Category: Uncategorized
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Listening to the Trail
Thinking seems like a bit of a lost art to me, even here on the trail. I see most hikers hiking with ear buds, listening to music or audio books. I understand how this makes the hiking feel easier. But what does it do to the thought process? I used to do some of my…
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Avalanches
By Mary Anderson I have to be aware of avalanches while on the trail. Steep slopes, new snow on top of old snow, and soft, rotting spring snow are all things I need to keep an eye out for. I need to be aware of avalanche dangers as well in my physical body and my…
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Hiking and the Busy Brain, Part 2
I know I am not alone in imagining the worst possible scenario when something bad happens. My car breaks down and I expect a big bill. My prescription eye glasses “break” on the trail and I wonder how I will get by without them. My knee is swollen and hurts a lot and I fear…
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Enjoying a“Holy Shit Day”
Whenever I settled in for the night I sent out a satellite message on my Garmin Mini to let folks know how my day had been. The messages are limited to 160 characters and are delivered by email to followers who had signed up to receive them. One of my preset messages read “holy shit…
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The Rules of Self Arrest
“Long 15 miles tomorrow with one of harder snowier passes. Heavy pack as just resupplied. And thunderstorms in forecast.” —Satellite message sent from Glacier Park By Mary Anderson First, don’t fall, but if you do, try to fall feet-first on your belly. Of course, this seldom happens. Don’t focus on the shock of the fall,…
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Hiking and the Busy Brain
Glacier National Park, Montana, June 21, 2021. Photo: Mary Anderson By Mary Anderson Relaxing is an art I don’t think I have ever been particularly good at it. For starters I have one of those bodies that likes to be in motion. If I was growing up today I might be drugged for Attention Deficit.…
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My First 200 Miles: A Review
Some of the things that made up my first 200 miles of hiking: Not talking to another person for days. Talking to a lot of cows. Drinking water from cow troughs. Not taking a shower for over a week. Wearing the same sweaty clothes for all that time. Eating pretty much the same food for…
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A Message from Mary
My injured knee iced with snow June 18: “I just completed the first 201 miles from South Pass City to highway 70 near Encampment, Wyoming. Now have a two-day drive to Glacier. Will start from there as soon as I can get a much-coveted permit. Then, knee willing, I have 1,350 miles back to South…
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What Hiking Teaches Us About Trust
For me, trust is an important part of many long-distance hikes. First, I must trust that what people have written about the trail is accurate, that water will be present and the trail passable. I trust the wildlife not to harm me as long as I follow some common-sense rules. I trust in my abilities…
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Back on the Trail
By Mary Anderson After some days off to rehab my knee, I’m back on trail. Managed 13 miles today (June 16) to finish the Rawlins road walk in high-90-degree heat. Used the crutches today to take the slight twinge out. All told, I have walked over 30 miles on crutches. Knee held up pretty well…
The Mary Badass 