Hikeu Adventure Guides

Hikeu to Participate in the All Sports, Recreation and Fitness Expo

2007-10-18T13:01:00.000-04:00

This weekend Hikeu Adventure Guides will have a table at the All Sports, Recreation and Fitness Expo. If you have been curious about how we do what we do, this is your chance to come on out and talk to us in person. We will also have information about two different non-profit organizations that are near and dear to our hearts...The Green Mountain Club and Leave No Trace.

Hikeu are corporate sponsors for both of these organizations. You can help the GMC and save yourself some money. With your Green Mountain Club membership, you receive a 10% discount on all Hikeu trips.

Hikeu takes the Leave No Trace ethics so seriously that we sent Happy off to a training to become a Leave No Trace Master Educator. If you have any questions about how to do the right thing in the woods, whether you are in the frontcountry at a local city park or in the backcountry of a designated wilderness, stop on by and discuss it with Happy.

Be sure to stop by and see the good folks at VOGA and Eddie's Energy Bars too!

Click this link to access a $2 off discount coupon for the Expo!!

Hikeu will "Peak for Pam"...Will YOU?

2007-10-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

With the forecast of SNOW :) this weekend in Vermont, the core hiking season is quickly coming to a close. The truth is, here at Hikeu we never stop hiking all year long, but as winter approaches we have more time to turn our attention to other important matters.

This weekend we will be heading up our recently adopted Hell Brook Trail for two very important reasons.
1) We will be adding our POSITIVE ENERGY to some 50+ other groups hiking, biking and playing outside this weekend in support of Pam Paradee. Pam has cancer and will soon be undergoing a bone marrow transplant. We all know how positive energy can positively impact an event, so read on and SIGN-UP! In the first segment of the Peak for Pam Challenge friends, family and supporters like us who have never had the honor of meeting Pam and her family are signing up to do a hike this coming weekend.
2) An important aspect of trail maintenance is clearing the trail in the fall to prepare it for spring rain and run-off. It is suppose to rain on Saturday, so what a perfect time to be sure all the water is flowing just where it is suppose to flow on Hell Brook Trail.

We have loads of other great initiatives and projects happening too, so check back in soon and check it out!

The Best Kept Secret on Mount Mansfield

2007-09-03T10:23:00.001-04:00

I'm guessing there were as many people on Mount Mansfield Sunday as there were on Church Street in Burlington.

OK, so maybe not Church Street, but surely Bank Street.

The Hikeu Adventure Guides have been considering adoption of the Hell Brook trail on Mount Mansfield. This adoption program is run by the Green Mountain Club and is a very important part of their mission to "protect and maintain the Long Trail system". What does it mean to adopt a trail? Well, we will be responsible for maintaining and improving that particular trail.

We had never actually hiked the entire Hell Brook trail before. There was that failed attempt in 2003, but we turned back when a friend of ours had had enough of Hell Brook! So before committing to something as important as adoption, we decided to take a stroll up Mansfield on the only ascent trail rated as "extremely difficult" by the GMC.
The hike up Hell Brook was indeed extremely difficult and not to be taken lightly. Pretty much straight up most of the way, with lots of lose rocks, exposed roots, water running down the trail...but absolutely beautiful. Now your probably thinking how on earth could this trail be the best kept secret on Mount Mansfield? Well it's not. The secret on Mount Mansfield is the Adam's Apple, which is just a short 0.1 mile jog off the Hell Brook trail.

As you can see, this mini-summit is exposed and offers spectacular 270 degree views. What happens in the other 90 degrees? Well, that is where we could see the steady line of people either climbing up to the summit of Mansfield on the Long Trail, climbing down off the summit or milling about the summit.
We sat on our own private summit, ate lunch, watched 3 hawks spiral high on the thermals and dive back down, took a nice long siesta and marveled at all the people "over there". Sure, a few people passed by as we enjoyed our rock, but the contrast between the peace and serenity of the Adam's Apple and the fair-like atmosphere on the Mansfield summit was amazing; no one calling out on their cell phone to report their amazing where abouts, no dogs on the loose trampling the fragile alpine vegetation.

