I feel a bit like Eugene Henderson’s character in the book Henderson the Rain King. It seems that every place I’ve hiked, the rain has followed. Many of the creeks and streams are dry. And here I was, thinking that water would be plentiful because Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Once I…
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SHT Gear Trades
On Saturday, July 4th, at8:46 a.m. I will begin hiking the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) in honor of George Floyd. Below are the changes to the original. Patagonia provided me with their 29.3 ounces 850 down sleeping bag. And I’ve switched to the 1 pound, 7 ounce Nemo Hornet Elite. The SHT Association recommends…
SHT Gear List
I will begin my Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) thru-hike in precisely seven days. As of June 1, the SHT Association recommends that SHT users #RecreateResponsibly. This hike intends to raise money and awareness for PGM ONE, People of the Global Majority in the Outdoors, Nature, and Environment. I don’t work for PGM One. By hiking…
Additional Pack Weight
In 2016, planning for the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), my biggest pack weight dilemma was carrying my neurological recharge system. Fast forward to 2020, as I prepare for my Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) thru-hike, I’m facing yet another weight dilemma. The reality of hiking in Northern Minnesota (in the US, for that matter) as a…
Nature Doesn’t Discriminate
In 2016, I set out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail. After 600 miles, I ended my hike due to complications with my implanted neuromodulation system. Upon return from life on the trails, I had surgery to replace the broken parts of my system. Being inactive during the recovery period, mixed with feelings of failure…
Solo at SOLO
so·lo ˈsōlō noun 1. a thing done by one person unaccompanied, in particular. SOLO sōlōnoun 2. Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities If you’ve been curious about my absence during October, I spent the month enrolled in SOLO’s Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program in Conway, New Hampshire. Overall, the course was intense, nearly a semester’s worth of work in four weeks….
Some other beginning’s end . . .
I started the Pacific Crest Trail earlier in the season to account for my slowness. To my surprise, it turns out I am fleet-footed when it comes to hiking. For the sake of slowing down my hiking pace a bit in an attempt to outsmart mother nature (impossible), I took the train from Tehachapi, CA…
I’m not a scientist, I’m a science project
After my Intracranial Hypertension (IH) was in remission, and I had the last shunt removed, I found that I was still having headaches. My neurosurgeon, Dr. Boulis, offered a trial of a different medical device: a neuromodulator to help with the headaches. Admittedly, I was a bit apprehensive, but I trusted Dr. B; he…
Fully Relying On God
On my right hand, I have a tattoo of a frog holding a pencil. It’s my note to myself: writing is a gift. Therefore, I am Fully Relying On God to write. One would think that having a frog as a symbol of faith undoubtedly speaks to my love for frogs. No! Over the past…
Steps
I think of Lao Tzu’s quote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” As I hike the Pacific Crest Trail, I know that my journey did not begin with one step. Instead, it started as a battle many years ago. Of course, I am taking the Tzu quote literally. The journey of 374 miles…