Category: Uncategorized
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American Graffiti on the John P. Saylor Trail
“You coming to the party?” he asked. I turned around on the trail and noticed a guy about my age. He was holding a scrub brush in his hand. “No?” I replied sheepishly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I didn’t have much time to say anything else as he smiled at me…
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Lord of the Rings (Reviewing N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy)
Note: This is a review of N. K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth series. While I avoid overt plot points and specific spoilers, it’s impossible to write a review like this without delving into the dynamics of this work of art. I very much enjoyed reading the series — even in 2020, a couple years after…
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The Loyalsock Trail: Ahab Gets His 60-Mile Trail
Prelude. Ten Years Ago, My White Whale July 2010. One of my early backpacking outings was a trip to hike the 60-mile Loyalsock Trail with a crew led by hiking guru Doug (who, as a side note, is as accomplished on the trail as he is a witty mensch in personality, though now out in…
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Processing Privilege, Determining Action (Reviewing Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns)
Once I picked up and started to read Isabel Wilkerson‘s The Warmth of Other Suns I put down all other books. It’s difficult to describe the particular power of this book’s information, story, history, research, and writing. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. I wish I had read it years ago. I wish everyone read…
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What I’m Reading, July 27 – August 2
Inevitably, this “What I’m Reading” update turns into a review of what I actually just finished. So be it. I finished two memorable books this week. N. K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season is an astounding work of sci-fi/fantasy that I’m ashamed took me this long to start reading. Jemisin is a generational talent and I’m…
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The LHHT: Four Days, 70 Miles, Several Beers, and One Wilderness First Aid Evac on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail
Day One: 5 Night Miles to the Decker Shelter and 19 Miles to Rt. 30/Walat’s When Claudio hit me up to join him on a complete hike of the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT), I smiled. Just like him, I had the LHHT on my list of must-hike Pennsylvania trails. I had also been…
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Trip Prep for the 70-Mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail
I don’t usually spend a lot of time planning gear and food for a three-four day trip because my gear list is pretty set and dependable. I want to get the weight and selection right on this, though. Usually summer trips in the mid-Atlantic are straightforward and this one, 70+ miles in Pennsylvania on the…
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What I’m Reading, July 5 – July 11
While I haven’t been updating this feature weekly, I certainly have been keeping up my reading! I won’t lie, it’s been a real positive aspect to the COVID-19 era for me. Combined with going through the New Yorker weekly, the Atlantic monthly, and the newspaper daily, reading the written word on real paper has meant…
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DC UL Backpacking Trip Report By Yours Truly
This was a fun trip to plan. Sharon, Karan, and I looked closely at maps of the Mid State Trail (MST) and Standing Stone Trail (SST) confluence in Rothrock State Forest a few weeks back and designed a loop with no car-shuttling required to make for an epic little return to one of our favorite hiking areas of Pennsylvania. …
Text and Trails 