The Best Path Ever

The Best Path Ever

I (Loral) collect these little signs on our adventures sometimes. This one says “The best path I ever took was with you.” We found it in a little town near Rock Island State Park, a day that taught us about taking our time and building in margin in the Summer of 2015....

Why Do You Hike?

Why Do You Hike?

Getting down to the roots of a thing Why do I love to hike? I get this question a fair amount—sometimes in the form of “Are you crazy?” That usually happens when I sleep on the ground by the fire in the snow or when I stay for three days in a downpour and don’t go...

Keeping the Edges Wild

Keeping the Edges Wild

A Happy Birthday day at No Where Farm Today is my Honey’s birthday—the Honey that I want on the trail with me that inspired this blog. To honor her I want to tell you about a special place that we visited for her birthday last year. Before Loral and I met, she had...

Tips for Enjoying the Trail With Your Man

Tips for Enjoying the Trail With Your Man

Guestpost by Loral Pepoon Today I (Loral) would like to share some tips for ladies who are just starting on outdoor adventures, for those who want to get out there but haven’t yet, or for those of you who really don’t want to go on the trail at all—but your man does....

Details of the Trail

Details of the Trail

Delight in the Details—cold clear water...SPLASH! When I mainly hiked with my guy friends, we would plan mileage and time frames that would really push us—sometimes punish us. We seem to have a better estimate of our physical ability than was real. Getting deep into...

6 Tips to Hike Backcountry

6 Tips to Hike Backcountry

Awesome beautiful and way back in the sticks! We recently got the privilege of helping some friends build trails on their very large tract of wilderness land. Being backcountry was a blast! We ate good, slept hard and boy did we work! My Honey all gloved up for hard...

Ticks!—In December?

Ticks!—In December?

 A couple of Sundays ago, Eric Stewart, my insurance agent, and I were talking in the hall at church about hiking. He is a reader of this blog and was telling me about a great trail across the road from West Haven subdivision in Franklin Tennessee that...

The Sweetness of Sunsets and Sand

The Sweetness of Sunsets and Sand

The Tower Warren Dunes State Park—The park covers almost 2000 acres on the shore of Lake Michigan. It is on the Michigan side beside the lower third of the lake. We could go back and spend several days hiking and enjoying the beach.  There are six miles of trails...

Gulls and Groves on Kelleys Island

Gulls and Groves on Kelleys Island

One hot summer day my Honey and I left the Ohio shore by ferry and sailed into Lake Erie. We landed on Kelleys Island, explored all over and saw two things we had never seen before. Groovy Groves—on the north side of Kelleys Island we found the first of many...

A Deer Between Two Fears

A Deer Between Two Fears

Smokey Valley Lake in Carter Cave Park, Olive Hill KY On our way home from Carter Caves in Kentucky, my Honey and I both had moments of fear. Each of us had a moment  that the other took care of. My date did not know I protected her from one of her fears and she...

Happy Hiccups With My Honey

Happy Hiccups With My Honey

In yesterday’s blog I shared about our Carter Cave family outing. During those few days there were some other moments worth highlighting. The first hiccup was when she thought we were being attacked by a bear—We arrived a little ahead of my sister and family and spent...

Carter Cave Kentucky

Carter Cave Kentucky

During the third week of July we went to Carter Cave Kentucky to hike and hear bluegrass music. This is another great way to combine interests. We both love live music and hiking. We also threw in a little cave tour just because. In a cave opening on Horn Hollow trail...

Wesser Bald Part 2

Posing in the fire tower on Wesser Bald Yesterday, I told you about our climb to Wesser Bald and the fire tower look out. I have been to many overlooks but this was the best view for me by far. We gasped in amazement and “ooo’d” and “ahhh’d” for quite some time. Then...

Wesser Bald and It’s Lessons

Wesser Bald and It’s Lessons

The Appalachian Trail crosses Wesser Bald Near Bryson North Carolina. On the top of this bald there was a live-in lookout fire tower. Somebody burned it down in 1979. It has been replaced with a 30-foot tall fire tower that has a 360-degree view. You can see a breath...

Right Idea Wrong Place

Right Idea Wrong Place

Enjoying a happy moment in our new nest Falling in love with hammocks—It only took one trip on the Volunteer Trail near Mt Juliet Tennessee with our old hammock to fall in love with swinging between two trees. We enjoyed it so much that it didn’t matter that the...

Building in Margin

Building in Margin

Earth shaking power at Rock Island Falls When I hiked BL (before Loral), hiking was always an athletic event. Alone or with my buddies, I would push the limit of my physical ability doing lots of miles carrying 40-55 pounds. Now hiking with my Honey, we build in...

Capture the Interruptions

Capture the Interruptions

Woodbridge Inn, out quaint spot to make the trip special A hiking adventure interrupts our plans—Several months back we needed to take a trip to a specialist in Atlanta GA. We planned in a couple of stops to make it special and voila! A hike to a beautiful waterfall...

Adjusting to an Injury

Adjusting to an Injury

Riding up front in our "Gondola" Injury—Do you have to stop enjoying the outdoors when one of you gets injured? If the injury isn’t completely dibilitating, maybe not. It’s very important to heal and to protect yourself from making it worse; but maybe…just maybe…you...

