I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Trail Support on the Ouachita Trail: Foran Gap Shelter to Ouachita Pinnacle ~80 miles 5 days Alternative title for this section of the OT: We Couldn’t Have Done It Without You, Dad Seriously, from the moment my dad join us, we plowed through the miles every day. He would move all the gear in his …
The Ouachita Trail: Queen Wilhelmina to Foran Gap Shelter 17 miles 2 days Sunshine and Trail Angels DAY 6 6.3 miles to Black Fork Mountain Shelter. (Mile Marker 57.8) Kandace and I both slept hard at the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge. It was amazing to wake up and be able to go to the bathroom without …
The Ouachita Trail: Winding Stair to Queen Wilhelmina State Park 26.5 miles 2 days Some rain, some sun and… Many River Crossings DAY 4 14 miles to a spot in the woods where we collapsed. (close to Mile Marker 39) We woke up to a gorgeous fog covering the whole world around us. Thankfully, it …
White Bean Chili Between daylight savings and colder temperatures arriving, it’s SOUP season at our house. We have had soup for dinner every night this week I think. Tomato and Potato Cheddar Soup. French Peasant Soup, Winter Veggie Curry. Last night I made a White Bean Chili that I have made often in the last …
Part 1 of the Ouachita Trail: Talimena State Park to Winding Stair Mountain 25 miles 3 days Sun, Rain, Wind and Fire DAY 1 9.3 Miles to Rock Garden Shelter On the last day of November, on the Beaver Full Moon, my friend Kandace and I loaded up in my parents’ car and drove from …
Hiking The Ouachita Trail in Winter or The Hardest Hike I’ve Ever Done The three weeks I hiked on the Camino in September was the longest distance I have ever hiked at one time…266 miles. But it was for sure not the hardest hike I have ever done. Hiking the Coast to Coast across England …
The Camino Will Always Be With You It’s normal to have post Camino blues. Coming home from any grand adventure is a big mix of feelings. I found myself both glad to be home and constantly missing the trail. And of course, I missed my trail sisters! I wrote them a letter a few days …
A Day in Santiago de Compostela, Spain I told everyone to enjoy sleeping in on our day in Santiago de Compostela. Eat breakfast whenever you like. We’ll meet up later for the noon pilgrims’ mass, if you want. Also feel free to just get lost in the beautiful streets of Santiago. COMPOSTELAS Then …
Camino de Santiago Day 7: O Pedrouzo to Santiago Sixth Day of Walking the Last 100 km to Santiago 20 kilometers 12.5 miles Elevation: 378.78 meters up + 422.35 meters down After a strangely wonderful night of sleep and a wonderful breakfast in town, we gathered on the sidewalk for Laura and I to …
Camino de Santiago Day 6: Arzua to O Pedrouzo Fifth Day of Walking the Last 100 km to Santiago 19.5 kilometers 12 miles Elevation: 382.12 meters up + 473.69 meters down Earth is crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only she who sees takes off her shoes. -Elizabeth Barrett …
Melide to Arzua Fourth Day of Walking the Last 100 km to Santiago 14 kilometers 9 miles Elevation: 301,54 meters up + 370.47 meters down I woke up feeling so refreshed on this day! It must have been the swim in our albergue pool that did it! We walked back up the street to …
Ligonde to Melide Third Day of Walking the Last 100 km to Santiago 23 kilometers 14 miles Elevation: 383.32 meters up + 554.53 meters down
Portomarin to Ligonde Second Day of Walking the Last 100 km to Santiago 16 kilometers 10 miles Elevation: 434.55 meters up + 182.96 meters down The morning was cold and misty when we walked out onto the streets. Everyone was glad for a shorter day today. We were walking from Portomarin to Ligonde, instead …
Sarria to Portomarin First Day of Walking the Last 100km of the Camino de Santiago 22 kilometers 13.5 miles Elevation: 510.97 meters up + 580.25 meters down
Camino de Santiago Day 1: Arrival in Sarria As promised, I am continuing the logging of my Camino journey through this blog. I am now back at home and thoroughly enjoying re-living my Camino memories through writing about them. Since the arrival of a long-awaited group of ladies in Sarria marked the beginning of a …
Camino de Santiago Day 13: Triacastela to Sarria 20 kilometers 12.5 miles My last day of walking alone was a shorter one, and I was ready for it. It was raining when I fell asleep the night before and it was supposed to rain most of the day, so there was not point in trying …
Camino de Santiago Day 12: Las Herrerías to Triacastela 28 kilometers 17.5 miles I think I’ve mentioned before that I do not enjoy walking in the dark. Lots of folks on the Camino get up early and walk in the dark. But after a morning of doing it with Anna, I was so sure I …
Camino de Santiago Day 11: Villafranca del Bierzo to Las Herrerías 22.5 kilometers 14 miles There were three ways out of Villafranca del Bierzo. I had studied all three before going to bed and had chosen the one I would take. I got an earlier start and the morning air was fresh and cool. I …
Camino de Santiago Day 10: Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo 25.5 kilometers 16 miles Sometimes the problem with doing a really long day isn’t just how you feel at the end pushing yourself that hard. It’s how you feel the next day. I struggled to drag myself out of bed, and I reasoned that I …
Camino de Santiago Day 9: Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada 32 kilometers 20 miles Every once in a while on a hike, you schedule a day that you know is going to test you. You know when you schedule that higher mileage that it will push you to your limits. But you kind of want …