We’re back on the road!

Well, we will be. Soon. More on that later.

The post-AT void

After my 2023 AT-thru hike, I was exhausted. Euphoric and satisfied, without a doubt. But physically and emotionally exhausted.

My toes were tingling until February, something I later learned was called «Christmas Toes.» Mine lasted a little longer than Christmas. They didn’t hurt much, but they didn’t really feel any sensation other than the tingling.

My knees got progressively worse, until I finally went to the doctor in June and got cortisone shots (and cut back on Pickleball). The shots worked great! I felt the difference immediately and a month later I could walk without pain.

By spring 2025, after spending a lot of time in the gym, I had regained all the weight I lost along the way. It turned out that most of what he had lost along the way was muscle. Interestingly, he had lost a lot of leg muscles along the way. I also added some sagging in the last three years for good measure.

Emotionally, I had lost my passion for big hikes. The AT had been a dream of mine for a long time. After the euphoria of achieving a dream wore off, I was left with an emptiness. I loved my AT thru hike. I love it more and more as time goes by. But I just couldn’t muster the passion to make another one. And leaning on the AT had been difficult for Kate. She was done too.

But then…

Over time, I started thinking about new adventures. We built a house in 2024. In 2025, I took another 30-day raft trip through the Grand Canyon with a friend and then a month of traveling on Alaska rivers for work. Those trips got the juices flowing again. When I finally started thinking about another long walk, Kate asked if we could pick one we could do together.

Absolutely.

something different

So this time we will walk together. Even better, she’ll blog with me.

Which is fantastic news for all readers, because she is the writer of this family.

Kate walks and writes differently than I do. He stops to look at insects and flowers and kneels to take close-up photos. Find wisdom in the little things.

I ignore those kinds of details. I want to eliminate the miles. My life lessons come from seeing the big picture.

Something better

Does that sound like a conflict? Which is not. It’s diversity. And I think you’ll enjoy it.

Do you want to know where we will be on an excursion? Stay tuned.

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