About Me

“We are all dying, every moment that passes of every day. That is the inescapable truth of this existence. It is a truth that can paralyze us with fear, or one that can energize us with impatience, with the desire to explore and experience, with the hope- nay, the iron-will!- to find a memory in every action. To be alive, under sunshine, or starlight, in weather fair or stormy. To dance with every step, be they through gardens of flowers or through deep snows.”  - Drizzt Do'Urden

My name is Colton. In 2015 I walked 2,189.2 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine.

In 2016 I will be walking from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail.

This blog exists because besides being a hiker, I also somewhat fancy myself a writer.

In the meantime I'm working on a couple of projects, The Vegan Guide to Thruhiking Gear, and How to Eat Vegan on a Thruhike. Both of these will be made available for free online as soon as I'm done.

What else? I was born in Oklahoma. I've been vegan for almost a decade. I am Straight Edge. This means I adhere to a lifestyle that abstains from drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and other intoxicants. I spent my teenage years and early twenties getting rowdy at hardcore (a more abrasive version of "punk" or whatever) shows, sleeping on floors and in vans, and generally trying to do what I want with as little work (trading time for money) in between as possible. I still sleep in vans and on floors, but I've committed myself to being outside as much as possible these days. My favorite band is Jesu, my favorite writer is Brandon Sanderson, and my favorite fictional character is Drizzt Do'Urden. I've been writing an epic fantasy novel (think Game of Thrones but less grim... or maybe not, maybe just as grim) since I was 18. Someday I'll finish it. Until then I have trails to hike.