There's a social phenomena that occurs on every long distance trail with a decent amount of foot traffic, and though it's referred to by many names my personal favorite is "the vortex of fear." In a sense, it is one giant version of the telephone game where news of conditions, weather, or terrain further up the trail becomes filtered through the minds and perspectives of dozens, if not hundreds, of hikers before making its way to your ear.
Crumbled Crags
I pondered this sentiment as I began to take my first steps of the morning, thinking of how one of history's most famous mountaineers had redefined what it means to triumph, to succeed in any wilderness endeavor. Far from a rousing barroom tale of adrenaline-filled daring, each success is less a story about the outward achievement and more about the inner struggle…
Happy Canada Day
The calendar turned a new page today into the month of July, marking yet another small milestone and reminding me of all the little ways in which thru-hikers both mark progress and also motivate themselves to continue pushing down the trail: every 100 miles, 1/4 of the way, 1/3 of the way, half way there, the next town stop, a new calendar month, every trail month, a new state…
Volcano Snow
I wasn't sure what was happening but I was certain that something was wrong with my eyesight. I had barely rubbed the sleep from my eyes before putting in my contact lenses and crawling from my tent when the world began to swing from sharp to blurry and back with each blink. Convincing myself that this was temporary, I started down the trail in a cloud of mosquitoes…
White Flag
It was punishment for something, I realize that now. I don't know exactly what past slight or transgression, of course, but I clearly must've deserved this. What we thought had been vicious mosquitoes turned out to be merely the undercard for the main event today. Even while hiking, there would be a dozen on my kneecap alone.
Rugged
Well, that hurt. Today marked a significant change in the character of the trail. What had been consistently predictable for nearly every step of the first 950 miles--steady, moderate grade with good footing--turned into something very different, something more closely resembling the beast of the east--the Appalachian Trail…
Christmas in June
A mid-year Christmas occurred on the side of the road this morning, just after 9am outside the Tuolumne Meadows post office. When I showed my ID, the man behind the counter was happy to unload the five boxes with the same unintelligible last name written on them.