Section Hiking the Appalachian Trail - Amy and Penny's Amazing Appalachian Trail Hike (Introduction)

For almost 15 years I read about the Appalachian Trail and dreamed of the adventure of a lifetime. 11 years ago I did the math and knew my youngest would be out of college, so decided 2021 was my year to hike. I originally planned on through hiking, but realized this isn't for me.

Firstly, the pandemic and life in general is preventing me from through hiking. I am a nurse in a hospital, and I am an essential employee in the setting of a pandemic combined with a terrible nursing shortage. Taking off six months to meander along the trail while my fellow nurses are drowning in the trenches makes my heart sad. However, my intentions aren't altogether altruistic. As the saying goes, I gotta make hay while the sun shines. Taking off six months when I have the potential to maximize my earnings is cool for anyone doing so, but just doesn't make sense for me. I do want to retire one day...

Secondly, I tend to get bored with the trail after a couple weeks. Hiking is a pure joy for me. Sleeping outside whenever I see an inviting forest glen or a spectacular view that begs me to hang my hammock so I may witness a breathtaking sunrise is absolutely liberating!! Hiking for weeks on end just seems more like a job than a fun thing to do.

Lastly, I miss my family too much. My husband. My grand baby. I just can't...

Last year, one of my hiking buddies asked me to show her how to backpack. For anyone who is unfamiliar with sleeping outdoors and carrying everything you need to survive on your back for days at a time, this may sound easy. Trust me - it's a lot harder than it sounds.

Penny with backpack #1, AT in MD

We originally planned on starting June 2020 in Georgia, hiking north one two-week section at a time. Lockdowns on travel and resources all over the world changed our plan to local backpacking. We spent several trips exploring the AT within 3 hours of our homes, including the 42 miles across Maryland in 100* temps in 2 1/2 days. Penny played with her new gear, and decided to trade in a couple new purchases for more new purchases. Like her hammock, her tarp, her backpack, her sleeping bag. By the time we started the trail, I think Penny replaced everything but her stove and titanium cup! Man, she loves that cup :-)

Penny with her new Hennessy Hammock in Dolly Sods

So this week is the start of realizing another bucket list hike for me. Penny and I left for Hiawassee Georgia. After 12 hours of driving, and a stop at Hiawassee Brew for some great local beer and a fabulous burger, we stayed at Hostel Around the Bend (previously Top of Georgia Hostel). Located east of Hiawassee, HATB is 0.6 miles from the AT crossing of Dick's Creek Gap. Recently renovated, this place is a very clean and peaceful respite from the town. 

All of this needs to fit into my Backpack!

One week of food for the Trail

Penny packing for the Appalachian Trail at Hostel Around the Bend

Backpacking 101: Most Common Mistakes of New Backpackers

I love organizing trips for inexperienced backpackers; they are so enthusiastic, just so happy to be outside, like every pretty view is the most amazing thing ever!  

Recently I organized a trip of 13 for a little trek on the Appalachian Trail from Maryland to Harper's Ferry.  A total of 20-ish miles over three days, so perfect for less experienced packers. Since this was far from my first 

1. Taking gear lists too literally: First, let me start by saying that Everyone, at every time they trek into the woods, should carry the 10 Essentials.  Heck, I carry them in my car so I have them whenever I leave my house!  Other than these, a lot of items are up for debate.  trowel, soap, deodorant. 

2. Carrying too much of one item: toilet paper, bottle of vitamins, entire package of fire starters

3. Carrying too large of an item:  full-size Mag Lite, half-pound bag of coffee. 

4. Buying too small of a pack:  hanging lots of stuff on the outside of your pack.

5. Buying too large of a pack:  it's like women who carry a large purse - if you have the space, you will fill it with needless space. 

6. Letting other people make you bring stuff:  if you aren't planning on cooking stead and potatoes over the fire, then don't carry it for anyone else! 

7. Not preparing for weather:  Temperature swing of 40* in one weekend (80* high first day to 40*F with a brisk wind the second night).

8. Not pre-testing gear:  Let's face it - gear failure is a fact of life.  

9. Overestimating Your Physical Fitness:  Pace yourself appropriately:  

10.  Proper hydration:  Don't underestimate how thirsty you may be, especially when you are a little out of shape and carrying weight.  One liter per 2 hours, plus one liter for every 1000' elevation gain should keep you from dying of thirst. 

