#Thru hike

[lauraepartain]

On the steep, steep side of Ben Lomond | Scotland | April 2023 This was one of the first especially intimidating munros I saw while walking north into the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately, our route would not have us climb this fabled mountain. This view however, amazed me nonetheless. Upon nearing the base where the mountain paths lay, I observed two very much windswept hillwalkers shuffle down the trail. “Did you climb Lomond today?” I asked. “Oh yes”, they reply in a Scottish accent. “Incredibly windy up there. I felt like I was going to be blown off the hill at any moment!” Scottish Hillwalking aint for babies. While I had a monumental ascent up the north face of Ben Nevis, Scotland left me wanting more. Another trip, perhaps. I’ll be doing a print and post card sale soon, y’all! What images should I add back to my shop? Everything will be printed in advance this time, so if you have any suggestions as to what should go to print, add a comment!

[whatsy0urdream]

Pacific Crest Trail, Days 141 - 144

Pacific Crest Trail, Days 141 – 144

September 14, Day 141, Miles 27.3, Mile Marker 2605.1  Back story time! When I lived in West Valley City, Salt Lake City area, for a while I worked in Park City and would drive up the mountain pass every day for work. I was going through an especially hard time as I had just lost my dream job and I wasn’t handling it well. But then I started seeing moose every day on the way to work, and I mean…

[forestgreenivy]

Of all the shades of blue, my favorite one will always be you.

Blue Ridge Parkway near Craggy.

[suntails]

FINALLY got a better job!!!! somehow i will now work in IT. i do not have IT experience but goddammit i have the desire to earn a beautiful paycheck

[deermouth]

But I told him I was masc :(

[ripleylacross]

Once an adventure cartoonist, always an adventure cartoonist!

I'm back with another comic about my experiences backpacking with some FRESH tips on staying clean and healthy on your treks.

[danvswild]

"Have you ever read Wild?"

Okay this is a question I got all the time when I told anyone that I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. And the answer is yes. I also saw a Tik Tok on how to annoy thru-hikers and this question was on the list lol

Well I personally don't mind the question and I bring up this book now because this next part is where Cheryl Strayed began her journey on the PCT. From Mojave/Tehachapi to Kennedy Meadows. This stretch lasts for roughly 150 miles and it took me about 6 days to complete.

After my well earned rest in Tehachapi, I headed back out on the trail to go through one of the most beautiful sections of the trail so far.

This is the foothills of the Sierra so naturally, the terrain changes into a more lush landscape and we began to gain some elevation. The campsites between Tehachapi and Kennedy Meadows were all stunning and at night I could see SO MANY STARS it was unreal.

I also need to note that the water carry out of Tehachapi was the longest by far! I want to say it was close to 40 miles? but don't quote me on this. I was very mindful of my water consumption in this part and hiked FAST trying to catch up to some hikers who left a day before me.

I also want to note I cried the most on this stretch of the trail. Not because of sadness but more so because I was in awe of my surroundings and felt surreal and blessed. This is definitely why I love to be outdoors immersed in nature. The sheer magnitude and beauty of the landscape evokes a certain feeling in you (◕‿◕✿)

^That was where I bawled lol

Anyways, I was able to catch up to my fellow hiker Strider in the next stretch and I made it to Walker Pass. We hitched a ride into Ridgewood and stocked up on some supply to push to Kennedy Meadows!

Fast forwarding a little bit, this next section was very hilly and I witnessed some of the most striking sunsets here. I can't stop recalling how beautiful it was and I keep thinking I need to use the word "beautiful" a bit less lol

Push Push Push

And there I was, in Kennedy Meadows!

Aw man, you wouldn't believe what I felt there. PURE ECSTASY

The fact that I had hiked 700 miles was mindblowing and seeing others who had walked the same journey melded a sense of solidarity and unity in this community.

The common topic of this hiker haven was where to go next. Because of the high snow fall in the Sierras, many decided to bypass and go up north. As for my trail family, we decided to head up to Mammoth Lakes to go skiing for a day and jump up north.

