End of an era. The Appalachian Trail got me hooked in 2010. The Pacific Crest Trail made me swear I’d never do this nonsense again in 2017. Then my trail family called me and forced me into the Continental Divide Trail in 2019. My Triple Crown is complete and hopefully there are no other long … Continue reading Postmaster Shotguns / Meditation Sabotage / Sleep Stumbling : The Final CDT Blog
New Mexico. Aliens and green chiles. What more can you ask for? (A big ol’ burrito to smother with said delicious chiles). These little spicy, tasty morsels are such a dietary staple in this state that you can deliciousfy your Big Mac or Whopper atop them. This place is special. As a white person, I’m … Continue reading Rhonda’s Job / Creek Kitty / Funeral Crashing : CDT Blog #5
This trail couldn’t have changed more since entering Colorado. The trail is definitely more difficult than Montana and Wyoming but also much better maintained. 10,000 feet in elevation is basically a base line currently, going as high as 13,000. The towns that we resupply in have gone from gas stations in population 57 towns to … Continue reading Mystery Camper / Crease Greasing / Blinding Driver : CDT Blog #4
Halfway! I’ve been counting down the days to the glass being half empty for a while now. 1,500 miles down and 1,500 to go. 2 states, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 months down; 2 of each to go. Wyoming has been all over the place. From geysers, to mountains, to desert, to a motel employee … Continue reading Horny Toads / Nudie Calendars / Birthday Hail : CDT Blog #3
Montana... it’s been real. You generously provided us with drunken cowboys, grizzly bear horror stories, and an infamous luau party. We are eternally grateful to your state that possesses more cows than people. We’re currently in Dubois, Wyoming. 1,099 miles complete, 1,901 to go. Let’s kick off this blog with one of my favorite topics: … Continue reading Marlboro Man / Bear Serenading / Border Helicopters : CDT Blog #2
Third time is a charm? Either way, here goes round 3 of this whole strutting across the country nonsense. If you’re knee jerk reaction to that statement was something like “get a job ya’ damn hippy!” you might be better off switching to the ramblings of a non-crazy person. If you are thinking that this … Continue reading Death Wobbles / Doomed Raindrops / Luau Parties : CDT Blog #1
This feels odd… odd to be writing one of these in Alabama, in my apartment, on my couch, with my cat in my lap, and my favorite scotch in my hand. My other world… or one of my other worlds at least (this one with air conditioning ain’t bad). I’m getting back into the swing … Continue reading Mushroom Rides / Showering Tips / Scorpion Spooning : Final PCT Blog
I just took the plunge on purchasing my one-way plane ticket back to cornbread land. The home-stretch is here. 2,292 miles down and (ONLY) 366 miles to go. I distinctly remember when it was 366 miles down and 2,292 to go. But for now, let's live in the present (my guru tells me I need … Continue reading Ice Skating Birds / E. Coli Scare / Fugitive Kitty : PCT Blog #6
Lesson learned: California is approximately 10 times longer than us "east-coasters" imagine. 1,700 miles? The same distance as my home town in Alabama to Salt Lake City, Utah? This is ridiculous... Most Californians even want to chop the state in half. However, the mental disappointment of not crossing off a single state on the map … Continue reading Spider Attack / Cali Karaoke / Kitty Bombs : PCT Blog #5
Halfway from Mexico, halfway to Canada. 1,328 miles complete, 1,328 miles to go. That's not the only good news: the snow is over. What more could we want? (free beer and ice cream is the correct answer). What we don't want? One aspect of snow travel that I failed to discuss in the previous blog: … Continue reading Bar Bears / Smoked Snow / Line Skippers : PCT Blog #4
Coming to you live and illegally trespassing from my sleeping bag while attempting to remain hidden behind the Bridgeport Methodist Church (and you thought you were living a luxurious lifestyle). It's been quite the interesting stretch transferring from the desert to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. I remember thinking "ANYTHING but sand." Now I would … Continue reading Ice Axes / Frozen Beds / Roadside Lottery : PCT Blog #3
Dear desert, it's been a great run. Thanks for all the sun burns, dehydration episodes, and rattlesnake encounters. However, on a positive note, it's pretty awesome that you received the most rain that you have seen in 22 years. Because of it, you provided an abnormally spectacular display of greenery, flowers, wildlife, and most importantly … Continue reading Lizard Push-Ups / Death Rays / Apocalyptic Night Clubs: PCT Blog #2
It could be assumed that I "got it out of my system" by hiking the Appalachian Trail and riding a bicycle from Seattle to Key West... doubtful. Round 3. In the true form of adventure, I'm already experiencing a first on this go-round. I'm writing this with a bag of ice under my leg trying … Continue reading Border Patrol / Angry Foreigners / Coyotes : PCT Blog #1
Left turn on South Street… It was the beginning of the end. Because after that left turn on South Street, we were merely 3 blocks away from the end. Only 3 blocks left of a 4,000 mile, 4 month, 13 state, cross-country bicycle adventure. All of the sudden, this feeling simply overwhelms you. If there … Continue reading 3 Blocks Away… The Final Bike Blog
