Wild Stories
about the great outdoors
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New video available: Episode 5 (Kalkaska to Petoskey)
In this video, I hike from Kalkaska to Petoskey. I’ve got a lot of company in the woods, human, animal and insects. I find signal trees, a frog orgy, and morels! I also meet and am hosted by Dove and John Day, trail coordinators… Continue Reading “New video available: Episode 5 (Kalkaska to Petoskey)”
More than I’d Pictured
I’d barely left Grand Marais after a rest day before the 80-degree heat of the day started getting to me. Luckily, to get into Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, I was walking the sandy beach along Lake Superior. I jumped into the lake with all… Continue Reading “More than I’d Pictured”
I’m UP here!
After getting off trail for five days to attend a family wedding in Minnesota (Congrats Ben and Elisabeth!), enjoying greatly the company of my family, and getting in as many doggy cuddles as I could manage, I headed back to the trail June 11… Continue Reading “I’m UP here!”
Finding a trail family, and maybe a trail name
Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers describe their “trail family” with such love, it makes people want to thru-hike. They settle in with a group of people, and sometimes hike together for 5-6 months, forming intense bonds. Finding a “trail family” was an… Continue Reading “Finding a trail family, and maybe a trail name”
Deep thoughts during road walks
Setting out from Kalkaska at 11 a.m. on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend with 17 miles to hike to a campground that was probably full was a risk. If I couldn’t find a site or a kind group willing to share their site,… Continue Reading “Deep thoughts during road walks”
Cutting myself some slack
The weather forecasters are using words like supercell thunderstorms, flash flooding, and on their infographics, the entire state of Michigan is red. I look out the window of my motel room. The gusting winds are making the trees rattle and the clouds are dark… Continue Reading “Cutting myself some slack”
My feet are putting themselves up for adoption
As I write this post, my feet are soaking in epsom salt. Around mile 15 yesterday, with a couple miles left to go to town, my feet let me know they’re putting themselves up for adoption. They would prefer a home, err, human who… Continue Reading “My feet are putting themselves up for adoption”
Week 1: Mistakes were made, but this hike isn’t one of them
I’d forgotten the birds tell you when the rain is ending, because they start singing again just before it does. I’d forgotten how eery it is when the constant wind suddenly stops in the middle of the night, and the forest around me goes… Continue Reading “Week 1: Mistakes were made, but this hike isn’t one of them”
A whirlwind of nerves
Having 42 things on my to-do list for the week before I left on my halfway thru hike of the North Country Trail meant that a frenzy of activity distracted me from my nerves. I focused on getting my will done, a list of… Continue Reading “A whirlwind of nerves”
Why the North Country Trail instead of the Appalachian Trail?
Beginning May 2019, I’ll attempt to hike half of the North Country Trail, America’s longest National Scenic Trail at 4,600 miles. The North Country Trail (NCT) stretches from Vermont at its eastern terminus all the way to North Dakota. I’ll begin my trek near the… Continue Reading “Why the North Country Trail instead of the Appalachian Trail?”
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