I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Dehydrated Lentil Salad Cold Soak Meal for Backpacking For over two months now, every day that I have been home, a dehydrator has been running nonstop in my kitchen. My daughter is currently hiking the Continental Divide Trail. And soon I will leave town to meet her somewhere in New Mexico to hike and camp …
Return to the Portuguese Camino: Thank you for the music. I welcomed spring this year with a beautiful week on the Portuguese Camino. We walked a trail that is familiar to me, from Porto to Valença. We made it to the border between Portugal and Spain, and then we crossed into Spain just to say …
Alison’s Hut-to-Hut Packing List Every time I go for a hike with a group of folks I send out a packing list. People don’t always follow it, but they can’t say I didn’t try to help keep those trail pack weights down once we’re out there hiking. I love to travel light. It is freeing …
Pomegranate, Pistachio and Broccoli Salad At the beginning of March, Taido was lecturing in London, so we decided to go over early and have a little getaway together. We do this a few times a year whenever one of us needs to be in London for something. Taido calls it “a London Jolly.” It’s cheapest …
GR7 in Spain Day 6: Capileira to Soportújar (via Pampaneira) 12 miles 2500 ft of elevation up and 3000 ft of elevation down We woke up to sunshine on the last day of our walk on the GR7. I had originally planned for us to only walk the five miles to Pampaneira. However it seemed …
GR7 in Spain Day 5: Pitres to Capileira 6 miles 1500 ft of elevation up and 800 ft of elevation down We had a slightly later start on Day 5 of the GR7 as we were not trying to cover as many miles. I had a second loop hike above Capileira in reserve in …
GR7 in Spain Day 4: Trevélez to Pitres 11 miles 2650 ft of elevation up and 3625 ft of elevation down Alternate title for this day: Does anyone see the trail? After waiting for what seemed like forever for breakfast at our lodging in Trevélez, we finally set off on Day 4 of the …
GR7 in Spain Day 3: Bérchules to Trevélez 11 miles 3000 feet of elevation up and 2200 of elevation down We woke up early for Day 3 of our walk on the GR7 in Spain. Because we had our breakfast already prepared in the fridge we could choose the time, a small luxury when you’re …
GR7 in Spain Day 2: Yegen to Bérchules OR alternatively this day could be titled: Make Love to the Water We headed out early on Day 2, our first REAL walking day on the GR7. We would cover over 10 miles with some more significant elevation drops and gains on our way to the next …
GR7 Spain: Day 1: Mecina Alfahar to Yegen It’s often a mystery to me how a trail ends up on my list of ones I’m hoping to get around to. I heard about the GR7 in Spain from several sources, but I think the main reason I finally put it on the calendar and made …
Snapshots of Andalucía I first visited Andalucía in September of 2024. I already knew from hiking the Camino that I love Spain. Whenever I arrive in Spain, I immediately want to pull up a chair and stay a while. If I am on a walk in Spain, I can’t pass a vende sign without stopping …
After the delights of Porto and walking the Portuguese Camino, I knew I wanted MORE TIME in Portugal. The next walking adventure I planned in Portugal was the surprisingly perfect Rota Vicentina! In fact I have spent so much time documenting the Rota Vicentina on this blog that I have neglected my city visits to …
Last week Taido read me a news article that stated that it’s rained in the UK every day in 2026. It was actually a relief to hear that out loud, because I have been wondering what was wrong with me and now I can blame the weather. Then the sun came out on Saturday and …
Snapshots of Provence: A Journey to The South of France I can’t remember when I first started wanting to visit Provence. It might have been in college when we watched La Gloire de Mon Pere in French class. Or maybe it was earlier, when my grandmother introduced me to Vincent Van Gogh through paintings of …
I’m returning to Porto in 2026 to walk a section of the Portuguese Camino with friends. I’m encouraging my friends to add on days to visit Porto before we start walking, so I’ve put this collection of photos together to serve as a list of recommendations for visiting this delightful city. It’s been four years …
2025 Favorites Happy New Year! I have not done a favorites list for the last several years, and I miss having the record for myself, especially as I’ve quit using the platforms that keep up with these records for me. So in addition to some favorites from 2025, I will throw in a highlight or …
Here’s what I tell folks when they ask me how to plan a Camino. I often receive emails with questions about how to plan a Camino or about the Camino in general. There is A LOT to know about the Camino. There are over 200 recognized Camino routes. I have barely scratched the surface of …
It’s been exactly 10 years since I first visited the Scottish Isle of Skye. We took the kids camping there for an autumn school holiday (also known as Tattie Holidays). It was the last year we still had four kids under our roof and I was determined to make the most of every family holiday …
Kinlochleven to Fort William 15 miles 1388 feet of elevation We woke up early and SO well rested at the West Highland Lodge. And it was cold outside! Our first truly cold day! Honestly, today we had the Scottish weather I had prepared us for! We made coffee and tea in the kitchen and took …
Glencoe Mountain Resort to Kinlochleven 10 miles 1624 ft Did I say yesterday that we’d perhaps begun to get a little overconfident about finishing our last couple of days on the West Highland Way? Maybe it was that I thought we’d mostly faced the variety of challenges that might arise on our hike that I …