The White Mountains are a weird mix of backcountry remote hiking with steep ups and downs but also neat and fancy mountain huts. There seems to be a dichotomy of visitors to the Whites, those who hike a couple miles to stay at the huts and have linens and food provided for them, then there are the visitors like the thru or section hikers who traverse long ridges and arrive smelly and hungry to the huts. While the huts are very expensive to stay at, they will usually allow thruhikers to sleep on the floor in exchange for doing chores. There is usually a limit of how many thru hikers a hut will accept depending on its size but one of the hut caretakers didn’t turn us away in the rain. At Lake of the Clouds hut, they will not turn away hikers that arrive late since it is above tree line and there is no where to camp.

Chores: The chores that hikers are asked to do range from answering questions from guests about hiking, defrosting the freezer, doing dishes, sweeping, or stirring the compost privy. The time frame of the chores is either after about 7:30pm when dinner is over or after 8am when breakfast is over. The caretakers will also allow you to have leftovers before doing chores as well! So for a hiker with a long day of hiking it can be a long night or a late start to the day. Whichever hikers get there first get the evening chores so they can leave early the next morning to make their miles.

Sleeping: The huts are usually very clean, (since hikers help with chores and there are six or more caretakers in a hut) so sleeping on the floor in the dining room is no big deal. After chores and the guests are gone from the room, hikers can set up their mats so usually around 9 or 9:30pm. Lights out on the dining room is about 9:30. The caretakers begin to make breakfast around 5:15am and need hikers cleaned up at 6:20ish so they can set the tables for breakfast at 7am.

So if you want an early start for your day it works out well! If you are on morning chores, you end up sitting around for multiple hours until doing chores then heading out to do the day’s miles. We finished morning chores around 9am.

Hut life: The bathrooms are very nice at the huts and you can stop at any one you pass. They also have baked goods and lemonade for sale at each spot. Or if you stay at one of the shelters you have to pay for in the Whites, they give you a coupon for baked goods and a drink. Sometimes you can ask if the hut has leftovers and offer to eat them so the caretakers don’t have to carry them out down the mountain!! Or you can offer to do a chore for a bowl of soup.

Camping: Some if the areas in the Whites are fragile Alpine zones above tree line so it is illegal to camp in those areas. From what I saw, you can camp 1/4 mile away from a paid campsite or hut if you use proper Leave No Trace principles. If you ask at the huts they may know of a site nearby or Guthook comments let you know as well.

Our experience: After a day of hiking through rain and knowing it was supposed to rain all night, we pushed to get to the first hut and contented ourselves with sitting around the next morning until all the guests were done with breakfast and we could get some food and then do our chores and head out! It was so warm and cozy to be inside and we were really grateful to have a place to be dry. The next day we were taking a Nero into town so the waiting in the AM to do chores wasn’t a bother but on a normal day of hiking it would have been rough to get a late start and then be late getting into our next campsite. But we figured we might as well be dry out of the rain and experience the hut life at least once while we were in the Whites. For me, this experience requires patience and just accepting a time to chill in the mountains while waiting on what we needed to do. Hard for me but definitely easy for others! So choose whatever works for you!!

All in all, remember the huts aren’t required to give thru hikers anything so we can be grateful for whatever we do get. Also remember to be kind so the hikers behind you can have a good experience as well!

Our most common question we get on the AT besides “where did you come from and where are you going?” Is “how do you get your food?” Well, logistically the AT is the easiest of the three big trails as towns are quite plentiful, at least in most sections. We typically try to resupply about every three days so our packs aren’t too heavy but sometimes those days are supplemented with a quick stop at a gas station or trail magic! It is always neat to see the towns and learn about it’s history or character on a quick trip to usually the Post Office and grocery store, Dollar General, or pharmacy.

