The Pull of the Trail

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!

End-to-End the Long Trail with Hikeu

Hikeu Adventure Guides 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!

Life and Long-Distance Hiking

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.