Hikers

[DoggyDaddy]

I still went from a 32 waist to a 28.

First, I just want to say that I hate you.

But seriously, that's a big loss... I don't know if you ever watched "Into The Wild", but that almost sounds like what that guy went through after eating some poisonous plant that he mis-identified. Except he died.

 

[cg21]

I’m not getting that kind Of mileage, unfortunately if I get time to walk in the evening it’s usually less than a couple miles. It started raining and storming this morning, I figured it didn’t matter, I was already soaked from sweat. You can only get so wet before it no longer matters.

I wake up very early to get my miles in before anyone is moving. I agree about water but I have my pack with me and also my edc gear

 

[Frosty]

I am also going to continue my minimum 4 miles daily going all year I started this STRICTLY in February I do need a reusable poncho tired of disposables.

I found one drawback to the rucking… nipple chafing

 

[cg21]

I found one drawback to the rucking… nipple chafing

Funny you say that…. I can’t wear overalls because Of that…. Haven’t noticed during rucking at all though strange maybe my nipples have grown calloused lol

 

[Frosty]

Funny you say that…. I can’t wear overalls because Of that…. Haven’t noticed during rucking at all though strange maybe my nipples have grown calloused lol

I think it’s just the way the pack pulls my shirt. I was fine until I hit the shower yesterday and that hot water hit them. Ooooowwwweeee!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Funny you say that…. I can’t wear overalls because Of that…. Haven’t noticed during rucking at all though strange maybe my nipples have grown calloused lol

I think it’s just the way the pack pulls my shirt. I was fine until I hit the shower yesterday and that hot water hit them. Ooooowwwweeee!

 

[ditcherman]

I found one drawback to the rucking… nipple chafing

That waist belt might help with that.

 

[ditcherman]

I hiked with a guide book(maps,water sources,hostel information). I also used the phone app Guthooks (now called FarOut). The app was useful because hikers could leave comments such as water source is dry and has current weather and things like detours that will happen(bridge out,mudslide ect).
This is the book(always get the new version for your hike as hostels and even the trail itself changes route yearly).

Amazon product ASIN 1736087703
And the APP.

FarOut: GPS Maps for Long-distance Hiking, Biking, & Paddling

FarOut is the number 1 app for thru hiking, long distance hiking, biking, and paddling. Download our navigational app today.

faroutguides.com

I spent around $11k. It can be done cheaper(not counting my gear). I saw hikers that lived on Ramen and instant potatoes,and do not recommend it. Mountain house was my main source of calories on the trail. It means most every meal I ate was over $10 dollars. I still went from a 32 waist to a 28. I was fairly fit to start,but by no means in great shape. By the end had nothing left but muscle(and I am sure I lost some because my body was burning it, hiker hunger is a real thing).
When you are say 3 weeks into it(for me your mileage may vary) you will notice a huge ramp up of your appetite. Your body is no longer capable of relying on your body fat and the calories you are taking in are not enough. It lets you know. When I hit a town my first goal was always food. I could eat a massive amount of it.
Funny story. Me and two other hikers went into a Texas Road house. The waiter walks up and asks what I would like(I was first). I said 3 new York strips with baked potatoes and a slice of apple pie. Her ok what would you all like to drink. I tell her Captain and coke. Asks one of the other hikers what he wants to drink,then the third and starts to walk away. Then Principal(his trail name) says to her "I still need to order,I will take the same thing he is having". The look on her face was priceless. The last hiker saw this (and being the polite woman she was) explained we were through hikers,and the woman still confused did not have a clue what that meant. So she explained it to her and ordered a ridiculous amount of food as well. We were 4 months into our hikes. The manager came out and congratulated us on making it this far and gave us a large discount. None of us left a scrap of food on that table.
Stuffing yourself when you hit a town becomes a priority when your body hits a certain fat percentage. When you know every calorie you are burning is consuming your body you can feel it. It is not like regular hunger. By the end many hikers I saw looked like skeletons(the worst were those that should have quit honestly but continued despite lacking the funds to eat properly).

If you do decide to through hike I thought that is something not often talked about you should know. You also do not need to be in great shape to start with(I wasn't). What you do need in the drive and will to continue. It takes months. You will be hot,cold,wet,and sometimes just miserable. But then you hit some peak and the view is just incredible, or see a hiker you have not in weeks. After the first month you will have a pretty good idea of what other hikers are around you. They become a support net and you for them, but you never rely on them as any one of them could quit at any time. Everyone will have bad days at some point. Never quit on a bad day. If you are determined to finish and mentally able to get through the hell days(they will happen)and wake up every day ready to continue you stand a good chance of making it. It will test you and your body in ways you have never been tested. But it was worth it,to me.

