by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Mar 20, 2016 | Uncategorized
This was the day I was looking forward to the most—an extremified version of the classic Portland urban hike, the 4 T Trail—a ~4 mile hike that takes travelers via trolley, train, trail, and tram in a loop through the west side of the city. In addition to...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Mar 19, 2016 | Uncategorized
A cool thing about urban thru-hiking is how easy it is for your friends to join you along on a trip. This morning, my good friend Allgood and his four-legged friend Karluk met us in the morning as we walked through the beautiful iconic Mt. Tabor neighborhood. Portland...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Mar 18, 2016 | Uncategorized
Today seemed like the ultimate day of Portlandness—the expected, the unexpected, the tight community, the homelessness, the industrial, and nature. Another highlight of the Southeast this morning was the Portland Pint Size Puppet Museum. It...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Mar 17, 2016 | Uncategorized
Portland Hike: Day 1 Starting Point: The most southwest corner of Portland near PCC Sylvania End point: Sellwood near Oak Bottoms Mileage: 19.2 miles Many locals don’t know how far south and west Portland City Limits actually goes. We started by Portland...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Mar 16, 2016 | Uncategorized
As I write this, I’m on a plane from Denver to Portland to begin a 210+ mile urban hike of the city of Portland. The Rose City has been my home away from home (and the trail) for the past few years and people have been telling me pretty much from the moment I started...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Mar 10, 2016 | Gear-NEW
This week, my sponsor Altra Zero Drop shoes launched a brand new clothing line. Footwear companies having their own running clothes follows the footsteps (excuse the pun), of other running companies like Nike, Adidas, etc., but–just as with Altra’s...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Mar 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
I’ve always been able to live with being a little less happy in the off-season in the short term because I could tell myself “it’ll all be better soon. You’ll be hiking in 4 short months.” I’m beginning to think that rather than postponing happiness until hiking...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Feb 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
Whatever gear you choose should be suited to how you plan to spend your time outdoors. Gear guru Glen Van Peski talks of the Camping-Hiking Spectrum. So ask yourself: What does a day on trail look like to you? If you plan to hike a few miles, sit by a lake, fish, play...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Feb 11, 2016 | Uncategorized
I eat an insane amount of veggies when I’m at home (i.e., not hiking or letting other hikers’ influence my eating preferences). So I’m always looking to squeeze more vegetables and fruits into my backpacking diet. Unfortunately, since fresh veggies are heavy and...
by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas | Feb 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
Recently, I’ve been working with a few first time backpackers in my Thru-Hiking 101 Online course. While they have a lot of hiking experience, transitioning to backpacking is providing some challenges—especially since it is winter right now, and they also don’t...
