring up of my achilles heel (my actual achilles), the mole whacker is staying put tomorrow. I am going to practice Zen and the Art of Hiking More Slowly (temporarily) while enjoying the fruits of the Nolichucky River.
I don’t know if I had shared the origin tale of my trail name, so here it is, as I tell it to others:
“The first night, I made the mistake of sleeping with my food near the shelter, woke up to mice between my tent body and rainfly, and started punching away” thus, Whack-A-Mole was born. Before PETA gets on me, I was just lightly jabbing them. Fist not fully closed. There’s a reason I’m not called “Rat Poison” or “The Mouse Slayer”… I love mice. Just not at 3am with only a thin mesh between me and them.
Anyways… thank you for reading! I hear those urging me to slow down, and I promise more selfies (as my friends have pointed out, this would be pretty easy to fake 😉 from the comfort of my Mom’s basement or something)
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 18, 2026
Howdy! Late update. I’ve found myself hiking slower in the morning and having to play catch-up in the late afternoon. Still figuring out pacing!!
Last night at camp a tree split or fell nearby to the tent. New fear unlocked. BUT the day prior, and I didn’t mention this in the update because I was tired and forgot, 20 seconds after I had passed a spot on the trail, out of seemingly thin air, a tree fell directly onto the trail. A large tree. That looked kind of alive. It was eerie, but now I am a believer that trees falling in the forest DO in fact make a sound. As far as where bears poop… well I’ve seen enough to know the answer to that as well.
Easy walk into town today (tomorrow…). Having lots of vivd dreams out here. Until next time!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 17, 2026
Well… It’s not all sunshine and rainbows out here folks. Tough terrain and lethargy led me to a rough start to the day. And I finished my audiobook and have listened to all the songs on my phone x50/ea. BUT! I turned it around and ended up doing maybe the most miles I’ve done yet? I’m kind of racing to Erwin(Ervin?), TN so I can take a day off. There’s a smoothie shop there called Groovy Smoothie and I’m about to give them a ton of business.
Hopefully I get up earlier tomorrow and don’t have to hike ‘til 8pm. But definitely need the beauty sleep now.
Deion- there are your 40k steps. Working on 50k now
Nick- I’m going to shoot for a “marathon week” in Virginia where I do 26.2×7 days in a row. You’ll have to excuse my inability to do it now – feel free to look at a map which shows the elevation of the area I’m hiking for a better excuse as to why
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 16, 2026
It’s always a bit of a doozy leaving the comfort of town, but I was full of pizza and muffins and NA beer to hit the trail early-ish this morning. THEN! I ran into a hydration station for a cycling race, and was given not one, not two, but three energy bars! Shoutout Southeast Gravel. THEN! I came across a sign at a crossing that said free cookies, and sure enough, there were homemade peanut butter cookies on a great lady’s porch. Grateful, lucky, happy out here on the trail. At camp, going to sleep soundly tonight. Adios.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 15, 2026
Landed in Hot Springs @ noon today. What a cool town. Super hiker-friendly. I was going to do a “zero day” and spend a whole day here being lazy, but the trail calls. Got an awesome campsite right by a big river, and am going to hang out there and stargaze before packing up and hitting the trail again tomorrow. Resupplied, laundered, well-fed, and ready to make my way out of North Carolina (even though I love it here). Shoutout to Ed and David, thank you for being interested in the trip. C ya l8r
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 14, 2026
Folks your prayers are working magic!! I am feeling stronger every day, and enjoying this so much. Trying to savor it as much as possible. The support you all have given is incredible.
I had the best night of sleep while camping on the trail yet last night, after the most miles I’ve done so far. I got to go up to Max Patch today (picture big grassy plateau tucked between lots of beautiful mtn’s), sit and eat beef jerky and reflect gratefully. It was my favorite solo moment on the trail so far.
Lots of great folks out here, excited to get into town tomorrow to do some more eating (and to wash these clothes!!). Good night, all.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 13, 2026
Got some hiking done today!! Really wanted to get myself in a position to close in on Hot Springs and we’re almost there. Tent is set up, food is eager to be prepared, legs are sufficiently tired. All is well. Thank you all for the outpouring of support I absolutely love reading the messages, public and otherwise. Will upload more pics once cozied into Hot Springs.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 12, 2026
After getting all fueled up in Gatlinburg, I hit the trail today and made my way out to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter. This will likely be my last night in the Smokies 🙁 but I am looking forward to continuing on and seeing more states and such. I put my watch on my ankle today and got way more steps… so I don’t think it’s accurate either way. Trail mileage is the only thing that’s accurate… but smiles per hour are the only thing that matter and I’m breaking the speed limit on those!!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 11, 2026
I had a bunch of prolific things to share about today… but I’m staring down a full rack of ribs at Bennett’s Pit BBQ in Gatlinburg, TN (heaven?) and only so much is coming back to me. I did 20-some-odd miles today, climbed THE HIGHEST POINT ON THE TRAIL, made a new friend (Relic from the Great North), shuttled into town, did bathtub laundry, Walgreens resupply, and settled on what is hopefully a fantastic BBQ spot. No complaints. I don’t want to say trail legs bc I don’t want to jinx it… but trail legs?
