Anticipation is a funny thing. So often I anticipate something only to be disappointed when the event actually happens. Sometimes the anticipation is actually the more enjoyable part of the whole experience. But yesterday I knew my anticipation was well placed. I would not be disappointed, no matter what. I had not even seen the…

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I thought it would be interesting to share a town day. In the old days, when people lived rurally on the farm, going to town was a big deal. Town days are still big events for many long-distance hikers, though to be honest I find them exhausting and a bit disconcerting. Sometimes I am eager…

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I can tell what I am looking for by what I see. When I began hiking the southern half of the Continental Divide Trail last year, I often saw tents. They weren’t really there, but I saw them nevertheless. I was alone with no one to talk with for as long as ten days at…

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By Mary Anderson Goals can be a great motivator, but they can also blind us to daily life. A company might achieve a goal at the expense of its workers. Some achieve career goals by not spending quality time with their children. Out here on the trail the goal of finishing can cause a hiker…

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Walking the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail, one step at a time. I slowly and painfully lift my stiff body from a sitting position on the ground. I stare at my pack, willing it to levitate into position on my back. When that doesn’t work, I give a grunt and lift it into position, buckling and…

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Yard sale: When a hiker pulls everything out of their pack to dry or resupply. Thru-hiker: Someone who does the whole trail. Section hiker: One trying to do whole trail in two or more years. Sobo: Doing it from north to south (SOuthBOund). Nobo: From south to north (NOrthBOund). Trail name: People take on trail…

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