Howdy, hiking nerds, mountain lovers, trail enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys sweating in the woods for an extended period of time! Since this is my first blog post, I figured I would introduce myself. My name is Callie and I’m a hiker/backpacker which basically means I thoroughly get a kick out of going up and down hills for no apparent reason (sometimes without any views at the top. I’m looking at you Midwest).
I currently live in St. Louis, Missouri, but I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. It was from a young age that I started to foster a great appreciation for the outdoors by exploring the woods in my backyard. I also channeled my inner survivalist by teaching myself how to start a fire and set up camp instead of learning the things girls my age were doing like wearing makeup or throwing softballs. After years of escaping into the woods after school, staying out well after dark to watch the sunset over the mountains, constructing lean-tos from scratch, and worrying my parents to death, it was decided I must be around like minded kids. For a few summers, I attended Girl Scout camp where I first learned about hiking, primitive camping, and how to get away without showering or brushing my teeth for days in a row, which was basically just training for future adventures.
When I was in high school, I was shopping in a local bookstore and picked up a memoir called “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. That is when the obsession with backpacking started to take form. I didn’t know “backpacking” even existed until this point. During my entire childhood I felt like I was searching for a specific word to label the excuse to traverse through nature for multiple days. I simply did not have the vocabulary to articulate this intense desire. Bryson’s book lit a spark in me that led to an avalanche of research about thru-hiking. As a baby hiker, I then started seeking out local trails with hopes of getting to tackle a beast of a trail like the Appalachian Trail one day.
After high school, I found myself living hundreds of miles away from my family and the small town I grew up in to attend college in Missouri. It was here I eventually landed a dream job as an outfitter at a local outdoor retail store (The Alpine Shop) where I literally get to nerd out about gear and help customers find the equipment necessary for their various outdoor related activities. Every chance I get, I train for upcoming hiking adventures on nearby trails and crush miles on the beloved Ozark Trail. In between semesters, you’ll often find me traveling out of state to backpack or section hike long distance trails.
This blog will predominantly cover all hiking related topics ranging from trip reports, to gear reviews, to hiking basics, as well as other unique subjects. This includes posts about hiking with my dog Honey, how hiking affects my mental health and eating disorder recovery, and how I navigate backpacking while being vegan! In the near future (after I graduate), I hope to start my thru-hiking career, but for now, I’ll be trekking along various shorter trails and documenting my many adventures.
So stay tuned for more content and I hope to see you out on the trail!