11.  Don't forget the walmart bags!  They are terrible for the environment, but awesome to put over dry socks in cold weather once your feet get wet.  An awesome vapor barrier that can save 10 digits you will miss terribly once your fee thaw out.

Packaging Crackers for the Trail

I love hummus and with homemade flax crackers for lunch.  Drying and packing the hummus is easy, but the challenge is keeping the crackers from becoming a crumbled mess in my food bag.  Here is a video where I show how I pack crackers in a lightweight Crystal Light-type container. 

Enjoy, and Happy Hiking!  <3 Demeter

Backpacking 101: Getting Started - Finding a Hiking Group

I get email messages like this all the time:

"I'm interested in backpacking but don't know where to start.  I don't have any gear, anyone to hike with, and don't know where to go.  Please help!"

This article will focus on finding someone to hike with.  By hiking with other people, you can ask questions about hiking and backpacking, gaining knowledge to make you more prepared for hiking and backpacking.

I am by no means an expert, but I possess a passion for the woods.  When I was 11, while other girls played with dolls, I pretended to be lost in the woods, making sassafras tea to "survive."  Living in Colorado at the age of 12, our church took some kids to Breckenridge to climb mountains, where I bagged my first "fourteener."  

Mt. Quandary, Colorado.  My First Mountain, 1980.

DIY Cozy for Freezer Bag Cooking: Gusseted, Stand-Up Bottom, Velcro, and Fashionable!

So, I am not a girl that needs to look very cute in the woods. Just camp out with me and you will see that I am anything but "put together" after a night or two in the wilderness. 

But there are a few items in my kit that are almost Objets d'Art, like my Zpacks Arc Blast Backpack and my kilt.  To the untrained eye, fellow hikers think "hey, that girl looks like she knows what she is doing..."

The Height of AT Fashion - NOT!

Now I have added yet another weapon to the backpack to beat trail doldrums.  And it has to do with food.  Who knew that some reflectix, duct tape, velcro, and 15 minutes can turn out so cooool.....

I am now the envy of all my trail food FBC friends

Check out my latest youtube video on how to make your own super fashionable freezer bag cozy and let me know what you think.  Please feel free to post pics of your own Pièce de Résistance in the comments!!  And don't forget to check out my Amazon Store for all your DIY needs!

Quinoa "Grits" for Olddog

Quinoa, Not Just For Dinner

Check out backpacking blogs or forums and the breakfast foods often mentioned are instant oatmeal, bagels with peanut butter, and instant grits. 

The Holy trifecta of trail food breakfasts. All easy and ready in minutes. Unfortunately, a dilemma exists for backpackers who follow special diets; whether they eat "clean", gluten-free, or paleo.  Instant oatmeal and grits are no-no's because they are grains, and nothing "instant" is good because of the processing, which usually removes vital fiber. White bread is just plain gross. Just sayin'.
 

Just say "NO" to white bread!

DIY Trail Foods. Quinoa Preparation

This weekend was supposed to be spent in the wilderness with my DH (my Darling, Delightful, Dedicated, Daring, sometimes Damnable Husband), and our children.  The one-to-two inches of rain in the forecast made the decision to go questionable.  Then, my kids decided their idea of fun isn't huddling under a tarp in a downpour, and they wanted to stay home.  Unattended.  

This put DH and I in a little of a quandary: do we leave the 16 year-old at home with the 18 year-old to supervise, or not?  After all, I asked off for this weekend months ago. 

Hmmmm. NOT! We scrapped the trip at the last minute.  On the upside, I get to sit around the house all weekend in my jammies and work on blog posts!

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On backpacking forums, we frequently discuss meal ideas.  As I have talked about to death in my DIY Trail Meal series, bases such as potatoes, rice, and pasta are often found in store bought trail dinners, but not suitable for those of us who want to eat "clean."

So we look to quinoa for our trail meal salvation. Quinoa can be used as a base in DIY trail dinners in lieu of potatoes, pasta, or rice. The great thing about quinoa is that it is very easy to work with, taking very little "hands on" time.  Quinoa is a little chewier once rehydrated, so it bulks up a meal very easily.

Simply cook according to package directions, dehydrate in a single layer for about 6 to 8 hours, or crisp dry, and store.  

Here is my Youtube video on how to prepare, dehydrate, and store quinoa:

Please visit my Amazon Store for your DIY trail food products!