“Like a tree that grows stronger with more branches and roots, you need to find more and more ways to be inspired.” – Yiannis Kouros

The knowledge on this site comes from an array of sources. My goal in seeking out these sources of knowledge has been to elevate my understanding via the wisdom of those who have come before me. By standing upon the intellectual shoulders of others, I am better positioned to arrive at truth when I embark on my own trail studies.

This list recounts the pursuits of wild knowledge that I have made. Sources are listed in chronological order of completion with the newest items being added to the top.

2013

• 1126 trail miles
• Completed the entire Allegheny Trail
• Look at the Sky and Tell the Weather by Eric Sloane
• Contemplations of a Primal Mind by Gabriel Horn
• Hiking the Continental Divide Trail: One Woman’s Story by Jennifer Hanson
• My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir
• Skywalker: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Walker
• Solo Faces by James Salter
• Skywalker: Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail by Bill Walker
• The Appalachian Trail Institute, Appalachian Folk School, Laurel Bloomery, TN
• Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes
• Called Again: Love and Triumph on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis
• Andrew Skurka’s Gear & Skills Clinic, Keswick, VA
• 2013 AT Trail Days in Damascus, VA
• Stickeen by John Muir
• Trail Life: Ray Jardine’s Lightweight Backpacking by Ray Jardine
• Half-Safe by James Nestor
• A Museum of Early American Tools by Eric Sloane
• AWOL On the Appalachian Trail by David Miller

2012

• 400 trail miles
• Canoeing with the Cree by Eric Severeid
• Eiger Dreams by John Krakauer
• The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance by Tovar Cerulli
• Nesika Backapcking Seminar, Trails Club of Oregon, Multnomah Falls, OR
• Vagabonding by Ralph Potts
• Once a Runner by John Parker Jr.
• Born to Run by Chris McDougall
• Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
• White Fang by Jack London
• Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway
• A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
• Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Theodore Roosevelt
• Call of The Wild by Jack London
• Into the Wild by John Krakauer

2011

• 232 trail miles
• Fall Wild Edibles and Primitive Cooking Course, The Earth Connection School of Wilderness Survival, Somerville, VA
• Small Game Hunting Course, The Earth School, Asheville, NC

Wayback

• Eagle Scout, 2004
• Phlimont 100-mile Trek, 2004
• Atikokan Back Country Canoe Trek, 2002

In-Progress

• 2014 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike, NOBO, June 5 start date
• Kamana I Naturalist Program, The Wilderness Awareness School, Duvall, WA
• My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir
• The Remarkable Trees of Virginia by Nancy Hugo