thru-hiking – Page 45 – Twig Adventures

LT Introduction & Pre-planning

September 22, 2020 kaulua26 Long Trail

2020 was a bust for many thru-hiking plans, including my own for the Appalachian Trail. By late summer, I reasoned that if I couldn’t hike the whole AT, 100 miles of it was better than nothing. This is the part it shares with the Long Trail (LT). The LT is 273 miles, running the length of the Green Mountains from the Canadian border to Massachusetts. It was the first long distance, continuous footpath that was purposely designed. Built by the Green Mountain Club between 1910 – 1930, it later became the inspiration for the AT. In following, the AT incorporated 100 miles of the LT as it was routed through Vermont (much like how the CDT and CT ‘share’ sections[…]

2019 CDT & AZT Gear Summary

This is a summary post on my gear and stats from my 2019 thru-hikes, combining both the CDT and AZT, since I didn’t change a thing about my gear in between. In fact, I’ve barely changed a thing from my previous 3 thru-hikes. I carried a bit heavier gear in 2019, mainly because I expected some rain and colder conditions. I wasn’t wrong about this. The CDT is high-elevation and therefore a colder and somewhat wetter thru-hike. The AZT was dry but also quite chilly at times, given that we were above 8000 feet during many parts of the trail and also approaching the end of October / beginning of November. I needed my 22 degree quilt and women’s Thermarest[…]

2019 Trail Angel Recognition

February 10, 2020 kaulua26 Arizona Trail, Continental Divide Trail

This is a special post to recognize the many trail angels and trail magic that made my hiking so memorable and cohesive. I’m truly blessed to have had so many positive interactions and made many new friends. I’m amazed and humbled by the kind souls that exist out there. Someday I’ll write a book honoring trail angels and this year gave me so much material to work with. I’ve listed the trail angels and their magic by state. I don’t expect people to read every bit of this post but at least scroll down to the bottom just to realize the sheer magnitude of this kindness. I’m so sorry if I omitted anyone or their contributions, and that I didn’t[…]

2019 AZT Summary and Stats

February 3, 2020 kaulua26 Arizona Trail

For links to each of my daily posts, see here. I thru-hiked the Arizona Trail for several reasons. One, I said I would when I first learned about it while visiting my friend Jon near Phoenix at the end of 2018. And secondly, I wanted to hike from Canada to Mexico again in one season. I finished my thru-hike of the CDT going southbound through Montana/Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and half of New Mexico…long story, see my CDT summary. I finished this journey by hiking all the way south through Arizona. The official CDT is a 3100 mile trail but in reality/practicality, it’s about the same length as the PCT (on account of all the popular alternates). By adding the AZT,[…]

2019 CDT Summary and Stats

January 30, 2020 kaulua26 Continental Divide Trail

For links to each daily post, see here. What a strange, long trip it’s been. The CDT will go into the record books as the thru-hike that never stopped testing, frustrating, enchanting, and forever changing me. It was the best of times and worst of times, all wrapped into a long and incongruous season of hiking. To further prolong the magic, I went straight onto the Arizona Trail only a week after finishing the CDT in Grants, NM. I wanted to get the full experience of hiking from Canada to Mexico for the second summer/fall in a row but somehow fell a bit short in replicating that magical feeling I got at the end of the PCT. That trail was[…]

AZT Day 34: The Hiking Season That Finally Ended

December 24, 2019 kaulua26 Arizona Trail

November 9th, 2019Bathtub Spring mm 780.5 to USA-Mexican Border mm 788.6Distance in miles: 8.10605-1220 This post is about my last day on the AZT and of a very long 2019 hiking season. Between the CDT and AZT, I calculated that I hiked around 3,500 miles. This is not including all the day hiking and short segments I did in Florida and Colorado, which probably brings my total to around 3,800 miles. I will follow up with summary posts but in the meantime, enjoy this last day, as I did. It was very quiet overnight and I had one of the best night’s sleep, ever. I was right about the condensation, though. My tent hadn’t been so wet inside and out[…]

AZT Day 33: Feet Dragging

November 19, 2019 kaulua26 Arizona Trail

November 8th, 2019Canelo Hills saddle mm 761.8 to Bathtub Spring mm 780.5Distance in miles: 18.70605-1540 What to do with a whole day on the trail when you have less than 20 miles to hike? Go on a side-trip. I found a good one…a lake and marina store were just off the trail 6 miles ahead. I could get some easy water and extra snacks. I traveled down from the saddle and past a few creeks. The temperature was perfect for a leisurely morning stroll. It felt weird to be going so slow, after pushing pushing pushing for months. I guess I earned a break but I really like moving all day and getting somewhere. It just became habit. I took[…]

AZT Day 32: Canelo Hills

November 18, 2019 kaulua26 Arizona Trail

November 7th, 2019Patagonia mm 737.4 to Canelo Hills saddle mm 761.8Distance in miles: 24.40910-1750 I was packed early, so as not to alarm anyone that might be out for an early morning stroll. I took advantage of the public restrooms in the park, which were nice. I headed to the Gathering Grounds for breakfast once again, having biscuits and gravy. Then I got another plate of french toast. Both were delicious. I of course saw Deb and Brent again, also having breakfast. They had been stewing all night about quitting their jobs and becoming thru-hikers. I’m a bad influence. I also failed to mention that thru-hiking ruined me from caring about much of anything else in life. Two thru-hikers come[…]

AZT Days 30 & 31: Patagonia

November 18, 2019 kaulua26 Arizona Trail

November 5th, 2019Casa Blanca Canyon mm 721.9 to Patagonia mm 737.4Distance in miles: 15.50615-1100 There was a 1000′ climb to start the morning and then it was mostly downhill into town. The climb was nice because it offered good views of the sunrise and went by fast. Once over the saddle, the trail quickly turned into a jeep road and then a wide gravel road all the way to town. I was thankful for an easy time and smashed the miles. It was also nice not to have to concentrate on my footing, but instead enjoy the views. The road was quiet except for a caravan of jeeps that didn’t bother to slow down. The dust cloud that the 10[…]

AZT Day 29: Grasslands of AZ

November 13, 2019 kaulua26 Arizona Trail

November 4th, 2019Twin Tanks mm 688.4 to Casa Blanca Canyon mm 721.9Distance in miles: 33.50615-1830 It got really chilly again overnight, seemingly because we were camped near a water tank. Once I climbed out of the wash, it warmed up considerably. The day started off in the desert scrub but climbed into the Santa Rita mountains by the end, passing through some more enchanting grassy hills. There were a lot of little ups and downs but it was very pleasant walking. These grasslands were not at all what I expected of southern Arizona and were a real treat. I almost felt like I was all the way back in Montana. What a surprise to be walking in such different terrain.[…]

Tag: thru-hiking