After such a wonderful experience, we decided to go ahead and adopt Hell Brook. Hopefully someone hasn't already grabbed it!

By the way, if your looking for more Vermont Long Trail secrets to enhance your hiking and backpacking experience be sure to contact Hikeu. We pride ourselves on creating the perfect itinerary and trip for your perfect Vermont outing.
Fall is the perfect time to get out and hike in the Green Mountains. Cool air, warm sunshine and NO Bugs! If your looking for the perfect day away from the office, consider a "team-building" hike with Hikeu. Just like playing hooky, but you return to the office the next day ready to tackle that project head-on!

GoodSearch...Internet searching to support YOUR favorite non-profit

2007-08-30T07:39:00.000-04:00

Want to make a difference by doing what you probably do all the time? I was just turned onto an Internet search engine that donates money to the charity or non-profit of my choice, each and every time I perform an Internet search. GoodSearch will now donate 1 cent to the Green Mountain Club whenever I perform an Internet search. GoodSearch has been around and in the news since late 2005.

OK, so 1 penny isn't a ton of money. On a big day I maybe perform 10 searches, but it all adds up! Internet searching was a $6Billion dollar business in 2005. The good folks at GoodSearch donate 50% of their ad revenue to the charities and non-profits that matter the most to YOU. Imagine if they managed to capture just 25% of all search business and then donated 50% of that amount. We are talking about millions of dollars up for grabs. Imagine the good that money could do?

They make it really easy to use too. Add GoodSearch to your toolbar and your chosen charity will be clearly visible.

Get in on this wonderful way to support your favorite charity or non-profit today!!

Hikeu Organizes Very Successful Clean-up of the Lamoille River

2007-07-30T16:15:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a great day here in Fairfax, Vermont. We would normally spend a day like this on the Trail, doing what we love. But instead we worked along side a dozen other Fairfax residents cleaning up the Lamoille River in the area of our local Park and Bike Path. The river is quite wide in town, around 75 yards I would guess, and we swept about a half mile of the river in all.

I got the idea to clean the river a few weeks back after wading that section of the river with our dogs and seeing all the junk. I knew something needed to be done and decided then to lead the charge.

I had never organized anything like this before, but everything fell together perfectly. The weather was perfect, the crew was ambitious and not afraid to get wet. Fairfax resident David Shea from All Metals Recycling donated a metal recycling dumpster. Gary Stewart brought a tractor and chains to haul the heavy stuff out of the river.

In addition to all the metal, we retrieved 32 tires! These will be recycled as well.

Some of the more interesting items retrieved were big, old antique milk jugs, milking buckets, tire rims with wooden spokes, a solid iron tire rim from a very old truck and one old bike that looked to be from the 50's. More modern stuff included a lawn mower, shopping cart, and several bikes.

I feel great about getting the river cleaned up and can only imagine how much lighter it must feel with all that old junk removed and on its way to becoming something of value once again.

Eddie' Energy Bars Powering Maine Hikers

2007-07-29T12:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I loaded up these hikers with Eddie's Energy Bars and bid them farewell for a week. My sister Boo (the only woman in the pic) and her friend David (far left) are boy scout backpacking badge leaders. The rest of the gang (15-17 year olds) are all boy scouts, but this was just a trip for fun. These boys got their backpacking merit badges last year, but they had such a great time in the process that they all decided to come over to Vermont to hike 75 miles of the Long Trail.
Hikeu Adventure Guides doesn't normally provide shuttle service, but we made this exception for my sis. We much prefer providing the best guided hiking and backpacking trip in Vermont!
This group didn't need our guide services, but maybe you do. If you have been wondering how on earth to get out there for a few days, a week or a month but don't have a clue how to begin, contact Hikeu and let us be your guide into the backcountry of Vermont!

A Dog's Life!

