I think it's pretty well accepted at this point that you're not a real thru hiker until you've 1) soiled your pants 2) taken a potentially hike-ending wipeout
No Bear? I thought everyone saw the bear in the zoo the AT passes through. My first encounter with bears was coming around a corner and spotting two bear cubs playing on the trail about 50 feet in front of me with no mama in sight. Where's mama? Scared me half to death. Cubs ran off and mama never appeared. Hood Ornament, Section Hiker, 1993-2007.
Surprised you had problems finding info if you watched zillions of videos. Also, how many times did you slackpack and do you feel like the hostels were preying on hikers to bring in more money? Enjoyed your video and subscribed. Think that everyone hikes and has different needs/wants so you have to take the videos out there with that in mind.
As for the menstrual cup, I used it and personally I had to carry a bidet with me just so that I can make sure everything is clean and wash out the cup when I needed to empty the cup. I found it more hygienic only because I'm a heavy bleeder so the larger cup held probably up to four tampons which was really nice since I can go for 4 to 5 days
Your description of how your body was unable to dig deep after hiking so many miles was descriptive and insightful. As well as the analogy of being re-molded into a new form by the impact of hiking. Thank you for sharing.
Super helpful! Thank you so much! My daughter and I will set out in mid March to attempt our thru hike. We very much appreciate this video. 💙 -Mama Bear & Baby Bear
Congrats on completing the thru hike - very informative video! I'm curious though - *why* do so many hikers *hit themselves? What causes that? And does it continue to happen, or is it more of a "learning curve" thing where once it happens, you recognize the signs?
I think for me it was a combo of awful diet and my body being under unusual stress (10-12 hours of exercise per day). I got to know the pattern…. but sometimes those 10 seconds of advance warning were just not enough!!
Great video! I'm planning an AT thru-hike in Feb '24. I would like to see a little more detail on each segment. I do appreciate your comments on pooping yourself. Even tho' I grew up in sports where you learn to poop in front of/beside people, I'm wondering how often you had to dig cat holes as opposed to using a privy. Good stuff on "nothing is 'waterproof'."
Protein every time you're at a store,, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, eat it right way. Buy 2, eat 2nd yogurt that night. Add berries and honey if you have space. Then lots of nuts all day every day, any type
This is a very accurate description of what to expect on a thru hike! Great job 👍 I finished my thru in February of 23. Could you say a little more about what protein you ate. I had trouble resupplying from small groceries and gas stations 😢. Did you mail yourself resupply packages?
Congrats on your thru!! I had a very hard time eating enough protein, and basically gave up trying. Poor nutrition started catching up with me towards the end. Despite this, if I hiked again I still wouldn't do resupply packages... doing a TON of prep when plans might change, trying to predict what I'll want to eat months in the future (while undergoing a radical mental and physical transformation) and tying myself to post office locations and time windows squashes the spirit of change and spontaneity, which was a HUGE part of the hike for me!
It's July 2023 I was successfully last year!!! Class of 2022! March 10 to September 27. I wish I had seen this last year. Great video. I didn't poop my pants, did pee on myself a few times. 😂
In addition to your primer on the AT I want to thank you for introducing me to Her's. Of course when I read up on them I was totally gutted. We're all just riding on this rock.
What an excellent video, the best gear and post trail video I have seen. Wonderful presentation, informative, thorough, genuine, honest, and from the heart. All the best in your future.
These super helpful videos keep popping up on my feed just as I need to hear them. I start my hike this year in early March. Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts in such an “unfiltered” manner! Best of success to you in your future. 😊
Really enjoyed your input and what you shared ! At 75 years old and have hiked sections of the AP Trail in Southwest Virginia for many years and will continue till I can't. Thank you ..
Love the thrown into a furnace analogy. Hiker hobble went away when u took 2 to three days off and ate like a fiend to actually build muscle instead of breaking it dow. If more did this early on they would make it before.drop off
Ali, I can't tell you how often I reflect on this video. Thank you so much for sharing your abbreviated experience on the AT. It's absolutely beautiful. -Twix
I dunno what it is about your video, maybe the music (great choice by the way lol) but I've wanted to thru hike the AT for almost a decade now. I'm 31 so if I'm gonna do it, it's time to go lol. I'm geniunely debating prepping thru this winter and going in march next year. I live in NC so it's not a far start for me to be nobo. Great job, friend! You fucking did it!
Heyyyyyyy thanks for warning me about the pants shitting. That is DEFINITELY important. This is my 900th video and the fact that nobody else said anything is bananas. Lol
I thru hiked in 1998, NOBO. Before the age of videos on the subject, resulting in my being ill prepared and vastly overweight (80 lb bag, it should have been about 35 based on my weight) and me suffering from a torn ACL while hiking up Katahdin and having to be carted out to a hospital
Agreed. Proof that a video with a few thousand views can be far better, more informative and enjoyable than many of those with more. Great job! Some real solid info here. PS: it good to see when successful thru-hikers selected similar gear.
