I’ve been slowly picking off trails for the Shenandoah 500 and had a decent stretch along the Appalachian Trail (AT) at the top of the southern district that I still needed to cover. The first version of this trip was just the AT, but severe storms prompted me to reschedule it. My original plan had... Continue Reading →
Trip Reports & More
Trip Report: “What’s Up, Doc?” (Tour du Mont Blanc—the Alps in France, Switzerland, and Italy) (June 20-29, 2025) (117 miles, 41,000 feet of elevation gain and loss)
“We came all the way to Europe to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc trail, so why are we so focused on trying to avoid it?” Wasal (“WB”) asked. It was a good question. Six of us flew from Washington, D.C. to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc (“TMB”) trail in the Alps, but after... Continue Reading →
Tour du Mont Blanc – Refuge Option (~100 miles, June 20-25, 2025)
Prologue It was a warm late June night, and the sun was setting over the Mont Blanc massif. The last rays of sunlight shined through the Fenetre d’Arpette and reflected off the Trient glacier, giving it an almost otherworldly glow. Snowcapped peaks reflected in the still waters of Lac Blanc. It was a golden hour,... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: The DCUL Paparazzi (Duncan/Strickler Knob) (June 20th-21st, 2025) (10 miles)
Someone was posting photos of me all over the internet. All over social media. I couldn't escape. I had changed addresses and even changed my name, but nothing seemed to work. The only thing I hadn't tried was escaping to the wilderness. Surely no one would follow me there. I had nothing left to lose.... Continue Reading →
Mid State Trail, Third March, Memorial Day 2025
For this Memorial Day weekend, we decided to undertake the “third march” of my second MST section hike, which we’ve been doing in slightly longer chunks than we did for the first iteration. This section of roughly 100 kilometers or 62 miles would take us from just north of 322 (Stillhouse Hollow Road) to just... Continue Reading →