-Whack-A-Mole
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 10, 2026
Okay I need to pre-address some rumors because it’s only a matter of time before someone (like Nick) starts checking me about my walked mileage vs. my trail mileage. And to that, I say: I have the cheapest Garmin running watch available. I am using trekking poles. There is lots of elevation change. So my watch isn’t calculating my mileage and steps correctly. I only hike the white blazes so my mileage daily is at least that.
But hiking through the Great Smoky Mtn’s is so amazing. Lots of beautiful views. Lots of cool people. Legs and blisters feeling good, knock on wood. Clingman’s Dome coming up soon already!
Goodnight, Whack-A-Mole out!
![Still [White] Blazing!](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7020-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![Still [White] Blazing!](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7034-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![Still [White] Blazing!](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7047-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
![Still [White] Blazing!](https://ahikinghooper.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7024-1024x768.jpeg)
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 9, 2026
I have made it into Great Smoky Mtn National Park (Forest?), which honestly feels great because this was my Top 3 most-excited-for places on the trail. So time to embrace it and enjoy the beauty! Set up camp with “America” from VT (thank you for your service) and a true blue Australian from the Gold Coast. My pass is good for a week so I am going to see the sights and avoid bears. I will upload pics if/when I have a chance. Thank you for reading as always, and I hope you all are well 🙂
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 9, 2026
Gotta do a day after update today for cell service reasons! Yesterday was a tough one; my eyes were bigger than my stomach for sure, but I got to a good shelter and now can get to the famed Fontana Hilton! Need to get some supplies. Off to hiking 🙂
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 7, 2026
Went waaaaay down a big mountain to the famed NOC (I didn’t bother flashing my proverbial thru-hiker card but there wasn’t much to do) and then waaay back up another mountain to get to camp. Looking out for my future self, really. Tomorrow I get to visit the famous Fontana Hilton (and go into Great Smoky Mountains NP?). Hit my head on a bunch of things today. Cleared concussion protocol already. Can’t remember what day it is anyway… so my birthday is…uhhh. 😉
Shoutouts Dreamcatcher, Horsepower, and On It for all taking trail names!!! Tried assigning a musical theatre major “La La Land” but she said the movie stunk. I beg to differ, La La Land
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 6, 2026
Hola. Had a great night sleep at The Grove shelter after resupplying at Ingles (a new experience for my Northerner self..) and the 76 (6…7..) Outfitter in downtown Franklin, then after a late-ish start had the easiest day of hiking on the trail so far. Getting stronger? Perhaps. It also rained torrentially all day so there was no one else on the trail, and I thrived off of The Lumineers, 6 bagels (that I ate before noon, mind you), and this new audiobook I’m digging. Made it to this Cold Gap Shelter place and get to go to the famed “NOC” tomorrow to lose my money!!
-Whack-A-Mole (yes, I’m embracing it)
Also- I don’t take onto account any trash talk into my daily mileage, but I welcome it nonetheless.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 5, 2026
Hey there, did 12mi this morning then got picked up by a nice shuttle into the quaint little town of Franklin, NC where I’m going to stay at a hostel tonight. Legs are pretty beat after the last couple of days, and have matching pinkie toe blisters I need to take care of. Gonna head into town for a resupply and maybe a burger (or two) then get ready to hit the trail again tomorrow 🙂
P.S. I am backloading photos!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 4, 2026
Hey there checking in from some shelter way further than I wanted to go but here we are safe and sound. Lots of elevation today. Shooting to make it to Rock Gap tmrw for a 3:45 shuttle pickup then a hostel stay in Franklin, NC. Hiking still rocks!