2007-07-25T15:49:00.000-04:00

Vermont is a beautiful place anytime of the year, but summer...ahh, the warm days and cool nights. The flowers and birds and summer night sounds. And you have never seen green until you visit Verd mont (the name given to the state back in the summer of 1761) My friends in Ireland may say their country rivals Vermont in greenery, and they may be right, but you can't get a guided Hikeu hike in Ireland...not yet at least :)

This is how my elderly Golden Retriever Cassandra likes to stay cool in the summer. Her pool is her latest obsession. I fill it with fresh cool water every warm day, throw in a couple of rocks for her to "hunt" and she is a happy, happy girl. Her daughter, Maggie gets quickly bored with about anything, so after a couple of dips she is off to whine at the door to come back in. But not Cass, when she gets tired she just lies down and enjoys the coolness of the water.

She will be my role model for when I get old.

If I headed up Camel's Hump with her today she would go as far as she could and then lie down. She wouldn't be sad or disappointed in her performance. She would just be happy she got to go hiking with Mom.
There is no destination for Cassi, only the joy of the journey.

The last time Cass was on Camel's Hump she had to be carried out the last 1/2 mile because her back end was cramping. Do you think for one minute she felt bad about herself? Nope. She was perched atop Reid's shoulders smiling (I swear she was) and feeling quite loved and cared for.
There is no pride for Cassi, only the peace love will always provide.

I wanna grow old just like my girl Cassi.

The Hiking Community & Discovering One Pan Wonders

2007-07-17T16:01:00.000-04:00

Being a part of community is a key goal here at Hikeu. Our burning desire to be connected is the driving force behind this blog. We want to be known. Not just for our great guided hiking and backpacking trips, and not just for the amazing gear we will someday unveil, but for who we are as people.
Community has the potential to expand in so many different ways.
Thanks to the Hikeu Blog, Dicentra from Washington, happened upon us as she was surfing hiker blogs. Dicentra is more than an avid hiker. She is a hiker who loves to create backcountry meals that taste great and are good for you. Check her out at One Pan Wonders; Backcountry Cooking at its Finest. There you will find everything from beverages to dessert; breakfast to dinner. She even has sample menus to really simplify food planning on your next trip.

Best of all she has a cookbook in the works!

Hikeu has added many of her recipes and ideas to our food planning process already. Our goal is to feed our customers well; really well. Here at Hikeu we believe that hiking and backpacking is meant to be fun, safe and comfortable. We have the utmost respect and appreciation for our bodies. A strong, healthy, well-fed body is our vehicle of choice. What better way to fuel our glorious bodies to allow complete enjoyment and appreciation of the backcountry than with really great food?

Check out One Pan Wonders and let us know which recipe you're going to try first!

Hikeu Leads Effort to clean up the Lamoille River

2007-07-09T18:29:00.000-04:00

The Hikeu Adventure Guide basecamp is located just outside of the little village of Fairfax, Vermont. We love it here because it is quiet and peaceful. Fairfax boasts its own newspaper, The Fairfax News . The town even has it's very own Grandpa in Henry Raymond (who lived in the Hikeu basecamp back in the 60's) whose website http://www.vtgrandpa.com/ is visited by many people every day; those of us that are living locally and those who moved away for one reason or another, keep a finger on the pulse of Fairfax through Henry's website.

Last summer the Fairfax Park & Recreation department started to build a beautiful little park, nature trail and bike path in town. More work has gone into the area this summer, which now has inviting benches and picnic tables; ball fields, trash receptacles,and poop bag dispensers. A real gem for a small Vermont town.

So guess where my girls (two beautiful Golden Retrievers) like to walk? Well, not exactly on the trail or path. If they have their way, they head for the Lamoille River the first chance they get. As long as we follow, they are content to wade the entire length of the park in the river. No big deal when the water isn't too high, but the problem is all the stuff that has been thrown into the river over the years; bikes, tires, car pieces and parts, even a lawn mower. Our river is not exactly a model for Leave No Trace...not yet at least!

