A weird post for those of you following my journey on the Appalachian Trail. This evening I am writing a blog post for my graduate course in Media Literacy, and if you’re here for spiders and trails you are welcome to skip this one. Here is the prompt: Write a reflection on your childhood experience(s) … More Homework Assignment for RE601 Loyola Maryland
Four years ago today I visited a city in Germany called Marburg. I spent a sunny day visiting the old college, walking cobblestone streets, riding trains, and eating tortellini (I know, so German). Marburg was the college home of the Brothers Grimm and is split between Upper Marburg and Lower Marburg. Kindly, the town erected … More A Mask in the Woods: Wolfsville Road to Pen Mar Park (9.8 miles)
Another Sunday morning on the AT for Maggie and Henry. With a thirteen-miler behind us, little over eight miles on today’s trail sounded easy. Unlike last time there was no rain, but it was cloudy, meaning the sun wouldn’t beat down on us at all. Even after crossing the I-70 footbridge, we started on a … More A Mask in the Woods: I-70 Footbridge to Wolfsville Road (9.2 miles)
You are an elderly gentleman mentally preparing for a hike in the beautiful Gathland State Park. Sitting in your truck, you wonder to yourself if the rain will make the trail impassable. The rain is lighter than it was, sure, but maybe the trail will be too wet for knees like yours. A grey Honda … More A Mask in the Woods: Gathland State Park to I-70 Footbridge (13.0 miles)
When I was around ten, my dad had this great idea to backpack 12 national parks in 12 months with my brother and me. We were going to go all over the Midwest with me recording our journeys on a Flip video camera and my dad writing about it on a blog. Fourteen years and … More A Mask in the Woods: Harpers Ferry to Gathland State Park (10.7 miles)
The overwhelming feeling of the upcoming Democratic Primary race is dread. Despite Super Tuesday (when nine states in the US will hold their primaries, newly including California) being 199 days away, we all seem to be dragging our feet toward the ballot boxes. When I talk to people about the primary, the consensus is that … More Rank Choice Voting Could Invigorate Democratic Primary
When I was fourteen, my parents twisted my arm until I signed up for high school track. They said “it will be a good way to get in shape for swim season,” and as a freshman in high school I didn’t know yet that I didn’t really care about being in shape for swimming. I … More Triathlon
A lot has happened in the few months since I last posted! And before I become a married lady in just two weeks, I wanted to catch everyone up on the craziness. I finished up my first year of teaching in the middle of May, and it is hard to believe that the year is … More A Washington, D.C., Life Update!
You can find Writer’s Retreat: Part 1 here Part-reward, part-work, I spent five days of my Spring Break in central Michigan on the Muskegon River. I was determined to get through the first round of revisions of the manuscript. I had officially “finished” the manuscript a week earlier (though some chapters were absolutely rushed, and … More Writer’s Retreat, Part 2
When I envisioned my writer’s retreat, it was a luxurious haze of creativity, productivity, and relaxation (it kind of bugs me the last word doesn’t rhyme with the first two but I’m moving on). I had some things to accomplish in Wisconsin before heading off to my cabin in the woods, but mostly my head … More Writer’s Retreat: Part 1
Mary M. McConnaha 