The Trek

1 week ago | thetrek.co | Anna Smith

*these posts are coming straight from trail, I apologize in advance for typos!*Location: The DesertStart: Cottonwood Creek and Faucet – 534.9End: Willow Springs Road – 558.5Miles: 23.6Ascent: 4825 | Descent: 3786Sleep: BuildingOur biggest day on trail yet and the most miles I’ve ever hiked in 24 hours! We did 42 miles in 23 hours (with only about 5 hours of sleep)!I had set my alarm for 5:30am and had such a hard time getting up.

2 weeks ago | thetrek.co | Kelly Floro

The Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says that 28-year-old Esther Keiderling of Ulster Park, NY — one of the hikers found dead near the summit of Katahdin earlier this month — died from “blunt force injuries.”Baxter State Park officials said on Thursday that Keiderling likely slid downhill until she collided with boulders.

2 weeks ago | thetrek.co | Kelly Floro

Remember the exploding Samsung Galaxy 7 fiasco of 2016? A similar problem now appears to be plaguing some older Anker power banks. The portable charge units have long been popular among backpackers as a means to keep phones topped up during extended stints in the backcountry. But now, a defect in the lithium battery of some units is causing them to overheat and catch fire.

2 weeks ago | thetrek.co | Rebecca Hall

When I awoke at the Fontana Dam Shelter, I knew the day’s climb into Great Smoky Mountains National Park was going to be tough. My feet were painful and hard to walk on, and my motivation was waning. But what was there to do, but to hike anyway? Besides, I was going to be splitting the Smokies into two sections because I made plans to get off trail at Newfound Gap so I could attend my son’s graduation from US Marine Corps Infantry Training at Camp Geiger in Jacksonville, NC.

2 weeks ago | thetrek.co | Kelly Floro

Authorities believe they are closing in on Travis Decker, the Washington man accused of murdering his three young daughters, as the search for the fugitive nears the end of its second week. The manhunt has mostly centered on Chelan County, WA but has recently expanded to include adjacent Kittias County. Decker failed to return the three girls — Paityn (9), Evelyn (8), and Olivia Decker (5) — after a planned visitation in late May.