Long distance hiker knows as Straws on trail. I've thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (2200 miles), Pacific Crest Trail (2650 Miles), and Continental Divide Trail (3000 miles) with my husband Piñata.
Author: hikinghammonds
Gear Review: Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic Trail Shoes
With a name like "Triple Crown Magic" and tie-dyed color scheme, Salomon's updated Odyssey hiking shoe is clearly marketed toward the thru-hiking community. Could they unseat the Altra Lone Peaks as the most popular shoe on the long trails?
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CDT Planning Resources
I’ve been writing some CDT planning resources over at The Trek recently. If you’re planning an upcoming CDT thru or section hike, check out the following posts I authored to help you with the planning process: How to get to …
Trail Recipe: Backcountry Chana Masala (Spiced Chickpeas)
To be honest, I tossed this together at the last minute before we left for the TRT. I didn’t test it out prior to the trail, so I was a little nervous about how it would taste. We ate …
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Gear Review: Water Filter Comparison – Sawyer Squeeze vs. Katadyn Be Free
How do the Katadyn BeFree and Sawyer Squeeze compare after long-term field use?
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Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 8
Day 8: 6 Miles We both slept well for our last night on the trail, and took the time for some hot coffee while we enjoyed the sunrise over Aloha Lake. As we left the Desolation Wilderness and got …
Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 7
Day 7: 20 Miles Today was another great day. We slept in a little bit, knowing we didn’t have to walk as many miles today. We entered the Desolation Wilderness and spent the day walking from lake to lake. We …
Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 6
Day 6: 25 Miles What a great day we had today. Last night was warmer than the previous nights we’ve had on trail, so the warm(ish) morning and thought of hot coffee and breakfast got us up early and into …
Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 5
Day 5: 28 Miles It was a freezing night and a frosty morning today. Still, it was a beautiful day today. We had warm weather and lovely views all day. The trail was crowded again with bikers and day hikers, …
Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 4
Day 4: 24 Miles We finally got some sun! It was a cold and clear night last night, and a cold and clear day today. We both had a little extra pep in our step with the nice weather today. …
Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 3
Day 3: 25 Miles We got a taste of everything today. Sun, sleet, wind, rain, hail, and finally some cloudy cool weather. It changed from one thing to the next seemingly every five minutes. Ironically, we are in a long …
Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 2
Day 2: 24 Miles Today was mostly cold, very windy, and, in the afternoon, wet. For most of the morning we climbed, so the cold wasn’t so bad. We stopped for lunch in the sun near a lake, but the …
Tahoe Rim Trail: Day 1
Day 1: 18 Miles Yesterday, as we drove in to Tahoe, it started snowing. We were glad not to be on the trail in that weather, and glad no more was in the forecast. Still, it was a chilly morning …
Our Upcoming Adventure on the Tahoe Rim Trail
The largest freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe is one of three pristine lakes in the US. The Tahoe Rim Trail meanders in a wide loop around Lake Tahoe for about 165 miles. While it circles the lake, …
Mount Jefferson Wilderness on the PCT
Last week, Paul and I flew up to Redmond, Oregon, to hike through the Mount Jefferson Wilderness on the Pacific Crest Trail. When we hiked in 2017, a fire closed a 35-mile segment of trail, and we’ve been thinking about …
Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon
Six years ago, Paul and I went to the Grand Canyon. It was our honeymoon, and only our second time backpacking together. We had many lessons to learn. Our packs were too heavy, Paul got heat exhaustion, and it took …
Hiking Hammonds 