As for me, I had decided to get off the trail to attend Electric Forest and skip up to the Canadian border to hike down lol In retrospect, this was not a good decision.. but I have no regrets! I'll try to talk more about this process in the next post ＼(*T▽T*)／

[drugstorewizard]

I think Shrek lives in Tahoe

[deklo]

told my sister i’d meet her in town at a cafe before realizing it’s gonna be 80 degrees 🧎🏻‍♂️

[dandyshucks]

giving my friend a huge thumbs-up for suggesting I make a page on the n.eocities that looks like Junebug's scrapbook or journal :3 OOOH BABEYYYY WE ARE HAVING FUN WE ARE PLAYING WITH TUOYS,,,,,

[astillwater]

-Tobermory, Canada 2021- Day 8 of 10

You can’t tell from the photo, but I’m probably over 100 feet up on the edge of the cliff and my heart is racing with adrenaline & fear being so close to the drop. Feeling so alive. I can’t wait to get back to the woods.

[whatsy0urdream]

Pacific Crest Trail, Days 134 - 140

Pacific Crest Trail, Days 134 – 140

[forestgreenivy]

I’ll never get over Max Patch

[shopwitchvamp]

Me and my bf have been on a Survivor kick again, and everytime there's a little pre-commercial break thing where Jeff Probst is like "We want YOU to apply! Go online now and send us your application!" I turn to my boy and go 👀!! And he just says "Nooo! Stop ☹️"

So anyway, Witch Vamp on Survivor when?

[zaryathelaika]

Booties and Mileages

In the thru-hiking communities, there is a general formula how often shoes need to be replaced (every 300 - 500 mi or 500 - 800 km) and mailed in advance to supply drops. Is there a similar rule of thumb or mathematical formula for dog booties? Thanks. Preparing for the Great Divide Trail thru-hike which is 1 130 km (700 mi) long. There's about 6 resupply points with the longest stretch being two weeks or 300 km inbetween. Can always mail the surplus back home.

[ripleylacross]

Most people who follow me these days don't know that from 2018 to 2020 I had a webcomic.

It was a memoir following the events of my first long-distance backpacking trip with my husband. One hundred miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon, from Sisters, OR to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.

It focused a lot on my insecurities as a new backpacker as compared to the thru-hikers we encountered on that adventure... and the difficulties present in my marriage at the time.

Honestly, the longer I worked on it the more beautiful the pages became, and the faster I got at making them! I learned so much working on this project.

Each day on that trip was formatted as a chapter in the 'story' I was telling. Thus, the longer I worked on it, the longer each day became. Chapter 1 was only 29 pages, while Chapter 2 (above) was 37.

What ended up going online was only chapter 1 and 2. I intended on completing all of chapter 3 before posting it two pages per week so I'd have ample buffer to work on subsequent chapters. But... life kind of happened and production slowed down.

And, well, I realized in the end I was airing my dirty laundry for the world to see and painting my husband in a really shitty light.

The first nine pages of chapter 3 were finished, with a few more after that flatted and inked. The whole chapter was penciled save for a handful at the very end that I at least got roughed out. I loved how this chapter was looking and reading. I got creative with panels and compositions and felt so confident in my ability to make a good graphic memoir.

It was hard for me to let it go, but as the chapter progressed and the story got into the nitty gritty of it all, it was just too much. What had started as a desire to make a comic about a dramatic backpacking trip that left me with a sprained ankle and a newfound appreciation for my body had become... one-sided couples therapy.

This is the first time a lot of these pages have ever seen the Internet.

There's "doing the work" and then there's "Doing the WORK", and that's what this comic became. Seeing my actual faults. Not just my insecurities and anxieties, but how I saw myself in relation to my own partner and how I saw him. It was thoughtless to paint him in that light for other people to see and make their own assumptions.

So, a strong note to be made now: This comic is, technically, fictitious. Characterizations were exaggerated so much that the characters I made of myself and my husband didn't resemble us anymore.

I took the whole thing off the internet when came to these uncomfortable realizations. There are far, far worse pages already drawn that will never see the light of day.

Memoirs are tricky things. They can be healing, but they can also be harmful. The people in your memories are still people, and that has to be understood throughout the entire process. No matter what kind of imagined 'redemption arc' you create in your narrative to make up for it.

Anyway, if you got this far, thanks for reading about my experience making a webcomic/graphic memoir.