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Arlette Laan Apple Pie🏳️‍🌈🇳🇱🇺🇸

@arlette_laan

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First woman to hike all 11 national scenic trails.
All season backpacker ❄️🍃☀️🍁
Hiking Guide, Doll maker @redlineguiding @arlettelaanfibercreations

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First Sierra trip of the summer with @arlette_laan. We hiked a loop in the Golden Trout Wilderness—Cottonwood Pass to Rocky Lakes Basin to Boreal Plateau to Rock Creek and over New Army Pass.

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Pacific Crest Trail (PCT): DAY 50-51 ••••• 06.01-03.26 (mile 722)

Rolled into Kennedy Meadows South & linked up with some folx I’d met a hot minute ago.

Got to meet a couple of Chance’s friends who work at Grumpy Bear’s & Triple Crown Outfitters.

Cool Ranch was just behind me on the Arizona Trail a couple of years ago but we never got to meet. Good hangs now though.

Apple Pie took really good care of me talking me down from a little anxiety about having never used an ice axe & being a little concerned about the snowy passes coming up & the exposure that goes with them.

I felt super grateful to get to chat it up with AP that first evening. What a badass hiker & such a kind woman. I see why her & Chance are friends.

Once I finally made it out of the vortex of KMS, I hit the trail with Astro & Hannah (the rest of the trail family left a little later than us).

Beck Meadow was sort of a gateway to the Sierras. Soft grassy lowlands with the epic backdrop of the snow-covered high Sierras.

Did creek laundry & met up with Early Bird (same trail family as I’m currently hiking with) along with Astro & Hannah. We all climbed up some boulders to watch the sunset.

Bear can & ice axe secured to my pack, a new stage of this adventure is about to be underway.

Low: missing Chance a lot & increasingly frustrated that Garmin still hasn’t fixed their issue with syncing to T-Mobile 🤬🤬🤬

High: the South Fork Kern River Bridge spot with its vast swallow population & Beck Meadow

- more ADVENTURES: links in BIO

#pacificcresttrail #pct #backpackinglife #backpackingadventures #backpackingculture

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We hit 700 miles, then got to Kennedy Meadows and had a blast! Filling the bear cans (or trying to) was not the most fun, but the food was delicious and the pancakes were RIDICULOUS. We made some new friends and hung out with the coolest people!

Oh and I got to meet someone I think is cool as heck, Apple Pie. Meeting a badass woman is always an honor.

#pct2026 #pacificcresttrail #thruhike

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It’s #TrailTuesday! Featuring the Oceans to Lake Trail!

Looking for a trail that blends coastal scenes and forested trails!? The Oceans to Lake Trail delivers — stretching about 61 miles through the North Everglades Natural Area!

This trail features wading through cypress swamps and traversing flooded prairies! We took our experience and turned it into a thorough guide for your backpacking pleasure! We recommend using the @faroutguides app for foolproof navigation!

🌲🌲🌲
➡️ Link in bio
➡️ TreelineReview.com
➡️ Search “Oceans to Lake Trail Treeline”

#treelinereview #backpacking #hiking #thruhike

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Day 40 Overnight the wind just lasted for about four hours, which is good. So our body heat staid in the sleeping bag. The morning low was 15.
At a summit a mile away the temperature was 13° . Next we hiked down a mile and a half to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We decided to change things up and walk 8 miles on the highway. It’s truly a lovely walk. There were maybe five cars in the whole three hours
with so many overviews east and west it was gorgeous. Yes the winds were blowing and at times quite annoying. We are all bundled up and back on trail at about 12 o’clock. Next we walked downhill for 3 miles and passed a shelter, we thought too early to stop. We decided to keep going another 4 miles to Curry Creek and camped there.
Good night!

#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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Day 39 Blue Ridge Parkway. Which was more lovely than the Shendoahs!!!
it’s 13° and a bit breezy so we pack up and head out. We’re both kind of meh cause it’s so cold and breezy that we haven’t had our time to warm up her insides after about 15 minutes. We warm up and start chitchatting again. I’m up to climb a mile up to a higher feet which is 13° and breezy has a big observatory. We think it’s called apple orchard Mountain. We continue down and we decide to take a road around a few small climbs to get around a windy hills. We are kind of tired of the climbs. It’s a lovely road walk about 3 miles around then then we’re back on trail which is 4 miles downhill. We follow follow lovely a flowing beautiful creek make it to it the last part which is another few miles about a mile and a half up not too bad. Get to a spring stream thing and there’s no water uh oh but I know where it was. I walked down maybe 40 feet. It was a small trickle going over a rock just for perfect for picking up water!!’ Now just 2 miles to the Shelter and we arrived there about 530 just at sunset. Good Night

#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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Day 38 Matts Creek Shelter 13 miles to ThunderStruck Shelter
We’re on trail at 7:45 and there is a steep 2 mile steep climb up to greet us!!

We then traverse more quickly. Its 32 and cloudy, a bit chilly. Blah? Gray!!

We make it to a spring for lunch. There’s a breeze but we found a spot out of this out of the wind. Today it was luscious blueberry jam, avocado on delicious crackers!!!