Hikeu is now on a mission to rally the other members of the Fairfax Business and Professional Association (FBPA) to help us clean up the Lamoille in the area of the park. The Park & Rec department has already agreed to pay for any recycling costs, so we have momentum. We are targeting July 22nd as River Clean-up Day in Fairfax.

Stay-tuned for a full report on just how much stuff really lies at the bottom of the Lamoille in Fairfax Vermont!

Hikeu Partners with Eddie's Energy Bars

2007-07-06T08:21:00.000-04:00

Hikeu Adventure Guides is very pleased to announce our new partnership with Eddie's Energy Bars.

Here at Hikeu we are always looking for delicious, healthy, wholesome and LOCAL food to feed our hungry hikers. Special thanks goes out to Ann Zuccardy from The Vermont Shortbread Company for introducing me to Michael Adam's, the owner of Eddie's!

Hikeu will be using Eddie's Energy Bars for breakfast, snacks and dessert on all of our overnight backpacking trips. We will also have these yummy, homemade Eddie's Bars on-hand for day hikes as well.

Michael was recently commissioned by Backpacker Magazine to create an Eddie's Energy Bar using ingredients grown within 100-miles of Vermont's Long Trail. A daunting task, but easily accomplished by energy-bar-baker Michael Adams. Eddie's Green Mountain Bar features flour, cranberries, maple syrup and walnuts all grown right here in Vermont! I shared a Green Mountain Bar with Badmoon last night and it was great! Look for this interesting story about Eddie's Energy Bars in the October issue of Backpacker Magazine.

After hearing this story, I wanted in on the "make a bar for me" action. So Michael is off creating The Eddie's Hikeu Bar. The idea is to pack our special energy bar with loads of calories, making it perfect for ravenous hikers. Don't worry, Hikeu won't have exclusive rights to the bar. Look for it soon at eddiesenergy.com.

Why "Hikeu"?

2007-07-05T20:48:00.000-04:00

We are often asked where the name "Hikeu" originated, so here's the scoop. Many people think it represents Hike U... because Hikeu Adventure Guides will teach you everything you need to know to have a fun, safe and comfortable time out on the trail. We like the idea, but that was not the original intent of the name.

In September of 2006, the Hikeu founders (Happy, Badmoon and Phantom) re-hiked the 100-mile wilderness section of the Appalachian Trail up in Maine. That's a pic of us at the end of that trip up on Katahdin with my sister Boo, friend David and fellow 2001 AT thru-hiker Stryder who was up from Colorado celebrating his birthday and the anniversary of the completion of his thru hike...both on September 8th. How cool is that?!

Badmoon was reading a book on writing,, and one of the suggestions made to get into the groove of writing every day was to spend time writing haiku poetry (5 syllables, 7, 5). Like this one by Phantom...

Happy and Badmoon
Each began hiking alone
Together 'til end

So we would walk along, creating haikus. I started carrying paper and a pen in my pocket so I could stop and write them down as I finished. It was great fun and great entertainment later in the evening when we would share our creations.

About a week later Badmoon popped up out of bed in the middle of the night and woke me up with his clever name idea...Hikeu. We had been talking about starting a backpacking gear and clothing company with Phantom already, so the name was originally intended for that company. We immediately grabbed the domain name hikeu.com and Hikeu was "born"!

The Hikeu gear company is still in the picture, but this summer we decided to kick off Hikeu by providing the best guided day hikes and backpacking treks Vermont has to offer!

So go ahead, think of Hikeu as Hike University, because we fill the shoes so well. But now you will be in the know 10 years from now when Hikeu gear and clothing is as common and well respected as Patagonia!

