As a lover of my home in the Green Mountain State, I have a deep appreciation for using Patagonia products to go with me on all of my adventures, whether it's for everyday lifestyle, road biking, running, backcountry and cross country skiing or hiking in all parts of the country!

Patagonia's mission of protecting nature by using sustainable materials to produce long-lasting products encompasses my lifestyle. I am consistently in awe with the beautifully crafted pieces of clothing from Patagonia. I would love to share my Five Hiking Essentials and why they are important for me.

Aside from how rewarding those first human-powered turns felt, the thing I remember most from my first time alpine touring is that I was hot -- ripping off layers and unzipping vents at a pace much higher than I had expected -- and then I was cold -- really, really, finger-freezingly, bone-chillingly cold.

After that first time out, I thought that maybe skinning just wasn't for me. I couldn't handle the swing from high-output climbing, to standing dead still, to zipping downhill in temps capable of frostbiting cheeks or a nose in just a few minutes. Fortunately, I found it in myself to take the plunge into the backcountry a couple more times. Over the course of a couple more tours, I found out that it was not that I was simply not cut out for alpine touring, but rather that I didn't really know how to properly layer my clothes for such a wide range of needs and experiences.

The Long Trail spans from the Massachusetts/Vermont border 273 miles north to the Canadian border along the Green Mountains.

Having backpacked only once before moving to Vermont and subsequently falling in love with the sport/lifestyle within my first week of living here, it was only right to cap off my college career with a thru-hike of Vermont’s Long Trail (LT).

People often ask me how I ended up here in Vermont, having grown up outside of Chicago. When the college search began, my mom asked me what I wanted my chosen home to look and feel like. I loved this question and knew that what I wanted most was to be surrounded by mountains. I wanted to be in a landscape that inspired me. When choosing between going east or west, my sister being in Boston drew me to the Green Mountains.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, the majority of my outdoor time was spent at the lakefront or in the forest preserve near my grandparent’s house. During the summer, we spent weekends camping in Wisconsin and Michigan or road tripping out west. By the time I was deciding where to head for college, I had a thirst to explore more mountainous terrain.

When I committed to the University of Vermont, I was ecstatic to take part in a Wilderness Trek trip. This program, sponsored by the University, offers incoming students a chance to spend six days in the backcountry with future classmates and two upper class leaders. Although I had only backpacked once before, I was excited to explore the Green Mountains right off the bat.

I am what some may consider a Vermonter; I was born and grew up playing in the Green Mountains. Many of my roots are embedded in enjoying what you can find in the outdoor community, especially on a local level. The hiking trails are no exception. I hiked Mt.Mansfield at the ripe young age of five, and grew up regularly hiking Camel’s Hump and Mt. Abraham. Throughout my childhood, my parents would place M&Ms on the trail, that I would “stumble upon” to motivate me to get to the top. Today I don’t need them to leave M&Ms for me to get out and push myself. Instead I fill a bag with 3,000+ calories per day and go out on my own.

The Long Trail is a 272 mile trail along the spine of Vermont’s mountains. Two years ago, I packed up and headed out to complete it. I did 126 miles in a week. Due to subpar weather and a tight schedule I stopped. Not completing what I set out to do was difficult for me, but looking back with the perspective I have now, I know I made the right choice.