Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina is a popular place for hikers and runners, and is one of my favorite spots. It is close to Winston-Salem and has a very distinctive profile that lends it nicely as a landmark for navigation, and can be easily seen from some places in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Tips and tricks to prevent your water from freezing during your run or hike adventure during cold winter

Fastest Known Times (FKTs) have exploded in popularity in recent years. But how do we find FKT routes, and whether or not there is a women’s FKT set for a given route? I’ve compiled an updated FKT list for North Carolina, with a focus on women’s FKTs.

Fastest Known Times (FKTs) have exploded in popularity in recent years. But what is an FKT? Who can submit one? Who are the people out there setting FKTs, and what more can we do to help support those people or what can we do to attempt one ourselves?

It has been SO LONG since my last Sunday Stroll post! No joke, it’s been almost a year since my last Sunday Stroll post on Adams Tract in Carrboro, eek!! And while I’ve been hiking and running, that’s a fair representation of how long it’s been since I went on a Sunday Stroll with my dad. We’ve only ever been on one other Sunday Stroll since then at Clemmons forest, and I just haven’t posted about that. (Also my bad.) But I’d been talking a big game about reviving our Sunday Stroll tradition, and I even texted my dad to check his availability for a recent Sunday morning, only I never actually followed up with him on when or where or how far.

So fast forward to Sunday morning. I’m lying in bed being a lazy bum, and my doorbell rings. It’s my dad. Asking, “Hey, where are we going hiking this morning?”

😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

That awesome close-to-home hike that beginner and experienced hikers both love

How do I organize a hike that is both interesting for experienced hikers and isn't overwhelming to new hikers? That's a hard balance; I remember being a new hiker when 2-3 miles felt like quite a hike, and I also remembered thinking recently how now my definition of a "hike" is vastly different than what it was a few years ago. How do I reconcile the two and find something that would appeal to everyone?

There was one obvious answer: Hanging Rock.

Standing Indian Loop on the Appalachian Trail: How a myth, a storm, and friendship can electrify your perspective

A long time ago, in the area where Franklin, NC now sits, local Cherokee told a story of a winged beast that swooped down from the skies and stole children. Heartbroken and desperate, the local villagers sent a warrior to the highest mountain to keep watch for the winged monster and to discover its lair. The warrior found the lair, but it was in a place in the mountains inaccessible to humans, so the Cherokee villagers prayed to the Great Spirit for assistance. The Great Spirit heard their pleas and sent thunder and lightning to destroy the winged monster. The lightning scarred the surrounding mountains but the warrior, afraid for his life, tried to abandon his post. To punish his act of cowardice the Great Spirit sent a bolt of lightning to the mountain summit, leaving a bald and turning the warrior to stone. From that day forward the mountain was called Yunwitsule-nunyi which means "where the man stood." 

Today we call it Standing Indian Mountain. The bald is still there, as well as the rock scars on the sides of the nearby mountains, but the rock shaped like a man is crumbling, forgotten to all except those that know to look for it.

Clingmans Dome to Jockey's Ridge: 680 miles of trail and over 500 miles of connecting roads

It's always a surprise when I stumble across the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. This summer I will have lived in North Carolina for twenty years and through this whole time the Mountains-to-Sea Trail has been like an old friend who keeps popping up again - someone I knew and liked throughout my life but never got to know intimately even though we share interests and keep rubbing elbows over the years.

The Risks and Responsibilities of Writing about the Outdoors

My post on Wednesday was originally intended to provide information about long distance trails - specifically the Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail - as an introduction for those unfamiliar to long-distance hiking, but a post just vomiting facts and metrics is no fun. Hence, the post on Wednesday turned into a passionate romanticization of long-distance trails. But as much as I wax poetic about the outdoors, I also feel a bit of guilt: I wonder if romanticizing the outdoors does it a disservice - that I am dismissing the dangers of the wilderness, downplaying the difficulty of the trail, or even encouraging others to find these beautiful spaces and disrespect or even defile them - intentionally or not - with cairns, graffiti, trash, or even just a proliferation of tourists with selfie sticks. An influx of people chasing selfies in exotic places for the sake of social media likes frequently brings up the debate regarding sharing the location of scenic spots - do you share the secret and risk it being overrun, or do you risk being a snob and keep your favorite places hidden?

How long distance trails can become embedded in our psyche

I don't know when I first heard about the Appalachian Trail. It seems like I've always known about it, like it was some seed of knowledge that was embedded deep in my psyche before I was even born, but I must have learned about it at some point. Most likely I was just exposed to bits and pieces of information about the trail and so I learned about it piecemeal. Even the first time I set foot on the trail - on a day hike in Virginia with one of my best friends from college - I hadn't quite grasped the true meaning of the trail. I understood it existed and I understood you could hike it. I even understood that you could thru-hike it if you were crazy enough to love mountains and pain and you disliked showers and soft beds, but I certainly didn't grasp that there was an entire culture of people who lived and breathed the trail.

Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina is a popular place for hikers and runners, and is one of my favorite spots. It is close to Winston-Salem and has a very distinctive profile that lends it nicely as a landmark for navigation, and can be easily seen from some places in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Before there were races and ultras in my life, before there were run clubs and communities on my radar, and before there were training programs and coaching calls on a weekly basis, there was running and there were adventures.

It was another glorious day in the mountains this weekend! Saturday was my sixth time at Uwharrie Mountain Run, and my third time running the race.

Sometimes it’s freezing cold, sometimes it’s warm, sometimes there’s ice, sometimes there’s mud — that’s just the nature of January in North Carolina — but there’s always good company at this community favorite race!

