Tag: backpacking

  September 3, 2013 It was a diverse group of hikers shuttled by our trail angels to point 9 of the Bedford section of the Buckeye Trail. Bob had hiked the entire AT twice. On the greener end of the scale, it was Paula’s first backpacking trip; she had borrowed some nice gear from a neighbor. The rest of us fell somewhere in between. The first day was glorious and all off-road. We camped at Squaw Rock Shelter in South Chagrin Reservation after a

July 31, 2013 Once again I drove my car to Mary Thurston State Park in McClure, beat but boasting 15 miles hiked on the BT for the day. Not to mention the 15 miles biked to get back to the car. A few years ago I would have had trouble with just one of the day’s trips. The trail was pounding me into shape, and I felt great. I was only 50 miles from completing the entire loop. I settled into my lawn chair and watched the sun paint elegant, vibrant colors onto the evening …

April 17, 2013 We never know to what heights a friendship may take us . . . We were three days into our annual fall BTA (Buckeye Trail Association) backpacking trip. Children again–five strong–who still loved to hike and camp in the woods with our buddies. Our fall hikes take us off the BT into new territories. This year John was leading our little band of explorers on the North Country Trail through the Allegheny Mountains of northern Pennsylvania. This far into the journey, we explorers were noticeably tiring. The valleys and vistas were exquisite, …

February 22, 2013 I backpacked only a few times on my trip around the Buckeye Trail, but I wanted to go back and do some more. First, though, I had to see what I could cut out of my pack. You see, each year I try to trim weight from it so that the gross weight of the pack and the hiker remains roughly the same as when I took up the sport. I usually fail–it seems each year that the total weight only grows grosser and grosser. It used to be easy to trim …