a trail to self discovery...

The alarm went off at 3:45am in my Phoenix, Arizona hotel room. I rolled over turned it off and hopped out of my bed! Excited I was; but nervous was taking over more of my emotions. Mentally I had prepared myself for what to expect and had done the day's worth of hiking in the grand canyon 2 days earlier. Also, I had done the hottest hike I have ever done in 90 degree heat at 9am in the morning the day before with NO shade to stop and cool off. That hike was Camelback Mountain. South Kaibab Trail-Grand Canyon Camelback Mountain- Phoenix, AZ Camelback, as much as I really do NOT like to admit this. But I didn't make it to the summit. I hate to admit it because I am such an avid hiker and this trail was so easy with all the switch backs and the mountain itself was so small compared to what I hike on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I had no idea what it was like to hike 1.6 miles one way, reach the summit, turn around and do it again all without any type of shade or a w

Destination: Grand Canyon National Park I started my day at 5:30am. It's kind of a benefit coming from the east coast because getting up early is much easier being 3 hours behind your normal schedule. I had planned to arrive at the Canyon around 10:00am. So leaving Phoenix by 7 was a must. My breakfast consisted of just 2 slices of toast. I wasn't feeling so hot when I woke up and decided to keep it light for the morning. I headed back up to my hotel room and started packing up my pack. I figured if it was 45 at 7,000ft (Flagstaff) it would still be somewhat chilly at 6,000ft (Grand Canyon). I brought my polartech fleece from EMS; I work capri synthetic pants and a tank top. Both black. I figure it would keep me warm throughout the day. I packed a turkey sandwich, jerky, fruit snacks, and some granola bars. As for water I brought 2 1/2 Liters and drank a liter plus a gatorade on the drive there. I tend to get incredibly bad headaches and migraines

I have 3 days before I jet set to Arizona. While I am out there I will be doing some hiking in the Grand Canyon and I will be attempting to summit the highest point in the state, Humphrey's Peak (12,633). This will be the highest elevation I have ever hiked in and am looking forward to seeing the difference. Meanwhile, in preparation for my hiking in the hot desert sun & cool temps and Mount Washington like conditions on Humphrey s Peak, I figured I should do some hiking before I leave since it's been about a month since my last hike. What a perfect weekend to get out. Since my day pack is mostly packed away in my suitcase ready for take off; I had to pack up my multi-day pack. A little heavier but much more comfortable, so the weight doesn't bother me one bit. Being that the temperatures decided to drop significantly over the weekend I picked Sunday to be the best day to hike. I decided Kearsarge North Mountain(3,268ft) would be a good place to start. Sunday morning ca

If you read my previous blog you would have gathered that my first time hiking was just over 2 years ago. The amount of knowledge one collects from being out in the woods for long periods of time is unbelievable.  Since it has been 2 years since I've started hiking, I have collected hundreds maybe even thousands of photos of all the hikes I have done.  With no real goal set in my mind, I just hit the internet for information, books for best trails, and an EMS to purchase waterproof maps. Since I really don't want to write a blog on every hike I have done up until I decided working my way down the 4,000 footer list, I will sum it all up into one blog and catch up to where I decided to start my journey through the Whites. Tuckerman Ravine 4/9/11 North Baldface Mountain 7/23/11 A few weeks after I hiked Monadnock a friend mentioned to me hiking up into the bowl of Tuckerman Ravine to watch the spring skiers. I was convinced with out a second thought in my mind. I pac

Whenever I am thinking about setting off for a hike I have many lists of things I MUST do before actually hitting the trail. Most of them are done the night before and the morning of. Some of the most deadly and dangerous situations happen on the trail because of the lack of knowledge that people have before they take their first step onto the trail. I can be incredibly cautious when it comes to hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Simply because accidents happen & unfortunately so does stupidity. My first hike I had done just over 2 years ago (March 28, 2011). It was to the top of Mount Monadnock (3,166') in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Which, if I do recall correctly is claimed to be the second-most frequently climbed mountain in the world. I brought with me a paper printed map I found online, with a trail set in mind. The White Dot Trail. A back pack with little food and I believe one water bottle. With that being said.. take a guess at what I wore that day. I