There it was... A bridge that rose up like a mountain out of the flat Florida highway. At the top of that bridge we would see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on this trip. At the bottom of that bridge we would submerge our feet in the waters and come to realize that … Continue reading Bike Blog #6: Dirt Roads / Rumble Strips / Runaway Jim
Alabama… couple things you don’t realize about it until you have been away for a little while… Humidity. Even when its “not bad” its bad… Mountains. Alabama mountains, don’t notice them until you are on a bicycle… Accents. They are thicker than I remembered… Hospitality. Better than I remembered… Biking. Riding on a two lane … Continue reading Bike Blog #5: Under The Bridge / Sand Lizards / Mississippi Jail
The humidity hit us like a brick wall, the accents greeted us, and for the first time on this trip the dogs chased us due to no leash laws... I made it back... The South. All this happened within a day of crossing over from Oklahoma to Arkansas. We completed The Plains section and entered … Continue reading Bike Blog #4: Corn Fields / Hungry Coyotes / Cold Blooded Killers
5:30AM: I woke up from the couch of some crazy lady in this tiny town in Colorado. I tip toed over my friends sleeping all over the floor. I hit the road before sunrise. 30 miles into the wind to La Junta, CO; home of the closest sports bar in a significantly large radius in … Continue reading Bike Blog #3: Homeless Showers / Extreme Tubing / The UFO
Riding 814 miles on a bicycle... Cool, I guess... Being on this adventure with this crew of people traveling through this region of the country... Words can't even come close to painting a true picture... But I guess that's what I'm trying to do here... So keep reading! Let's start with this frequently asked question: … Continue reading Bike Blog #2: Stealth Camping / Testicle Festival / The Gorge
Wow... Made it to Missoula, Montana. Might not leave... Ever... Or until winter... Whichever comes first. So I did these "blogs" while I was on the Appalachian Trail and I wouldn't say typing/writing was something I missed after typing my last blog for the trail. But I just sat down in this perfect backyard (because I … Continue reading Bike Blog #1: Talking Elevator / Midnight Sprinklers / Lost Dogs
I thought about naming this blog “The Final Chapter” but that just didn’t feel right… I completed hiking the Appalachian Trail 7 months ago as of today. The reason I never did a final blog after I had finished was because I knew my journey was not complete… in many different ways. On the Appalachian … Continue reading The Transition…
I’m in Monson, Maine. It’s famous on the Appalachian Trail for being the last stop before entering the 100 mile wilderness. There are no towns, food, or roads for 100 straight miles of trail. No civilization... So don't get hurt or run out of food, because you will have a serious problem. The end of … Continue reading AT Blog #7: Ivy League / Wilderness / Karaoke
Hanover, New Hampshire! I’ve hiked a grand total of 1,736 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia. Hanover is the home of the prestigious Dartmouth College. Yes, the Ivy League school folks; I'm tryin’ to shake some hands. Since my last blog I traversed New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. It’s convenient that the … Continue reading AT Blog #6: Bears / Big Apple / Baldwin
So it has been an interesting run, to say the least, since my last blog. Details to come but let’s get you caught up first. I'm currently in New Jersey and it’s the 4th of July. 1,335 miles hiked and 7 states complete. I last left you in Harpers Ferry, WV. West Virginia is not … Continue reading AT Blog #5: Snakes / Disease / Elvis
Wow... I have to admit, this is the first time I've been truly impressed with myself on this journey. Halfway… I've hiked 1,014 mile. I'm halfway done with the Appalachian Trail. I have attempted to keep track of the number of mountains we have climbed, but at this point it seems to be too many … Continue reading AT Blog #4: Star Power / Dumpster Diving / The Baltimore Wave
725 miles complete. That's 1/3 of the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. I'm in Daleville, Virginia and feeling on top of the world (yet surprisingly tired) for making it this far. That's the equivalent of walking the interstate from Birmingham, Alabama to Milwaukee, Minnesota. Let's do a people update to give you an … Continue reading AT Blog #3: Raindow Monkeys / Green Dogs / Talladega
Here I am in Damascus, Virginia. 463 miles complete; Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina complete; first section of the Appalachian Trail complete. So to kick things off, I think some people might be confused as to what the hell I'm doing exactly… So I'm going to do my best to explain. There are so many … Continue reading AT Blog #2: The Duck Walk / King Clinton / Interstate Camping
So we've walked 164 miles. We've hiked in sun, rain, 50 mph winds, sleet, snow, lightning, and hail. We've summited 18 mountains. We've slept In the snow with temperatures as low as 19 degrees. I started solo… alone. I say “we” because I am meeting so many interesting, amazing, and weird people who share the … Continue reading AT Blog #1: Funky Flames / Women Advice / Hitchhiking
Tyler Ross Adventures 