The Pull of the Trail

2007-07-04T10:37:00.000-04:00

Some days the pull from the Trail - any ole' Trail - is tremendous. Almost irresistible. Yesterday was one such day for me. I haven't been out on a long-distance hike since my trek of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2005. Two years ago yesterday I hiked out of the town of Bishop with Badmoon, Phantom, Whoop and Chowda...well actually we first had to hitch to Independence, a mere 42 miles away (That's a pic of Badmoon, me and Whoop working on getting a ride.) Then we had to get another ride 15 miles up into the Sierras. Then we walked another few miles on the Kearsarge Trail before we stopped for the night. The next day we continued on thru Kearsarge Pass, hiking another 6 miles to finally make it back to the PCT on July 4th.

If you are like the majority of people, you are probably wondering WHY. How could walking with a loaded backpack mile after mile, day after day, month after month be fun? How could sleeping on the ground for 6 months be good for your body? How could being ravenously hungry all the time feel good? Why would anyone subject themselves to being so cold and wet that your fingers won't even work well enough to unzip you rain jacket when you finally do get to town? And imagine opting to go to the restaurant cold, wet and smelly BEFORE taking a hot shower and putting on dry clothes. OK, so that wasn't one of my brightest moves. But I had been so cold and wet for so long that I hadn't really eaten much in 24 hours AND I had walked about 25 miles.

I'm not crazy. I have a great life off Trail. But if I could be doing anything at all right this moment, I would be hiking. I would have everything I could possibly need on my back and Badmoon would be right there with me. It's not just about playing every day, or feeling like we are are vacation everyday. It's not just about accomplishing something so rewarding. It's not just about feeling amazingly healthy, strong and fit. For me the pull is in the expansion of my world; the expansion of my spirit. Long-distance hiking is about a deeper kind of freedom and connection...a deeper connection to self, to other people, to the earth, to the Universe. A freedom from my inner voice talking about all the "shoulds" in life. Long-distance hiking shifts my perspective and fills me completely full of love and peace. I am happiest when I am hiking.

I know there is more to life than hiking, but some days it takes a lot of will and common sense to really believe.

Want to experience the connection and freedom found on a long-distance hike?

Join Hikeu Adventure Guides as we end-to-end the Long Trail in Vermont this September. I challenge you to come away from that experience feeling like the same person that left.

Beware...long-distance hiking will shift your perspective and rock your world!

Doing What We Love at Hikeu

2007-07-02T17:24:00.000-04:00

Today I was reminded of a very simple mantra that I have repeated to myself and others many times in the past...Do What You Love.

Why? Because when we are doing what we love we are in the flow of well-being and when we are in that flow, there are no limits. I have seen this truth manifest into a reality more times than I can possibly remember.

Why was I reminded of this mantra today? Because I finally decided to face the fact that the computer I bought for well over $2000 more than 5 years ago is a dinosaur. On her last leg. Could crash and burn at any point in time. I feel like my life is in this computer, yet she is hanging onto life by a mere thread. I have repeatedly ignored her pleas for help...my virtual memory is too low, I don't have enough room on my hard drive, if you put one more picture in me I think I will explode!

I ignored her because the very thought of figuring out WHICH computer to buy and then having to figure out HOW to move to a new computer gave me the willies. So I finally did what I could have done months ago. I asked for help. Not from just any computer geek, but from Benson Hodgson from IBEAM. Benson loves what he does, so as a result he had an amazing effect on me. As soon as I digested everything Benson had to offer, I felt just fine. There are computing options, but none of them feel overwhelming anymore. Moving to a new computer will be a breeze with Benson's help and worrying about losing all my important stuff will be a thing of the past.

Live what you love...and if you have computer questions, just take the easy trail and call Benson at IBEAM.

Here at Hikeu Adventure Guides we are living what we love too. We love to hike and backpack. Heck, we even love to think about hiking and backpacking! We love to plan a hike from start to finish. We plan the big stuff and we take care of all the details so our customers can just relax and enjoy the beautiful backcountry of Vermont.

Get away from it all in Vermont this summer with Hikeu Adventure Guides. You won't be disappointed!

