BACKPACK
My first experience living out of a backpack was on the Appalachian Trail, when I spent nearly 5 months lugging that pack from Georgia to Maine. Once I returned home I downsized my life, moving out of my apartment, donating my stuff, couch surfing with friends, and eventually moving into a Honda Element to start my VanLife.
Several years later I got back to living out of a backpack when I parked my VW campervan for the North American winter and packed my ULA Catalyst and flew to spend several months in South America traveling form hostel to hostel, town to town, and country to country carrying nothing but my backpack.
ALL BACKPACK ADVENTURES
The Amazon
I spent my first 10 days in Ecuador living near 10,000 feet above sea level. I enjoyed the mountains, but it was time to get lower. I made my way to the bus station and [...]
Quito, Ecuador
The sun set over Miami, and when it rose again, I was in Ecuador. Modern travel is fast, efficient, and...unromantic. I would have preferred to earn my entry into South America the old fashioned way, [...]
I’m Moving To Ecuador
I listed 6 countries on a piece of paper and rolled a die...I'm moving to Ecuador! Let me explain... Since thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2012 I've been dreaming of living [...]
Scott Jurek on the Appalachian Trail
When Luis Escobar asks "Do you want to do something epic?" you should either sit down, or run away. You never know what to expect. You might end up hitchhiking across Death Valley in 130 [...]
Adventures in Self-Publishing
Ever had a bad case of writers block? Yeah…well, that’s not what happened to me. After returning from my Appalachian Trail thru-hike I had no problem writing, proofing, and re-writing the books about my experience. [...]
Running Shoes – Brooks Cascadia Review
Strava keeps sending me emails. At first I thought it was nifty. You can document the shoes that you used for your run, you know, so other people could see what you’re running in. Silly? [...]
A Tribute To Kilimanjaro
Here is a tribute video to Kilimanjaro (aka Flosser, aka Brian Sarvis, aka Flossermnajaro-AT)...the man of many names... Kilimanjaro hiked with us for the first 700 miles of the Appalachian Trail before he headed home [...]
Humor – I’m Going To Hike The Appalachian Trail
A little bit of humor today, Appalachian Trail style.This video showcases a typical conversation when you tell someone you are going to hike the Appalachian Trail. I don’t think that people intend to be mean about [...]
The Hometown Newspaper
My hometown newspaper (the same one I used to be a paperboy for) included a story about my Appalachian Trail journey last week! The article started with a big front page picture of me on [...]
Getting Published!
Shortly after returning from my Appalachian Trail thru-hike I was asked to contribute a feature article to a fitness magazine. The focus was to be on the sport of “Fastpacking” and since I had just [...]
Giving Presentations
As I settle into the "real world" after the trail I've realized one thing...that I like talking about the trail! I don't mind rounds of rapid fire questions about me, hikers, or the trail. I [...]
A Hiker In The City
It is well over a month now since I completed the AT. I have been working on settling back into "reality" and I'm not sure if I'm being successful or playing the avoidance game. I [...]
MEAT Completes The AT!
Hot off the press...my hiking buddy (and college roommate) Meat just completed his 2012 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail! We hiked the first 900 miles together and then both "hiked our own hike" so I'm [...]
Sweet Home California
Three weeks have already gone by since I reached the summit of Mount Katahdin and I don’t know where the time has gone. I spent two weeks traveling across the country visiting friends and family [...]
What is this “Day Hiking” you speak of?
The alarm rang at 5:45 AM.It was only a little over a week since I’d finished the Appalachian Trail and I’d been mostly relaxing, but I was ready to get back into the mountains. My [...]
The Beard Update
I have been asked a lot about how long I plan to keep the beard (mostly from Amy, with a bit of an agitated and annoyed tone). Well, even though I am off the trail [...]
Heading Home…
July 22-23. I went to bed in the hotel room last night, with no more hiking or camping in my near future. As I drifted off to sleep though I found my self thinking about [...]
Katahdin – I AM DONE!
July 21. SUMMIT DAY! I wasn't too cold overnight...which was good, but it also meant that I slept in until 5 AM. No matter, I thought if I woke up around 3 AM or so [...]
Wilderness Done & Baxter State Park
July 20. Another cold night in my fleece sleeping bag liner, but another night closer to being done and back in a warm bed! I was up again at 3 AM putting on all of [...]
100 Mile Wilderness – Day 2 (40 Miles!)
July 19. First night sleeping in the 100 Mile Wilderness...cold! Around 3 AM I woke up frozen...probably because I sent home my 15 degree sleeping bag in Monson and traded to the light-weight fleece bag [...]
100 Mile Wilderness – Day 1
July 18. Woke up this morning...there had been no storm overnight and the sky was clear...shoot. A wasted afternoon in town yesterday but now it was time to get after it. I was tired, but [...]
Monson, Maine
July 17. We woke up before 6 AM...we were heading into Monson today for a resupply. The hike was going to be a mostly flat 9 miles. We made it to another swollen stream and [...]
Fording Rivers…
July 16. The beds were rock hard and the AC shut off during the night so it was hot and stuffy in the room in the morning...I think I would have rather been in the [...]
The Kennebec River
July 15. It was a hot night...and something kept running around my tent all night. I think it may have been a frog or a mouse, either way it kept me up too long. Finally [...]
2,000 Miles
July 14. I went to bed stuffed with a stomach ache from the fish fry and drinks. At 3 AM I got up to use the restroom and realized I was starving again. I think [...]