I purchased my Patagonia Houdini Wind Shirt a few weeks before starting a week-long section hike in 2013. I needed a lightweight jacket for cool mornings in camp and windy hikes along ridgelines. Seven years later, I’m on my second Houdini and it is still one of my best pieces of gear. The Houdini is lightweight, packable, durable, and breathable. It has proven to be one of the most versatile and functional layers in my arsenal.
In September of 2019, I spent a week alone hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine. There’s no bragging about the mileage on this trip. I very intentionally set my daily mileage below 10 each day. While my goal was to complete a 64 mile section of the Appalachian Trail and grab 10 of Maine’s 4000 Footers, my deeper goal was to spend time enjoying the woods. On so many of my trips, each moment is polluted by the feeling of needing to get to the next place. This keeps me from fully enjoying the time and place that I am in. This time I wanted plenty of time to relax, read, journal, reflect, and pray.