End-to-End the Long Trail with Hikeu

2007-07-01T10:12:00.000-04:00

Hikeu Adventure G uides is planning an end-to-end trek of the Long Trail in September. The Long Trail is our nation's oldest long-distance hiking Trail. At 275-miles, the LT runs the entire length of Vermont. Whether you are a Vermont native looking for a different view of our beautiful state, or someone from "away" who wants to experience Vermont in a special way, this trek is for you!

Learn how to long-distance hike from the experts at Hikeu. Our Hikeu guides have all hiked well over 5000-miles on a variety of long-distance trails. We love to hike, we live to hike.

Before we hit the Trail you'll have unlimited access to the Hikeu guides for gear advice, food planning & prep, and tips on getting in shape for your adventure.

Leave the planning to Hikeu! On Trail we will guide you every step of the way. We learned the tips and tricks we will share with you the hard way...trial & error. Let us share our knowledge with you and you will feel like a hiking pro in no time. Learn about Leave No Trace outdoor ethics from Master LNT Educator & Hikeu guide "Happy" Kerr. Feel safe knowing that your guides are wilderness first aid and CPR certified.

We will head to an Inn or B&B every five to six days to resupply our food bags, take a hot shower, eat town food and sleep in a nice soft bed. The Hikeu-mobile will bring our fresh supplies, get us to and from the Trail and whisk us into town for dinner.

We will depart from the Massachusetts border during the first week in September and anticipate the hike will take us about 25 days.

This epic trek is limited to just six participants, so call or email Hikeu to reserve your space today!

How Hikeu partners with the Green Mountain Club

2007-06-30T08:40:00.000-04:00

Here at Hikeu we know that we wouldn't be guiding day hikes and backpacking trips on the Long Trail without the existence of the Green Mountain Club. The GMC protects and maintains the Long Trail System. The GMC fosters the stewardship of Vermont's hiking trails and mountains. Without the Green Mountain Club, the Long Trail would not exist.

Hikeu Adventure Guides supports the Green Mountain Club in several ways.
1) Hikeu donates 1% of all sales to the GMC
2) Hikeu promotes GMC Membership by providing a 10% discount on all of our services to GMC members
3) Hikeu joined the GMC as a Corporate Partner
4) Hikeu guides continuously look for ways to improve the trails they walk. We clear away new debris. We block short-cuts when we see them. We encourage this behavior in all of our customers.
5) Hikeu guides volunteer with the Green Mountain Club whenever we can.

If you're not already a GMC Member, join today! For as little as $35 for an individual or $45 for an entire family, you can do your part to protect one of America's true jewels and the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the US, Vermont's own Long Trail.

Hikeu Guides Healthy Lifestyles "Move it & Lose it" Club on The Long Trail

2007-06-29T10:55:00.000-04:00

Ahhh...yet another glorious day spent on the Long Trail!
Hikeu Adventure Guides spent Sunday afternoon with a group from Healthy Lifestyles. HL is a weight-management counseling practice based in South Burlington. Their "Move it & Lose it" club is just one of the many offerings available at HL in support of making positive, healthy lifestyle changes.
The Hikeu goal was to find a section of the LT that was accessible, less than 3 miles long, moderate in difficulty and had great views. Mission accomplished!
We took the Healthy Lifestyles gang up near Johnson. We hiked up to the Round Top shelter and enjoyed great pastoral views to the east. We then proceeded on to Prospect Rock where we overlooked the Lamoille River and the northern foothills of Mount Mansfield.

Feeling like your ready to make a those life changes in support of feeling better but just don't know where to begin? Call Kathryn at Healthy Lifestyles and let her be your guide. (802) 658-6597

Feeling like getting out on the Long Trail this summer or fall and just don't know where to begin? Call Happy at Hikeu Adventure Guides and let her be your guide. (802) 310-4427

Hiking Jay Peak with Doe Camp

2007-06-28T12:02:00.000-04:00

Hikeu Adventure Guides was very fortunate last weekend to be involved in the Vemont Outdoor Guides Association & Vermont Outdoors Woman Doe Camp which was held at Jay Peak Resort last weekend. Happy led the way and Reid brought up the rear as we guided an enthusiastic group of women to the top of Jay Peak on the Long Trail. The morning was chilly and the summit was shrouded in clouds, but the weather didn't seem to dampen the spirit of the hike.

