I was surrounded by a deep, thick fog. The worst fog I had ever seen. I didn’t know whether to blame Mother Nature or David “Spiderman”, but I had a pretty good idea that it wasn’t Mother Nature’s fault. The problem was, I could barely see my hands in front of my face. I had... Continue Reading →

Three backpackers stumbled off the Wild Oak Trail onto the giant mountain top campsite of Hiner Spring. One held a bloody rag to her face as her companions hovered around her with deep concern on their faces. They dropped packs and rushed to the spring. A few moments prior, a windy squall whipped in from... Continue Reading →

In front of us was a 5-lane highway full of insane rush-hour traffic. Behind us, there was nothing. After a median and another 5 lanes of heavy traffic, there was a raging river full of floating logs and man-eating alligators. And beyond that our backpacks, the Tuscarora Trail, and freedom. Without saying much, we all... Continue Reading →

Still groggy from awaking after an all night rainfall, I leaned over my freshly packed backpack, strapping my drenched tent onto it. Steve (“Baconator”) approached and we exchanged the same “how did you sleep” small-talk conversation everyone makes each morning of a backpacking trek. He then took out a stiletto knife and suddenly everything went... Continue Reading →