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 3, 2026
Howdy! I left the hostel this morning (shoutout Stanimals for the amazing breakfast) and got to my spot at Plum Orchard Gap Shelter. Some nice vistas today, lots of ups and downs (literally, not figuratively. It was a great day!). Split off from the crew to go unlock new characters. Sorry for no pics, there is a formatting issue. I’ll try to find a solution, but if not, just imagine really pretty mountainscapes for 8hrs a day. It’s really nice out here
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 2, 2026
Checking in from Stanimals Around the Bend! After 10mi, we decided a shower and a bed to sleep in and a half day off trail was the best option, and I don’t regret it one bit. Plus, now I can watch the Celtics play game 7!! But otherwise, I’m really enjoying being out here in nature every day. Going to resupply some snacks courtesy of this little mountain gem, and hit a big breakfast before getting after it again tomorrow. Back-adding some pictures of the travels
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
May 1, 2026
Here we are on day 3 (I think?! It’s funny how quickly things start to blend together), and I feel really good. Robert – I met up with Sam and Charlotte yesterday, and they rock! We went up Blood Mtn together this morning then tacked on a bunch more miles to Low Gap Shelter. Expecting rain from 7pm to 7am, which isn’t much of a worry! I’ll add photos when I can, the service isn’t great and it’s tough to do while walking.
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Apr 30, 2026
Thank you all so much for all of the amazing messages, keep them coming! I left Hawk Mtn Shelter this morning around 8am and put in a full day of hiking til around 4pm at Woods Hole Shelter. Lots of rain and thunder and MICE last night but we prevailed. I have had two trailnames proposed to me – Change Up and Whack a Mole… the jury is still out on it
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Apr 29, 2026
I wrapped day one up a couple hours ago – I am officially on the A.T.! The approach trail was no joke, but I made it to the Southern Terminus and got my first dose of trail magic (thank you Stiches, ‘99). Met some great guys at the Hawk Mtn shelter, filled up my water, made myself dinner, and gonna rest these legs. Thank you for checking in!
I am officially started!
A cool stream
Digital Camera
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Apr 28, 2026
After a long travel day, I made it successfully to Amicalola Falls State Park and importantly, the Appalachian Trail approach trail (the AT-AT?)! I am so extremely thankful for the support of everyone who has helped me get this far. Tomorrow marks the true beginning of my journey 🙂
Be Aware!
Hair is overrated
Am I in the right spot?
Fancy living
Current check-in plus the last few updates nearby.
Log
Daily trail data, broken out separately from the journal cards.
