the smallest room in the houseJuly 1998 I can’t tell you how many boots I have owned. I know it’s an even number. It’s the same number of boots I have worn out. It’s a fairly large number. But wait. Take this number and add four boots, the two pair I always have at the… Continue reading Boots II — The Boot Test
Author: asiwentwalking
Boots I — Hiking Boots
Cheaha MountainAlabamaNovember 2013 Hiking boots are an incredible invention. The amount of pounding and impact that you put on your feet while hiking is hard to fathom. What the heck, let’s try. The average hiker, whatever that is, puts about eight psi, or pounds per square inch of pressure on the boots with every step.… Continue reading Boots I — Hiking Boots
Oh Sam Peabody
Mount GreylockMassachusettsMay 2014 We think we are very close to the summit of Mount Greylock. We think we are close because we’ve been climbing for half the day, but we don’t know how close because it’s so foggy that we can’t see a damned thing. There is a big tower out there, they tell us,… Continue reading Oh Sam Peabody
Look at the Grouse!
Black Forest TrailPennsylvaniaJune 2006 After 9.8 miles, we are back at trailhead, leisurely loading our gear into the back of the car. I hear peeping in the nearby brush. I look over to see a subtle rustling of the boot-high grass. I take a tentative step toward the commotion. It is at this moment that… Continue reading Look at the Grouse!
Can You Drink Your Own Pee? II
Wilderness Survival WeekendThe Uncharted Wilds of PennsylvaniaFebruary 2007 Let’s say you are caught out in the woods and you are lost and you have mostly run out of supplies like food and water, and you didn’t bring a tent and you are by yourself and it’s getting dark. Y’know, a typical hike. Okay, not really… Continue reading Can You Drink Your Own Pee? II
Can You Drink Your Own Pee? I
Driskill MountainLouisianaJune 2012 It is hot, very hot, the kind of hot that relentlessly sucks the water out of your body. It is 102° hot. If you are a hiker, you know that you hike whatever the weather. It’s what you’ve got. Especially when you are from Pittsburgh and you don’t get to Louisiana very… Continue reading Can You Drink Your Own Pee? I
Brother Wisdom
…not quite a hiking article,but my brother Laurence often walked when others rode… I grew up with two older brothers, each one smarter than the other. I’ve said to each one, “I smile because you are my brother. I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it.” This is how they see the… Continue reading Brother Wisdom
1000
All Over the PlaceWednesday, February 26, 2020 Two things made this difficult. The first is that on some days, when I felt ill and barely had energy to keep moving, I was able to make it around the block. The second was carving out the time, especially on travel days. So it became day or… Continue reading 1000
Thru Hiker
Bigelow WildernessMaineAugust 1992 Ever since I first heard of the Appalachian Trail, and since the first time I carried a backpack through a weekend, I thought of the long distance hike from Georgia to Maine. I’ve been very lucky throughout my backpacking career, in some seasons spending as many as 80 nights on the trail. … Continue reading Thru Hiker
A Matter of Mattress
not really any wilderness location at all1992 1The sales guy spends so much time telling me why his mattress is superior to everyone else’s mattress that I become suspicious. Also tired. 2Lisa suggests I go to Costco for a new mattress. I’m sure I will be able to find something I like at a great… Continue reading A Matter of Mattress