Going into North Adams, Mass. proved to be an adventure! There is a steep down hill into the town after climbing the tallest point in Massachusetts which is Mount Greylock. When we got to the Main Street we asked some police officers on the corner where the bus came through. They pointed us in the right direction and also told us where the package (alcohol) store was. Since it was a far distance we tried hitching as we walked and a kind person turned around and picked us up! He was a tennis coach off for the summer and on his way to Walmart while trying to find medical insurance for the summer (same). After collecting our box of food from the post office, we utilized their giant table to sort our food and figure out what we need. About 75% of our food comes from our box when we are in a town that we have a box. Then we went over to the Big Y. The northern grocery store which I really love for their selection of food I can/want to eat!! When we were checking out an employee began asking us questions about our hike and told us if we waited for 1/2 an hour til he got off of work he would take us back to the trail! We had to eat some of our snacks and charge our battery packs anyways so we were more than happy to wait for his kind offer.

On the ride to the trail head, we found out this man had lived in North Adams for most of his life. Meeting locals is always a treat because most are very proud of their little historic towns! This was no different. He told us about how his father shingled the church steeples in town and his father’s claim to fame was he never went to work sober! Yikes. These steeples were very tall and very steep. Then he further elaborated on the town industry describing how cotton from southern states was shipped to North Adams to be made into clothes because the mills were powered by water and were quite popular in its time. In the prime, the mills employed 12,000 people. That time has since moved on and the town is trying to rehabilitate its space with a new museum. This museum inside the old mill building is the largest modern art museum in the country.

While we were at the Post Office, a woman offered us free entrance to the museum since she worked there but sadly we didn’t get to go and take advantage of it. The thought of more walking and how bad Kevin was feeling didn’t allow us to.

Overall, we had a great time in North Adams and it is a cute quaint New England town that according to the locals is on the good end of Massachusetts and doesn’t get anything from “those politicians over in Boston!”.

If you are ever up in the area, be sure to check out North Adams or lots of the cute New England towns that dot the way along the Appalachian Trail!

Everywhere in life these existential questions will follow and inspire (or question) souls. When we started hiking, I felt sure it would be a wild and different experience. And it is for sure, let me tell you. But also there are similarities to the trail and what some may call “real life”.

Here on the trail, these questions come up maybe when we are having a hard day, struggling up a hill, or getting plagued with mosquitoes, all struggles that seem unrelated to “real life’. But really the trail is like real life. We just live outside and eat cold food out of a peanut butter jar but the same life questions and attitudes follow the same person around and there is no escaping it.

One wise hiker told us that the trail is a healing and growing place but that healing and growth will only come about if a hiker is open and willing. Basically the same as living life day to day. Everyday we have the opportunity to learn and grow in life and become who we are to be and love all those around us! When hiking there is just nothing really to distract your brain for hours unless you try really hard. So it creates a beautiful time to be okay with thinking through life lessons and taking each step as a time to get stronger mentally and physically.

A lesson I have been learning for my entire life is patience. I like to see things happen immediately and be able to finish something and check it off knowing it was done well. I thought for sure I might get a break having to work on this while on “vacation” on the trail. But no. Lessons to be learned stay with you wherever you are. So here I am on the trail, learning patience. One step at a time!

In the time that it has taken us to hike half the trail, I have read or listened to 20 books! This was one of the things I was most excited for coming out to the trail so it is fun to have goals come to life! But here is a small collection of summaries of half the books I have read on the trail in case you need some summer reading!! Now I am getting into listening to podcasts so maybe I’ll have to share some of those next!

Braving the Wilderness: not about the wilderness we are currently walking through but about the act of knowing who you are and what you believe and sticking to that bravely even when you are in hard times or when your belief is unpopular. She encourages open discussion with others and tells of the destructiveness of the “you are either with us or against us” mentality. Every person is human and if we treat each other with respect we can listen and find ways we do agree and can accept when we don’t agree and still see that person as a human.

Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice:

In this book, Brene Brown talks about how all people have a need to be connected to another and yet there are many things that drive us away from true authenticity and vulnerability. One belief she found in her research of wholehearted people is believing that “people are doing the best they can”. If we believe that another person is doing the best that they can then we can extend grace to them and

understanding.

Rising strong is realizing the stories that you are telling yourself every day. Seeing the difference between what is actually happening and what I am telling myself!

My Life in the White House

J.B. West

Very interesting perspective of life in the White House from the Chief Usher. He worked closely with six First Ladies to aid them in running the White House for their families and the administration. It is definitely a neat perspective of history because of the closeness of the perspective to transitions and the first family.

Fly Girls

Keith O’Brian

A history of the first female aviators who worked had to be taken seriously in flying and to show the world that, yes women can in fact fly planes and surprise others with their knowledge.

Notorious RBG

A summary of Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s life and career. While I do not agree with all of her beliefs, I am always happy to learn about those who tirelessly work to make sure that all people regardless of age, race, or sex have rights.

My Life Story

Helen Keller

Helen Keller wrote an autobiography of her struggle to learn to communicate and how she worked her way through college. She had an incredible outlook on life that her difficulties were really blessings that enabled her to use her other senses in new ways to experience the world around her.

Alone on the Wall

Alex Honnold

This is Alex Honnold’s reflection of his climbing up until 2015, so before Free Solo the movie. He tells how he got started climbing and why he got into free soloing, he was just too shy to ask for a belay. This book also has reflections from other friends and climbers who have spent expeditions and time with Alex and help to balance out the stories from his brief and “no big deal” frame of reference. A part I appreciate is how Alex is intentional to be aware of what impact his traveling and living has on the environment and he shares what steps he takes to care for it.

Go Set a Watchmen

Harper Lee

A classic from the same author who gave us ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. She once again fills a story with controversial themes which makes you think and reflect on your own ideas and way of life.

The Tattooist of Auchswitz

Heather Morris

Such a sad sad story based on interviews with survivors. I’m not sure if there are words to describe the story but it is always good to be reminded of history and others’ struggles.

China Rich Girlfriend

Kevin Kwan

As I have said before, I don’t always like fiction but this book and the first of the series, Crazy Rich Asians, have been those type of books that I simply cannot put down! Perhaps it is the intrigue of how the author describes different cultures or how he seems to weave many people’s life stories all together into one.

Hopefully there is enough of a mixture of genres here that interest many however, I can always suggest more books if you need!

Disclaimer: all times and activities are subject to change, arbitrary, and purely for show.

6:30 to 7 am: what a beautiful morning, either you can see a nice sunset from the tent or the warm glow begins to kiss your cheeks through the .5 dyneema composite fabric. Hopefully you were not awakened by someone very loudly eating their breakfast five feet from your tent.

7:30: We are beginning to be all packed in the tent, massaging the sore muscles, and ready to exit the false security of the tent to go fetch the bear hang to eat breakfast.

7:37: where did we hang the bear hang?

7:39: ah yes, got the food down.

7:41: breakfast and coffee, our favorite coffee is definitely Alpine Start! A good breakfast: cold soaked oatmeal or cereal

8:02: saddle up! Grab that pack and head out on the trail! Pro tip: having a light pack makes it not a dreadful thing to get on the trail!

8:30: we like to start out the day with some positivity and check in with each other on how we are feeling and what we think about our goals for the day.

9:47: Thinking it must already be lunch time because of how hungry I am, we eat a second breakfast.

10:56: Elevensies- Stop to get some water at a spring or stream that we cross and eat a snack. Mountain springs are so neat how they bubble up from down under the mountain! It reminds me of the giant springs in Florida.

12:48: Finally lunch time! Our lunch is comprised of a variety of snacks and bars so we may eat our biggest item at lunch time but snack all day because of how many calories we burn! Probably one of my favorite things about hiking!

