Basecamp and Puddles

05/25/2026

One of my favorite photos of the first day on the Lakeshore Trail - Au Sable Light Station ❤️


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02/27/2026

This Saturday night! Start looking up!

02/27/2026

In my YT video:
https://youtu.be/rFRapWSbtIE?si=icolsCYizJhO71go
Finding Yourself in the Alone: A Journey of Rebuilding
After 20 years of marriage, as a stay-at-home mom and former real estate broker, I found myself walking out the door with nothing but a backpack and some saved cryptocurrency. No house in my name, no car, no business — just the weight of leaving behind the home I had renovated with my own hands and the bedrooms where my boys slept.
My greatest fear, written on a divorce lawyer's intake form, wasn't losing possessions. It was losing home — the sense of belonging and identity built over two decades of sacrifice of being a mom to my two favorite people in the whole world.
The Trail as a Calling
Rather than leaning on others and creating chaos for those around me, I followed a long-planted seed and set out to hike the Appalachian Trail — despite having never hiked or camped a day in my life. My son hiked the first 100 miles with me before telling me: "Mom, I think this is a solo journey meant for you to do alone." Those words hit hard, but they were true.
Embracing the Alone
The central message of my story is simple but profound: if you are feeling alone, embrace it. Solitude isn't punishment — it's often preparation. Seven months of living outside, climbing mountains without cell service, and sitting with my hardest questions became a transformative experience I never expected.
Seeds Planted Early
God plants seeds long before you understand why. My years-long fascination with the Appalachian Trail made no sense at the time — until it became my only lifeline. The timing I couldn't control turned out to be perfect timing.
The Real Discovery
The trail wasn't about miles hiked or mountains conquered. It was about arriving at the deeply personal realization that I had never truly been abandoned — not by God, not by own self. That discovery brought such peace that I embraced solitude afterward, as an almost "jealous love" for quiet time with my God and my faith.

Now I feel called to re-enter the world and tell others: you are never truly alone. No matter how completely life strips you down — your name off the deed, your business gone, your identity dismantled — there is something waiting for you on the other side of that loss, if you're willing to walk through it.

"To start with everything and walk away with nothing — there's a reason for that."
https://youtu.be/rFRapWSbtIE?si=eynTmniVK62fcopR

02/08/2026

I knew it would make me look like Mr. Ed 😤😤 ...but I guess it's right on target 🙄

02/07/2026

Writing assignment: Writing with prompts. I remember when...

"Weren't you afraid....?" they would say with wide-eyed trepidation.

Most of my friends wouldn't even walk alone to the mailbox at night.

After spending over 180 nights in the backcountry of the Appalachian Mountains alone, I would reply, "Hell yes I was afraid!" lol

When the instructor at Hay House said, "You're book will follow you around until you write it," I had to laugh because the first personification I pictured was my book following me around like Michael Myers stalking Sigourney Weaver on Halloween night. I have tried to run from it that much...smh

This made me think of what my book is about in the first place - hiking the Appalachian Trail solo - and all that entails, including facing my fears and overactive imagination while hiking at night amidst the trees and Appalachian folklore and sleeping alone in the backwoods when the footsteps outside your tent never stop.

For those of you who do not know who Michael Myers is…you’re lucky. Keep it that way.

Otherwise, for the rest of us GenXers whose sadistic Appalachian parents thought horror films were appropriate teaching moments for eight year olds, this iconic slaying stalker will forever haunt me...especially being alone in the wilderness for 1727 miles.

My sister still laughs and taunts me with the chalky facial mold of the unemotional sociopath with hollow black slits for eyes and janitorial overalls. That is until she is silenced with the hockey mask of Jason Vorhees. That was her perpetrator of unchosen nightmares.

After accepting my death numerous times in the mountains, I’ve learned to become the predator instead of the prey….and nothing does that better than parodious humor. At least, that is what I've always told my own kids.

"Even Michael decided I must be way crazier than him to walk THIS MUCH and called for a truce. His work boots were way too heavy for long distance hiking and his pinky toes were blistered from not wearing gloved socks that wrap each individual toe like I told him to. Instead of stalking me now, I’ve decided to give the psychopath with mommy issues piggyback rides in the form of a backpack. He has become quite the listening ear as I gripe and complain about my soon to be ex husband with similar stalking tendencies- the whole reason I was hiding in the mountains in the first place! And ole Mike is not allowed to say a word, because...well... his mouth is sealed shut.

Embrace your fears they say…."

Regardless, after two years, I’m ready to sit him down and bid farewell. It’s time Mikee. ;)

I think they may question my sanity after this class

02/05/2026

When you catch what you've been chasing, and it was worth every mile, take the time to live in that moment.
Heather and I had been driving west, following the sun across the sky until it perched on a mountaintop far in the distance. The highway curved north, and I was bummed to say goodbye to our faithful traveling companion. Not Heather, she wanted to chase it, so we took the next exit and followed dirt roads through the countryside and onto gravelly, bumpy farming roads until we reached a hill that gave the sunset a proper goodbye. This is the moment when we realized the miles were worth it. It is still one of the most epic sunsets we've seen on our travels.

02/04/2026

Gerald voiced a poem he wrote for a photo he took 🥰 That voice doh! 😋🥰😍

02/02/2026

Whoooa....😳😳

MINIMUM TEMPS FOR JANUARY 31, 2026
ACROSS THE ALLEGHENIES