by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Jan 14, 2019 | Advice, Uncategorized
Dealing with Post-Hike Depression 14 JANUARY, 2019 Minimalism Life Hiking At first, being home will be great after your long adventure. Endless food. Endless Netflix. No more foot/leg/back/what-have-you pain. Temperature control. Roof. Your family wants to hear about...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Dec 17, 2018 | Advice, Uncategorized
Gift Giving Guide 2018 17 DECEMBER, 2018 Minimalism Life Hiking What makes a good gift? In 2018, I’ve been thinking more about what it means to care about our footprint on the planet while also showing others we care for them during the holiday season. The best gifts...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Oct 2, 2018 | Advice
Why the National Scenic Trails Act matters 2 OCTOBER, 2018 Hiking Life Advocacy Today is the 50th anniversary of the National Scenic Trails Act. To celebrate, this is a version of a speech I gave at the Russell Senate Building on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C....
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Aug 15, 2018 | boundary trail, John Muir Trail, Thru Hike, Trail
Why the Boundary Trail could be the next John Muir Trail 15 AUGUST, 2018 Pacific Northwest Backpacking Short Thru-hikes No permits. No people. No roads. No bear cans requirements. Could the Boundary Trail be the uncrowded alternative to JMT? I recently hiked the...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Jun 6, 2018 | hiking europe, snowdonia way, Thru Hike, Trail
Intro to the Snowdonia Way 6 JUNE, 2016 Snowdonia Way Hiking Europe Long Trails I’m hiking a new route across Snowdonia National Park in Northern Wales: the Snowdonia Way. Despite not even knowing Snowdonia exists until a few months ago, after googling photos, I knew...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | May 9, 2018 | Advice, camping, hiking, intro, quick start, Uncategorized
New to Backpacking? Try a Mock Overnighter 09 MAY 2018 Camping Backpacking Skills Many people find it challenging and scary to transition from dayhiking to camping on a backpacking trip. Because many students in my Thru-hiking 101 needed to be home to their kids for...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Apr 8, 2018 | Appalachian Trail, Long Trail, The Hiking Community, Thru Hike, Trail
Today, ten years ago, I took my first step on the Appalachian Trail. It started the trajectory to the hiker I am today. When I set out, I barely spent more than a few days on the East Coast. I could count on my fingers the number of nights I had spent out under the...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Jan 31, 2018 | Community, Hike, The Hiking Community, Tips and Tricks
However you define “big miles,” here are tips to do your first 10, 20, 30 or 50-mile day hike. A few weeks ago, I posted a story on Instagram about re-hiking Cactus to the Clouds, a dayhike called “one of America’s hardest and deadliest” by Backpacker Magazine. It got...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Jul 4, 2017 | Uncategorized
The irony of my trip to Corsica is that for for weeks, I had been looking forward to hiking in Europe because I was getting tired of training in the hot, dry, scrubby, California ecosystem near my home. As soon as our plane landed, the view of the mountains looked...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | May 15, 2017 | Advice, Uncategorized
I hear complaints all the time from climbers, runners, trail runners, mountaineers, mountain bikers about hiking: It’s slow. It’s repetitive. It’s boring. In a world of FKTs, GoPros, and Snapchat, the simple beauty of hiking can be lost. Robert Pirsig,...