We did manage to get some views into the surrounding valleys and adjacent mountains as the clouds sped by on the summit. After a great picnic lunch and hot chocolate (yup, Happy and Reid thought of everything and even brought a backpacking stove, extra water, hot chocolate and mugs!) we returned to the Hikeu-mobile and got the group back to the resort in plenty of time for them to prepare for their afternoon activities.

We are really looking forward to Doe Camp Abnaki which will be held September 14-16!

Hikeu Adventure Guide becomes Leave No Trace Master Educator

2007-06-21T15:27:00.000-04:00

Great news for Hikeu Adventure Guides, our customers and Vermont! I just returned from a Leave No Trace Master Educator course in the Whites. Not only did I learn a lot of great new information, but I had a really great time and met some awesome new friends.

Hikeu will now offer Leave No Trace Awareness workshops, as well as 2-day Leave No Trace Trainings. My LNT Master Educator designation goes hand-in-hand with the Hikeu Adventure Guide commitment to Leave No Trace. Between the Hikeu LNT Corporate partnership, Hikeu LNT Workshops and Hikeu LNT Trainings, we continue to place outdoor ethics at the very top of our list of corporate commitments. The LNT workshop materials will be a major part of each of our guided hikes, whether you are joining us for a day hike or a multi-day backpacking trip. The LNT Trainings are an excellent opportunity for those of you who lead groups into the front or backcountry. During these overnight training experiences you will gain an in-depth understanding of the LNT principles which will allow you to incorporate LNT workshops into the activities you guide. If you're looking for a way to have fun in the back country of Vermont this summer and want to learn ethical outdoor behavior at the same time, contact Happy@Hikeu.com

Great Food and Backpacking Memories

2007-05-22T19:47:00.000-04:00

Here at Hikeu Adventure Guides we are gearing up for the upcoming backpacking and hiking season in Vermont. One of our primary goals is to feed our backpacking customers really well. So off we went in search of the healthiest, best tasting, easiest to prepare, organic backcountry food we could find. We found the winner! We ordered a bunch of food from Mary Janes Outpost and tonight we performed our first taste test. I had "Eat Your Veggies" Pasta and Badmoon had Sweet Red Bell Pepper Pasta. I made up a batch of her cornbread too. Everything was delicious! I couldn't finish mine, but that won't be a problem after putting in 10-15 miles on the Long Trail.

We were so inspired by the food that we set up our tent in the yard after dinner. Tonight we will sleep in our Pacific Crest Trail home, the Taj. Setting her up and crawling in to get everything situated filled me with strong memeries and incredible joy. No matter where the Taj sits, I am at home. I'm sure our neighbors are wondering what those crazy people at Hikeu Adventure Guides are up to tonight!

Live What You Love!

Hap :)

802 Music Video

2007-05-18T20:25:00.001-04:00

This post has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with hiking, backpacking or The Long Trail, but it says a whole lot about Vermont!
We live in paradise up here. Come check it out!

Life and Long-Distance Hiking

2007-05-17T11:13:00.000-04:00

Recently, as I was considering why I love to backpack so much, it occurred to me that my long-distance hiking trips have been an amazing platform for discovery. Through long-distance hiking, I have become a lover of the journey; a journey-ist. Not to say I have no interest in my destination, but I have come to realize that the destination is never what really brings me the greatest joy. The destination merely gives me the opportunity to experience joy along the way. The trail I choose to walk fills me with the joy I seek. The destination simply signals the beginning of another journey. And so it is for life.

Milestones in our life mark nothing more than the realization that another milestone lies ahead of us. Joy in life is created by how we choose to travel from one milestone to the next; from one destination to the next. This path or that one? Which path is filled with more joy for me?

