From the category archives:

Reader Q & A

Reader Question #13: Men

December 11, 2009 Reader Q & A

Eliza V. from Burlington, VT
Question:
You have recently been organizing a lot of all-women events. Have you joined a convent or are you now unable to relate to members of the opposite sex?
Answer:
Yes. Wait, no, to both options.
Actually, some of my best friends are male, and every week we watch another bad Patrick Swayze movie together. [...]

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Reader question #12: Homelessness

November 6, 2009 Reader Q & A

Wynn B. from Jackson, MS
Question:
I heard that you have been sleeping in a tent in your friend’s backyard. Have you lost the ability to live in normal society?
Answer:
Yes. Thanks for bringing it up.
Actually, for the past month I have been what I call “creatively homeless.” I have been staying with friends while I waited for [...]

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Reader Question #11: Hipsters

October 3, 2009 Reader Q & A

Peter B from Portland, OR
Question:
I heard that you came back to Portland with a faux hawk and that you now wear a bandanna at all times. How is it, that after 3 months in the woods, you are now more of a hipster than a mountain woman?
Answer:
Excuse me. I will answer you as soon as [...]

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Reader Question #10: Adventure

September 28, 2009 Reader Q & A

Kate I. from Boston, MA
Question:
How does it feel to be a real live adventurer?
Answer:
Great. Yesterday I encountered a cow with a taste for man flesh.
No, that’s just me trying to make Vermont more exciting than it is. The trail goes through a lot of farm country here. Yesterday I hopped 4 barbed-wire fences, walked along [...]

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Reader Question #9: Beautiful Things

September 16, 2009 Reader Q & A

Cecily O. from Portland, OR
Question: You seem to complain a lot on your blog, are you actually having a good time?
Answer: Yes. Things on the trail keep getting better, except when they’re not.
I am seeing beautiful things here. For example, the other day I started hiking in a thick fog. As the day went on, [...]

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Reader Question #8: Being a wimp

September 2, 2009 Favorites

Audrey B from Lookout Mtn, GA
Question: My brother/cousin/friend/grandmother/pet ferret did the 100 mile wilderness and did not have as hard a time as you. Is it possible that you are a wimp?
Answer: Yes. Although we in the wimp community prefer to be called badass challenged.
Actually, there are many stories of people who start out and [...]

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Reader Question #7: Going Southbound

August 21, 2009 Reader Q & A

Abe Y. from Austin, TX.
Question: Why did you choose to hike the trail Southbound?
Answer: Because I am a masochist and a misanthrope.
Actually, I love people, so it is sometimes lonely to hike Southbound, but I am getting some good time to reflect and meditate. And I am importing hikers by getting my friends to meet [...]

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Reader Question #6: Lying

July 23, 2009 Reader Q & A

Richard I, from New York City.
Question: You claim to be on the Appalachian Trail and yet your blog updates frequently, which is impossible. Liar! You are really still in Portland watching Star Trek and eating Voodoo Doughnuts.
Answer: Well, that is actually a statement and not a question, so I am unsure of how to [...]

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Reader Question #5: Safety

June 6, 2009 Reader Q & A

Heidi S. from Seattle, WA

Question:

As a female hiking the trail alone, aren’t you worried about safety?

Answer:

It takes too much energy to constantly worry about your safety for 6 months.

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Reader Question #4: Bears

June 1, 2009 Reader Q & A

Tina L from Chattanooga, TN.
Question:
Does menstrual blood really attract bears?
Answer:
Yes. And they keep stealing my pick-a-nick baskets.
Do you have a question? Email me

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