River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park
Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air conditioning and plumbing, strap 40 pounds of gear onto their back, and haul it 10 miles into the wilderness on foot to sleep on the ground, and eat dehydrated food for days? Under threat of bear activity and a “mountain...
Sunrise at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland
I recently had the opportunity to return to Annapolis, Maryland to visit family, and we awoke early to visit the United States Naval Academy yard before sunrise. The Plebe Summer training program is in full swing on the Naval Academy base, and incoming freshmen Midshipmen gathered en masse on Farragut Field for morning PT. Meanwhile,...
The 50-Miler That Wasn’t: Indiana’s Knobstone Trail
I set two simple outdoor fitness goals this year - hike and summit at least one 14,000-foot peak, and segment hike a 50-miler. I tend to go west for mountains, so I decided to try east for my 50-miler. I researched extensively, and narrowed a list of 16 trails in the continental U.S. with at...