Giardia, and tweaking my water filtration

I felt sick after my post-trail restaurant dinner on July 22nd. I wanted to blame the boring salad and the eggplant fries with deceptively little eggplant, but food poisoning doesn't start with a bout of upset stomach and then morph into a week-long loss of appetite, nausea, bloating, and excessive gas. I was tired, and...

My Winter Gear

A hiking buddy who did some Sleeping Giant trails with me in January asked how to dress for a winter hike, and I probably answered something like, "Er... however you dress for fall. Just maybe bring one more layer?" I think the word "winter" sounds intimidating, but I don't really treat it any differently than...

24 Hours

That's how long it will be until I am on the Long Trail. I'm in Delaware sitting in a hotel room, about to get ready for a wedding, and trying to avoid drinking another cup of coffee since I'm all nerves about this thing already and don't need the caffeine. But I've prepped as much...