Nutty Hiker

Sorry about the delay in videos! I am trying to get caught up on my blog posts (which go more in-depth, history-wise). I have more videos coming out. For those that did not see the post on my Facebook (bit.ly/4eYiwUG) ...We did get off trail (temporarily), yet again.

As most of you know, we live in Central Texas and had devastating floods in the area on July 4th. Thankfully, our immediate area was spared, but we made the decision to come home to see how we can help, given our backgrounds in fire and rescue.

Anyway, the plan was to spend four more days hiking, since we had already booked a non-refundable room, and then head home. Over the Fourth of July, I noticed some very unusual bug bites, but thought nothing of it. When we left to go back to the trail, I noticed A LOT more and thought, dang, the bugs are horrible. I hiked the next day, and when I finished, there were even more, and the pattern was super weird! All I could think was, I need to put bug spray on next time.

The next morning, there were MORE! And now it was burning. I decided to go hiking and immediately regretted my mistake. The humidity and my legs rubbing together were causing them to feel like they were on fire, and that I needed to itch them off. I was about .5 mile in and turned around and called Suspenders.

Well, turns out....it wasn't bug bites, but my legs were covered in poison sumac (as well as probably poison oak and ivy). The pattern of poison sumac is what caused my confusion. Over the next few days, everything began to resemble rashes. My left leg, ankle, and foot completely swelled up. That leg suffered the worst. Needless to say, I had a pretty severe allergic reaction.

For 45 years, I have been able to roll around (literally) in poison Ivy and never react to it. Apparently, poison sumac is far more potent, even though it contains the same oil as poison Ivy.

I am happy to say that I am now two days itch-free, but my legs look horrible LMAO. We are currently gathering items to donate to those affected by the flood and plan to be back on trail in about a month. The plan is to try and get from Pennsylvania and south done before we have to come home in November. Next year, I will do the northern portion. Hopefully, it will also start to cool down.

We also found out our oldest daughter and son-in-law are having a baby!!!! We are excited to be Grandparents!

Oh, and you will be able to tell which day it was that caused this mess when the video is released. There will be no mistaking it, I promise. So keep a lookout for that; plus, the video has a pretty cool Triple B!

Oh and I will be wearing pants while hiking, from now on....lesson learned.

6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 6

Nutty Hiker

Videos start coming out again tomorrow! They are running a week or two behind. Feel free to follow me on Facebook; I typically post daily there for a better idea of where we are on trail, if you would like to meet up! www.facebook.com/nuttyhikerofficial

7 months ago | [YT] | 2

Nutty Hiker

Q&A: Feel free to ask questions here. We will answer them on an upcoming Q&A.

1 year ago | [YT] | 0

Nutty Hiker

We are on trail! First video will come out January 27th with a new daily video released daily thereafter.

1 year ago | [YT] | 10

Nutty Hiker

For anyone who may be wondering if my plans to start my Pinhoti hike this weekend are being canceled because of the pending hurricane that is possibly supposed to hit that area, the answer is no! We are still leaving Thursday to head that way as planned and will start our hike on Sunday. We will be bringing a raft in the event we need to float the trail instead. That still counts, right?

1 year ago | [YT] | 3

Nutty Hiker

16 Days Until Sturgis (taking a new route this year)
82 Days Until my Pinhoti Trail Thru Hike
229 Days Until my Appalachian Trail Thru Hike
Followed by knocking out the Greenbrier River Trail before we travel Route 66 on the Motorcycle

It's going to be a busy next 18 months or so! If life goes according to plan, we plan to do the PCT Spring of 2026 and CDT Spring of 2027.

I will be doing daily videos of each adventure, so keep an eye out! Gear videos and official video announcements are coming soon!

1 year ago | [YT] | 1

Nutty Hiker

It's been a while friends! I just want to make a quick announcement for those that did not see it on Facebook. We (me, Ripley, and my husband) have locked down a date to return to the Appalachian Trail....Feb 23, 2025!!!!!

That's right, Ripley will be back with me and I cannot wait to see her face again! My husband, as he promised and the reason I am waiting until 2025, will also be joining us. We will be starting over at Springer.

My husband will be fully retired in 2025. We plan to sell the house, most of our belongings, and become nomads for about 3-5 years. I will get a video up soon with all our plans!

If you have any questions for us, please comment or you can fill out the form here: nuttyhiker.com/ask-a-question/ and we will answer it in an upcoming video.

2 years ago | [YT] | 1

Nutty Hiker

Sorry I have left everyone hanging. I am healed and ready to hit the trail. I had to leave the trail unexpectedly due to a personal tragedy at home with the suicide (PTSD related) of a very close personal friend to both me and my husband. Most of you that have followed me for years know that my husband has severe PTSD as did our close personal friend. I’m not going to go into much detail right now and will talk about it more in a video when I get back on the trail. I expect to be back out there in a week or two (mid March). It depends a lot on knowing that my husband is emotionally well enough for me to return. I will be back out there though. The trail is what will allow me to heal. To the Marine that was in the shuttle that I was in, I’ll call you Long Island since I didn’t catch your name or even see your face :) Thank you for everything you said to me. You have no idea how much it meant. Good luck on your hike and I hope to eventually run into you again!

EDITED TO ADD: I’ll be flying back into Atlanta on March 17th. Hitting the trail where I left off March 18th. Videos will be uploaded daily as service allows. Trying to keep them each under 15 minutes. If I’m dead tired it may take a couple of days to get them out. For the most up to date daily information, follow my Facebook and Instagram as it’s usually easier to post a daily picture or status than trying to upload a 15 minute video over cell service lol :)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nuttyhiker
Instagram: instagram.com/NuttyHiker

5 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 112

Nutty Hiker

Taking a zero tomorrow, thought about making a Q&A. If you have any questions for myself or my Tramily feel free to leave them!

5 years ago | [YT] | 23