Side note. Over half who try quit in less than 30 days. If you make it past 30 days the completion rate is around 75%.

Trail angels are a real thing. Total strangers who go out and leave water,snacks,or even throw a cook out with burgers and anything you could want on some gravel road in the middle of no where. They really changed my view on our species as a whole. I and most hikers who make it owe them,and will be forever grateful they exist. I even meet a post master who was one. He gave hikers who had not driven in months his own car keys, to go get things we needed(tiny town with only a gas station and post office,nearest real store was 11 miles away). Most would never finish the trail without meeting at least one trail angel. Most will meet many as I did.

Beautiful post brother. Very inspiring.

Concerning not being in shape...
My buddy and I took a chance and stopped at the North Rim ranger office to see what we could learn, we were only planning a day hike down into the canyon, but come to find out there was a cancellation and we could get two nights down in the canyon. Anyway through the drawn out procedure of getting the permits we met a guy hiking alone across Arizona, north to south. I'm sure we kind of did a double take, which I feel bad about, but at the same time I'm sure he was used to it. This guy was fat, with a belly, and not muscular or strong looking at all. I'm sure he succeeded in his hike, but it really was about his attitude and determination. Same goes for any of us here, whether it's about getting in shape or whatever.
I'm going to make myself go for a walk right now.

 

[Creedmoor]

Nothing going on here, just a few Air Force guys posting about sore nipples.

 

[KittySlayer]

…hiking the Appalachian Trail, it’s been something I’ve always been interested in…

AT is on my bucket list. Shooting for 2024. Need to take @smokingman to dinner for tips.

 

[KittySlayer]

I do need a reusable poncho tired of disposables.

A number of options depending on your goals.

Some quality ones here. Different weights and fabrics and prices depending on your goals. Sea to Summit also has some good quality ponchos.

MEST™ Ponchos - Bushcraft Outfitters

bushcraftoutfitters.com

 

[Ark]

I found one drawback to the rucking… nipple chafing

If I don't use a couple pieces of medical tape before I run, that cotton shirt will sand the damn things right off my chest once it gets some salt and sweat soaked in. It's serious business.

 

[smokingman]

AT is on my bucket list. Shooting for 2024. Need to take @smokingman to dinner for tips.

That could be fun
What I missed about normal life most were hot showers and running water. On the AT 99% of what you drink for 5+ months is what you filter from a creek,spring,or worse case a mud puddle.

I once filtered 2L water out of a rut made by a logging truck. It was well past dark with the nearest official water source 4+(running water) miles away in July. I had just enough energy left to set up my tent filter water,cook,and eat before collapsing for the day. I likely was already fairly dehydrated ,I was glad for the rut and thankful for my Sawyer(and had to spend a long time back flushing that filter when I hit town).

I should have stopped at the campsite/shelter 5 miles earlier but thought I could make it to the next one before dark. I failed to look at elevation closely in that calculation and ran out of time/energy. Most campsites are around a mile or so off the main trail on side trails,that extra two miles of hiking is why I did not stop there for water. So it is not like I just walked past a good water source without getting any. It was very rare to run low on water on the AT(Other than NY most of the water is toxic with warnings signs not to drink it,you are in NY for a very short time though and trail angels usually leave jugs of water though sometime you will find them all empty).

You will learn to pack and unpack your gear daily. You will get better at it. I could tear down,eat(including boiling water and cleaning) ,pack my pack,and leave with a full liter of water still in less than 20 minutes. It is something you learn to do on auto pilot, many days you will be so tired set up happens and you are in your bag without even thinking about it. A few I hiked with regularly (some for months) might ask something like what was the target for today in the morning, followed with an ok see you there. It was very rare to actually spend a day hiking with someone else in sight much less talking distance, but it did happen on occasion. Most social interaction happened in the evenings(energy level permitting) and in towns/hostels(most tend to involve lots of food lol).

 

[Frosty]

Guys, the more I think about the possibility of actually doing the AT, I realize there’s a lot of skills that I would really like to learn on a much smaller scale, like a small overnight backpacking trip. My son also expressed an interest in this so I’d like to take him along to see what he thinks. Any advice for short, overnight trips where we can work on these skills?

