It’s not the Appalachian Trail, but at least I’m out in the semi-wild. Cheesequake. Such an odd word. It’s just an anglicized Lenape word (Cheseh-oh-ke) for “upland.”  Semi-wild because I’m right next to the Garden State Parkway! I can hear the traffic as I write. The traffic and a foghorn! Pretty cool actually. I’m just […]

Spent the first hour practicing “Happy Birthday” in Afrikaans for my friend Sleeping Beauty! Today is her Birthday! Happy Birthday Kelly!  ​​​For some reason the short video won’t upload.   Maybe later.  ​ I thought all this hiking was going to be about accomplishment. Fitness. Self-esteem building. Stuff like that. Surprise, surprise.  The best part […]

Spring is really springing now as we leave the park. One day I’ll be here when this famous store is actually open! Maybe not.  I’m such a winter hiker. Tick fear. None to be seen  yet. Whew!    We were up early. I’m always up early. I grabbed a leftover pork chop, cut it up, […]

Friday you’ll meet Dreamchaser, Moondancer, and Nest!

 It was a perfect day. Maybe 48 degrees to start with lots of sunshine. At the first hill I started shedding layers.  Just my Mountain Hardwear base layer for the rest of the day. I took my time, slack packed, and my L4-L5 problem was not a problem! Very happy this makes me. I […]

I was  thirsty. A new kind of thirsty. Thirsty without easy access to a drink. I had made the new hiker mistake. I trusted the App. The App has little droplets marking the places along the AT where the water is located, sometimes.  It seems, the most reliable water sources are in the gaps. When […]

Woke up to a burning sensation down my right leg yesterday morning. I tried to will it away.  It was just a touch of the nerve pain that put me in my face in the fairway off Bellville Golf Club in 2007. They put me in my Uncle Leon’s SUV and wished me to the […]

Tuesday I’ll begin a three day trip that will finish the stretch from Harper’s Ferry to the New York border. I’m going to try and stop until we return from South  Africa in August.  Not sure I can.  I’ve gotten so used to the planning. I love having something ahead in my life to look […]

You may remember Junker. He helped me find the the Rocky Mountain parking lot a week back or so, while finishing his breakfast at “Timbers.” He works at the Trail of Hope hostel in Fayetteville, PA. I called the hostel and he picked me up at the Dead Woman’s Hollow trailhead. I wish I knew […]

Today… Last week! It’s been a two week battle, getting the last of NJ finished. Lots of learning about snow hiking. Get snowshoes or stay home! Yesterday, in the rain, I finished the two miles left at the top: Love when a boulder is glacier dropped like that. Sometimes, they’re different than the local rock. […]