| # | Update | Check-in | Location | Steps today | Walked today | At mile | Since last | To go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134 | The sequel | 9/8/26 @ 8:47pm | Bangor, ME | 0 | 0 mi | 2,197.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 133 | The End | 9/7/26 @ 9:50pm | Greenville, ME | 26,628 | 14.76 mi | 2,197.9 | 5.3 | 0.0 |
| 132 | Katahdin Eve | 9/6/26 @ 8:00pm | Greenville, ME | 37,354 | 21 mi | 2,192.6 | 9.7 | 5.3 |
| 131 | HMW Day 4.5 | 9/5/26 @ 8:00pm | Greenville, ME | 31,569 | 17.5 mi | 2,182.9 | 15.1 | 15.0 |
| 130 | HMW Day 4 | 9/4/26 @ 8:00pm | Greenville, ME | 41,697 | 23.1 mi | 2,167.8 | 21.5 | 30.1 |
| 129 | HMW Day 3 | 9/3/26 @ 8:37pm | Brownville, ME | 46,319 | 25.71 mi | 2,146.3 | 25.1 | 51.6 |
| 128 | HMW Day 2 | 9/2/26 @ 8:00pm | Brownville, ME | 35,479 | 19.7 mi | 2,121.2 | 19.9 | 76.7 |
| 127 | HMW Day 1 | 9/1/26 @ 6:18pm | Elliottsville Township, ME | 32,949 | 18.26 mi | 2,101.3 | 18.0 | 96.6 |
| 126 | Farewell, Monson | 8/31/26 @ 8:08pm | Blanchard Twp, ME | 0 | 0 mi | 2,083.3 | 0.0 | 114.6 |
| 125 | Moose Hunting | 8/30/26 @ 5:37pm | Blanchard Twp, ME | 35,795 | 19.84 mi | 2,083.3 | 18.0 | 114.6 |
| 124 | Happy 4 Months! | 8/29/26 @ 8:00pm | Caratunk, ME | 35,015 | 19.4 mi | 2,065.3 | 19.0 | 132.6 |
| 123 | Maine Roots (&) Rock(s) | 8/28/26 @ 4:05pm | Caratunk, ME | 36,809 | 20.41 mi | 2,046.3 | 18.8 | 151.6 |
| 122 | Deuce Bigelow (x2?) | 8/27/26 @ 8:19pm | Dead River Twp, ME | 34,596 | 19.19 mi | 2,027.5 | 16.0 | 170.4 |
| 121 | 2,000 Club! | 8/26/26 @ 8:20pm | Stratton, ME | 44,970 | 25.03 mi | 2,011.5 | 23.5 | 186.4 |
| 120 | 1st & Goal (90%) | 8/25/26 @ 8:14pm | Rangeley, ME | 37,000 | 20.5 mi | 1,988.0 | 20.1 | 209.9 |
| 119 | Looney Tunes | 8/24/26 @ 8:00pm | Rangeley, ME | 33,735 | 18.7 mi | 1,967.9 | 17.0 | 230.0 |
| 118 | Ze Om Dome | 8/23/26 @ 8:01pm | Roxbury, ME | 13,061 | 7.34 mi | 1,950.9 | 4.1 | 247.0 |
| 117 | Maine Terrain | 8/22/26 @ 8:00pm | Andover, ME | 47,086 | 26.2 mi | 1,946.8 | 23.2 | 251.1 |
| 116 | Good | Bad | Ugly | 8/21/26 @ 8:00pm | Newry, ME | 25,011 | 13.9 mi | 1,923.6 | 12.4 | 274.3 |
| 115 | 20th Century Fox | 8/20/26 @ 8:00pm | Shelburne, NH | 35,809 | 19.8 mi | 1,911.2 | 19.8 | 286.7 |
| 114 | We’re getting high! | 8/19/26 @ 6:40pm | Gorham, NH | 24,916 | 13.8 mi | 1,891.4 | 13.1 | 306.5 |
| 113 | Pinkham Notch -> Gorham | 8/18/26 @ 1:53pm | Gorham, NH | 13,907 | 7.71 mi | 1,878.3 | 7.7 | 319.6 |
| 112 | More Work? Okay! | 8/17/26 @ 5:49pm | Randolph, NH | 25,995 | 14.43 mi | 1,870.6 | 12.0 | 327.3 |
| 111 | Workaholic | 8/16/26 @ 4:45pm | Twin Mountain, NH | 41,024 | 22.78 mi | 1,858.6 | 21.0 | 339.3 |
| 110 | Back to Work | 8/15/26 @ 8:00pm | Franconia, NH | 20,652 | 11.4 mi | 1,837.6 | 10.1 | 360.3 |
| 109 | Liberty Springs! | 8/14/26 @ 8:36pm | Lincoln, NH | 37,122 | 20.57 mi | 1,827.5 | 19.2 | 370.4 |
| 108 | Mt Moosilauke Mom! | 8/13/26 @ 5:52pm | North Woodstock, NH | 21,369 | 11.85 mi | 1,808.3 | 9.4 | 389.6 |
| 107 | Hikers Welcome Hostel | 8/12/26 @ 9:33pm | Warren, NH | 44,690 | 24.76 mi | 1,798.9 | 20.0 | 399.0 |
