Long Trails with Liz Thomas
by Liz Thomas for Backpacker Magazine328 pages, paperback: $24.95 Falcon Guides, 2017 We both have Japanese mothers, a love of the outdoors and Ivy League educations. But when I first met Liz “Snorkel” Thomas, I discovered one major difference between us, besides, er, gender: She...
Urban Thru-Hiking Trail Blazer
With the sun about to kiss the horizon, Liz Thomas (trail name: Snorkel) needs the last rays to illuminate her path. She is ascending and descending steps during an urban thru-hike in Seattle, one of the hilliest and most public-staircased cities in the country. This...
‘Hike Like a Girl,’ May 14-15, to crush taboos for women hikers
by Liz “Snorkel” Thomas Women often wonder whether it is safe for them to hike solo. For me, the answer clearly is yes: I’ve hiked 8,000 miles by myself, pioneered routes in Utah and the Columbia River Gorge, and set an Appalachian Trail speed record....