2:39: afternoon tea- also a good time to calculate how many miles we have left in the day to hike.

4:56: supper- hopefully we still have a final snack left from our lunch stash while we add water to our dehydrated dinners. Because we cold soak, or make our food with cold water instead of hot, we have to add the water about 45 to 60 minutes ahead of when we want to eat it so that the noodles will soften or beans with expand.

5:49: rolling into camp, usually the last to arrive. We have figured out we are consistent hikers who take lots of breaks! We can do the miles, just on our own time!

6:00: setting up camp! We try and get our camp chores done first before eating. So setting up the tent, blowing up our sleeping pads, arranging our belongings in the tent, and throwing the cord we use to hang our food.

6:27: dinner! More often than not we are camped near other people so it is fun to go and hang out with them while eating dinner. See how the day went and discuss all the typical trail topics, such as when you started, how far you went that day, what you ate for lunch, where you are resupplying, what you are eating for dinner, your favorite way to sleep comfortably in a tent, etc.

7:44: getting sleepy

8:15: crawl into the tent to get ready for bed and do some last stretching to prevent leg cramps at night.

9:00: completely passed out and okay with it! (Unless I am reading a great book then I stay up way too late and am so tired the next day.)

One of our favorite parts of the trail is the simplicity. It may seem complicated with resupplies, creatures to stay away from, or miles to walk, but really it is just relearning to listen to your body and care for simple basic human needs. That is the beginning of allowing yourself to think about life and contemplate the extraordinary beauty of nature all around while slowing down the mind in a culture that runs itself full tilt into the ground.

As I stood at the very first blaze of the Appalachian Trail, I tried to gather what my senses were experiencing. How fresh the air smelled on this spring day. The warmth of the sunshine on my face and the taste of adventure and excitement in my mouth! I heard Kevin say “we are finally here” as I gripped my pack straps to be sure this was reality! Then, before we began our 2,192 miles walk to Maine, we looked out over the blue hazy horizon of the Blue Ridge mountains.

Making the most of every moment

When Kevin and I were teaching outdoor education in California for fifth and sixth graders, one of the best parts was being able to help kids use their senses outside and experience things that they may have never seen or even imagined. It is wonderful to see a kid experience a stream for the first time or to hear an owl on a night hike! So with that experience reminding us to be aware of all the nature that is around us, we are setting out to be wowed every day by the majesty of creation.

Long days of walking are made more interesting when we are on the look out for the small phenomenons of nature like ice shrouded trees, wildflowers, a snail crossing the trail, and owls cooing us to sleep.

But as we are hiking, we will do our best to share all the moments of the majesty of nature with you. Please continue to share your lives with us as well, we aren’t that far out there!

In case any of you ever need some ideas on what to wear while hiking, I thought that we could discuss some things that might be helpful!!

When figuring out what might be useful to you while hiking or any activity, it is important to remember that every person is different and has different needs while outside. Some people tend to be colder…all the time. Others are warm blooded…all the time. So take a little personal inventory any time you are buying gear.

Let’s start small. Typically, my hands and feet are always very cold so what I carry for these are very important.

• Warm hat: Turtle Fur fleece. A common phrase is “if your hands and feet are cold, put a hat on”. Seems logical.
• Hands- I use possum fur gloves which stay warm even when wet but to avoid wet hands, I use the Mountain Laurel rain mits!!
• Socks- super important, Smartwool socks are my favorite but Darn Tough works too because wool keeps your feet warm but also doesn’t get too hot. Wool is also helpful when walking in the rain and or when feet get sweaty because it draws the moisture away from the feet.
• Sun shade- The Patagonia Duckbill Visor works well for me because I can wear my hair up or down with a visor and it is very light!
• Odds and ends- the half buff works as a scarf and a hair band. Multi-use!! Last thing is the Dirty Girl Gaiters, helpful for keeping rocks out of the shoes and ticks from the ankles hopefully.

