A whole new world! That is how we can describe CDT prep relative to all our other hikes when it comes to maps and technology, maps from necessity and technology from personal objectives. Both are new realms for us when it comes to hiking, both areas have required lots of … Continue reading
We’re strolling into this dusty little town after some time in the mountains. We pick up our box of dehydrated food from the post office, we pack up our backpacks, and then town hunger strikes. We look to our left, we look to our right – that’s about all the … Continue reading
Another major planning item for our 2013 CDT thru hike has been planning our resupply strategy. We have decided to send ourselves food for the entire trail so we are not reliant on stores along the way for obtaining food. First, we want to make sure we’re eating reasonably healthy … Continue reading
After seven combined thru hikes between the two of us, and countless hours of trail talks about what we would do differently each time, we are now organized and hopefully better prepared. In our little “For Trail Geek Eyes Only” series, we’ll be covering the important CDT planning topics that … Continue reading
Now that CDT preparations are in full swing, I have trail-talk on the brain at all times. I have pristine spreadsheets that calculate our pack weights (both under 10 pounds, woo hoo!), our daily calories (around 4200), and our resupply plan (25 resupply boxes). We have all our maps and … Continue reading
So, we have kind of a big adventure coming up this summer, the Continental Divide Trail. It’s around 3,100 miles (we’ll get to that in a moment) from Mexico to Canada through the Rockies, passing through the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. It’s the last jewel … Continue reading
Green jacket, you’ve been good to me. We’ve been through a lot together, but it’s time to say goodbye. You just aren’t the same rain coat that I bought six years ago and I’ve found another, one that is better in the rain, is a lighter weight, and quite frankly, … Continue reading
…or in the Kindle, because by the time Christmas rolls around, you’ll need the space for my new book about our 2011 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. I’ve been working on the book since June and just yesterday ordered my first sample copy of the book, so I’m excited to share the … Continue reading
No, we’re not getting fatter; we’re getting lighter. While I’m sure our bodies could always stand to lose a few pounds, our real focus this winter and spring is getting lighter for the Continental Divide Trail in the summer of 2013. It’s the final trail to complete our triple crown … Continue reading
Today is the last of my Colorado reminiscing and then it’s time to move on, get back to life and back to the current challenges which include things like Microbiology and cash flow statements. But today is about thinking back on all the truly magical parts of thru hiking the … Continue reading
In this article I am addressing our new improvements to our hiking gear and how they greatly improved our hike. There are a couple big motivators that made this happen that I’ll discuss along with how these geeky gear changes have led us to want to tweak the things we … Continue reading
The main goal of hiking the Colorado Trail was to prepare for the Continental Divide Trail, and I would say that we met expectations when it came to testing new gear and realizing what new gear we need to still research and purchase. The last few posts have been pretty … Continue reading
I thought about this post a lot while I was out hiking, as we were constantly evaluating our gear in terms of its functionality and weight, and always talking about ways to get lighter without losing much of that functionality. In the end, I think we could go lighter on … Continue reading
One of the big topics we’re repeatedly asked about regarding our long distance hiking trips has to do with animals, “What did you see?” and “Aren’t you scared of the wildlife out there?” So this article focuses on animals on the trail and how they impact our adventures. Are we … Continue reading
We have much to share regarding our hike of the 486 mile Colorado Trail. In this article, I will share some of the basics of what we did, when we did it, why we did it, and what we thought of it. There are so many stories to share from … Continue reading
Another reason we hiked the Colorado Trail was to test out a few new resupply strategies. In past hikes, we’ve simply resupplied from stores along the trail rather than send ourselves mail drops, and after resupplying from a gas station for the nth time on the AT last year, we … Continue reading
Sitting in a coffee shop in Boulder, I feel well-removed from the trail even though it’s only been a few days since we finished. I plan on putting up a few posts that are more review-type posts of the trail, our gear, our food and the towns along the way, … Continue reading
The month long break from Urbyville updates will soon come to an end. We have finished our 486 mile thru-hike of the Colorado Trail and I successfully survived the Leadville 100 mile “Race Across the Sky”. We have been without our computer and have been virtually disconnected from the world … Continue reading
As the Colorado Trail quickly approaches, we are nailing down the final details, loading up on chocolate, and preparing like we never have before. I have spreadsheets detailing the exact ounces of every single item in our pack, more spreadsheets with daily caloric values of the food we’ll carry, and … Continue reading
We have been bitten by the hiking bug again, and we’re not talking about ticks. As if this summer wasn’t jam-packed with enough exciting adventures, including two marathons, a 50 mile trail race, a 100 mile trail race, and two long trail runs of 36 and 93 miles, we have … Continue reading
Each morning here in Guatemala, I either go for a 5-7 mile run, or a 3 mile walk, just to get some exercise in before the sun has gathered heat and before the rest of the town is awake and bustling with people, cars, motorbikes, buses, and everything in between. … Continue reading
After Shantaram and my sailing book, I had somewhat of a reading drought. Julie had the Kindle for over a month reading Shantaram and I wasn’t ready to move on after such an ensnaring story. And then we made it back to Findlay where we have our physical books stored. … Continue reading
The Trail Life: How I Loved it, Hated it, and Learned from it, is now available on Amazon in Kindle or Paperback versions! It includes a new cover, new preface, and updated content and formatting. What is The Trail Life? It is a book about the life lessons that Julie … Continue reading
We’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail, we’ve had the ups and the downs of the trail, met good people and had amazing experiences, and I got the experience of the Lyme. We even have loads of Urbyville followers now and everyone is wondering, So Now What? What are you doing next? … Continue reading