Tips and tricks to prevent your water from freezing during your run or hike adventure during cold winter

Fastest Known Times (FKTs) have exploded in popularity in recent years. But how do we find FKT routes, and whether or not there is a women’s FKT set for a given route? I’ve compiled an updated FKT list for North Carolina, with a focus on women’s FKTs.

Between coaching the local Fleet Feet trails program and chatting up anyone with half an interest in talking about trails (hiiii!), I’ve kept a mental list of local races that seem popular, as well as other races that seem promising. Last year I formalized the list and shared it whenever people asked for race recommendations. This year I want to continue that tradition, so here’s the latest list with updated dates for 2024!

Every week, I look forward to my long run on trails. Rain or shine, hot or cold, solo or in a group, the trails are a place of joy and adventure. There are so many reasons to love the trails — more reasons than I can possibly list! — but here are nine benefits of trail running to get you started!

Fastest Known Times (FKTs) have exploded in popularity in recent years. But what is an FKT? Who can submit one? Who are the people out there setting FKTs, and what more can we do to help support those people or what can we do to attempt one ourselves?

Between coaching the local Fleet Feet trails program and chatting up anyone with half an interest in talking about trails (hiiii!), I’ve kept a mental list of local races that seem popular, as well as other races that seem promising. This year I formalized the list, and I wanted to share it with you!

These are races that have come up in trail groups and conversations year after year, plus a few others that I’ve found via searching for local beginner-friendly trail options. This list is focused on the greater NC area (basically anything within a few hours’ drive from central NC), mostly trails, with options from 5K up through 100 milers, plus the World Majors and a few tried and true popular road races.

Bees and clover

Is anyone else just so ready for spring?! I was mulling over what I wanted to do for my March bullet journal for a while and kept thinking about spring and St. Patrick’s Day and wishing the cold rain would stop so I could get out into my garden. And I kept coming back to this idea of bees and clovers — so I ran with it! I love this month’s design, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Reviewing January 2021 goals and setting new goals for February 2021

Welcome back to my monthly goals post! Every month I dress up my dog for cute pictures, review my goals from the past month, and set new goals for the next month! I set a lot of ambitious goals, and they all build on my annual goals and core values. This month I dressed Ryder up in a cute vintage Valentine setting, and am excited to build on the progress I set in January!

Romantic vintage handkerchiefs and pearls

I’m not usually the type of person who gets excited about Valentine’s Day, but when I was digging through my drawer full of scarves and found some vintage handkerchiefs that once belonged to my grandmother, they put me into a sort of vintage romantic mood. Vintage handkerchiefs, romantic pearls, and suddenly I had a February 2021 BuJo theme!

Setting new monthly goals based on my annual 2021 goals

Hi and welcome to my monthly goals post! It’s been a long time, but I’m resurrecting my goals posts where I include pictures of my dog dressed up all cute (or at least I think he’s cute) and I talk about my goals for the month. Since this is my first goals post of the year I’m just going to set new monthly goals based on my annual goals. Going forward, I’ll recap how I did for the last month and set new goals for the next month.

Navigation and antique navigational instruments themed

It’s 2021!! Yayayayay let’s celebrate with a January 2021 bullet journal plan with me! Or, yunno, champagne or bourbon works too. This month’s theme is navigation and antique navigational instruments — such as sextants, compasses, sundials, telescopes, etc.

And heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

(Hopefully that light is actually the end of the tunnel and not a train.) It’s that time of year! Time to review goals from the past year and set new goals for the next year. So grab your beverage of choice — tea, coffee, bourbon, whatever — and let’s reflect and plan!

Annual setup theme: Water lilies and lotuses

It’s the end of the year, so it’s time to set up goals for next year! And ooooh look! I made a video! Light a candle (or, if you're like me, set off the smoke alarm), grab your favorite drink, and let's set some smart goals and intentions for 2021! (Bonus surprise: PRINTABLES!)

Theme: Lanterns and light

It’s mid-December, so we’re all excited to plan and set goals for next year! But before you set new goals (or if it’s your first time setting annual goals), it’s important to review this year so you understand what went well, what didn’t go well, what’s in your control, and determine steps forward to drive your annual goals. I can guide you through this process and I even have some free printables for this!

And lighting the spark for the year and the decade.

2019 goals recap and 2020 goals - these are things I want to accomplish in the coming year. I’m up 2 goals from last year - this year I set 44 goals - but I’m focusing more on just a couple areas of my life. Goals require deep work, but a major element of deep work is rest. So I need to make sure I build in periods of rest this year to avoid burnout and to ensure I stay creative and keep some plasticity in my mind. Additionally, I feel like I’m getting to the point where I’m happier with the things I’m doing and I just want to do more of those things, so I have fewer goals/resolutions where I want to change my existing behavior, and more goals/resolutions where I want to grow a behavior or habit that I already have.

I had to get a little creative with this month’s goals cover photo because Ryder had bilateral colorectal hernia surgery (poor boo bear!) and he’s been an absolute pitiful mess ever since his surgery. He’s got a big shaved section of his rear end for the incision sites so he looks like a cross between a poodle and a feather duster and for weeks now he’s been practicing his pitiful expression for an ASPCA commercial audition. I really had no idea what to do for this goals photo - his glum outlook clashed terribly with my festive idea for a big New Year’s glitzy glam photo, and I didn’t really have any back-up options. So I looked at my sad shaved dog. And I looked at my sad muddy yard. And I picked up sticks in frustration to make a pile for the outdoor fire pit. And once I gathered enough sticks, I realized they kinda looked like a nest. A little creative rearranging later and…ta da! A giant dog nest! Add in one pathetic-looking dog, some little wings, and a creatively draped blanket and I’ve got myself a little bird-dog. Get it? Bird-dog. Har har har.