Then we had few more ups for the day. Today had a total of 5 miles climbing, though the grade was good. Ten miles was thru a burn area with a few small downed trees. The large trees survived, the mt laurel and Rhodies have sent up new growth. Though it was pretty nonetheless.

The climbing was 5,000 vertical up and the night shelter was at 4000 feet.

We arrived early at 5:00 to the shelter. A good day!!!
#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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Day 37 PunchBowl Shelter 13 miles to Matts Creek Shelter. Its snows, a dusting. It feels more epic with snow. Lol!!
We’re on Trail at 8 o’clock,. Pie informed that the shelter we stay at last night reported that it had ghosts because a kid years ago was lost and didn’t make it.

We have to do two short climbs in the morning then we arrive at a pretty overlook the James River. Its lunch time. We lay basking in the sunshine. Its 3 miles slowly downhill do to thick leaves. Where are rake crews and leaf blowers?
It’s kind of tricky to walk-through. Hopefully, you don’t trip on something or fall in a hole. We make it down to the wide James River. It’s quite pretty walk along the banks for a mile then it’s a mile up to the Matt Creek Shelter

#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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Day 36 BV 11 miles to PunchBowl Shelter.
We wake up at 6:45 and head to a pretty café for coffee and bagels. I had a ice cold green tea. Back at the B and B the owners are in lazy mode!! We are fixn to get to a grocery store to resupply!!!

We go to the store shop, pack and then finally back on trail at noon.
We start hiking through a pretty forest lots of water. It used to be farm land till the forest service bought it up.

We reach the end of that easier section at about 330. Oh no the 4 1/2 mile climb up starts. Its harder than we planned looking at the Far Out AP.

We slowly rolling into camp at 7:45. That was a long day!!!Start

#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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Day 35 Seeley Woodworth Shelter 14 miles to Buena Vista.

The wind picks up, I wake up at 2:30 am and see the temperature is 17°. I look over at Pie and she is sound a sleep. Her hot nagleen is out of the sleeping bag. Its chilled now, oh oh. Guess she was too hot,

Hmm I lay awake for 2 hours thinking she will wake up cold, to request an emergency heat up of the bottle.

I realize she is happy then I fall back to almost sleep. I hear her rustle then start her stove to warm the bottle. Good!

I have another half an hour of sleep then John Denver sings!!! Temperature is 13.

We both realize it’s gonna be windy and cold today. That’s OK, we have the right gear. Pie heads out first, its privy time for me. I eventually catch up to her a mile down. She is harder to catch on down hills or flats!!!
It’s quite breezy and chilly.
Temperature is about 15° (now there’s lots of inside crying) I look at her, think like “is she gonna make it today?” I wish I could help her breathe!! The long up hills are catching the unrelenting north west winds!!!

“ No I’m fine. Just keep going.” I immersed in a book “How not to Die” Its all about eating your greens instead of meats and processed foods.

Somehow a sunny un windy lunch spot appears. Yeah!!
A bit later we arrive at grassy bald. I start fake running to the thickest brown grassy spot and happily lay in it!!!! Pie thought it was a poo run? Lol

It’s quite pretty! No trees just brown grass. The last last climb was Bald Knob its an oxymoron, since its all treed in.

As we head down the last 3 miles. Ya you guessed the wind picks up to embrace us all the way down to the bottom!!! The owner of our next B&B picks us up.

At house we drop off our packs or and head out to a Mexican Restaurant for fajitas.

Then back at the B and B.
Good Night. Start

#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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Day 34 . Harpers Creek Shelter 14 Miles to Seeley Woodworth Shelter We slowly make it out of the shelter. We find an alternate woods road back to the trail, which shaves off .2

Its about 2 miles down to a river with a pretty suspension bridge.

Then it’s about slow long 4 miles up to the priest, which is about 3000 vertical feet total which took 5 hours.
We walk down to the priest shelter. It is full of real life confessions.

I say I was sorry that it took 50 years to follow my Moms knowing that I would love to be a gardener. As a gardener now “ I sell Happiness all thru the season”. “Who can say no to Flowers?

We pick up a quick speed going down. Temperature is like 40 and when we got to the shelter is still about 37. Its breezy so we lay against the back wall at about 6:45. We’re happy to be here at Seeley Woodworth Shelter

#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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Day 33 The alarm goes off we both ignore it. She wakes up and she’s kinda like get going!! I’m not that awake so I make a cocoa and coffee. Eventually I make it out. It’s supposed to be an easy day but soon realized it’s gonna be harder than planned there are many short ups short downs, and lots of rocks so there is inside crying.

We are on the shady side of the hills. We ask the Monkeys to manifest sunshine. Around the next rise it came out. We walked up onto a hill and suddenly its bright.

At a road side theres a green lawn, we lay down we’re done. We spent an hour there in the sunshine, so much fun. A lady stopped and said “hey looks like you know where you’re going”. Can u help, I am lost”

Pie looks at her phone and tells the lady where to go.

Pie asks, “Can u take our trash, Yes!!!”
Start

#gossamergear #winterbackpacking #longdistancehiking
#at2026
#appalachiantrail

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