We Did it Our Way!

We Did it Our Way!

It’s not my way. It’s not your way. It’s our way! Natchez Trace where we learned to do it OUR WAY! Both of us are at least 40 and I’ll be 50 this December. We both have figured out by this point in our lives how to do all that need to be done. Our methods and...

Collaborative Camping

Collaborative Camping

Yesterday, I got to tell you about out first night in a tent. I described how we got used to night noises and the fun day we had afterwards to balance out our emotions. I saved the lesson about collaborating for today. We fought and made up prior to the test run in...

Celebration after Struggle

Celebration after Struggle

Our first night in a tent was in Florida in Fort De Soto campground in Pinellas County near St Petersburg FL. We had decided to take on back country backpacking one component at a time and see how she liked it. This would just be the overnight component in a 1.5...

Warm and Cozy by the Fire

Warm and Cozy by the Fire

Yesterday, I had fun telling you about hiking after getting to Mossy Ridge Trail in Percy Warner Park. Today I want to pick up where we left off as we got back to Indian Springs Shelter #4. We celebrated our relaxing day hike in the woods—about 5 miles at a leisurely...

Percy Warner Romantic Day Hike

Percy Warner Romantic Day Hike

If you got to read yesterday’s blog, you saw a recipe for a romantic day hike. We did that hike! And it was very satisfying for both of us. I highly recommend some variation of it and would like to share more information about that hike with you today and tomorrow. If...

She may want a list

She may want a list

When I opened my laptop, there was Half Dome in Yosemite as my wallpaper. What a trip that was in September of 2014 with my hiking buddy, Randy. I want to do more trips like that for sure. Yet, on my mind right now, in contrast, is the next day hike with my Honey. No...

Physically Fit for the Trail?

Physically Fit for the Trail?

Running along the dock in Chicago More tone, more strength, more fun—Imagine dropping your pack to climb down 400 feet into a depression to get to the bottom or a water fall. You take in the cool spray and enjoy the scene. You climb back out when you are ready, put...

Exploring Nooks and Crannies

Exploring Nooks and Crannies

Spectacular views and cozy moments come while discovering nooks and crannies—those out of the way places and small tiny spaces.   We keep our eyes open for places to feel cozy. Places where we can snuggle up together for a picture or take fun shots of each other. We...

Lessons from Being Lost

Lessons from Being Lost

When I was a child, I spent every minute I could in the woods. As I have grown older it has become harder to find the time and less enjoyable to be in the woods with my sweetheart at home. So we started this journey to find what works for us and meets our yearnings...

Romantic Date Night turned Lost in the Woods!

Yesterday, I left my story where we were huddled on a bench just outside the reach of the pouring rain. I had failed to take enough water, a jacket, a light or a map. We were freezing, exhausted and I was sure that I had ruined this relationship for good. As 5 am...

Romantic Date Night Hike!

Romantic Date Night Hike!

I planned this romantic date night hike with my wife back when we were dating. The plan for this warm summer night—after a brief walk in a city park, waiting for the sun to completely set—was to return to a hillside overlooking the steeple chase course in her town and...

Bears are sooo rare!

Bears are sooo rare!

I'm going to talk like we are brothers and sisters here because I'm not a bear expert—hope that is ok. I do know a few things and want to share. Bears are sooo rare! in Middle Tennessee—During dozens of hiking trips in Middle Tennessee I have never seen a bear....

An Easy Teaser Hike Whets the Appetite

An Easy Teaser Hike Whets the Appetite

Today, we were to start a one or two night adventure on the trail. Early in the week we made a change because that “time of the month” came early(staying flexible is critical, guys). My honey is exhausted so we picked a seriously scaled down event. One with a short...

Improve your experience with these 4 lessons

Improve your experience with these 4 lessons

4 lessons from that first trip Buy lightweight rain gear and always have it with you. We researched the weather like I had never done before. Before hiking with my honey, I just prepared for all weather and didn’t look at the forecast. But my Sugar melts in the rain...

Celebrating Our First Trip!

Celebrating Our First Trip!

Avid primitive backpacker gets to teach his honey all things outdoors...becomes more civilized and loves every moment.  Come share our adventure! Let me celebrate! Now that I’ve shared what I learned to say and not to say, let me tell you a little about our...

Save the war stories

Save the war stories

Avid primitive backpacker gets to teach his honey all things outdoors...becomes more civilized and loves every moment. Come share our adventure! My wife really does enjoy going on adventures with me…honest!  Here is the numero uno don’t - don’t tell hiking war...

Brag about the Beauty

Brag about the Beauty

Do you want your girl to go with you on your out door adventures? I wanted it so badly. I longed for the companionship of the woman who loves me and am so thrilled that she is happy to “go with.”  In case it might work for you, I want to share what I did. Let your...

Come on this adventure with us!

Come on this adventure with us!

When I was a child, I spent every minute I could in the woods. As I have grown older it has become harder to find the time and less enjoyable with my sweetheart at home. This is a journey we are on trying to find what works for us and meets our yearnings for the...