| 106 | Sir Stops a Lot 2 | 8/11/26 @ 8:00pm | Lyme, NH | 52,723 | 29.2 mi | 1,778.9 | 22.7 | 419.0 |
| 105 | Vermont Who? | 8/10/26 @ 8:42pm | Hanover, NH | 53,522 | 30.23 mi | 1,756.2 | 24.1 | 441.7 |
| 104 | The Hoopers! | 8/9/26 @ 8:00pm | Moretown, VT | 48,088 | 26.8 mi | 1,732.1 | 22.4 | 465.8 |
| 103 | This is not AI | 8/8/26 @ 8:00pm | Killington, VT | 40,356 | 22.4 mi | 1,709.7 | 17.7 | 488.2 |
| 102 | Freaky Friday | 8/7/26 @ 8:00pm | Cuttingsville, VT | 59,127 | 33 mi | 1,692.0 | 30.5 | 505.9 |
| 101 | Bourbon Magnets | 8/6/26 @ 7:00pm | Peru, VT | 37,344 | 20.69 mi | 1,661.5 | 20.3 | 536.4 |
| 100 | I LOVERMONT | 8/5/26 @ 3:30pm | West Wardsboro, VT | 20,593 | 11.43 mi | 1,641.2 | 8.3 | 556.7 |
| 99 | Need more antibiotics! | 8/4/26 @ 8:00pm | East Arlington, VT | 29,750 | 16.5 mi | 1,632.9 | 18.7 | 565.0 |
| 98 | Vermud Indeed! | 8/3/26 @ 6:47pm | Woodford, VT | 32,836 | 18.2 mi | 1,614.2 | 17.1 | 583.7 |
| 97 | Greylock! | 8/2/26 @ 8:00pm | Williamstown, MA | 41,965 | 23.3 mi | 1,597.1 | 20.8 | 600.8 |
| 96 | Lucky Ducky | 8/1/26 @ 7:05pm | Dalton, MA | 38,185 | 21.17 mi | 1,576.3 | 20.1 | 621.6 |
| 95 | Big Trail Camaraderie | 7/31/26 @ 8:40pm | Lee, MA | 43,965 | 24.36 mi | 1,556.2 | 21.3 | 641.7 |
| 94 | Return of the Jedi | 7/30/26 @ 5:05pm | New Marlborough, MA | 19,622 | 10.87 mi | 1,534.9 | 10.1 | 663.0 |
| 93 | Christmas Eve | 7/29/26 @ 9:10pm | Auburn, MA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,524.8 | 0.0 | 673.1 |
| 92 | Stuck @ 1524.8 | 7/28/26 @ 8:37pm | Auburn, MA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,524.8 | 0.0 | 673.1 |
| 91 | T-Minus 2 Days | 7/27/26 @ 8:34pm | Auburn, MA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,524.8 | 0.0 | 673.1 |
| 90 | Pack Attack | 7/26/26 @ 9:25pm | Auburn, MA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,524.8 | 0.0 | 673.1 |
| 89 | Go WooSox | 7/25/26 @ 8:27pm | Auburn, MA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,524.8 | 0.0 | 673.1 |
| 88 | Recovery (2010) | 7/24/26 @ 8:11pm | Auburn, MA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,524.8 | 0.0 | 673.1 |
| 87 | Crisis Somewhat Averted | 7/23/26 @ 2:30pm | Auburn, MA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,524.8 | 0.0 | 673.1 |
| 86 | Hooper Mama Rescue | 7/22/26 @ 8:03pm | Auburn, MA | 29,034 | 16.1 mi | 1,524.8 | 12.6 | 673.1 |
| 85 | I want to go home. | 7/21/26 @ 4:39pm | Salisbury, CT | 42,496 | 23.55 mi | 1,512.2 | 21.3 | 685.7 |
| 84 | 60k steps! | 7/20/26 @ 8:53pm | West Cornwall, CT | 60,015 | 33.26 mi | 1,490.9 | 30.3 | 707.0 |
| 83 | On the road again | 7/19/26 @ 8:15pm | Wingdale, NY | 23,400 | 13.02 mi | 1,460.6 | 8.2 | 737.3 |
| 82 | Rain Delay | 7/18/26 @ 3:48pm | New York, NY | 0 | 0 mi | 1,452.4 | 0.0 | 745.5 |
| 81 | NYC @ Hostel Anna & Pat | 7/17/26 @ 7:39pm | New York, NY | 31,778 | 17.61 mi | 1,452.4 | 8.4 | 745.5 |
| 80 | A poem, for you all | 7/16/26 @ 8:31pm | Holmes, NY | 55,890 | 30.97 mi | 1,444.0 | 28.0 | 753.9 |
