Blog
About
The good life starts with being present and living with purpose.
We should all follow the path that makes our life meaningful and affirms our 'why' in body, mind, and spirit.
Hi, I'm David Ashley. I've adopted the name "David on Earth" as a trail name, the less formal identity that accompanies me on every adventure out in the wilds of nature.
A little about me: I've been happily married for all my adult life to the same wonderful woman.
She gave me two beautiful girls who blessed me with four grandchildren, who again blessed me with two great-grandsons.
Currently I live in Colorado, but I've lived throughout the midwestern United States and traveled the world for the first 20 years of my adult life when I was in the United States Air Force, and then some afterwards. For a little while longer I'll continue working for an international software consulting firm. And then I'll begin a new adventure: retirement. I'm not exactly sure what that will look like yet, but I'm sure it will include time on trails and in wild places I've never been.
On this website I bring you stories of the trail and insights from my pursuit of the good life. I've logged thousands of trail miles over the years. In 2018 I hiked the 500-mile Colorado Trail. In 2020 I began section hiking the Arizona Trail and will record another 100 miles of desert floors and sky islands in 2024. I've also hiked trails in Utah, Wyoming and Michigan. God willing, as long as I can move, I will add to this list of places.
I hope you enjoy this website and my YouTube channel. You can also find me on Instagram. I'd love to hear from you by commenting in the blog on this site or via YouTube or Instagram.
Now, stop reading this and go live like you want it! I'll see you on the trail!
We should all follow the path that makes our life meaningful and affirms our 'why' in body, mind, and spirit.
Hi, I'm David Ashley. I've adopted the name "David on Earth" as a trail name, the less formal identity that accompanies me on every adventure out in the wilds of nature.
A little about me: I've been happily married for all my adult life to the same wonderful woman.
She gave me two beautiful girls who blessed me with four grandchildren, who again blessed me with two great-grandsons.
Currently I live in Colorado, but I've lived throughout the midwestern United States and traveled the world for the first 20 years of my adult life when I was in the United States Air Force, and then some afterwards. For a little while longer I'll continue working for an international software consulting firm. And then I'll begin a new adventure: retirement. I'm not exactly sure what that will look like yet, but I'm sure it will include time on trails and in wild places I've never been.
On this website I bring you stories of the trail and insights from my pursuit of the good life. I've logged thousands of trail miles over the years. In 2018 I hiked the 500-mile Colorado Trail. In 2020 I began section hiking the Arizona Trail and will record another 100 miles of desert floors and sky islands in 2024. I've also hiked trails in Utah, Wyoming and Michigan. God willing, as long as I can move, I will add to this list of places.
I hope you enjoy this website and my YouTube channel. You can also find me on Instagram. I'd love to hear from you by commenting in the blog on this site or via YouTube or Instagram.
Now, stop reading this and go live like you want it! I'll see you on the trail!
Donate
David on Earth creates content. We offer most of this content for free; it's our passion. We don't do this because we need money for food, cloths, or a place to sleep. We simply have no expectation of payment from anyone who enjoys what we do.
So, what content do we have?
The more support we have to continue, the more likely we will do this for a long time to come... and increase the quality and quantity.
And so, with humility (and honestly, with much reservation), we set up this page for those who feel they would like to help us offset the cost of providing our content. Some people just want to be a blessing - this is for you.
All donations go to our PayPal account and are used exclusively toward the creation of the content you enjoy. (You don't need a PayPal account to donate - just choose the "Pay With Debt or Credit Card" option when the system takes you to PayPal)
Thank you, so much, for believing in what we do and the support you give to us!! Every day we are overwhelmed with gratitude!
So, what content do we have?
- We have this website and its informative blog content about a hiker's life, tenured perspectives on nature conservation, and the benefits of staying active as we get older.
- We have a YouTube channel where we host all our video content, to include hiking and backpacking adventures, interviews with accomplished long distance hikers, advice on hiking adventure preparation, and informative gear reviews.
- We also have exclusive content on our Patreon page (this is one exception about payment for content). This includes hundreds of stock photos, an exhaustive hiking trip planning guide, and gear selection guides that will land you with the perfect gear the first time (saves you $$ on buying gear you won't use).
- We have a couple books published on Amazon - one about the Colorado Trail and one about getting the right nutrition on the trail.
The more support we have to continue, the more likely we will do this for a long time to come... and increase the quality and quantity.
And so, with humility (and honestly, with much reservation), we set up this page for those who feel they would like to help us offset the cost of providing our content. Some people just want to be a blessing - this is for you.
All donations go to our PayPal account and are used exclusively toward the creation of the content you enjoy. (You don't need a PayPal account to donate - just choose the "Pay With Debt or Credit Card" option when the system takes you to PayPal)
Thank you, so much, for believing in what we do and the support you give to us!! Every day we are overwhelmed with gratitude!
$20
Gear
Shelters
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, David on Earth will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Your participation is a great way to support our continued content.
Sleeping System
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, David on Earth will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Your participation is a great way to support our continued content.
Kitchen and Water
Camera and Electronics
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, David on Earth will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Your participation is a great way to support our continued content.
Cloths
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, David on Earth will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Your participation is a great way to support our continued content.
Toiletries – First Aid
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, David on Earth will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Your participation is a great way to support our continued content.
Misc (knife, axe, saw, trekking poles...)
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, David on Earth will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Your participation is a great way to support our continued content.