 

[NewPerson49857]

fun fact, Roman legions were trained to march about 18 miles in 5 hours with about 60lbs of gear (which included weapons and armor) at just the standard pace. At fast pace they were expected to march about 22 miles in 5 hours. This also wasnt necessarily along their famous roads. It could be through rough terrain as well and so they trained to jump and swim while marching with that gear. Caesar was famous for his 90 mile a day marches on a few occasions. Some scholars disagree that it was possible but if you do the math on it, 4 sets of 5 hours at 22 miles is about 90 miles leaving potentially 4 hours of rest. Not only were Roman soldiers expected to march these distances (18 or 22 miles) on any given day but then expected to set up and tear down a camp that was essentially a small fort. oh and dont forget, of course, this was in enemy territory where you'd also potentially have to form up and fight a battle. Amazing!

 

[Frosty]

fun fact, Roman legions were trained to march about 18 miles in 5 hours with about 60lbs of gear (which included weapons and armor) at just the standard pace. At fast pace they were expected to march about 22 miles in 5 hours. This also wasnt necessarily along their famous roads. It could be through rough terrain as well and so they trained to jump and swim while marching with that gear. Caesar was famous for his 90 mile a day marches on a few occasions. Some scholars disagree that it was possible but if you do the math on it, 4 sets of 5 hours at 22 miles is about 90 miles leaving potentially 4 hours of rest. Not only were Roman soldiers expected to march these distances (18 or 22 miles) on any given day but then expected to set up and tear down a camp that was essentially a small fort. oh and dont forget, of course, this was in enemy territory where you'd also potentially have to form up and fight a battle. Amazing!

I’m out!

But in all seriousness, wow, 18 miles with 60 pounds on is moving! Those dudes were hardcore!
Oh, and to Ingo!

 

[ditcherman]

Guys, the more I think about the possibility of actually doing the AT, I realize there’s a lot of skills that I would really like to learn on a much smaller scale, like a small overnight backpacking trip. My son also expressed an interest in this so I’d like to take him along to see what he thinks. Any advice for short, overnight trips where we can work on these skills?

Check out the Tecumseh Trail. I did a solo in and out on the north halfish of it after being away from backpacking as a kid for many years. Nice easy trail to start with.
If your ready for more serious stuff look at the Knobstone, it’s nicknamed the little AT. You don’t gain or lose elevation all in one big push like on the real AT, but you are buying and selling all day long and mathematically I think it’s close to the elevation changes on the AT.

 

[KittySlayer]

Check out the Tecumseh Trail.

Was going to be my recommendation to for a first outing.

Start at Yellowwood Lake. Hike north and spend the night at Charlie’s Cabin. You can tent overnight there or sleep in the cabin.

Other options too. Download the guide and buy the map here:

Hoosier Hikers Council | Building hiking trails in Indiana

www.hoosierhikerscouncil.org

Bloodroot up north is good for an easy overnighter but you need to reserve the backcountry sites online.

https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/files/Bloodroot_trail_map.pdf

Knobstone can kick your butt if not ready.

 

[teddy12b]

There's people who hike the AT who've never spent a night outdoors in their life. An example of that is this young lady on youtube. At work I listen to youtube videos in the background instead of a radio and she literally went from complete rookie to the top of mount Katadhin. Since then she's hiked about all the other big name trails there are and she does a really good job documenting her progress and struggles. If you're considering the AT seriously, then listening to this lady is great homework.

https://www.youtube.com/c/HomemadeWanderlust

The knobstone can be tough. A buddy and I did the first 25 miles this spring and are going to do the second half in Oct. We're in our 40's with wives, kids, jobs so getting away is tough. My goal with these kinds of trips is to get good enough at these to where the AT is possible when I retire or become an empty nester. There was a young guy on the knobstone who hiked from the south end, to the north end (NOBO), and then was going back south again just as a test run for the AT. It's a long marathon of a challenge and the more little trips you can get in before the big show the better off you'll be.

 

[hooky]

Guys, the more I think about the possibility of actually doing the AT, I realize there’s a lot of skills that I would really like to learn on a much smaller scale, like a small overnight backpacking trip. My son also expressed an interest in this so I’d like to take him along to see what he thinks. Any advice for short, overnight trips where we can work on these skills?

Pate Hollow trail is a big loop with water access at around halfway. It's a great weekend getaway that's not heavily used.

Hoosier National Forest - Pate Hollow Trail

Pics from last October with my son. We did an overnight before going to Deam.