| 79 | My Lowest Point | 7/15/26 @ 4:23pm | Garrison, NY | 32,258 | 17.88 mi | 1,416.0 | 12.2 | 781.9 |
| 78 | Yankees Suck | 7/14/26 @ 5:11pm | Tomkins Cove, NY | 35,809 | 19.84 mi | 1,403.8 | 16.8 | 794.1 |
| 77 | I’m Walkin’ Here! | 7/13/26 @ 8:18pm | Tuxedo, NY | 40,709 | 22.56 mi | 1,387.0 | 20.6 | 810.9 |
| 76 | This dang trail! | 7/12/26 @ 7:31pm | Hewitt, NJ | 47,159 | 26.15 mi | 1,366.4 | 23.9 | 831.5 |
| 75 | 60% = 0.6 = 6/10 = 3/5 | 7/11/26 @ 6:42pm | Sussex, NJ | 38,469 | 21.32 mi | 1,342.5 | 19.7 | 855.4 |
| 74 | NJ has no hands | 7/10/26 @ 8:14pm | Newton, NJ | 48,400 | 26.8 mi | 1,322.8 | 25.1 | 875.1 |
| 73 | Pushing PA | 7/9/26 @ 7:11pm | Delaware Water Gap, PA | 46,857 | 25.97 mi | 1,297.7 | 29.2 | 900.2 |
| 72 | Gotta Be Gone | 7/8/26 @ 7:10pm | Danielsville, PA | 38,510 | 21.34 mi | 1,268.5 | 21.0 | 929.4 |
| 71 | Mr. Brightside | 7/7/26 @ 6:33pm | New Tripoli, PA | 44,669 | 24.76 mi | 1,247.5 | 23.4 | 950.4 |
| 70 | Pocahontas | 7/6/26 @ 9:06pm | Hamburg, PA | 57,300 | 31.76 mi | 1,224.1 | 31.0 | 973.8 |
| 69 | William Penn | 7/5/26 @ 5:31pm | Pine Grove, PA | 38,592 | 21.39 mi | 1,193.1 | 21.3 | 1,004.8 |
| 68 | Happy 4th! | 7/4/26 @ 7:24pm | Tower City, PA | 44,294 | 24.5 mi | 1,171.8 | 21.6 | 1,026.1 |
| 67 | From Hero to Zero | 7/3/26 @ 3:23pm | Duncannon, PA | 0 | 0 mi | 1,150.2 | 0.0 | 1,047.7 |
| 66 | MW 4/5: Kind of Outdoorsy | 7/2/26 @ 11:25am | Duncannon, PA | 21,274 | 11.8 mi | 1,150.2 | 10.8 | 1,047.7 |
| 65 | MW 4/4: Am I okay? | 7/1/26 @ 9:20pm | Marysville, PA | 54,409 | 30.16 mi | 1,139.4 | 26.3 | 1,058.5 |
| 64 | MW 3/3: 1/2gal of iScream | 6/30/26 @ 7:25pm | Gardners, PA | 48,501 | 26.88 mi | 1,113.1 | 26.2 | 1,084.8 |
| 63 | MW 2/2: Pennsylvania | 6/29/26 @ 8:56pm | Fayetteville, PA | 50,391 | 27.9 mi | 1,086.9 | 28.6 | 1,111.0 |
| 62 | MW 1/1: MD 1st 30 Piece | 6/28/26 @ 8:33pm | Smithsburg, MD | 57,264 | 31.73 mi | 1,058.3 | 32.1 | 1,139.6 |
| 61 | Washington D.C. | 6/27/26 @ 9:25pm | Bolivar, WV | 0 | 0 mi | 1,026.2 | 0.0 | 1,171.7 |
| 60 | Almost Heaven! | 6/26/26 @ 6:36pm | Bolivar, WV | 29,286 | 16.24 mi | 1,026.2 | 12.0 | 1,171.7 |
| 59 | 1000 Club! | 6/25/26 @ 7:05pm | Round Hill, VA | 36,308 | 20.16 mi | 1,014.2 | 17.7 | 1,183.7 |
| 58 | M(ountain) G(ap) M(arket) | 6/24/26 @ 8:00pm | Bluemont, VA | 51,216 | 28.4 mi | 996.5 | 26.5 | 1,201.4 |
| 57 | Sandals, Jamaica | 6/23/26 @ 8:21pm | Front Royal, VA | 47,177 | 26.18 mi | 970.0 | 24.9 | 1,227.9 |
| 56 | With Arms Wide Open | 6/22/26 @ 6:39pm | Luray, VA | 29,876 | 16.58 mi | 945.1 | 14.0 | 1,252.8 |
| 55 | MIDSOMMAR | 6/21/26 @ 8:40pm | Stanley, VA | 48,271 | 26.76 mi | 931.1 | 23.9 | 1,266.8 |
| 54 | 900 | 6/20/26 @ 8:59pm | Grottoes, VA | 43,217 | 23.96 mi | 907.2 | 21.4 | 1,290.7 |
| 53 | Blackrock | 6/19/26 @ 8:34pm | Crozet, VA | 41,688 | 23.15 mi | 885.8 | 20.5 | 1,312.1 |
| 52 | 3OH!3 | 6/18/26 @ 5:36pm | Waynesboro, VA | 0 | 0 mi | 865.3 | 0.0 | 1,332.6 |
| 51 | Letterkenny | 6/17/26 @ 4:39pm | Waynesboro, VA | 26,265 | 14.56 mi | 865.3 | 12.4 | 1,332.6 |
