High School: A Rocky Path
I feel the most pressure when I am standing in front of 9th to 12th grade students. I feel insecure and uncertain. I feel like I am back in High School!
As a speaker, it is exciting to customize the message of the trail to meet the needs of colleges …
Life Shakedown
In backpacking, when you go through your gear and decide what you no longer need to carry it is considered a pack “shakedown.”
Mountain Crossings outfitter at Neels Gap, GA is famous for providing pack shakedowns for beginning backpackers on the Appalachian Trail. Each …
Section Hiking is HARD
When I went to the Continental Divide Trail for a 12-day section hike this past August, I thought that I was going to reclaim something that was lost.
Independence.
At age 24, I started Blue Ridge Hiking Company, which turned most of my local backpacking trips into guided hikes. Then …
Appalachian Trail Film Tour
It’s the year of the TRAIL MOVIE!!!
With Wild scheduled to hit theaters in December and A Walk in the Woods coming out in 2015, I am looking forward to spending some quality time at the movie theater eating buckets of buttery popcorn as I watch other people …
Favorite New Trail Foods
I wanted this blog to about the reflections of my 11 day solo backpacking trip on the CDT. But there were two problems. Number one, I discovered I am still processing a lot from that hike and I don’t know quite how to put it into words …
Trail Records: Positive or Negative?
After 12 months of traveling the country in a Prius and hiking in 44-states with our infant-turned-toddler, the Pharr Davis family took a 3-week reprieve to rest and recharge at our house in Asheville. The break, which seemed like an eternity in the beginning, was quickly …
Takeaways of a Section Hiker
Over the past five summers, because of my schedule as a teacher and the fact that I married a trail junkie, I’ve had the good fortune of leaving behind work, bills, and- for all intents and purposes- the world to go for a walk in some of the …
Mother's Day Remembrance
On book tour, Brew and I try to visit National Park units as often as possible. These landmarks include well-known parks such as Yellowstone or The Great Smoky Mountains, but also encompass National Scenic and Recreation Trails, as well as...
Astronauts are Campers, too!
When Brew, Charley and I went to Houston on book tour, we took some time to visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Not only did we get a private tour of the facility, but our family was able to have lunch with two different astronauts. …
When Quitting is the Right Decision
He has dreamed about it for years. He spent time and money investing in all his gear. He practiced physically; he trained mentally. He even sold his business and gave his family long hugs that would last for five months!
Then, after 28 days of hiking the Appalachian …
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