Every Adventure

Has anyone else hiked Torry Ridge to Mills Creek in the George Washington National Forest? Because I have. Majestic mid-trail pose.  And it's the first hike I did not enjoy almost every minute of.  This is what you looks like when you didn't bring a bug net when you really, really should have. Maybe this is part of growing and learning as a hiker. This was my first backpacking experience where I wasn't in a nicely groomed, well labeled state or national park. This was, hands-down, the rockiest hike I've ever been on. My ankles hate me right now,  I had read reviews, so I knew it would be rocky, but reading that a hike is rocky, and then hiking over rocks for miles and miles, are two very different things. Some of the trail was really nice! Not pictured: Every bug on the planet.  I ended up hot, tired, and cranky due to the difficult terrain and constant assault of bugs. By the time I made it to the campsite all I wanted was a show...

Hello all! So I've completed my SECOND solo backpacking trip, and I have to say, the second one went much, much smoother than the first. If nothing else, I have a much better handle on how to efficiently pack my pack this time around. Also I got better at water crossings, which helped. Also I wasn't shaking-out-of-my-boots terrified at every single noise the forest could produce. Here are the details: Trails: I parked at Bootens Gap, took the AT to Laurel Prong, then to Fork Mountain, then to Staunton River Trail, then on to Jones Mountain Trail. Campsite: I camped right past Bear Church Rock (which produced the best views of the whole trip), in an obviously previously utilized area. Mileage: Strava says I did 11.7 the first day, and 5.8 the second. I did take an optional walk down the the Jones Mountain Cabin on day 1, which added .6 to my total. Pros: Beautiful scenery. The woods were full of sweeping valleys of ferns, the trees were gorgeous, and much of the hike w...

So tragedy has struck, guys and gals. I was packing up my Osprey Tempest 40 last week, and noticed something seemed... Off. Take a look. One of these straps is not like the other! It appears that my load strap and my handle were sewn in the wrong spots. Sad day! Luckily Osprey has great customer service, so I'm packing the bag (Ha!) and sending it off to them to see if they can repair it. If not, they'll replace it, although I'm a little sad for two reasons. 1) I had just gotten it nice and dirty so I didn't look like a trail newbie anymore 2) They don't make this color scheme for the Tempest 40 anymore and while I pretend  that colors don't matter on my gear, I really liked it. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes, I'm always interested to see how the customer service is for outdoor gear companies. So far so good with these guys, an actual person responded to me, explained the process thoroughly and had a UPS shipping label send to my email ...