Ray K. Anderson's Blog, page 3
November 26, 2016
Ultra Light Backpacking at ALDHA
Last week, I blogged about backpacking light. Here is that idea in the extreme. A few years ago, I attended the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA) conference in No. Adams, Massachusetts. There is also a sister organization known as the American Long Distance Hiking Association. They meet on the west coast at a different time. Of the many workshops I attended, one dealt […]
November 19, 2016
Backpacking Lite
Take a look at the backpacks in the pictures. Both packs are empty, but the red one, with external frame, is already twice as heavy as the green one. And, because it is much bigger, you will cram extra stuff into it. The red pack is almost identical to the one I used on the Appalachian Trail in ’03, and it […]
November 12, 2016
Hiker Jargon
Abbreviations of trails abound. But here are some other words and terms (in no particular order) commonly used by long-distance hikers. Thru-hiker: A hiker who will attempt to hike the complete trail in one go, or in one season. Section hiker: A hiker who hikes a trail in small sections; he or she may not plan on completing the trail. Nobo: Northbounder Sobo: Southbounder […]
November 5, 2016
The Pacific Crest Trail and “Sierra”
Here are a few more pictures from my Sierra launch. This is the second novel in my AWOL thriller series. As many of you know, Sierra is about hard drugs muled by released prisoners along the Pacific Crest Trail. Drug cartels play a major role as I take the reader from the Mexican border to Canada. […]
October 31, 2016
“SIERRA” and the Pacific Crest Trail
On Wednesday, October 26, I launched my newest AWOL thriller, SIERRA. The pictures above are from the event, which took place at the Hingham Public Library, with Buttonwood Books. Thank you if you were one of the 65 people attending. It was a great evening as I quizzed the group, gave out PCT prizes, showed […]
October 22, 2016
The Triple Crown Hiking Trails
Long-distance hikers commonly refer to America’s triple crown hiking trails. The pictures, top to bottom, follow the order below. If you want the newest (May 20, 2016) and best update of the Triple Crown I’ve seen, click here: https://marmot.com/love-the-outside/t...? Appalachian Trail (AT) This is the grand daddy. It runs through 14 states from Georgia to Maine […]
October 15, 2016
The Pacific Crest Trail
For awesome beauty and majesty, nothing I’ve hiked compares to the Pacific Crest Trail. Parts of other trails may be as scenic, but for long stretches, such as the PCT’s course through Yosemite, it is, for me, incomparable. All these pictures are from my PCT hike and there were scores of others I could have picked that were just […]
October 8, 2016
My Second Hiking Thriller–Mayhem along the Pacific Crest Trail
This blog is about hiking, so it makes sense to me to introduce you to my newest Awol hiking thriller, Sierra. But first, I should back up a bit and tell you how these novels all started. How does a retired Coca-Cola salesman living a quiet life near Boston, Massachusetts become an author of thrillers? It all started in […]
October 1, 2016
Speed Records on Trails: Good idea or bad?
Not that long ago, Associated Press ran an article about a woman who’d just completed hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes! Then last year, a runner shaved several hours off that time. Now we learn that a new record has been set. An ultra runner has just completed the […]
September 10, 2016
Hiking Tip-bottle clip
Ever had to twist and reach to grab your water bottle? Ever had trouble slipping a canteen back into your pack without having to take the backpack off? Hiking Tip: Use a bottle clip. The green clip you see in the pictures fits snuggly around the necks of water or soda bottles. Look closely and you can see a […]
