Monthly Archives: March 2015

Catching Up with the Boss

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Preparing for our upcoming PCT hike Harpo and I have been revisiting some of Ray Jardine‘s books. Ray was the single biggest influence on how we chose to hike, and his practical (not to mention anti-corporate, DIY) attitude remains totally resonate with where we’re at today. We’re looking forward to exploring the trail where he developed the basis for contemporary lightweight backpacking.

Harpo-Mane and I sewed a tarp tent (with help from our friend Zoe) for the AT and it’s still kickin’ after over 150 nights out – including 6 weeks I recently used it in Northern Cali. I’m looking forward to putting together one of his packs for this journey…



Lost Letters

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The homies Sam and Rie sent us some of the most beautiful and thoughtful resupply packages - complete with powdered miso and chocolate.

The homies Sam and Rie sent us some of the most beautiful and thoughtful resupply packages – complete with powdered miso and chocolate.

As Harpo and I prepare for out southbound PCT this year we’ve been going through some ephemera from our 2013 Appalachian Trail thru hike – sorting, reminiscing, recycling. In many ways, this process makes us hopeful for the experience before us, while allowing us to reflect on the love and generosity we experienced while on the AT. These images represent just a few of the lovely missives we received from friends when we were so far away from home… these things which continually draw us back, and which bathe any thought of return in golden light.

The cover of our half priced AWOL guide, which we switched to in Virginia after realizing it was a far superior tool compared to the traditional data book. Note: we burned the rest of the pages, as one does...

The cover of our half priced AWOL guide, which we switched to in Virginia after realizing it was a far superior tool compared to the traditional data book. Note: we burned the rest of the pages, as one does…

A congrats card - which we suspect of being an actual graduation card - was waiting for us at trail's end thanks to Sandy and Gerry.

A congrats card – which we suspect of being an actual graduation card – was waiting for us at trail’s end thanks to Sandy and Gerry.

Arts! An altered flyer from OnTheBoards - a venue we had recently performed at just before leaving for the AT. This accompanied a bottle of delicious whisky thanks to the lovely Ms. Jorgenson

Arts! An altered flyer from OnTheBoards – a venue we had recently performed at just before leaving for the AT. This accompanied a bottle of delicious whisky thanks to the lovely Ms. Jorgensen

A letter from our friend and fellow adventurer Tessa Hulls. It was always awesome to have a few words here and there to remind us of the comforts - and friendships - we had left behind. The letters reminded us of the possibility of return on the hard days...

A letter from our friend and fellow adventurer Tessa Hulls. It was always awesome to have a few words here and there to remind us of the comforts – and friendships – we had left behind. The letters reminded us of the possibility of return on the hard days…

A crown for every king, or queen - sent from Harpo's niece and nephew. We wore these for a full day hiking.

A crown for every king, or queen – sent from Harpo’s college friend Liza’s — made by Liza and Jason’s son Emmett. We wore these for a full day hiking.

The delightful Ms Tania Kupczak sent us our first real re-up surprise package. We were so overwhelmed with gratitude when we opened this in Connecticut outside the package store and found new socks and Arnicare and Emergen-C with inspirational messages written on them!

The delightful Ms Tania Kupczak sent us our first real re-up surprise package. We were so overwhelmed with gratitude when we opened this in Connecticut outside the package store and found new socks and Arnicare and Emergen-C with inspirational messages written on them!