On Thursday, September 12th, I finally summited Katahdin and finished my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. It wasn’t until near the end that I came to the realization of just how far I had travelled and how difficult it was, but I definitely feel a massive sense of achievement. I celebrated by getting a hotel room all... Continue Reading →
New York
For the most part, the New York section of trail has treated me extremely well. I spent most of my time in the past week and a half visiting friends and my old home in New York City, but I managed to get some hiking in as well. This part of the trail got a... Continue Reading →
More Virginia, Pride Month, and Misogyny
This week and a half I covered some good ground through Virginia, and finally passed from a somewhat boring section into a section with way more landmarks and views, including both Dragon’s Tooth and Macafee Knob. I hit a new highest number of miles with a 25-mile day, which wound up putting me into camp... Continue Reading →
Hiking Back Home
This week definitely came with some rough patches and a little bad luck. Shortly after Damascus I realized that my feet had swollen so much that they outgrew my shoes, so I had to cut slits in the sides of them so my feet would have more room. It helped some, but I've still been... Continue Reading →
Rain, Terrain, and Transness
This week I went from Hot Springs, NC to Roan Mountain, TN with a stop in Erwin, TN, which added up to around 120 miles. The terrain was a little tougher than last week, with lots of climbing and extremely rocky sections. There were a few places I had to throw my trekking poles ahead... Continue Reading →
Trials, Tribulations, and Snowstorms
This week wound up being a lot tougher than last week. It started with me getting five or six big blisters on my feet, which haven't quite gone away yet. As soon as I got back on the trail after Hiawassee my left knee also started to hurt pretty bad, which is definitely a basic... Continue Reading →
Hiking and Trans Visibility
Planning an Appalachian Trail thru-hike is incredibly complicated for anyone. Throughout the course of my planning, I discovered that my transness makes it much more complicated, and I haven’t even started yet. Today is Transgender Day of Visibility, which feels like the right time to discuss it. Visibility can be a double-edged sword for transgender... Continue Reading →