Favorite Blogs/Inspiration

If you're like me, you have some "down time" at work or school and enjoy reading other peoples exploits or thoughts on hiking or other adventures.  Here's a list of my friends and favorite sites/people, in no particular order:

This Alaskan Native is amazing, his site includes semi-professionally made videos of everything from packrafting trips to 200 mile nordic ice skating over frozen rivers to human powered traverses North America's three tallest mountains (Denali, Logan and Orizaba). His site is kind of badly organized but I love the video's and his posts - he has taken "alpine style" mountaineering and applied it to unorganized adventure racing in the countries most epic state!

Philip is a friend of mine I met through the AMC and the dedication to his blog and readers is pretty incredible.  He posts something new every weekday, pretty much year round.  It's interesting to follow his interests from AT section hiking to bushwacking and now bushcraft.  His gear reviews are thorough and helpful, especially combined with the commentary his readers leave.  

Kristin Gates is one of the youngest triple crowners and recently completed a 1,000 mile solo Brooks Range traverse in Alaska, and kayaked the length of the Yukon River.  Her video's on the Yukon are great too, although a little short!

I met Carrot on the PCT in 2013 and the first thing that stuck out at me was how often she was writing on her phone!  It's not for waste since she's probably the best thru-hiker-writer out there.  I might not agree with everything she says or does, but she does it in style, through hiking the PCT twice and the Lowest to Highest route while documenting it daily with incredible finesse. 

I also met Colin on the PCT in 2013 as he passed me in southern California.  His homemade gear was nicer than my storebought stuff and his attitude was inspirational as well.  He doesn't update quite as frequently as Carrot but I really enjoy his trip reports and thoughts on gear.  Colin also does some kind of crazy adventure every year and I may see him again on the CDT!

The Trail Show
Easily the best thru-hiking centric podcast out there.  As someone who doesn't really have a crew of thru-hiking friends locally, it's always a great reminder of the comradarie you get on the trail AND that you're not totally crazy.  Don't judge based on the first few podcasts, they took a while to get in the groove!

PMags
I mostly follow Pmags since he's on The Trail Show, but he's got some good information and interesting opinions.  His trip reports are nice too with lots of good planning info for the PCT, CDT and Colorado Trail.  

Bike Grease and Coffee
I met Kurt back in 2008 or so before one of his long bike tours.  He's biked up and down most of the 7 continents, still working on Asia and Africa.  His last trip took him from Maine to the southern tip of South America by a fat bike.  Kurts dedication to the adventure lifestyle is pretty impressive and I like his hectic writing style.

OMails
Jester is a hoot, he's recently restarted his site and has the best hiker comedy out there (in non-web comic form).  We met at ALDHA in 2013 right after I finished the PCT.  He's behind TBW Productions and has hilarious documentaries about his PCT and CDT hikes.

Guthook Hikes!
Guthook is mostly known for his PCT, AT and CDT smartphone navigation apps but is actually not the dorito eating basement dweller most take him for.  We meet at ALDHA in 2013 and have done several awesome hikes together, his blog covers everything from thru-hiker statistics and news to unusual trip reports outside the usual boring hikes.  Hopefully we'll run into each other again!  

Rocket Llama
I met Rocket Llama my first day of the PCT, I think at Lake Morena Campground or Hauser Creek.  After being snowbound for nearly a week in the late September storm that ended many thru-hiker ambitions in 2013 she started an incredible web comic.  Her genuine expression of all emotions thru-hiker and person related is amazing and watching her illustration style develop has been incredible.   

Scrub
Scrub has hiked the AT (in big sections) and the PCT.  I met him early in the PCT and then didn't see him again for almost 2,000 miles.  We hiked together for a few hundred miles as he developed symptoms of Giarda and eventually had to come off trail for a few days.  He's funny, has a great writing style and some awesome advice and tips on his blog. 

Siren
Siren is a friend of mine looking to hike the PCT in 2015 after a sucessful AT thru in 2013.  I met her at the ALDHA gathering in the fall of 2014 and we've since done a bunch of hikes together.   She's taken the route of "sponsored" hiker and it's been fun seeing what that #entails #sponsors #hastag... 




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