The best laid plans…

Posted on October 1, 2024 by sheraaaa

I’ve been planning my Pinhoti thru-hike for most of the year, and now it’s not happening.

The Pinhoti Trail has been on my radar since 2022 when Cindy and I visited our Peace Corps friend Richard and spent a rare snowy Alabama afternoon at Cheaha State Park.

I’ve been hiding from the reality that this is not the right time to hike for about a week now…an injury (actually a series of injuries) and the devastating hurricane that battered the East Coast have contributed to this change in plans, and oh how I’ve been resisting all of it!

Fortunately, the Pinhoti Trail has been spared the destruction of hurricane Helene, but the Appalachian Trail has not. A full third of the trail is now closed, and it could take a looooong time for a full recovery. There are many ways we can help in sending money and support for the communities affected along the East Coast, and I’ll be modifying my fundraiser soon to recognize East Coast recovery efforts along with raising money for the Oregon Trails Coalition.

September has been the hardest month of my life, hands down. The heaviness of this current moment comes from many different aspects of my life…and most of it I am unable to control. I ache for the solace and peace that extended time in nature brings, but what does that look like if I can’t hike?

My body controls my future at this point….I can’t rush the healing, and I can’t let my stubbornness and determination derail my ability to backpack in the future by heading out too soon with full pack weight.

So, I wait, I plan, I come up with backup plans, and backup backup plans. I still have hope I’ll be able to do some hiking in October, but I have to let go of expectations and take each moment as it comes.

Hiking Plans This Fall & Trail Fundraiser

Posted on September 20, 2024 by sheraaaa

It’s almost my favorite time of year: fall hiking season! These are the days when the air is crisp, the leaves yellow, and the wildfire smoke dwindles.

And I’m trying something new this year…I’ll be heading to the east coast for my fall hiking plans, and will jump on not one, not two, but three different trails!

As usual, I’ll be blogging daily, and the best way to stay up to date is to subscribe to my blog posts (look for the “Follow Me” section on the side bar of this blog) to get them emailed to you each time one is posted.

Pinhoti Trail

First up will be a thru-hike of the 335 (ish?) mile Pinhoti Trail in Alabama and Georgia. I say ish because I’ve seen different mileages different places, so we’ll see what I find on the ground! I’m heading first to Pinhoti Fest in Sylacauga, and shortly after the weekend will start my north-bound hike. There isn’t an all-encompassing website for this trail, and in fact many of the aspects are split up between the Alabama section and the Georgia section, but the fine folks over at the Pinhoti Experience Foundation are doing a good job at educating prospective hikers, and the trail is even on the FarOut app.

Benton MacKaye Trail

When I reach the northern terminus of the Pinhoti Trail, it intersects with the Benton MacKaye Trail. Benton MacKaye was a professional forester, community planner, and conservationist who first proposed and Appalachian Trail in 1921, and the Benton MacKaye Trail follows his proposed spur trails that would extend the Appalachian Trail (AT) further to the south. I’ll be hopping on the southern tier and hike it about 70 miles to Amicalola Falls State Park past the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Following my hike I’ll be headed to the Benton MacKaye Annual Meeting & Hike Fest.

Appalachian Trail

I’m only really touching the AT at Springer Mountain and hiking the approach trail down to Amicalola Falls State Park, but I’ll still get to touch the trail that started it all for me!

Trail Fundraiser

It will be no news to you that I love trails, and I want to do some fundraising during my hike this fall.

The Oregon Trails Coalition is the glue to the trails community in the state, and I have the great honor of serving as the chair of the Steering Committee this year and next.

Our group has been working hard with our partners from around the state on issues of access, advocacy, funding, and stewardship, and in looking to 2025 we have a lot of work on our plate!

