Ever since I was a little child I have tried to spend countless hours outside no matter where I am. Thru hiking changed me, my values, and how I relate to people and my surroundings. It helps remind me that I am so very small, can control so very little, yet can dream so big. I am humbled by trails and the trail community where caring for others and ‘paying it forward’ is a way of life. Along over 10,000 miles of trail I am known as Early Bird; a mountain fairy darting among the trees and rocks, doing long days, and letting my wild spirit fly free.
Read below for some of the adventures I have found myself on and link to some of my recent gear lists.
Colorado trail Self-Supported FKT - 2021
July 21st - July 30th (sobo) 9days, 14hrs, 19mins
On July 30th, 2021 after hiking through high mountains, hours of darkness, and monsoon storms, I finished the Colorado Trail and set a new self-supported female fastest known time! What an incredible trail.
Click here to read my trip report or check out the event page to hear me share my story in person.
It is an honor to be given the title Fastest Known Time of the Year #1 Female for this effort! Thank you so much for the support. I am so surprised! Feel free to listen here to the FKT podcast.
Long Trail FKT - 2019
September 26th - October 2th (Sobo) 6 days, 11 hrs, 40mins
On October 2, 2019, after hiking through fall magic and wild ruggedness, I finished the Long Trail and set the Unsupported Female Record. To say that I was “Unsupported” is silly in the sense that I 100% could not have completed this journey without the love, inspiration, and encouragement from so many incredible people that I carried in my heart or whose footsteps I followed in. It does mean that I carried all my food and supplies from the beginning and accepted no support along the way.
This trail is special in many ways. Not only is it the length of the state I grew up in but my love for long distance hiking and the trail community started when I was working for the Green Mountain Club in 2011. It is filled with memories, people and rugged beauty.
Click here to read my trip report or check out the events page to hear me share my story in person.
- triple crown -
The Triple Crown of hiking is one heck of an experience. It is comprised of walking the three longest National Scenic Trails in America: the 2,600+ mile Pacific Crest Trail, 3,000+ mile Continental Divide Trail and the 2,100+ mile Appalachian Trail. In total the trails cross 22 states, gain 1 million vertical feet, range in elevation from 124 to14,505 feet above sea level, and vary in summer temperatures from the single digits to the hundreds.
Pacific crest trail - 2014
April 9th - August 9 (NoBo) - 122 days
This trail was magic in the most raw way. I still don't know how to describe it in words even though I think about it all the time and can remember almost the entire trail in vivid details. I found something out there along the dusty trail, amazing strangers, and my filthy body that gave me the confidence to be wild and true to being my honest self.
The PCT is a 2,600 mile long trail that runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. Fore more information visit the Pacific Crest Trail Association Website.
continental divide trail - 2016
May 5th - September 11 (NoBo) - 128 days, 11 hrs
It was an incredible journey that tested me mentally and physically and let me glimpse into the lives and landscapes of parts of this country I never knew existed.
The CDT is a ~3,000 mile trail from Mexico to Canada through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. For more information visit the Continental Divide Trail Coalition website.
appalachian trail - 2018
April 28 - July 16 (NoBo) - 78 days, 16 hrs
My heart was full and wild. It was magic.
The AT is a ~2,200 mile trail from Georgia to Maine through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. For more information visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website.
adventures
Creating moments that I will remember forever.
Arizona Trail - 2019
April 17 - May 7, 20 days, 4 hrs
This trail was incredibly diverse and full of unexpected moments. I celebrated and explored a new part of the country with the spring wild things and Koolaid. This trail brought a new level of physical and mental challenge to our bodies.
The Arizona Trail is an ~800 mile trail that runs from the Mexico/USA boarder to the Utah/Arizona border across the backbone of Arizona. For more information visit the Arizona Trail Association website.
Long trail - 2012
October -November, 13 days
Never having backpacked, I set out at the end of October with two weeks off from work and lots of borrowed gear. My hiking companion Squirrel and I stood at the Canadian boarder and looked south towards Massachusetts. Even through I had grown up in the state of Vermont, I realized just how much I didn't know about the Green Mountain State and how rugged the terrain right out my back door really is. We ran out of food, laughed uncontrollably, shivered in icy rain, and learned about our dreams.
The Long Trail is the oldest long distance hiking trail is the USA and traverses across the State of Vermont from the Canada to Massachusetts for 272 miles. For more information visit the Green Mountain Club website.
Climbing
I trade in miles for feet and meters. Rock is so interesting and climbing is such an incredible way to interact with my body and space.
trail running
Trail running has given me the opportunity to learn places, create routes, connect memories, and find the strength in myself that sometimes goes missing.
skiing
The snow in the mountains creates incredible landscapes for so much for the year. Instead of wearing trail runners, I strap on nordic or downhill skis to experience these magical places.