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  • Appalachian Trail
    • Dreams Begin & The Appalachian Trail
  • Maine AT
    • Day 0 – Slackpacking Maine
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #11
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #12
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #13
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #14
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #15
    • Day 6 – Slackpacking Maine – Summit Katahdin
  • Maryland AT
    • Hike #24 Purpose, Peaks, and Privy | Kicking off the State of Maryland on the AT
    • Hike #25 Best Laid Plans & Beauty of the Detour
    • Hike #26 The Blair Witch Project: Fear, Forests & the Fierce Path Forward
    • Hike #27 From Bike Tires to Hiking Boots: A Full-Circle Journey to Harpers Ferry
  • Massachusetts AT
    • Day 0 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 6 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
  • Pennsylvania AT
    • Hike #1 | 9.05 miles | Pennsylvania | Sheet Iron Roof Rd to Boiling Springs
    • Hike #2 | 8.71 miles | Pennsylvania | Bernheisel Bridge Road to Boiling Springs
    • Hike #9 From Doubt to Delight: A Newbie’s Unexpected Fondness of the AT
    • Hike #10 Adventure and Shadows: A Hike Through Duncannon’s Dark Past
    • Hike #21 Frozen On The Trail And In Life
    • Hike #22 – The Dragonfly & Lessons From the Trail
    • Hike #23 Mile by Mile: The Power of Small Goals on Big Journeys
    • #32 Trail Magic and Human Nature
    • #33 The People You Meet Between Here and There
    • #34 Every Step Matters
    • #35 Going Downhill
    • #36 The Detour I Never Planned
    • #37 🎵 Where Did She Come From, Where Did She Go, Where Did She Come From, Squarepie Joe 🎵
    • #38 Finding A Better Way
    • #39 Every Mile Has a Story. Today Had Three.
    • #40 Sometimes the Trail Becomes the Story
    • #41 Sometimes Being Lost Helps You Find What Matters Most
  • Vermont AT
    • Hike #28 The Cairn Field | A Path Marked by Intention
    • Hike #29 Suspended Between Struggle and Gratitude
    • Hike #30 The Weather Queen Said Rain… We Said Game On
    • Hike #31 Forget the Views, I Found My Quartz
  • Virginia AT
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Virginia – AT Hike #16
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Virginia – Time & Choices – AT Hike #17
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Virginia – Beauty in the Struggle – AT Hike #18
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Virginia – Why? – AT Hike #19
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Virginia – Grandma Gatewood & Zero Day – AT Hike #20
  • About Me
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    • Appalachian Trail, Hiking, Maine
    • August 7, 2024

    Day 4 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #14

    Hike #4 – Pollywog Stream to Abol Bridge – 17.2 Miles – Gain 1,896 – Loss 1,985 – 3+ Water,...
    Kim and Christine in the 100 Mile Wilderness
    • Appalachian Trail, Hiking, Pennsylvania
    • June 18, 2026

    #32 Trail Magic and Human Nature

    Today (our first hike of 2026) Katie and I returned to Pen Mar Park on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, a place,...
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Kim Ford, SIOR, LEED AP

