In preparation for my summer as a ridgerunner, I’ve decided to upgrade some of my beat up smelly thru-hiker gear. Before our hike, I bought the cheapest pack I could find. Also the cheapest tent. And sleeping bag. Oh god, don’t even get me started about that awful sleeping bag I had for the first 100 miles….
Tag: Backpacking
Thinking about writing a book…
Hey guys. I’m thinking about writing a memoir about my experiences on the trail. I want it to be a recount of events, but also have a powerful self-discovery / life realizations message. Over the last few months I’ve written a little intro / first chapter and I was wondering if it’s actually book-worthy. Just gonna…
AT: Expectations vs. Reality
Blogging Expectation: I’m going to blog every week. I’ll keep a diary and upload pictures and captions and write a novel every time I post. I’ll have a ton of followers and everyone will be rooting for us on our grand adventure! Reality: So, I kinda totally forgot to blog during our thru-hike. I think I…
Trail Slackline
It’s done. When I posted my gear list awhile back, I mentioned something about having a slackline on the trail. I wasn’t kidding. Jake and I have been debating setup heavily over the past few months and finally came up with a slackline that is not only lightweight, but multi-functional! Wait.. what the hell is a slackline…
Footwear pt. 2
After I announced to the world last week that I was going to be hiking the Appalachian Trail barefoot, I was bombarded with negative reactions from family, friends, and past thru hikers. It got me thinking about some of the consequences of barefoot hiking. The biggest consequence, and the one that worries me the most, is that…
Footwear…
Most people, when they go backpacking, or go outside for any reason really, wear shoes. I’ve been roaming around barefoot ever since I was a kid. I lost track of the number of times my parents yelled at me for not wearing shoes in a place where it was “dangerous to not wear shoes”. As I…
Gear nerd-out
It’s Saturday morning, AKA the only time I ever have time to blog! I normally go in early and take a few runs before work but it’s waaaay too busy at Stratton on the weekends to even think about riding. Since I’ve been trying to get everything together for the trail, I thought I’d organize…
I am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail because…
A wise man once told me, if you’re going to do something, you better have a damn good reason why you’re doing it! It was Zach Davis, author of Appalachian Trails. The guy is basically a genius. His book talks about the mental aspect of strapping a pack on your back and walking 2,000 miles. I…
“You’re not carrying a map?”
Well, technically, no. But it’s as good as one anyway. We’ve decided to carry AWOL’s Appalachian Trail Guide to help us get to Katahdin. AWOL’s guide is basically a glorified data book. It lists water sources, shelters, road crossings, and basically everything else you could ever need while hiking on the AT. Ooh, it’s also got…
4 Months and Counting
It’s December 14, 2015. What’s significant about that?! Well, not much. Except that there are ONLY 4 MONTHS left to prepare for our thru-hike! I’ll let you in on a little secret.. I’m not very good at preparing. Neither is Jake. Never have been, probably never will be. I’m not going to kid myself and…
DIY trekking poles for under $10
What’s up guys? It’s a cold dreary day here in Pennsylvania, perfect for doing random stuff you’ve been meaning to do… like blogging! Today I finally had the opportunity to sit down and make something I’ll definitely need for the trail: trekking poles! Okay, you’re probably wondering… Why wouldn’t I just go out and buy…
Life is short.
This is the beginning of an adventure. The start of an epic blog that will take you from Georgia to Maine with me as I thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Don’t get too excited, I’m not starting until April 15th. Until then, though, I would like to entertain you with pre-hike preparation ramblings. I originally planned…
A Couple Miles 