Walk (vicariously) with Wendy!

My home is a cabin deep in the Maine Woods. I invite you to join me as I experience the joys and challenges of remote, off-the-grid living—and as I roam the woods in search of new wonders—by reading the blog posts below and by subscribing to my blog.

In the spring of 2019, I hiked the easternmost segment of the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail, starting on the Delaware shore and heading to West Virginia, teaching and learning along the way. You can jump directly to the story of this two-month pilgrimage by clicking here.

— Wendy Weiger, Achor Earth Ways Founder

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Blog: Walking with Wendy

The Maine Woods are the realm of moose and lynx, eagles and brook trout, rugged mountains and whitewater rivers. In nighttime satellite photos, the forest is a large black island of darkness that stands in sharp contrast to the white froth of human lights all around. There are millions of acres to explore. From 2011-2019, I shared my wanderings through this wild-feeling region in photo-essays that I posted on Facebook; you will find a sampling here. I chronicle my adventures from 2020 onward in my blog below.

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Season of Light

June 19, 2024

Summer Solstice greetings! Over the past six weeks, I’ve traveled from Saint Gertrude’s Monastery in Idaho back to my home in the Maine Woods. I’ve settled into my off-grid cabin on First Roach Pond and my work managing the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Visitor Center in Monson. In my next post, I’ll share highlights of my...

Spring Blossoms at the Monastery

April 17, 2024

Come climb the hill above the Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of Saint Gertrude, on a day when all nature seems to sing for joy…

My Monastic Winter

February 8, 2024

As my long-term blog friends know, I’m spending the winter at the Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of Saint Gertrude near Cottonwood, Idaho. (For the full story of my initial stay at the monastery last spring, see https://www.wendyweiger.com/idaho-adventure-saint-gertrudes-monastery-spring-2023/.) The Sisters of Saint Gertrude’s steward 1,400 mostly-forested acres. Their land rises above the Camas...

Twenty Years in the Maine Woods

November 28, 2023

My mother and I moved to the Maine Woods in December 2003. It’s hard to believe that twenty years have flown by since then. Twenty years of exploring: traveling hundreds of miles up mountains and down rivers, in hiking boots, by canoe, on snowshoes and skis. Twenty years of getting to know my neighbors: trees,...

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American Discovery Trail

First Steps on the American Discovery Trail

March 11, 2019

My journey along the American Discovery Trail is underway! On the afternoon of Sunday March 10, “trail angel” Marie Bellantoni — a dear friend and former college roommate — drove me to Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. The eastern terminus of the American Discovery Trail is on the park’s Atlantic shore; from there it...

Across the Plains of Delaware

March 12, 2019

I spent the second day of my journey on the American Discovery Trail hiking across the Delaware Coastal Plain. I mostly walked on roads by old farms – with fields where corn, soy, and winter wheat are grown – and large tracts of former farmland covered in new “cookie-cutter” residential developments. Here and there were...

Crossing into Maryland

March 16, 2019

Today, March 16, the seventh day of my journey along the American Discovery Trail, is the first time I’ve had Internet access in four days. When I last posted on March 12, I was at a cafe in Milton, Delaware; now I’m at a Dunkin Donuts in Denton, Maryland. The past four days have been...

Nearing Chesapeake Bay: The Kindness of Strangers and Unexpected Challenges

March 21, 2019

When I wrote my last post on March 16, I had just crossed the Delaware border and was in Denton, Maryland. Today, I’m in Kent Narrows, and I plan to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tomorrow. The past five days have brought both joys and challenges. After posting my last blog entry on the 16th,...

Across the Chesapeake: The Wild Wherever We Are, and Gratitude for Friends

March 28, 2019

When I wrote my last post a week ago, I was preparing to hike the five miles from Kent Narrows, Maryland to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, after two days of rest for my road-weary knees. On the morning of Friday March 22, I strapped on my new braces, shouldered my pack, and crossed the Narrows...

Lake Roland Park: Finding Hope in the Wilds of Baltimore

March 31, 2019

This past week, I stayed in Baltimore at the house of my friend Marie Bellantoni while my knees recuperated. She introduced me to Lake Roland Park, a 503 acre tract within the city limits. The park is accessible via public transportation, allowing broad access for Baltimore residents. The lake was created in the mid-nineteenth century...

The Capitol with cherry blossoms Washington DC

Washington, DC: The Nature of Our Nation’s Capital

April 7, 2019

I’ve spent the past week in Washington, DC, as my knees continued their recovery (I’m very happy to report that they seem pretty much back to normal). While here, I’ve met with members of Maine’s Congressional delegation and their staff: I spoke with aides to Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King, and Representative Jared Golden,...

Bluebells lining the C & O Canal towpath

Along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

April 20, 2019

I’ve spent six days hiking the C & O Canal towpath. The canal starts in Georgetown, a neighborhood in Washington, DC. It parallels the Potomac River along the western border of Maryland to Cumberland, nearly 185 miles in all. I began walking at mile marker 5 – on the Maryland side of the MD/DC line...

Mindful Minutes

April 25, 2019

This week, I’m continuing along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal towpath toward its terminus in Cumberland, Maryland. At the moment, I’m in a library in Shepherdstown, West Virginia; I crossed a bridge over the Potomac River from the Maryland side to charge my electronics and pick up supplies. I thought some of you who read...

Flowers blooming above the Potomac River

Miracles All Around Us

May 2, 2019

Since my last post, I’ve spent another six days traveling on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal towpath. I go for long stretches without seeing any other hikers or bikers; occasionally, a squirrel scampers across the path ahead of me or I spot some white-tailed deer. As the new leaves grow bigger on the trees, I...

My Journey Ends … My Onward Journey Begins

May 13, 2019

After my last post, on May 2, I walked five more days along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal to reach its terminus in Cumberland, Maryland, a small city in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. En route, I passed through the Paw Paw Tunnel, a notable feat of nineteenth-century engineering. Over the course of fourteen...