The Long Brown Path

A great Father's Day gift!

Thank you of Poughkeepsie for having me!

In case you're in or around Poughkeepsie, NY tomorrow, swing by the Barnes & Nobles and I'll sign a copy of "Chasing the Grid" for you!

This may have been my favorite podcast yet, thanks to Ivan's thoughtful questions -- check it out by visiting https://www.hikesandmics.com/ and you'll find the links for all your favorite platforms. We covered a lot of key points:

- Importance of living in a high-energy state, and how structured projects like the Grid or my 1000-mountains project generate energy and excitement

- The real "runner's high" which is the feeling of self-empowerment that spreads confidence and positivity throughout your life when you prove you can accomplish something hard

- Connecting with nature by investing the time to experience, observe, learn until it starts to feel like home

- Importance of "good medicine" or special experiences in nature and how you can go looking for these experiences

- And how to get into barefoot hiking, which doesn't take gear or training, just carry some shoes in case your feet have had enough

- How injuries are unavoidable yet teach you about your body and how to heal, which is one of the key themes of my book, "Chasing the Grid"

I hope you have a chance to listen and enjoy it. Thank you Ivan!
And don't forget to check out Chasing the Grid on Amazon if you haven't yet

Kumi makes it to the summit of Hook Mountain. ~320 miles done on the Long Path at a blistering pace of 50+ miles per day, and ~30 left, with a new record for the Long Path possibly within reach.

Awesome crew of six made it to the top of Rusk Mountain in the Catskills, despite 40 F and steady rain. Everyone had a good time - lots of smiles! Thanks and Catskills 3500 Club for organizing!

I've been having a lot of fun in Harriman, working on a project to 👣 climb all 67 of the named peaks. With Pine Meadow and Horse Stable Mountains now complete, I have only one left to do! Harriman is really a lovely place with beautiful lakes, open forests, grassy knolls...and then there are the rocks, briars, brambles, laurel stands and endless blueberry scrub to negotiate when you move off trail to reach many of the summits. Barefoot makes all the obstacles more "intimate" so to speak, teaching you to appreciate the prickles as well as the soft spots.

Next weekend is back to the Catskills, where I'm leading an intro barefoot hike up Rusk Mountain with Catskill 3500 Club President Michael Bongar

Long bushwhack to Jackie Mountain via Pound Swamp and Irish Mountains, passing the Irish Potato (a glacial erratic dragged here all the way from Ireland), and enjoying some beautiful spring vistas before getting caught in a freak ⛈️. I'd assumed (incorrectly) that the cold winter wiped out the entire population of ticks, but I encountered 4 of them. They acted friendly and did not try to bite me 🤷. Have mixed feelings about scrub oak bloom as it is difficult to bushwhack through scrub oak I am not a fan. Lots of lichen in Harriman, indeed it seems to be thriving

3 more peaks in Harriman, bringing me to 632 mountains on the way to lifetime goal of 1,000. Blauvelt was very cool spot with sweeping views, but summit ringed by killer brambles. I will start carrying rose clippers. Access to Brundige from the Lake Sebago side was blocked by construction, but I was able to circle around and get it from the other side. is quiet, you don't hardly bother the animals. Nice day

I've done a lot of podcasts recently, and this is one of my absolute favorites. We talk about barefoot as a practice for reconnecting with nature, even if it's only taking a few steps down the sidewalk. And about how to negotiate with people when they get triggered.
Wesley and Marie are a lot of fun. They're accomplished thru-hikers and runners, now on a mission to help more people get outdoors
https://youtu.be/B9N5WNx9nSw?si=z0D-_xwANgGilMyt

A fun weekend in Harriman, with a sunny cool day Saturday perfect for 👣 hiking, bagging obscure peaks like Breakneck, Ladentown, Cranberry and covering 10 miles total on soft trails. Sunday was gray and grim, but Good Spring Mtn was a surprise with an unmarked path sparing me having to high step through blueberry brush, while West Mountain was a slow rocky path, but great fun to meet up with Robyn Hager, reporter from Shawangunk Journal, interested in running, poetry, and minimalism. I'm at 48/60 done with 👣ing all the mountains in Harriman, and 620 total on the way hopefully to 1,000 barefoot 🏔️s

Jana, nice to meet you on Frenchman Mountain - and thanks for the picture. That was one of the steepest rockiest trails ever and it was like moving in slow motion -- but super fun! I guess it wasn't a dream after all!