I’m now a week removed from the Appalachian Trail, and wanted to write down my final thoughts about the AT experience as a whole before I get too far removed and too deeply involved in the next adventure. It is amazing what time does to memories, and how quickly time … Continue reading
It’s somewhat hard for me to believe but insect enemy number one, the parasitic deer tick, somehow managed to infect me without me ever seeing them sucking my blood. I knew I had many of the symptoms for Lyme disease back in June when I was sidelined in Cheshire and … Continue reading
The last day of the AT hike was one of the most memorable for reasons including it being the last day of the hike of course but also for much more. I shared some of my reflections yesterday but I also want to tell the story of our trail and … Continue reading
We thru hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine finishing yesterday on top of Mt. Katahdin and throughout the past week, I’ve spent a good amount of time thinking about why again it is that we do this sort of thing. I think this type of reflection is somewhat … Continue reading
As of 12:45pm yesterday, July 14th, we completed our adventure on the Appalachian Trail. It took 104 days total, 96 of which were spent hiking and 8 of them were days off in Myrtle Beach, SC. As of 12:45pm today, I’m currently riding in a rental car, on my way … Continue reading
We finally got our last Post Office care package bonanza today and it was like Christmas morning for the two of us. I say finally because we planned on arriving by July 2ndbut after tough hiking in the Whites and the first part of Maine, we finally made it 6 … Continue reading
Here we are, 88 days into the trail, and I’m still having new experiences that I never experienced on the PCT or yet here on the AT. On the PCT, Optimist and I made a decision near the beginning of the trail to only resupply in towns that were within … Continue reading
Man the trail is full of ups and downs. Julie tends to be the one with the big emotional swings but of late, even the Optimist (I only referred to myself in the third person because of my trail name implying that I’m a positive person with a positive outlook) … Continue reading
It’s our second day in Maine today, and though I was happy to cross the New Hampshire/Maine border, I have to say that I’m ready for the finish. If Matt were writing this, he’d title it, “So close, yet so far.” We are sitting about 250 miles from Mt. Katahdin, … Continue reading
We’re out of the Whites and now just a few miles from the Maine border so it’s time for a little reflection. As with all things, there are the good and the bad parts and I will share a few of those. There is also rock climbing as opposed to … Continue reading
We aren’t getting snowed out but the White Mountains of NH have been working us physically with long days, tough climbs, and little time to write or relax. It’s been so great to get into NH and we’ve enjoyed the amazing views of the Whites. We’d heard about this section … Continue reading
We just might be the luckiest hikers on the trail, or at least it feels that way. Our cup is overrunning with trail magic at the moment. We got back on the trail a few days ago after the amazing trail magic from the Boshart family in Manchester Center, VT … Continue reading
No, these are not names of thru-hikers. These are the names of the unexpected visitors we had to our shelter last night. Last night was one of the strangest nights we’ve had on the trail yet, where I had very little sleep and way too much excitement. About 10:30pm last … Continue reading
We had our first full day back on the trail today after a week off and I was reminded again about why I love the trail. We had beautiful weather, nice forest to walk through, some good views on the peaks we climbed, and most importantly, good time to talk … Continue reading
I know it does but for a week on the beach in SC, it sure seemed far away and almost nonexistent. We were in a touristy world so far removed from the Appalachian Trail that few would have known what it was all about and I actually enjoyed not thinking … Continue reading
And by Boshart, I’m referring to Cara, Greg, Devin, and Moxie Boshart, the amazing family living in Manchester Center, VT that were the source of an angelic trail magic experience and quite possibly, the greatest hospitality I’ve ever encountered in my life. The story is that on Thursday, we were … Continue reading
Yesterday was a monumental day for Optimist and me in our trail history together. We took a zero day. A zero is when no miles are hiked and no further progress is made on the trail. This was the first zero day we have ever taken including both the 109 … Continue reading
Two weeks ago, we left our tent in Greenwood Lake, NY and have since been shelter hopping for our nightly residence. So far, so good, yet so different. I am so intrigued by how the presence of shelters shapes the AT experience. Since there were so few on the PCT … Continue reading
We’re getting off the trail tomorrow for a weeklong vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC with our family and as I lay here in the shelter tonight reminiscing on the first 68 days I have some major thanks to give out. Julie has already done this with her post “Our Support … Continue reading
And not like Run DMC. It’s been a painful and challenging experience to say the least. We had been rocking the “beach body push” on our way to 150 miles in 5 days and feeling good about it. To top it off, Sunday (Day 5) was to have been a … Continue reading
So we’re both still on the trail and we’re making good time with plenty of positive wind in our sails. We had our rough seas and Julie almost didn’t make it through, but we’ve turned the corner and are moving through the miles yet again. Our motto is the “beach … Continue reading
Just a few days ago, this post was going to be titled, “Trail Obituary.” I had had enough and had called it quits after 1361 miles just after the border of NJ and NY. That morning, after a terrible night’s sleep, we crossed the border on a hot, muggy morning … Continue reading
So my last post about my bug bandana was supposed to be kind of funny and mainly stupid. I was in a lighthearted mood that night after hiking and wasn’t thinking about anything too deep. Then, what I thought was simply a light skirmish with bugs escalated into an all … Continue reading
Optimist and I have found ourselves at the front of the pack. We knew it would happen eventually as we passed individuals and groups in our first weeks on the trail. Today marks 8 weeks out on the trail, with about 830 miles to go, and we are quite alone. … Continue reading
I’m being much more positive in NJ than I was in PA. It may have something to do with the fact that for the first two days of the state, we’ve had sunny weather and it rained nearly every day in PA. I’d like to think it is my attitude … Continue reading
This is not a declarative statement, but rather a noun and its adjective. It is a description of my views for the last week on the trail. During the weeks leading up to the state of Pennsylvania, I heard from a lot of other hikers, whether first hand in person … Continue reading
