Project 365: 2011

Ryan Grayson January 7, 2012

Below is a picture for every day of my life in 2011. Not too surprising that it gets more interesting when I left for the Appalachian Trail. I started taking a picture every day on January 1st, 2009. See also: 2009 and 2010.

03-02-11: Wainwright's Coast to Coast Path

04-03-11: A Fascinating Phone Conversation

04-09-11: Great Day to Just Drive Around

05-24-11: Chilly Weather Backpacking Gear

05-31-11: Postcard From The Estes Family

06-06-11: Final Guitar Time Before AT Hike

06-26-11: Baths in the 100 Mile Wilderness

07-07-11: Moccasin Waiting for Red's Turn

07-10-11: Deckeye in the Bigelow Mountain Range

07-24-11: Celebrating Thumper's 21st Birthday

08-24-11: Sunset on Mount Killington Peak

09-08-11: Waiting Out Tropical Storm Lee

09-18-11: Sick and Thinking of Going Home

10-23-11: Playing Cards with Dave and Sisters

10-28-11: Some Kind of Plant, I Don't Know

11-01-11: Brierly Hill Bed and Breakfast

11-10-11: A Bed and Shower For the Night

11-22-11: My Home For a Night in Damascus, VA

12-02-11: Hitching From Asheville to the AT

12-05-11: Motel and Chickens, Hot Springs, NC

12-12-11: Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountains

12-19-11: Twisted Tree Near Georgia Border

12-25-11: Christmas Morning at the Birnell's

Featured

My $100 Super-Ultralight Gear List

Some of the best moments in my life happened when I had the very least. Whenever I stress about money or work, I remind myself of that. When I was spending a majority of each year backpacking, hitchhiking, or cycling, people would ask me if I was a self-made millionaire or a trust-fund baby. I’d laugh it off and assure them that living like a hobo was dirt cheap.

Q&A: Should I Buy Hiking Shoes or Boots?

This great question comes from a reader named Heather. I like this question because when buying your first set of gear, certain items seem like a given. Football players need cleats, basketball players need high-tops, and hikers need sturdy leather hiking boots, right?

30 Tips for Hitchhiking to Resupply

The first time I stretched out my arm and put out my thumb, I felt equally nervous and excited. A few hundred hitches later, the nervousness has dwindled to nothing, but the excitement continues. It's not simply free transportation. Something about it evokes a feeling of uncomplicated freedom. Akin to minimizing possessions to only what you can carry. My friends and I have gotten many hitches from people who said we were the first hitchhikers they have ever picked up, so it seems we’re doing something right. Here are 30 tips that may help get you a ride.

Nutrition for Thru-hikers: An Interview with Sports Dietitian, Tavis Piattoly

The Internet is full of sports nutrition advice, much of which is driven by fads and not entirely evidence-based, but even the good advice doesn't take into account the limitations that long-distance hikers face. I decided to consult an expert, Tavis Piattoly's, Sports Dietitian and Nutrition Consultant for the New Orleans Saints,

Treating Water with Household Bleach

If you are smart about choosing your water source, you could go for days, weeks, or even years without treating your water and never get sick. It's a gamble, but after spending a few days stepping over moose poop, or seeing a bloated dead animal floating in a water source, or worse yet, having to witness your friend doubled over with stomach pains and running off into the trees to decorate the foliage... anyway, what I'm trying to say is, here's how I treat my water.