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Trailblazing NextTrailblazing Next
  • Appalachian Trail
    • Dreams Begin & The Appalachian Trail
  • Maine AT
    • Day 0 – Slackpacking Maine
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #11
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #12
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #13
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #14
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #15
    • Day 6 – Slackpacking Maine – Summit Katahdin
  • Maryland AT
    • Hike #24 Purpose, Peaks, and Privy | Kicking off the State of Maryland on the AT
    • Hike #25 Best Laid Plans & Beauty of the Detour
    • Hike #26 The Blair Witch Project: Fear, Forests & the Fierce Path Forward
    • Hike #27 From Bike Tires to Hiking Boots: A Full-Circle Journey to Harpers Ferry
  • Massachusetts AT
    • Day 0 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 6 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
  • Pennsylvania AT
    • Hike #1 | 9.05 miles | Pennsylvania | Sheet Iron Roof Rd to Boiling Springs
    • Hike #2 | 8.71 miles | Pennsylvania | Bernheisel Bridge Road to Boiling Springs
    • Hike #9 From Doubt to Delight: A Newbie’s Unexpected Fondness of the AT
    • Hike #10 Adventure and Shadows: A Hike Through Duncannon’s Dark Past
    • Hike #21 Frozen On The Trail And In Life
    • Hike #22 – The Dragonfly & Lessons From the Trail
    • Hike #23 Mile by Mile: The Power of Small Goals on Big Journeys
    • #32 Trail Magic and Human Nature
    • #33 The People You Meet Between Here and There
    • #34 Every Step Matters
    • #35 Going Downhill
    • #36 The Detour I Never Planned
    • #37 🎵 Where Did She Come From, Where Did She Go, Where Did She Come From, Squarepie Joe 🎵
    • #38 Finding A Better Way
    • #39 Every Mile Has a Story. Today Had Three.
    • #40 Sometimes the Trail Becomes the Story
    • #41 Sometimes Being Lost Helps You Find What Matters Most
  • Vermont AT
    • Hike #28 The Cairn Field | A Path Marked by Intention
    • Hike #29 Suspended Between Struggle and Gratitude
    • Hike #30 The Weather Queen Said Rain… We Said Game On
    • Hike #31 Forget the Views, I Found My Quartz
  • Virginia AT
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Virginia – AT Hike #16
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Virginia – Time & Choices – AT Hike #17
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Virginia – Beauty in the Struggle – AT Hike #18
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Virginia – Why? – AT Hike #19
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Virginia – Grandma Gatewood & Zero Day – AT Hike #20
  • About Me
Trailblazing NextTrailblazing Next
  • Appalachian Trail
    • Dreams Begin & The Appalachian Trail
  • Maine AT
    • Day 0 – Slackpacking Maine
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #11
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #12
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #13
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #14
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #15
    • Day 6 – Slackpacking Maine – Summit Katahdin
  • Maryland AT
    • Hike #24 Purpose, Peaks, and Privy | Kicking off the State of Maryland on the AT
    • Hike #25 Best Laid Plans & Beauty of the Detour
    • Hike #26 The Blair Witch Project: Fear, Forests & the Fierce Path Forward
    • Hike #27 From Bike Tires to Hiking Boots: A Full-Circle Journey to Harpers Ferry
  • Massachusetts AT
    • Day 0 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
    • Day 6 – Slackpacking Massachusetts
  • Pennsylvania AT
    • Hike #1 | 9.05 miles | Pennsylvania | Sheet Iron Roof Rd to Boiling Springs
    • Hike #2 | 8.71 miles | Pennsylvania | Bernheisel Bridge Road to Boiling Springs
    • Hike #9 From Doubt to Delight: A Newbie’s Unexpected Fondness of the AT
    • Hike #10 Adventure and Shadows: A Hike Through Duncannon’s Dark Past
    • Hike #21 Frozen On The Trail And In Life
    • Hike #22 – The Dragonfly & Lessons From the Trail
    • Hike #23 Mile by Mile: The Power of Small Goals on Big Journeys
    • #32 Trail Magic and Human Nature
    • #33 The People You Meet Between Here and There
    • #34 Every Step Matters
    • #35 Going Downhill
    • #36 The Detour I Never Planned
    • #37 🎵 Where Did She Come From, Where Did She Go, Where Did She Come From, Squarepie Joe 🎵
    • #38 Finding A Better Way
    • #39 Every Mile Has a Story. Today Had Three.
    • #40 Sometimes the Trail Becomes the Story
    • #41 Sometimes Being Lost Helps You Find What Matters Most
  • Vermont AT
    • Hike #28 The Cairn Field | A Path Marked by Intention
    • Hike #29 Suspended Between Struggle and Gratitude
    • Hike #30 The Weather Queen Said Rain… We Said Game On
    • Hike #31 Forget the Views, I Found My Quartz
  • Virginia AT
    • Day 1 – Slackpacking Virginia – AT Hike #16
    • Day 2 – Slackpacking Virginia – Time & Choices – AT Hike #17
    • Day 3 – Slackpacking Virginia – Beauty in the Struggle – AT Hike #18
    • Day 4 – Slackpacking Virginia – Why? – AT Hike #19
    • Day 5 – Slackpacking Virginia – Grandma Gatewood & Zero Day – AT Hike #20
  • About Me
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Slackpacking Virginia
Appalachian Trail Hiking Virginia

Day 1 – Slackpacking Virginia – Flames & Friends AT Hike #16

Kim FordSeptember 3, 20241,389

Our journey started under a canopy of rhododendrons, moved through rolling hills, and ended with a nice climb. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know everyone along the way. As Labor Day and Day 1 in Virginia drew to a…

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AGC Maine Slackpacking 2024
Appalachian Trail Hiking Maine

Day 6 – Slackpacking Maine – Summit Katahdin

Kim FordAugust 11, 20241,844

The climb intensified, the gradient so steep that my trekking poles became redundant, replaced by the necessity of hands and knees grappling with the rugged terrain. Donning knee pads, I embraced the grueling ascent, 'embracing the suck' as I…

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Baxter State Park, Abol Bridge
Appalachian Trail Hiking Maine

Day 5 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #15

Kim FordAugust 7, 20241,536

Today, I stepped off the world's stage and wandered where the wild things are. The summit's call, a distant echo, as work and worries dissolved like morning mist. Baxter's trails beckoned, a tapestry of pine, rock, and river's song,…

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Kim and Christine in the 100 Mile Wilderness
Appalachian Trail Hiking Maine

Day 4 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #14

Kim FordAugust 7, 20241,684

Today, was full of decisions. Some sections were quite difficult to navigate, with not one clear, easy path. They demanded swift, yet thoughtful choices, mirroring life's complex dance of risk and reward

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AT Maine
Appalachian Trail Hiking Maine

Day 3 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #13

Kim FordAugust 5, 20241,648

The trailhead welcomed us with open arms, Karen and Danya leading the way, with the serene Nahmakanta Lake gracing our journey. A slight drop in humidity and the sporadic lake breeze were nature's small mercies. Amidst the chatter, I…

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Kim Ford

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People who say they never got the chance never took the chance. The scariest place to be is the same place as last year. Just do it.... take the first step.

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