Or: Why I no longer aim for 10 lb. dry weight. Introduction Catchy headlines like 10 lb. Gear List for Hiking The Appalachian Trail suggest that 10 lbs. is the target ultralight dry weight for serious multi-day backpackers. After many years, I achieved that target, but now choose to carry more for comfort. Such additionsContinue reading “Backpack Compromise: Weight vs Comfort”
Tag Archives: hiking
Eagle Rock Loop High Water Alternate in November 2024
I returned to the Ouachita mountains from Nov 7-10 2024 with Vance, my buddy from leading our sons’ scout troop. The Eagle Rock Loop (ERL) was a step up from previous backpacking trips for Vance. The river levels were higher than my 2022 completion which triggered an alternate route to avoid the deeper Little MissouriContinue reading “Eagle Rock Loop High Water Alternate in November 2024”
Road Trips
North America is made for road trips. When we married, an hour-long drive for Peter was significant! On road trips with lots of distance to cover, hotels are quick and convenient accommodation. We undertook five significant hotel-based road trips in North America. They were tremendous adventures, and we learned that hotels and dining out gotContinue reading “Road Trips”
Greece: A Cliff-hugging Monastery in the Lousios Gorge
Hiking to see a cliff-hugging monastery seemed like such a good idea. This looked really cool: However, perhaps there was a reason that it was not in our guidebook. AllTrails reviews were all positive, but we hadn’t slept well the night before and perhaps we were just ready to get home to our own bed.Continue reading “Greece: A Cliff-hugging Monastery in the Lousios Gorge”
Greece: To the End of the World
Today was a road trip to the most southern point of mainland Greece at the top of the Mani peninsula. The road ended about a mile short, so of course we had a hike to get to the Tenaro Lighthouse at Cape Tainairon. The drive along the Mani Peninsula, which leads to the lighthouse, wasContinue reading “Greece: To the End of the World”
Greece: Sparta and Monemvasia
It was time for a change of pace. Less chasing sites and more chilling. Well, chilling our style, which included a five mile hike up a huge rock! We identified a new game for Greece in the car – follow Google Maps. We set the destination as Sparta and chose the shorter, more direct routeContinue reading “Greece: Sparta and Monemvasia”
Greece: A monastery on the slopes of Mount Olympus
Summary: A fine hike to a monastery dating from the 16th century that is partially restored after the Nazis destroyed it in 1943, followed by a visit to a tiny church in a remote cave and a natural spring. We enjoyed some great gyros, a partially restored Roman theatre, and spent the day in MountContinue reading “Greece: A monastery on the slopes of Mount Olympus”
Greece: Meteora, and a bit of Thermopylae
TL;DR: An inspiring day visiting monasteries perched atop mountain peaks and surrounded by vertical cliffs. Their remoteness has helped their preservation through the centuries. On the way, we stopped by Leonidas’s statue at the site of the Battle of Thermopylae, the heroic fight between 300 Spartans and the Persian Army, as depicted in the movie,Continue reading “Greece: Meteora, and a bit of Thermopylae”
Greece: Hydra Island
TL;DR We spent our first two days in Greece staying on Hydra, sampling Greek food, wandering around an old car-free port, and hiking into its dry rugged interior for amazing views. Hydra Hydra (pronounced EE-dra, with a silent “H”) is less than two hours by ferry from Athens’s port, Piraeus. We wanted to spend aContinue reading “Greece: Hydra Island”
Hadrian’s Wall Path: Summary and Reflections
This post is about our walk along Hadrian’s Wall Path. It might be helpful if you are planning a similar trip. Janet and I walked the path westerly over eight days in September 2024 using Macs Adventures to define the itinerary and make the bookings. Below is a summary of the walking. There is aContinue reading “Hadrian’s Wall Path: Summary and Reflections”
HWP: Epilogue
I thought we’d finished yesterday, but it doesn’t really sink in until the following morning when you don’t have to put on hiking gear nor get your bag ready for pick up by the magical luggage carrier that you never meet. The legs no longer ache as much, so perhaps they are now ready forContinue reading “HWP: Epilogue”
HWP Day 8: Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway
Today was the final leg of our trek across England following Hadrian’s Wall. It did not disappoint, remaining consistent with some of the highlights from previous days while adding a few fun and interesting variations. At 16.7 miles, it was our longest day and it hurt less than others, suggesting we found our trail legs,Continue reading “HWP Day 8: Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway”
HWP Day 7: Brampton to Carlisle
Today was different and not recommended for other HWP walkers. Our dilemma was how to return to the HWP from the Scotch Arms Mews in Brampton. We had walked off-trail from Haytongate the previous day to get to Brampton. There were a few options. One was to get a taxi back to Haytongate. This wouldContinue reading “HWP Day 7: Brampton to Carlisle”
HWP Day 6: Haltwhistle / Greenhead to Brampton
A rainy start was a bit of a dampener until we had a fine stop at Birdoswald, but not at the museum. The day had more pieces of wall than I was expecting and it was a fine stroll through the English countryside. The side trip to Brampton brought some pleasant and less pleasant surprises.Continue reading “HWP Day 6: Haltwhistle / Greenhead to Brampton”
HWP Day 5: Twice Brewed to Greenhead / Haltwhistle
Today was full of unexpected pleasures. The weather forecast had been a depressing amount of mist and heavy rain but the weather set a great mood. While there was plenty of climbing, our feet did not ache much at the end of the day and we enjoyed plenty of solitude hiking along a ridge. AContinue reading “HWP Day 5: Twice Brewed to Greenhead / Haltwhistle”
HWP Day 4: Chollerford / Humshaugh to Twice Brewed
The guidebooks suggest that this day and the next are the best days, and today did not disappoint. There was plenty of wall, even more ditch, some fun with cows, and some great views but you have to work for it. This is the day you start to feel you are walking along Hadrian’s Wall.Continue reading “HWP Day 4: Chollerford / Humshaugh to Twice Brewed”
HWP Day 3: Heddon to Chollerford / Humshaugh
Today reminded us why we come back to England to go walking – the countryside. We loved the friendly sheep and the very friendly horse. We gave space to the cows and the bulls let us know we weren’t welcome. The blackberries are great for eating in September, but there’s always a stinging nettle thatContinue reading “HWP Day 3: Heddon to Chollerford / Humshaugh”
HWP Day 1: Segedunum to Newcastle
While our Hadrian’s Wall Path itinerary from Macs Adventures has us walking from Segedunum to Heddon in one long 17+ mile day, we arrived in Newcastle a day early to split the first walking day into two and see a bit of Newcastle while fighting the jet lag. Yesterday evening’s gentle stroll took us acrossContinue reading “HWP Day 1: Segedunum to Newcastle”
Three Nights in Colorado’s Gore Range
Samuel and I were hungry for an adventurous backpacking trip. It had been a couple of years since we had completed Arkansas’s Eagle Rock Loop and three years since the epic Collegiate Loop on the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails. Samuel had spent his first year in college living in Golden, on the Western outskirtsContinue reading “Three Nights in Colorado’s Gore Range”
Hiking the Solamere Trail in Park City, Utah
As we were in Park City for a wedding, a hike was in order. One family member had some sore chest muscles which is a symptom of altitude sickness (AMS) which suggested the Blood Lakes Trail at over 10,000 ft was unwise. The Solamere Trail, just north of the St Regis, seemed appropriate at 2.6Continue reading “Hiking the Solamere Trail in Park City, Utah”
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 