Some of these items include:

Find a permanent solution in the Oregon State Legislature to Fix the Recreational Immunity Law which protects landowners if a recreational user seeks damages after an injury. (Read all about our efforts in 2024 to pass a temporary fix…now we are ready to find a lasting solution!)
Elevate Oregon’s Signature Trails – The Oregon Trails Coalition has identified 15 trails around the state that have the existing infrastructure and support or most potential and momentum at this time to provide access to iconic places and scalable, world-class trail experiences with further investment. Check out the report and story map here.
Increase funding levels for the Oregon Community Paths program in the next statewide transportation funding measure.

Help Fund Oregon’s Trails!

Since I’ll be hiking about 400 miles, I would suggest donating anywhere from 5 cents to a dollar per mile. (that’s from $20-$400)

Prep

Posted on July 12, 2016 by sheraaaa

Woke up early this morning to see Christof start his ultra run of the Oregon Desert Trail. It will be fun to follow his track over the next few weeks. I may even see him in the Owyhee when I’m out there not running 40+ miles a day.

Hmmm, my gear pile seems to be getting big. Hiking and packrafting adds up.

It doesn’t help that I’m carrying 7 days of food to start.

Ooofta.

The creativity of being

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sheraaaa

I spoke a bit before about the flow of hiking, and how walking long distances seems to unlock some well of creativity, but I think it might be bigger than that. I haven’t been hiking yet this year…I’ve only been in the preparation phase the past few months (heck, really, the past few years), but the ideas keep coming.

Whether it’s new designs for hikertrash:

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I call it the Ode to Ridgewalking

Or making my own gear:

Kirk has been gear designer for years…I enlisted his help again in my quest to get as much out of the 3 yards of cuben fiber that I ordered from Zpacks as possible. (Kirk is wearing the first design I ever screenprinted…tall bike!)

We came up with some patterns…

And I mapped out the cuts we’ll make so we can make sure to use every inch.

And screenprinted the tall bike on the new stuff sack.

So I haven’t been hiking yet, but ideas keep coming…so there has to be something else. Hiking helps with the flow of ideas, but the source is probably more in the lines of: I’m living the kind of life I want to live…and a few examples happen to be making cuben fiber gear, creating new designs for hikertrash, and planning for a long, long hike. Of course freedom plays a big roll here…I’m on the cusp of having no job for the first time in years. The absence of that tether is incredibly powerful too.

I’m excited to hike, yes. Excited to grow my business (hikertrash), heck my businesses (freelance writing, designing, hikertrash), but even more excited that they are all interrelated, and all feed into one another. But even more than that, I’m excited to be. To be, and to be doing what I love.

Maybe that is where creativity comes from.

Thank YOU!

Posted on March 16, 2015 by sheraaaa

Wow, the CDTC fundraiser we put on last week was a great success! We filled the seats and raised over $1,300 for the trail. I’m grateful for friends, co-workers, and everyone who was just plain curious about these crazy people who quit their jobs to go hike across the country…again and again and again. And for all my sponsors and supporters for donating some amazing items to the raffle, thank you!

But don’t take my word for it, here some some pics (courtesy of Robert Curzon):

Tons of items were donated to the raffle

This ladies package was really popular! Jewelry by Bronwen Jewelry, Sierra Sage products, Go Macro bars, Salazon Chocolate, a Purple Rain Skirt & Pro Knot card.

Our breakfast raffle bundle had coffee & hazelnuts from Strictly Organic, Breakfast oatmeal/cereal from Straw Propeller, mugs from Stanley & a CDTC shirt!

And the prizes keep getting better, $100 to Desperado, Stanley flask & more…

I put everything in giant zip locks, because zip locks are GOLD on a trail!

Patagonia @ Bend was very welcoming and let us use their beautiful store for the talk.

I shared a bit about why I hike.

And invited Kim (SOL), Sage & Mary (Speedstick) to tell stories from their CDT hikes.

I shared all the gear that I’ll be taking on the trail.

Even the bug condom!

Raffle time!

This little pup really wanted to win the Ruffwear dog bed.

