What gets read can be interesting. And often, some of the most-read can be a few years old. I like to visit the stats at the end of each year, and see what pulled at readers.
What feels good is when people like what you wrote that year. Sometimes I wander down a lane in my mind, and talk openly about things, other years I feel more closed off and don’t share as much. But most of all, I have been writing for myself these years. And if it is read, it makes me happy.
The Posts:
If I were to say this: If you are somewhere, and you can, take the side path. Because chances are you won’t get back. You don’t know if it will be the last time you do something. I have moved enough times to know this is true.
As a female writer in the outdoor industry, I see a side most writers do not – because they are male. I will say this: If you like toilet paper, ignore every man who claims it isn’t “needed”. It doesn’t weigh much. It packs out easily. And it may well make your hikes far more pleasant.
And contrary to what some men will say, it weighs almost nothing. Remember when writers talk smack about TP, they are also the ones who sleep on 3/4 sleeping pads, eat ramen dry, and wear the same socks for a week.
If you can carry your backpack, do what makes you happy!
Sometimes you act like you are still in your early 20s. We had a week to drive an RV across the country and fly back at the end of February. We made it in 4 days, from Western Washington to West Virginia, in the Eastern Panhandle.
We “camped” every night at Love’s Truck Stops (this one in South Dakota had a real campground with showers, the rest were in the parking lot). 2800 miles is a long way in 4 days. I woke up in Montana on my birthday and fell asleep in South Dakota. It was one of the best road trips I have taken. Ironically, we then traded in the RV in August and got a trailer, but eh, it was good.
The Old Days: Randomly Buying Freeze-dried Meals Via The Mail
It really wasn’t that long ago when everything we bought came through paper catalogs—and we had only a vague idea of what we were actually getting till a few weeks later. No 2-day shopping back then. Then taking it hiking and hoping it was edible….
The Salish Sea in winter. As with the post above, one day will be your last visit. I used to come out to this beach 3 or 4 times a week. And just be.
I hadn’t hiked the AT since 2010, in the Great Smokies, and the last time I had been on it in Virginia or West Virginia was in 2003. Suddenly, I was living just a few miles away. I made sure to hike this short section in 80+ temps, not accustomed to the weather. I was so sweaty that I ended up pocket-dialing 911. Not once. But TWICE. The Virginia State Police were at least humored when they called me back to see if I was lost/hurt on the AT. I was so embarrassed. My foray on the AT taught me some harsh lessons about the East Coast’s humidity.
As for the other popular pages, it was the usual ones:
Dehydrating and Freeze-drying 101
~Sarah