| 50 | My Novel | 6/16/26 @ 6:53pm | Afton, VA | 37,933 | 21 mi | 852.9 | 17.6 | 1,345.0 |
| 49 | Night Hiking Foray | 6/15/26 @ 8:00pm | Montebello, VA | 51,479 | 28.6 mi | 835.3 | 27.2 | 1,362.6 |
| 48 | Blue(berry) Blazing | 6/14/26 @ 8:00pm | Amherst, VA | 40,393 | 22.4 mi | 808.1 | 20.3 | 1,389.8 |
| 47 | Stanimals Retry | 6/13/26 @ 1:36pm | Glasgow, VA | 28,963 | 16.06 mi | 787.8 | 14.5 | 1,410.1 |
| 46 | Trail Running! | 6/12/26 @ 6:50pm | Bedford, VA | 43,500 | 24.33 mi | 773.3 | 23.7 | 1,424.6 |
| 45 | Blue Ridge (Mtns…) Parkway | 6/11/26 @ 7:12pm | Buchanan, VA | 39,655 | 21.98 mi | 749.6 | 18.5 | 1,448.3 |
| 44 | VA Triple Crown | 6/10/26 @ 9:56pm | Daleville, VA | 51,171 | 28.36 mi | 731.1 | 25.7 | 1,466.8 |
| 43 | Seven Hundred | 6/9/26 @ 3:22pm | Catawba, VA | 30,557 | 17.02 mi | 705.4 | 14.4 | 1,492.5 |
| 42 | Hot Dogs! | 6/8/26 @ 6:49pm | Catawba, VA | 41,963 | 23.25 mi | 691.0 | 20.8 | 1,506.9 |
| 41 | Will Bear #1 Please Stand Up? | 6/7/26 @ 7:49pm | Goldbond, VA | 45,601 | 25.27 mi | 670.2 | 24.3 | 1,527.7 |
| 40 | I blaze trails | 6/6/26 @ 7:29pm | Narrows, VA | 38,400 | 21.29 mi | 645.9 | 20.1 | 1,552.0 |
| 39 | Woods Hole Hostel | 6/5/26 @ 5:58pm | Pembroke, VA | 27,242 | 15.1 mi | 625.8 | 13.5 | 1,572.1 |
| 38 | Nightswimming!! (Good R.E.M. song) | 6/4/26 @ 8:00pm | Bland, VA | 40,035 | 22.2 mi | 612.3 | 18.0 | 1,585.6 |
| 37 | Helveys Mill Shelter | 6/3/26 @ 8:36pm | Bland, VA | 43,823 | 24.28 mi | 594.3 | 22.8 | 1,603.6 |
| 36 | Burke’s Garden Hostel | 6/2/26 @ 5:08pm | Tazewell, VA | 32,314 | 17.92 mi | 571.5 | 15.5 | 1,626.4 |
| 35 | Zero Day #2 Beard Update | 6/1/26 @ 3:34pm | Ceres, VA | 0 | 0 mi | 556.0 | 0.0 | 1,641.9 |
| 34 | Well… 25% there | 5/31/26 @ 5:57pm | Ceres, VA | 39,599 | 21.96 mi | 556.0 | 21.6 | 1,641.9 |
| 33 | Don’t dial 1 first! | 5/30/26 @ 6:49pm | Two Pond Trail, VA | 45,551 | 25.3 mi | 534.4 | 23.9 | 1,663.5 |
| 32 | I [did] walk 500 miles… | 5/29/26 @ 7:54pm | Marion, VA | 34,190 | 19 mi | 510.5 | 20.5 | 1,687.4 |
| 31 | Re-Route, Magpie, Spearmint, and Gabe | 5/28/26 @ 7:28pm | Marion, VA | 33,687 | 18.7 mi | 490.0 | 18.7 | 1,707.9 |
| 30 | Virginia is for lovers | 5/27/26 @ 10:00pm | Damascus, VA | 37,652 | 20.88 mi | 471.3 | 18.7 | 1,726.6 |
| 29 | Miss me Tennessee | 5/26/26 @ 7:05pm | Elizabethton, TN | 45,865 | 25.4 mi | 452.6 | 23.9 | 1,745.3 |
| 28 | Maximum Effort! | 5/25/26 @ 8:13pm | Hampton, TN | 29,468 | 16.34 mi | 428.7 | 14.6 | 1,769.2 |
| 27 | 400! | 5/24/26 @ 6:10pm | Roan Mountain, TN | 33,054 | 18.32 mi | 414.1 | 18.5 | 1,783.8 |
| 26 | Zoinks Scoob | 5/23/26 @ 8:54pm | Roan Mountain, TN | 40,123 | 22.24 mi | 395.6 | 24.8 | 1,802.3 |
| 25 | Take It Easy | 5/22/26 @ 7:10pm | Roan Mountain, TN | 25,810 | 14.3 mi | 370.8 | 12.9 | 1,827.1 |
| 24 | Helene Detours | 5/21/26 @ 7:42pm | Unicoi, TN | 25,952 | 14.4 mi | 357.9 | 13.4 | 1,840.0 |
| 23 | Zero Day #1 | 5/20/26 @ 3:57pm | Erwin, TN | 0 | 0 mi | 344.5 | 0.0 | 1,853.4 |