Grady (Fun Size) won the Stanley lunch box, I expect to see him carry that on the CDT this year…

So much fun, now for the hike!!!

Rucking it up

Posted on March 4, 2015 by sheraaaa

I spent last weekend at the ALDHA-West Ruck in Cascade Locks. What’s a ruck you ask? It’s on of those German words we’ve appropriated that means backpacking. Although Urban Dictionary tells me it’s a fight, a rugby term, and some other much less inspiring definitions.

Anyway, it was a blast. There were old friends, quite a few hikers who will be on the CDT this year, and I had a chance to sell a bunch of hikertrash stuff.

We love our Purple Rain Adventure Skirts! Oh and Mont-bell put in a good showing among the thru-hikers too. Me, Jill, Focus & Allgood (Focus will be on the CDT too this year, I hope we get to meet up at some point!)

These guys. It was great to catch up with SoFar & Lint.

Hikertrash did really well…

We were trying to look like hikertrash here. Focus & Justa bought our new hat. I had a lot of fun designing this one, should be available for sale in the next month or so in our store.

Six Moon Designs also unveiled their answer for the bankrupt GoLite’s very popular Chrome Dome. This is the Silver Shadow (guess who designed the logo!!). This too will be available in the next month or two.

Oh man, every since we worked together as metal roofers one rainy January in Portland I have missed these two. Love these guys. Metal roofing in January? I wouldn’t recommend it.

So lots of catching up with friends, bolstering my business with new sales, and above all else, getting FREAKING EXCITED to hike the CDT.

Soon.

Hike Your Own Hike

Posted on February 18, 2015 by sheraaaa

As my friend Paige and I were catching up at happy hour this week, I found myself explaining “Hike Your Own Hike,” and we both thought it applies pretty well to almost every aspect of life. As freelance graphic designers, both of us often wonder how our work compares to others, are we charging enough, are we meeting other’s expectations?? Instead we decided to stop comparing ourselves to others and just Hike Our Own Hike…Live Your Own Life. It’s brilliant!

The obvious connotation refers to the different hiking styles you will see on the long trails. I like to think the phrase originated on the Appalachian Trail where there is trail 100% of the way, and when hikers deviate from following the white blazes that mark the way they are often labeled “Not True to the Thru.” And then you can counter with Hike Your Own Hike.

There can be a lot of judgement in long distance backpacking. It ranges from what gear you carry, if you hike every mile of the trail, and what food you consume to how dirty you let yourself get. Come on people. There is no one way. Just because someone carries a certain pack or eats mostly Ramen noodles doesn’t mean their way is any less valid than another.

I like to remember Grandma Gatewood, the first female to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 1955 at age 67. She wore Keds shoes and carried a home-made duffle bag instead of a backpack. Did she finish the trail? Yep. Did she thru-hike it again in 1960 and 1963? Yep. Is your ultralight pack more comfortable than her duffle bag? Probably, but it doesn’t make her hike any less of a hike than yours.

Hike Your Own Hike is about tolerance. It’s about recognizing our differences and being ok with that.

I’m not sure that I’ll post my pack list before I go, or even weigh my base weight. It doesn’t really matter. I’m carrying stuff that makes me comfortable in the backcountry, and if that’s a base weight of 5 pounds or 25 pounds, that’s my choice to make.

And the CDT is quite liberating too. There is no one trail, in fact, there are often at least 3 trails you can choose from. Every map set available has alternates, and sometimes those alternates are the same, and sometimes not. There is no True to the Thru on the CDT, and that’s exactly what I’m looking forward to. Everyone hikes a different CDT. It’s yours. Make it what you will!

I like to Packraft too

Posted on February 13, 2015 by sheraaaa

Kirk and I went packrafting last weekend.

Me and big yellow, my 6ish pound packraft.