That is always the question I ask when making choices in life. I believe in letting go of preconceived notions about the way life is supposed to be lived and embracing the joy that can be found in the unconventional. I believe that true connection to my joy can be forged only in the absence of a desire for accumulations. Action out of a desire to experience joy feels so much better than action out of a desire for things. I believe that simpler is better, that feeling good feels good, and that life is best when I align myself with the natural rhythm of the planet. Which path is filled with more joy for me?

If I were a destination-ist, the day to day tedium of walking every single day on a long-distance hike would be torture. In life, the parallel would be in living life every day hoping that as soon as I … graduate, find a great partner, make more money, get a promotion, then I will be joyous. What long-distance hiking has shown me time and time again is that there is fleeting joy in the destination.

When we can find our joy in the pleasure of the journey… to graduation day, to a great partner, to making more money or to getting that promotion, then we are living the life we deserve to live. Then we are living a life full of joy instead of a life of joyous moments. When we find joy in the journey, life flows from us and through us and everything is possible.

Hikeu Adventure Guides provides fully guided day hiking and backpacking trips throughout Vermont. Want to explore your journey-ist? A guided end-to-end trek of the Long Trail is being planned for September.

A "Veery" Good Day

2007-05-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

Badmoon and I took a nice walk on the trails around Indian Brook Reservoir late this afternoon. I always carry my pack these days. It is full of rice and cans of soup and water. I had the cat food in there but they needed to eat.
You know how they say good things come in threes? Well, at Hikeu we know that feeling good is good, and that good things happen to those of us who feel good! It is amazing how simple that sounds and how it simply works. But I digress...
First, I discovered a "new-to-me" wildflower. Hard to imagine after hiking thousands of miles and spending so much time in the woods that this little beauty escaped me, but it did. Had to come home to look it up. Gaywings. (above) So delicate and intricate. Like a little plane without a tail.
Then, we ran into two of my good friends out for an afternoon stroll...Mary Beth and Sandi. I see them quite a bit, but I was so thrilled to see them in this different place that I didn't know who to hug first. So I just grabbed them both.
Finally, I heard my first veery call of the year. I discovered the call of a veery on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2001. I was hiking with Lightkeeper. He knew all kinds of things about plants, flowers, birds and trees too. I seem to recall they called him "Bark Boy" at some point in his life. Was it boy scouts, LK? He introduced me to lots of cool stuff during the 700 miles or so we hiked together, and the call of the veery was one of the most memorable for me. That and one night we perfected Jiffy Pop over an alcohol stove! There is nothing like the simple memories of life on the Trail. When all the "noise" is removed from life, there is a child-like purity that emerges. If your lucky, that kid in you never goes away again!
Another day in paradise!

Team Hikeu is blogging!

2007-05-14T14:25:00.000-04:00

After a couple of weeks of writing and writing for the website you'd think I'd be all written out, but I always have something more to say! Just ask Badmoon and Phantom. They would be soooooo bored without me!
Excited and psyched barely describe the mood around here. With the kick-off of Hikeu Adventure Guides we are inching ever so close to the perfect merging of living what we love! Not only do we get to hike, backpack, visit swimming holes, climb the Green Mountains of Vermont, view those glorious white blazes on the Long Trail and such, we are going to make a little money doing it. We keep life simple around here, so it doesn't take much to make us happy!

Spring is busting out all over up here in Vermont. After a late winter and loads of snow, it is so glorious to see our state resume it's beautiful green hue. The road up through Smugglers Notch is now open. It feels so odd to drive up the road after walking up there all winter long. We drove up this weekend and hiked up to Sterling Pond, intersecting with The Long Trail. There is still snow on the Trail where the sun doesn't shine, but the ice is completely out of the pond.
We are itching to get out for an overnight, but for right now we will be keeping our training hikes to shorter distances and lower elevations until the Trail firms up a bit.

Happy Trails!