2020: Same Goals, Renewed Focus

Cultivating community might in fact be my theme for 2020, and I have found it to be both easier (kinda) and way more important than before. I have experienced a glut of people keen to join me, because their usual entertainment has been thwarted, so I am no longer choosing between hiking and spending time with friends. I'm also learning to be more patient, and adjust the adventures to accommodate my companions...and my companions have surprised me with their grit and tenacity.

Socks: The Most Underrated Piece of Hiking Equipment

Picking the right socks can be an art because he socks you chose to wear on a hiking or backpacking trip can make or break your experience. Socks have the magical power to gently swaddle and comfort your feet as you pound along on the trail for days on end, or to rub, chafe, blister, and generally allow you to devolve into foot-pain driven madness in a matter of hours. If you think I am joking about foot-pain driven madness, you have clearly been lucky enough to avoid such a fiasco, and I applaud you. I, however, have not been so fortunate.