And in addition to this blog, I’ve been keeping a blog of our packraft adventures (strangely enough called Adventures with Packraft) for the past three years to chronicle trips we’ve done all over Oregon. You can read about our trip on the Chewaukan River here. (I got to calling it the She-ra-can River).

Thanks to some insomnia tonight I finally was able to get the post up. I really really really can’t wait for the simplicity of the trail. My schedule has just been killer lately (killer as in exhausting), and sometimes the only chance I get to work on some of my other interests, like maintaining the other blog, is when I can’t sleep.

The full time job, 2 businesses, 3 board positions, a relationship, friends, and trying to find time for myself is making life a bit crushing lately. I can’t complain too much as it’s all amazing and very fulfilling, but I’m tired.

I’m ready to slow down and just walk for a while.

Winter OR Show (Part 3) Gear

Posted on February 6, 2015 by sheraaaa

I could probably write 5 more posts on all that went down at the OR Show, but lets just cut to the chase…what cool gear did I find?? In addition to the Woolrich blankets I covered last time, the Triple Crown made an appearance in the sock realm as well. Point6 socks out of Steamboat Springs is making socks for thru-hikers. That’s right. Well, they are making socks for all athletes, but I came across this quote while I was writing up a blog post for Six Moon Designs by Drew Williams, operations chief with Point6: “Thru hikers commit to a multi-month series of struggles, frustrations, and gorgeous sunsets, most of which play out on their feet. We’re excited to design socks that stand up to the trials of the trail. Our co-branding efforts this year speak to our duty to help maintain these corridors and our commitment to those who use and trust our socks.”

Why is this exciting to me? Well beyond the obvious awesomeness of the socks, this is a company that recognizes thru-hikers are not only a sock-buying member of the outdoor market, but that they are making a product that can stand up to what we thru-hikers can do to a pair. I also had a great time meeting Point6 Managing Director Skip Rapp. We bonded over war-stories of outdoor adventures, and since the CDT is so close to Steamboat Springs (and a planned mail drop), I now have a new friend to go visit when I get there, and might even tour the Point6 office!

Now I wasn’t that familiar with the brand until the show, but the founders, Patty and Peter Duke (yep founders of Smartwool) started this new company a number of years ago, and it has a really cool story. Why is it named Point6? It refers to 98.6° F, the body’s optimal temperature and the temperature stabilizing properties inherent to the merino wool used in their sock. Definitely a company worth investigating for your sock needs. And look at the awesome Triple Crown socks they made (with 25% of proceeds going back to the trail organizations!)

Next up: Sierra Sage Organics. Not only did this booth entice me with their sunscreen, arnica, and bug spray (all natural and organic!) but when they saw from my badge that I was with the Continental Divide Trail Coalition Jen and her crew lit up. Sierra Sage is a mother-daughter business with strong ties to the outdoor life. Jen, the herbalist and organic farmer; and Jodi, the business woman and health psychologist; teamed up with mom Kathy, a biologist and teacher, to make this lovely line of organic skin care products.

Since the show I’ve been using the Green Goo, a powerful blend of organic herbs that can help fight infection while reducing pain and inflammation (what!?! – just what every thru-hiker needs!), the Arnica (for sore anything, and it smells really nice), and the lip balm with sunscreen. I can’t wait to try bug spray (made withWitch Hazel – deet free, citronella free, chemical free and oil free) and the sunscreen (all natural too of course). I’ve tried to become much more aware of what goes in and on my body in the past few years, and I am stoked to use these products on the trail this year. Yes I just got done saying I’ve been paying more attention to what I’m putting in my body, and that does include bacon from time to time. Darn Tough was giving out these maple-flavored ice cream cones sprinkled in BACON! I limited myself to one a day, but the same can’t be said for some other thru-hikers I know…

Here’s a bit of awesomeness from Mountainsmith & Salazon Chocolate: both are supporters of the CDTC and in addition to Salazon giving us delicious Triple Crown Chocolate bars to sell to raise money for the trail (and sample of course…my favorite is the AT bar which is filled with gooey caramel & sprinkled with sea salt!), Mountainsmith let us set up shop at their booth for a while. 20150122_095709 Mountainsmith held a happy hour for us on Thursday where proceeds from these sweet beer coolers went to the CDTC, and we had A LOT of fun slinging this on the floor of the show (POD was our hot ticket). Then these tasty bars caught my eye, first with their beautiful packaging.

