Category: Uncategorized
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A Lesson in Wants Versus Needs
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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What I Do in Town
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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Seeing What You Look For
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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Pros and Cons of Setting Goals
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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Learning to Slow Down
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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Thru-hiking: A Glossary of Terms
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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Little House, Big House
A few nights ago I camped by a small, rundown cabin. Today I walked past a huge new house set back off a remote dirt road. The contrast in size was startling. The new house was easily bigger than twenty of the old cabins. For four months I am living with just what I can…
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What I Encountered On the Way to McAllister
By Mary Anderson The steepest climbs and descents of the trail. Lots of butterflies and grasshoppers. Hiking in over 90 degree days. Drinking more in one day than I ever have, including multiple sports drinks, and still being thirsty. Hiking with a painful hip/groin. Feeling really alone. Meeting some wonderful people. Honored and touched to…
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Survival of the Curious
Updated: Aug 5, 2021 A hiker reminded me recently of the value of curiosity. She said when she felt like quitting she would work on becoming curious. She would wonder what is around the next bend or what the view will be like at the top of the next mountain. This curiosity kept her going.…
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River + Outhouse = Nearo
When I left Whitehall, Montana, it was really hot. Temps were back in the nineties. Shannon, the Whitehall trail angel, drove my pack to the end of the nine-mile road walk so I could slack pack. I was able to do another four miles or so, limping on the sore hip or groin muscle, before…
The Mary Badass 