“I came out here to be by myself,” said Plane between bites of unclean grapes, “like that guy in the movie Into the Wild!” No wonder 60% of thru-hikers in my…
There was more to Little John than I could initially see. At forty-seven, the combat veteran sat with me on a zero day (zero miles of hiking, also considered a…
In a 2017 study looking at fear of failure in over 400 Portuguese athletes, men and women expressed fear in different ways. Fear of shame, embarrassment, and lower self-worth was…
When asked what motivations were still the same at the end, Appalachian Trail thru-hikers had one or two motives that remained from the beginning. Besides the overarching goal of finishing…
The Appalachian Trail is a goal, albeit a large one, for most novice and experienced thru-hikers. This begs the question, why do we create goals? Goals aid in driving humans…
We all know them, or have at least seen them in town or on trail. Most look like some variation of a migrating turtle, donning garb that presents an air…
After the completion of a journey of any kind, from a five month hike to completing a career (professional or sport), we might find ourselves in a crisis of consciousness.…
The limitations we have in life – whether real or perceived – are frequently created by ourselves. More often than not, if we think we can accomplish something and have…
Much of my life I have compared myself to others, but why? And at what cost? Even when I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail last summer, I found myself…
A friend on the Appalachian Trail (AT) once said something to me that I still have not forgotten: “You can always find the positive in something if you look for…
Everyone in the world has challenging moments, whether big or small, frequent or not. Some are more emotional, such as a break-up or death of a loved one, while others…