New Year’s Eve: No Fireworks, Just Forward
New Year’s Eve. Standing on the thin line between 2025 and 2026 like it’s some kind of magical reset instead of just another page on the calendar. Same aches. Same bills. Same world that hasn’t learned a damn thing. But sure, let’s count backwards and pretend fireworks fix things. I’m not making resolutions. Haven’t in […]
The First Shot: When Your Backyard Becomes Your Whole World
This is one of the first photos I ever took with my Nikon D7500. Not the first. But close. Early enough that I was still fumbling through menus, second-guessing settings, and wondering if I’d just wasted money on a camera I didn’t know how to use. It’s a simple shot. A dog in profile. Natural […]
Camera Upgrade Dilemma: Mirrorless Future or DSLR Loyalty?
I need your help. Not with a trail recommendation or a rib rub. With cameras. Specifically, whether I should drag my photography setup into the modern era or double down on old-school reliability. Here’s where I’m at: I shoot with a Nikon D7500. It’s been good to me. Entry-level, budget-friendly, does what I need it […]
How to Make a Relationship Work When Your Partner Doesn’t Share Your Trail Obsession
Here’s a truth nobody puts on a bumper sticker: you can love someone deeply and still want to hike alone. Not because you don’t enjoy their company. Not because you’re avoiding them. But because you move differently. You want different things from the trail. And sometimes, the best thing you can do for your relationship […]
Vaughan Woods: When You Don’t Need the Summit to Earn the View
Vaughan Woods: When You Don’t Need the Summit to Earn the View You don’t always need to climb a mountain to earn a view. Sometimes, you just need tall pines, good light, and the sound of water moving over stone. Sometimes, you need a trail that won’t leave you limping back to the Jeep, wondering […]
From Auto to Adventure: How to Master Manual Mode
Intro: Why It’s Time to Break Free from Auto There’s a moment — right before the sun cracks the horizon — when the whole world feels alive. The air smells like salt and pine, the fog clings to the shoreline, and the light shifts by the second. I’ve stood there, camera in hand, heart thumping, […]
Cutler Coast: My First Real Trail Since the Hardware Install
I decided to head up to Downeast Maine this weekend. A solid two-hour and forty-five-minute drive from home. Long enough to question the decision. Not long enough to turn around. I took Route 1 north, which, if you’ve never driven it, is one of the better stretches of road in this state. Old buildings. Ocean […]
A New Way to Carry the Weight
Trying out the CCS G3 Strapshot for camera carry on the trail I hope everyone is making the most of summer and finding time to get out and walk a little. The coast has been humid, the bugs are out, but the trails are still calling. I have been easing back into hiking since the […]