Encountering the infamous “Salt.” A man that terrorizes hikers particularly women in the Pico Camp Shelter area along the AT/LT. This is the long account of what happened to four women hikers during a visit in July 2022.  While I do try sticking to the facts, my own assumptions and fears are indelibly linked with…

“The mind can go farther than the body wants to.”  A phrase known by most ultra runners, though not entirely accurate as the mind is a part of the body and both are parts of the human.  But separating the two into distinct vehicles helps us understand their specialties.  One isn’t more important than the…

Recently during DSR’s 10-year anniversary party a number of people shared their thoughts about how the group has impacted their life. A common thread woven through everyone’s stories was that our run club helped them feel welcomed and accepted right from the start, regardless of their running pace or whom they already knew in the…

Trail running can be a dichotomy, you can hit wonderful highs in distance, pace, and elevation, but you can hit incredible lows as your mental state is stripped down and shackled to your most basic fears. It is hard to believe that both things can occur at once, but it happens. In ultrarunning you learn…

A drop of time in my 63 mile journey. A headlamp strapped to my head, and a Luci light bobbing around on my chest.  The cold forest felt as if it was closing in around me, a weighty hand grasping my throat.  It was 12 AM Saturday morning, shortly after a storm had battered the…

One week ago I had an encounter that I always knew was possible, but didn’t ever really think would happen. On May 2nd, I was out running trails in Concord, MA.  I came upon a couple with a dog.  The dog was off-leash, as is common in many places out that way.  Many towns allow…

Signed up for 32, only made 24. Not a hot day, but couldn’t keep up on my hydration and suffered from muscle cramps and soreness. Started out with the pack of 50k’ers and quickly found myself as the last one. All of these things seem negative, yet it was a perfect day! The Goat Hill…

“Did you know It was going to be as difficult of a race as it was?” “No, definitely not.” “Would you have done it if you had known it was this tough?” “Probably.” The SRT 30.  The majesty of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail (SRT) cannot be accurately portrayed in a race report, nor even shown…

  It’s late in the day on a rainy Saturday afternoon in May. I’m in the middle of a forest, and I don’t know how I got here. There’s a pack on my back with some essentials, hiking poles in my hands, and no shoes on my feet. I can see no trail in front…

Infinitus, Goshen, VT May 26-28, 2017 100 miles, or 48 hours.   The course is a 7 mile loop, followed by a 20 mile loop. 27 miles total.  My goal was 81 miles, that’s three loops. I was one loop short of that—so I only managed 54 miles.  The reason for my failure/readjustment of my…

I started out the day thinking I would do the 50k, even though it was going to be cold.  When we got to Barnstable and I stepped outside, thats when I changed why mind—it was cold as balls!  I knew at that point that 50k was not in the forecast. The wind was so cold…

Running the Midstate Trail with Alex. What a day!  I just got home, its 4pm, I left the house at 6am this morning to drive out to Charlton so that Alex and I could finish the last 23 miles of the Midstate Trail.  We have been running this trail in segments for quite awhile.  The…

I often write a blog entry because I have just done a race, or a major training run.  But this entry isn’t about any of those things.  During the first full week of December I would think about my friend Amanda every night before I went to bed, and then she was the first person…

This is Version 3 of my Winter Running Attire posting, originally published in 2014.  This is meant to be used as a guide for running around the mid-New England area.  Obviously if you’re going to be up in the mountains of New Hampshire this will not be an adequate guide.  As with anything, use your…

August 8, 2016 Here in Vermont, at the campsite aside the Blueberry Hill Inn, I barely have cell phone service.  I can drive on backroads for hours and barely see soul.  Here I can sit in a field and hear the blades of grass rustle in the breeze.  Stepping out of the door of a…