Adventures with Val

Blog

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Lessons learned on my first hot days and reaching mile 100!

May 17, 2025
Day 2: Easy walking and my first resupply stop on the PCT

May 13, 2025
Day one on the Pacific Crest Trail!

May 12, 2025
From NoCo to NoBo: traveling to the PCT’s southern terminus

May 11, 2025
Training to walk from Mexico to Canada

May 3, 2025
Preparing resupply boxes for the PCT

April 29, 2025
Packing for a 2,650-mile long backpacking trip

April 22, 2025
Practice Trip 2: walking in circles with 15 pounds of water, playing desert make-believe

April 15, 2025
Trip Report: Pre-PCT Practice Hike

April 1, 2025
Part 2 – My recovery from a patella dislocation: returning to running and hiking (weeks 6-12)

March 25, 2025
10 Realities of preparing for a PCT thru-hike

March 4, 2025
5 reasons why YOU should hike the Colorado Trail this year

February 18, 2025
My recovery from a patella dislocation: from crutches to jogging in 6 weeks

February 11, 2025
PCT Prep: What is the Pacific Crest Trail?

February 4, 2025
Summary of my Appalachian Trail Thru Hike (Resupply strategy, gear, and reflections)

January 28, 2025
Summary of my Colorado Trail Thru Hike (Resupply strategy, gear, and reflections)

January 21, 2025
My exciting plans for 2025

January 14, 2025
5 Effective Winter Cross-Training Tips for Backpacking

January 7, 2025
Best Short Backpacking Trips on the Colorado Trail

December 17, 2024
Affordable Backpacking: 7 Gear Alternatives That Work

December 10, 2024
The time I survived a tornado while backpacking on the Appalachian Trail

December 3, 2024
Lessons Learned: 7 things I did differently on my second thru-hike

November 26, 2024
Understanding Zeros and Neros on the Appalachian Trail

November 12, 2024
Reflecting on taking a “gap year” to thru-hike before college: 10 pros and 5 cons

November 5, 2024
Durable Backpacking Gear: 3 items in my pack that stood the test of time (and miles), and 3 that did not

October 29, 2024
Ranking the Colorado Trail’s 33 Segments from Worst to Best

October 22, 2024
The Collegiate East or West: a thru-hiker’s guide to picking the best route – from someone who hiked both twice

October 15, 2024
Trip Report: Hiking the Collegiate Loop in Under a Week

October 1, 2024
5 ultralight backpacking hacks I stand by! Plus 2 that go too far for me

September 24, 2024
5 high-elevation weekend backpacking trips in Northern Colorado

September 17, 2024