Let me help you plan your next backpacking trip - big or small.
I’ve been where you are. Whether you’re trying to figure out the logistics for a two-week section hike, take the leap on your first-ever solo overnight backpacking trip, or planning a LASH (Long Ass Section Hike) of the Trail, I know how scary and overwhelming this part can be.
You want to get hiking so. damn. bad. but you’re melting down from information overload. I don’t blame you; it’s easy to read too many how-to blogs or get dizzy with the availability of YouTube tutorials.
I know, because I went through all this too. What’s a sleep system? How do I figure out the best pack weight? Should I get that tent or that other one?
Then there were other (possibly even more frightening) questions that had less to do with the physical aspect of it all and more to do with the mental enormity of a long hike…or even my first hike: can I really do this alone? And as a woman? What if I’m not cut out for this? What if this is a huge mistake?
Instead of sifting through all these questions from a million different sources (with different answers) why not chat with someone who’s been there?
Each type of hike comes with its own sets of challenges and I want to walk you through them all. (Also, I’m just a gigantic hiking nerd and love a good woods chat!!)
Each hike is as unique as the hiker! Thus, every call will be tailored to your hike and your unique logistical and financial situation. We will discuss anything and everything from diving into your motivations, cheering you on to JUST DO IT, custom gear checklists, and what to expect – both physically and mentally – on your backpacking trip.
P.S: The banner atop this page is NOT a stock image…it’s a photo I took on my LASH of the Trail. The image shows the flank of Mt. Washington after a vicious thunderstorm. If you’re interested in following along on my journey, subscribe to my newsletter, where I’m writing in-depth logs of my travels and experience as a piece of hiker trash!
Taking the leap is scarier than JUST HIKING.
In April 2022, my world turned upside down. I had the niggling of a thought: “this would be a good time to hike the Appalachian Trail.” And it was a choice that would completely change the trajectory of my life.
Mind you, it wasn’t a straightforward choice. It was a choice with a lot of waffling back and forth, of saying, “I’m gonna do this,” and thinking, “No, I’m crazy for even THINKING of doing this!” There was also plenty of, “you’ve done this before, so why are you freaking out?”
In truth, I spent a month flip-flopping, overanalyzing, and nitpicking the quintessential “should I stay or should I go?” question to death. I recognized that this was a pattern that cropped up during any “crazy backpacking trip” I’d ever planned: whether it be my very first solo overnight trip when I was a teenager, or my weeklong section hike of Massachusetts five years ago (which gave me the only scrap of hope I had that I was capable of even attempting a LASH)
I remembered all those times when I thought I couldn’t, and then I did anyway. And this prospective LASH was no different.
But first, I had to navigate all the murkiness of placing my shitstorm of a life on pause, as well as plan a LASH – which normally takes months of planning – within a few weeks. I had to speed through the logistics around gear decisions, resupply options, and what foods to bring….and I had to endure the consequences of those choices on Trail, one of which included a blown-out knee on day 1 of my hike that I thought meant the end of my LASH.
So believe me when I say I’ve been through THE SH** as a hiker. Let’s not make the same mistakes as me, shall we?
Want to hear more about my trek? Read my stupid blunders for yourself so you can avoid them? Let’s chat! Or, check out my newsletter! I’ll be adding an archive to this website soon with my hiking logs, but for now, the newsletter is where it’s at!