Updated as of November 9, 2022.
Prior Blogs
I generally don’t suggest that anyone bother with my miscellaneous writing. But, for those who are interested, here is the information:
- My attempt at a backpacking blog for when we started trying to do a thru-hike is at https://ethesis.wordpress.com/
- My Trail Space trail journal entrees begin at https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/596552
- My first blog started in 1997 at http://adrr.com/living/one.htm
- I followed that up at http://ethesis.blogspot.com/ and one for games at http://apostephen.blogspot.com/ — Apo Mechanes Theos was replaced by a Facebook Group.
- I’m a sometimes part of a group blog at https://wheatandtares.org/author/ethesis/
Photo Albums.
- My Appalachian Trail photo album on Facebook. SOBO. 2020. 2021. Arkansas and AT. Virginia. Springer.
- Pacific Crest Trail photo album on Facebook
- https://www.facebook.com/WinandSteveontheTrail/photos_by for the photos on my backpacking page.
- https://www.facebook.com/WinandSteveontheTrail/videos for the videos.
Appalachian Trail
- An old plan for a February start // Jump-start plan (which we used)
- October 5, 2018
- October 06, 2018
- October 7, 2018
- October 8, 2018, a mouse falls on Happy
- October 9, 2018, Enota and a hurricane storm rolling in
- We finished at the NOC, to return in 2019 on the Ides of March // Entry about Enota, pre-NOC
- March of 2019, from practice hikes to the NOC and past Gatlinburg
- April, Damascus for Easter, Grayson Highlands, and getting off the trail for a baby granddaughter
- May of 2019 memories of the AT from prior years, other entries
- June 2019 pictures
- August 2019, back on the trail
- September 2019, Caratunk to the Presidentials
- October 2019, Mt. Washington had 80 mph gusts, then a storm hit further down the trail. Will come back and finish the trail next year (surprise, Covid hit and derailed things).
- ————————-
- Useful links for the Appalachian Trail
- The Trail and the Two of Us
- What New Hampshire Looks Like
- March 2020
- Reflecting on April, 2019
- Hostels on the Trail
- Mile 700 on the Trail
- Improved List of Links for the Appalachian Trail
- September, 2019
- Section Hiking Virginia, September, 2020
- October 2020–Finishing the South of the Appalachian Trail
- November 2020 Another Section Down
- December 2020 — Lewis Falls, Shenandoah
- January 2021 — Snicker’s Gap to Raven Rocks
- January 2021 — Skyland State Park
- Pennsylvania Part 1
- April 2021 links to picture collections
- We Made it to New Jersey
- Pennsylvania Part 2
- Finished New Jersey and Made it to Trail Days
- New York to New Jersey
- Links to Our New York Hiking Pictures
- Next — Bear Mountain
- Heading to Manchester Center
- September 1 and the shelter with a stove
- September 5 and a Zero
- Vermud
- September 12 and Massachusetts
- Coyotes, Mice and Frogs
- Lots of Pictures from the Trail
- Falls Village, Connecticut
- 77 Miles Left to Finish the Trail
- We Finished the Appalachian Trail!
