It had been a crazy week of work. I just wanted to sit down, relax a little, and get some good food. I sat down at one of my favorite restaurants. "I'll take the lunch special" I said to the waitress. The local news was babbling about some invasive plant species that was causing rash... Continue Reading →

There are some people who delicately peel off adhesive first-aid bandages to minimize pain; some who gingerly wade into the ocean to get used to the temperature before swimming; some who sip and savor Scotch. Then there are DCUL backpackers. We rip off Band-Aids, even from sensitive areas; we jump into the icy ocean without... Continue Reading →

July 8th, 2023. That was the day. It was forecasted to be hot. Oh so very hot. 90 degrees. Plus humidity. It would feel more like 95 degrees. I would make them suffer. I would give them 5000 feet of elevation gain...and 28 miles. Oh yes. It would be fun. I rubbed my hands together... Continue Reading →

This trip was damned from the start. Chandler (Willy Wonka) posted this trip for June 9, copying the trip I last posted for and completed September 17-19, 2021. I called that trip “Redemption” because when I first attempted this challenging loop four years prior, I could not complete it. The September trip, four years later,... Continue Reading →

This was my first trip I've led for DCUL since joining in the summer of 2021. Close to two years later and a few thousand miles of backpacking (thanks to my thru hike), I decided that it was time for me to start leading trips on trails that I've seen many times. One trail that... Continue Reading →