Posted on 1 Comment on New Gear | LUNA Sandals

New Gear | LUNA Sandals

luna sandals

Happy First Day of Fall! This past week we received awesome new pieces of gear in the mail – LUNA Sandals! These are not your typical summer sandals by any means. These sandals are made to perform. You can walk, run, hike – whatever you like!

The start of LUNA Sandals began after Barefoot Ted traveled to Northern Mexico and met Manuel LUNA, a local Tarahumaran. Manuel LUNA helped Barefoot Ted craft a pair of huarache sandals out of an old tire. Fast forward a few years and LUNA Sandals is now a rapidly growing small business in Seattle, Washington that makes several different types of sandals.

After using the Smart Sandal Picker on the LUNA Sandals website, we settled on two pairs of Leadville Gordo sandals. They have one of the thickest soles, which we figured would be perfect for our backpacking adventures!

We have a backpacking trip in the works, so in a few weeks check back for a full review to see how our LUNA Sandals performed!

Posted on No Comments on Top 5 Appalachian Trail Videos

Top 5 Appalachian Trail Videos

appalachian trail videos

My favorite long distance hiking trail is the Appalachian Trail. I have not had the privilege of thru-hiking the trail yet, so for fun I live vicariously through others by watching trail videos.

If you love watching videos about hiking as much as I do, then I hope you will appreciate the videos below!

Top 5 Appalachian Trail Videos

1. ManCub & KitFox Thru-Hike The Appalachian Trail 2012 by Micah Goldberg

By far, this is my favorite Appalachian Trail video! It doesn’t have over 90,000 YouTube views for nothing, so definitely check this one out. Plus, you can read ManCub’s AT journal on his blog.

2. Appalachian Trail: The 3.5 Minute Thru-Hike by Horizonline Pictures

Take a 3.5 minute walk on the Appalachian Trail with Horizonline Pictures. Great film quality! Sit back  and enjoy the scenery. You can learn more on the Horizonline Pictures website.

3. We Are The Appalachian Trail by K McCann

Put your dancing shoes on because by the end of this video you’ll surely be on your feet busting a move or two. C’mon, embrace the the living room dance party!

4. Hiking The Appalachian Trail by Hitched Hike

Hitched Hike is a fun and entertaining group of friends who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2013. It’s hard to pick just one video from Hitched Hike, so I recommend watching all of the their Appalachian Trail update videos!

5. TNTonthetrail

Last but not least, I give you TNT+C! This is another series of trail update videos similar to Hitched Hike. Dreamer did an excellent job filming life on the AT, including the good days and the bad. Even though Dreamer and Socks didn’t get to make it to Katahdin in 2013, they are truly an inspiration! You can read their story on the TNT blog.

Posted on No Comments on DIY Snack Bars

DIY Snack Bars

diy snack bars
Photos by Jake Adams

As I was doing my weekly grocery shopping at Whole Foods Market, Amanda, the Healthy Eating Specialist, introduced me to a delicious recipe for diy snack bars that are great to take hiking. I decided to try it out and have a go at making my own bars that fit my family’s tastes.

This simple recipe makes it easy to put your own spin on it to make it the way you like. Plus, these bars have no added oil, are high in good fats and the seeds offer ample protein.

Ok, enough about how awesome they are. Let’s get baking!

What you will need:

  • 3 Medium Bananas
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 cups Rolled Oats
  • 3/4 cup Raisins
  • 1 cup Walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds
  • 1/2 cup sliced Almonds
  • 1/4 cup hulled Hemp  Seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

How to:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking dish with parchment paper. I prefer to make thicker bars, so I use  a 1.5 quart baking dish. If you prefer thinner bars, try using a cookie sheet.

2.  In a large bowl, mash the bananas until creamy. Stir in vanilla extract.

3.  Combine oats and other ingredients into the banana mixture.
diy snack bars

4.  Pulse oats in a food processor or blender (I used my Vitamix) until coarsely ground.

diy snack bars

5.  Pour mixture into desired pan and press firmly to create an even texture.

diy snack bars

6.  Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then lift out of the pan holding onto the parchment paper. Flip upside down and remove paper. Allow them to cool for another 10 minutes before cutting.

7. Slice into bars and enjoy!
diy snack bars

Posted on 2 Comments on 16 Miles On The Appalachian Trail

16 Miles On The Appalachian Trail

grayson highlands
Photo by Jake Adams

This weekend was great! Jake and I hiked 19 miles, 16 of which were on the Appalachian Trail from Massie Gap to Old Orchard Shelter and back.

We drove up to Virginia on Friday night and spent the night in Grayson Highlands State Park. Staying in the state park is always a treat and even though we were there for such a short time we enjoyed every minute.

On Saturday morning, we repacked our backpacks, said goodbye to running water and flushable toilets and headed off to the backpacker’s lot.

For this backpacking trip we decided to go north on the AT,  short for Appalachian Trail, because it was a section we had never hiked before.

Heading north on the AT, we came across several streams, hiked up and over Stone Mountain and Pine Mountain and witnessed large fluffy clouds dance along the mountains in the distance.

gregory j 53
Photo by Jake Adams

After finishing our descent of Pine Mountain, which I had clearly underestimated, we set up camp at Old Orchard shelter. It was a great choice! We had a great water source, a privy and we met some amazing people.

old orchard shelter
Photo by Jake Adams

We were fortunate enough to spend the evening talking about gear and hiking with two thru-hikers hiking the Appalachian Trial. Thanks again Rock Boat and Kingfisher for talking with us!

The next day felt like a breeze compared to the first day. I was sore, but after climbing up Pine Mountain again and eating a Snicker’s bar I was ready for a great day of hiking!

It was a bittersweet end coming back to Massie Gap. I was tired, sore and sunburned. Wear sunscreen! Do as I say, not as I do. But, I enjoyed being on the trail so much, I was in the car planning our next adventure.

Until next time Grayson Highlands!

Posted on No Comments on Upcoming Grayson Highlands Trip

Upcoming Grayson Highlands Trip

grayson highlands
Photo by Jake Adams

I am beyond excited about this upcoming weekend! Wanna know why? Jake and I are headed to the Grayson Highlands in Virginia this weekend and I couldn’t be happier!

Why does this bring so much excitement into my life? It was the very place I took my first step on the Appalachian Trail. I knew right then and there in 2006 I would live my life enjoying hiking and sharing my adventures.

Grayson Highlands has it all! You can hike on the Appalachian Trail, climb Virginia’s highest peak (Mount Rogers), take in the amazing views or my favorite part, visit with the wild ponies. Yes, I said wild ponies! Where else can you go climb a ridge line with furry four legged animals as hiking partners?

This trip will also be fun because we are planning on hiking about 16-19 miles in two days! Yep, my feet and back are probably going to ache, but I know I will be in my happy place. Our plan is to drive the four hours up on Friday night and spend the night in the state park. Then, we will set out early Saturday morning from the backpacker’s parking lot.

We only have two days off of work, which is why we are cramming so much in to one weekend, but it will be worth it! This weekend will also be great because we have some new gear to test out! More info and reviews will be posted later, so stay tuned.

I’m excited and also impatient, but I know Friday will be here before I know it and I will be sleeping among the stars. Ahh… relaxation at its best!