Food
- Food (as of August, 2020)
- Make your own homemade bars
- Trail Food
- 2018 thoughts on Food
- Cold Soak links (for cooking without a stove)
Gear
- Starting Appalachian Trail Gear // More AT thoughts
- July 5, 2018 on Backpacks (note, things have changed a lot since 2018)
- Rambling advice on tents (refined below)
- Finding the Right Fleece
- How to Follow Someone on the Trail with the Far Out/Guthooks App // and More on how to use the App
- Sun Gloves
- Mod for ZPacks Tents
- My Favorite Hiking Shorts
- Using Bleach to Purify Water
- Ways to Pitch a Triplex for More Headroom
- On Sleeping Bag Liners
- On Tents
- On Stoves and Pots (before I discovered the Stanco Grease Pot)
- Hats
- How to Make Your Own Shoulder-strap Pouch/Bag
- Super Lightweight Tarps on the Trail
- More on Polycro Rain Flies // and more
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Polycro Tarp
- Gear for the PCT
- A Different Look at Tents
- Updated PCT Gear List
- Change ups
- Foot Wraps (for wet trails)
- Revisiting Hats
- DIY Footprints
- Updated Gear List
- Gear changes for warmer weather
- https://adrr.com/d20/2022/09/22/comparing-hiking-pants/
- Gear change ups
- Gear Photographs
- Water bottle holders
- Shoes // More on shoes // More on shoes
- 2018 on rain gear (with data from surveys) // More on rain gear
- Current PCT Gear List, Part One
- Current PCT Gear List, Part Two
Miscellaneous
- An Interview
- PSA on Fundraising and Long Trails
- Leave No Trace
- A Review by Wings
- How Much It Costs Me to Hike the Appalachian Trail
- July 2021
- Facebook Reels
- Reflections about the PCT
- Reflections/More lessons learned from the PCT
- May 2019 Reflections
- On Social Media Campaigns (or why you can’t trust so many reviewers)
- And I’ve finished a Table of Contents
Other Trails
Pacific Crest Trail
- Our April 2020 planning for a PCT Route
- PCT Wiki and More Links
- Gear for the PCT–Planning
- More Resources (Links) for the PCT
- Mailing Labels for the PCT
- Updated PCT Gear List
- Oregon Resupply Plan
- PCT Videos
- SQL Errors and Recovery Lost Many Posts
- More Details on the Hosting Errors
- Day 3, 24.5 miles
- June 20, Day 7, Saied Valley
- Pictures from Saied Valley
- Etna Reached
- Day 8, 14 mile Nero
- June 22, Day 9
- [We got down to Tuolumne Meadows, lots of lost posts] [Bottom Line, beautiful vistas, fires, smoke, ash on the tent, decided to flip]
- Our Trail Angel
- On the Road from Reno to Fish Camp (Oregon)
- To mile 1776
- July 26, 23.4 miles
- July 27, Crater Lake
- Hiked Around the Fire
- July 29
- July 31, Safe at Shelter Cove
- August 1, a zero while watching the fire
- August 2, start at 5:30 AM, end at mile 1930.6
- Mile 1952, more fire, divert to Elk Lake
- August 4, Bend to Portland
- August 5, with family in Portland
- August 6, Timberline
- August 7, nine miles to go to Cascade Locks
- August 8, Cascade Locks and Bridge of the Gods
- August 9, mile 2163
- Augst 10, 26 miles, 6,800 feet of ascent
- August 11, 25 miles
- August 12, to Trout Lake and beyond
- August 13, terrible mosquitoes and two months on the trail
- August 14, Goat Rocks and Knife’s Edge
- August 15, Packwood and lots of pictures
- August 16, hike 17 miles past Cracker Barrel
- August 17, camped at a piped spring
- August 18, trail magic twice, pictures
- August 19, laundry, start of shin splints (which I didn’t realize)
- August 20, Snoqualmie, repair deer damage to hiking pole, zero day
- Link to PCT photo album
- August 21, off trail to get treatment for shin splints
- Visiting friends and family
- Rest, Ibuprofen, Compression Socks (and a cat picture)
- Amtrak to Sevens Pass
- September 2, back on the trail
- September 3, so much mist
- September 4, thigh deep water crossing
- September 5, mile 2536, what a day
- September 6, Stehekin in 12.6 miles, pictures
- September 7, Stehekin
- Reflections on the trail
- September 8, leaving Stehekin, swamped in smoke, pictures of the ferry
- September 9, off the ferry, getting ready to head south to Tuolumne
- Visits, Little Falls campground
- September 11 & 12
- September 13, on the bus to Tuolumne Meadows
- September 14, altitude sickness
- Off the trail, home until next year
- Reflections/Lessons learned from the PCT
- ————————
- On the PCT desert section (links)
- Sierra videos (links to other people’s videos)
- Abear in the woods trail journal (we hiked a while leapfrogging he and his trail family)
- Quick visual guide to the PCT
- PCT Wiki (not mine)
- ————————
Training
- Training hike
- Another Practice Hike — May 13, 2020
- PCT Training Plans — pretty much how we started with 20 mile days (except I did not get the stretching in).
- March 1
- More Training
- Adjustments
- Stansbury Front Trail
- October 21 training hike