Photo courtesy of Another Hungry Vegan

I’m a sucker for good design, and after meeting Payton at the GoMacro booth and gushing a little bit about their packaging, I heard they were up for a design award! Cool!

Well, the company is much deeper than their attractive marketing: these vegan, organic, and macrobiotic bars were founded by another family (I do have a soft spot for small family-owned businesses). After a nasty encounter with cancer, founder Amelia Kirchoff decided to forgoe drugs and instead convert to a macrobiotic way of life and let food and clean living heal her body. It worked, and their little farm in Eastern Wisconsin became GoMacro. I grew up in Wisconsin not too far from their farm in Viola, and I love that connection too.

I will be carrying GoMacro on the CDT this year. A large bar is 250 calories, same as a snickers! Guess which one will get me further down the trail?

I could go on and on about all I saw at the show, but I think I’ll leave you with a few more photos that hopefully sum up the experience:

Jabba (The Real Hiking Viking) was interviewed on OR Live.

Teresa & I jumped in the giant sleeping bag Sierra Designs had set up.

And even made it into the OR Show publication, OR Daily!

Swami & Allgood share their trail tips on air…

And to top off a great week, we all got to star in The Trail Show! Episode #32 (part B) is now live; tune in and hear me tell a riveting story about my bearamone problem on the PCT.

Winter OR Show (Part 2) Getting Funky

Posted on February 3, 2015 by sheraaaa

I arrived at the airport in Salt Lake City to find a truck filled with hikers fresh from the Gossamer Gear hike in Moab. Bobcat, Swami, Snorkle and Jabba had all been together for days, and by the jokes and insults flying I could tell they had fun. It wasn’t long before I was pulled into the fold and we laughed and giggled our way through the night…but early to bed for we all had a big first day of the OR Show.

What my pack looked like. Love the rainbow of hikertrash hats we have.

Taste the rainbow. hikertrash hats in my pack, oh yeah.

We all gathered at the Woolrich booth on Wednesday to ooo and aaa at the beautiful blankets they made to support our long trails. It’s an incredibly generous gesture as 100% of the proceeds of the limited edition blankets sold during the show went to the three trail organizations: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Pacific Crest Trail Association, and Continental Divide Trail Coalition.

Beeeeutiful!

I had to buy the CDT blanket of course. I’ll eventually get the others too!

The attention to detail was incredible.

I was also stoked to see the t-shirt I designed for the recent CDTC Indiegogo campaign: The Next 32 Miles.

I "trashed" up Amy McCormic, from the Appalachain Trail Conservancy (see the new shirt!)

I “trashed” up Amy McCormick, from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (see the new shirt!)

The rest of the day was a blur of color and free snack samples…and the show proper ended in a happy hour for the three trail alliances at the Woolrich booth. A well known fact about the Outdoor Retailer show: they maintain the close relationship between adventure pursuits and booze. Many many happy hours happen throughout the duration of the show (and almost all raise money for a chosen non-profit through the sale of cool mugs or some kind of schwag). The thru-hikers flocked to the booth (it may have also been the free food) and we all had a blast.

While traditionally the long distance hiking community attracts about .01% of the attention of the outdoor industry, this year seemed to be an exception; more hikers than ever attended the show, and companies actually were recognizing what an incredible thing it is to walk across the country.

It was quite thrilling to go to dinner with the executive and development directors of the AT, PCT & CTC that night, and I had fun meeting Zach, the founder of Appalachian Trials, later at the OR Industry party.