| 22 | Here’s (Uncle) Johnny!!! | 5/19/26 @ 5:58pm | Erwin, TN | 16,753 | 9.29 mi | 344.5 | 6.2 | 1,853.4 |
| 21 | If a tree falls…? | 5/18/26 @ 8:00pm | Erwin, TN | 38,550 | 21.4 mi | 338.3 | 20.7 | 1,859.6 |
| 20 | Creature from Belarus | 5/17/26 @ 9:11pm | Marshall, NC | 40,256 | 22.35 mi | 317.6 | 22.8 | 1,880.3 |
| 19 | Double Trail Magic! | 5/16/26 @ 6:38pm | Marshall, NC | 35,584 | 19.72 mi | 294.8 | 19.6 | 1,903.1 |
| 18 | Mountain Towns > | 5/15/26 @ 6:49pm | Hot Springs, NC | 24,578 | 13.64 mi | 275.2 | 7.9 | 1,922.7 |
| 17 | The grassy knoll (my campsite) | 5/14/26 @ 5:57pm | Hot Springs, NC | 30,410 | 20.9 mi | 267.3 | 20.2 | 1,930.6 |
| 16 | Goodbye Smokies :-( | 5/13/26 @ 7:09pm | Clyde, NC | 33,037 | 18.3 mi | 247.1 | 23.4 | 1,950.8 |
| 15 | 10%…Complete! | 5/12/26 @ 8:00pm | Cherokee, NC | 37,160 | 25.2 mi | 223.7 | 15.7 | 1,974.2 |
| 14 | It’s all downhill from here | 5/11/26 @ 7:17pm | Gatlinburg, TN | 28,059 | 15.6 mi | 208.0 | 17.9 | 1,989.9 |
| 13 | Still [White] Blazing! | 5/10/26 @ 5:56pm | Gatlinburg, TN | 24,828 | 13.8 mi | 190.1 | 17.5 | 2,007.8 |
| 12 | Great Smoky Mtn’s! | 5/9/26 @ 5:39pm | Almond, NC | 21,010 | 11.7 mi | 172.6 | 13.2 | 2,025.3 |
| 11 | Up and down and up and down | 5/8/26 @ 8:00pm | Robbinsville, NC | 26,296 | 14.6 mi | 159.4 | 15.4 | 2,038.5 |
| 10 | Bumblebee Tuna | 5/7/26 @ 6:46pm | Bryson City, NC | 30,918 | 17.13 mi | 144.0 | 18.6 | 2,053.9 |
| 9 | May Showers (what rain?) | 5/6/26 @ 5:44pm | Franklin, NC | 35,590 | 19.74 mi | 125.4 | 19.5 | 2,072.5 |
| 8 | Hostel #2… Cinco de Mayo | 5/5/26 @ 1:57pm | Macon County, NC | 22,476 | 12.46 mi | 105.9 | 12.2 | 2,092.0 |
| 7 | Gone to Carolina in…actuality! | 5/4/26 @ 7:00pm | Hayesville, NC | 35,136 | 19.5 mi | 93.7 | 19.8 | 2,104.2 |
| 6 | Georgia (almost) off my mind | 5/3/26 @ 5:57pm | Hiawassee, GA | 39,420 | 21.84 mi | 73.9 | 21.2 | 2,124.0 |
| 5 | Hostel #1 | 5/2/26 @ 3:26pm | Towns County, GA | 20,814 | 11.54 mi | 52.7 | 9.7 | 2,145.2 |
| 4 | May the first! | 5/1/26 @ 6:07pm | Helen, GA | 30,853 | 17.2 mi | 43.0 | 15.3 | 2,154.9 |
| 3 | Follow up | 4/30/26 @ 7:48pm | Suches, GA | 39,471 | 21.9 mi | 27.7 | 19.6 | 2,170.2 |
| 2 | Numero Uno | 4/29/26 @ 5:15pm | Suches, GA | 28,315 | 15.7 mi | 8.1 | 8.1 | 2,189.8 |
| 1 | The prequel | 4/28/26 @ 6:00pm | Dawsonville, GA | 0 | 0 mi | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2,197.9 |
Notes
Recent encouragement from family and friends. Open a note to read the full message.
Way to go Justin!! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! Absolutely amazing! What an accomplishment you can share with others.
You can officially say, "I conquered the Appalachian Trail!" Congratulations, my friend, on such an incredible accomplishment! What an amazing journey and something you should be so incredibly proud of!
Congratulations, Justin! What an amazing accomplishment!
Yay you! Congratulations! You made amazing time & should be so proud of yourself. Can't wait to hear more about your adventures.