Acadia National Park, Maine (Aug 10-11)

Weeks and weeks before we set off for Maine, I made a deal/requirement with Hubs: he and our Chicago friend could spend a day indulging and food and drink, as they tend to do when they're together, and I can go off on a crazy hike and drive us all home. I like breweries and...

Isle au Haut & Holbrook Island Sanctuary, Maine (August 8-12)

August 23, 2011: that's the day we moved to New England. (It's easy for me to Google because it's also the day we felt the aftershock of an earthquake in Virginia.) And since it's been just about seven years since we've lived here, it's probably about time we visited Maine, right? Luckily, an old friend from...

Pine Knob Loop Trail and Lake Waramaug (July 28-29)

Hubs' birthday was in late July, and I promised him a weekend where I wouldn't run off to another state with a bag of instant potatoes. As you might have guessed, though, this weekend still included compulsory outdoor activities. The CT guys I'd met at Telephone Pioneers Shelter had suggested Lake Waramaug for kayaking, and...

Short Outdoor Excursions near Nashville and Great Smoky Mountains, TN (May 19-27)

When Hubs and I signed up for the family vacation / excuse for a backpacking trip, I didn't think we'd be exploring too much else of Tennessee. Lucky for us though, we were able to squeeze in some visits to beautiful places in other parts of the state and keep exploring inside the national park....

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA (May 13)

Remember how awestruck I was after last weekend on the AT? Well, after this weekend I am running the risk of losing it. Hubs and Lola and I packed up the car for a weekend at my mom's camper in rural Pennsylvania, about 30 miles west of Wilkes-Barre. It rained almost constantly, and my constant...

Wissahickon Valley Park in Philadelphia, PA (April 22)

Did you know there's a massive park with over 50 miles of hiking trails within the city of Philadelphia? I didn't, either. When my old friend (and triathlete/runner) Steph made the mistake of telling me she was interested in beginning hiking, I started researching routes and discovered Wissahickon Valley Park, just 40 minutes from her home...

Jacques-Cartier National Park, QC (June 11)

In between all the backpacking trips, Hubs and I took a week to visit Quebec, drinking Negronis in Quebec City and then eating poutine in Montreal. Of course, I also required an outdoor adventure or two. So we ended up driving 30 minutes north of Quebec City and spending a day at Parc Nacional de la...

Origins, and AT-PA: Ashfield Road to Lehigh Gap (July 25, 2013)

I've now come upon a year of being a backpacker, a.k.a. hiker trash. Lately I've taken to calling myself "land pirate," which I find appropriate now that my hikes usually involve using my sleeve as a tissue, stepping into streams without a second thought, cursing loudly at inanimate objects, and/or thoughtfully examining poop. Not to...

Sleeping Giant: Winter Edition (Jan 24 -March 4)

  As of this past Sunday, I am now halfway towards finishing the Four Season Giant Master at my local park, Sleeping Giant. Since October, I've hiked at least 70 miles on all the trails, with another 70-plus miles to go in spring and summer. Though my fall miles ended in snow, my winter miles...

Sleeping Giant: Fall Edition (Oct 15 – Dec 16)

Late fall is a tough time of year. Especially this year. I spent the last part of summer and the first few days of autumn out in the woods, drinking up all the sunlight there was. Now, the sun sets before 4:30, and the sky is dark by the time I walk out of work....

On Becoming a Giant Master

My certificate and patch from Sleeping Giant Park Association came in the mail a couple weeks ago, and I am officially Giant Master #358! To become a Giant Master, I needed to hike the 32 miles of trails going through Sleeping Giant State Park here in Connecticut. It took me almost 40 miles of hiking...

Sleeping Giant Master Trails: Square, Circle, Triangle, and Hexagon Trails (July 22)

Cue the montage music. Today is the day I complete the Giant Master trails. The red-colored geometrically-themed trails in Sleeping Giant all run north to south, crossing over the higher elevations in the middle of the park, and with most trailheads having their own individual parking lots instead of sharing a hub. This required some...

Sleeping Giant Master Trails: Blue, Violet, Diamond, Green, and Tower (July 15-16)

The quest to be a Giant Master continues for the second weekend! DAY 3: BLUE, VIOLET, BLUE-VIOLET CONNECTOR, DIAMOND TRAILS   Today was exhilarating. Today was exhausting. Today I conquered the two longest trails in the park, made a friend, and lost a friend. After putting in almost 2 hours of weeding at my CSA...

Sleeping Giant Master Trails: Orange, Yellow, Nature, and White (July 9-10)

I've lived near the 1650-acre Sleeping Giant State Park for over four years now, and I have a complicated relationship with it. Some days, I love it - when the wild blueberries are out, when I encounter some awesome wildlife, when I have a good conversation with a fellow hiker, when I conquer the rock scrambles...

My Current Gear for Dayhikes and Overnight Trips, (July 2017)

For most outdoor hobbies, you're going to need some gear to facilitate your fun. I'll show you what I do for my dayhikes and overnight backpacking trips. Keep in mind that there are lots of different methods of packing, and just because I do things a certain way doesn't mean it's the best way or...