Possibly my new favorite piece of gear. 6 ounce synthetic jacket, it fits perfectly! The jacket will always stay with me no matter how warm it gets, just to be safe. It doubles as a good pillow too!

I don’t always bring separate sleeping clothes when hiking but since we are starting the AT in the spring and there will be cold and rain or snow at some point, this is my plan. I have fleece leggings, cuddl duds from Walmart or Amazon, super cheap but cozy warm and 4.1 ounces. The fleece is from Kohl’s, kind of heavy at 8.6 ounces but it is my warmest fleece for possible cold nights in the Smokies. When it gets warmer, I will switch the fleece leggings for Patagonia Capilene leggings and the fleece for a long sleeve shirt.

Everyone has different preferences for hiking so try out a few options before you settle on one for a longer hike. On shorter hikes I don’t mind leggings or even a cotton shirt depending on the day. But for a longer hike it is important to have clothes that keep you warm, dry quickly, and are useful.

• T-shirt- just a simple race shirt, polyester, light, dries fast, and the color matches my scheme…you know all the important things!
• Pants- Marmot long pants. My legs don’t usually get very hot when hiking but just in case they do these pants roll up. When it gets warmer, I’ll switch to my Patagonia shorts with actual pockets that are large enough to hold things (unlike most shorts for women).
• Long Sleeve- Smartwool quarter zip. Wool has magical powers of wicking, keeps you warm while not getting too hot when hiking up and over ridges! Worth every penny..especially when you buy it at a garage sale.

Well, if you are reading this long post, good job reading this far about clothes. Let me know if you need any other info about what to wear or what might work for you when getting into the great outdoors!

When hiking, you have a lot of time to think while you are walking along. Think about life decisions, world problems, solving life’s issues, and what you packed for the next meal. Honestly, when hiking, life is simplified and at times the most important decision seems to be “what is for dinner?”.

So I thought I would post about what some of my favorite food items are that we are packing in our resupply boxes. Not everyone does resupply boxes for a thru hike, especially the AT because of the availability of stores and towns. However, we chose to do boxes because I am allergic to dairy and most backpacking foods have dairy in them. So our parents will send these boxes to post offices along the trail for us so we can have more options of good food!

Here are some of my favorite foods we are packing:

In the way of explanation:

Bob’s Red Mill potato flakes: great company, it is hard to find potato things that don’t have dairy in them but these are good. I like to eat them straight up or add as a thickener to other meals like soup.

The Good Bean Chickpeas: haven’t actually eaten these but I roast my own chick peas all the time so they must be good like this right?

Justin’s honey peanut butter packets: the ones with honey in them are exponentially better than the plain ones. You may also notice the Justin’s peanut butter cups there too. 10/10 recommend to all people in the world (except those allergic to nuts).

Pro Bars: We love love love these bars! They are vegan plant based bars with actual nutrients in them, depending on the flavor they may have chia seeds, super greens, acai powder etc. All while actually tasting good. I really hope I don’t get sick of these on the trail!!

Ningxia Red and probiotics: The little red packet and the red and white packet are my attempt to get antioxidants and probiotics in us while on the trail. We will obviously be using our muscles a lot and need the antioxidants! The probiotics will be essential because we are using betadine for water treatment which kills good and bad bacteria so we need some good bacteria back in our bellies.

Alpine Start Coffee: Their tag line is Instant Coffee that Actually Tastes Good. I would have to agree with them. We have tried a few types and landed on this brand because it tasted so much better than others.

Mario’s Olives: I hadn’t ever tried packing in olives before but these packets taste great. No juice and good fats from olives, win-win type situation here.

I’m sure along the trail we will do some more videos and posts about food since it is a very important item especially when we start burning 4 or 5,000 calories a day. But for now, these are some of the things I’m excited about. It is kind of life packing presents for yourself that you get to open every so often!! Can’t wait for each “Christmas” resupply day!!