Ken, I don't think I never met Col Ruff when I was living at Eielson, but I went to Taylor Jr High with his son Eric. I met Mrs Ruff when Eric invited me home after school. I am sure I was in the presence of the world greatest mom, a very classy lady...It's funny the things you remember after 47-48 years. I remembering my mom telling me Col Ruff took the stage at the NCO club and that he was a great singer...I saw another reference in this thread comparing him to Johnny Mathis. My mom really liked Johnny Mathis, that may be why she enjoyed Col Ruff's singing so much. I cant remember if my neighbor SSgt James Wight was part SAC or if it was A1C Darrel Coulter (I later worked with Darrel as SNCO's at the BMET School house at Sheppard AFB TX). ANd I probably saw you around the gym or BX, theater...It's a small Air Force. Thank you both for your service. SMSgt Joe(y) Catlin. USAF Ret.
Wow! Going through memory lane. I grew up in Orlando on Pershing Place just 2 blocks from Doyle's home on DeWitt. Kids playing ball in the street. Saw him much later when the Thunderbirds performed at Tyndall Air Force Base. After they landed, he took time to greet me and my two kids (the thrill of their lives)! Today I watched documentary on the Blue Angels which reminded me of the Thunderbirds and Doyle. So I went online and found this interview.
Hi Gwyneth. Thank you so much for taking the time to not only watch the video, but to also take the time to write such as nice note. I still talk to Doyle on a regular basis and am happy to report that he's still doing great (although his flying days are sadly behind him). I will encourage him to send you a personal note of thanks. Best wishes, Ken Anderson
I forwarded your message to Doyle and this was his response: "Another big WOW! That is “Gwennie” as she was known in childhood. She was the youngest of three sisters in the Johnson family. Their house was about 150 yards from ours. Did you capture her email address? (Or maybe I’m not techie enough to find it…)" If you'd like to reach out to Doyle you could respond to this comment with you email address and I'll forward it to him. If you aren't comfortable with that, just respond here and he'll be able to read it.
If you can get past the odd looks you get from other hikers, then yes, a kilt is very comfortable to hike in. I wore one for 6 months on the PCT and after that experience I swore I'd never hike in shorts/pants again (except in really cold weather, of course).
I just hate it when the winter weather shrinks my hiking gear. Actually, winter is our hiking season here in Queensland. Way too humid in our summers to trek. Unless you're boulder hoping up a creek, from waterfall to waterfall.
In 2018 I followed your PCT adventure. In Jan 2024, I got me 4 x Boer goats, my S-I-L told me about GoatPacking....then I remembered you do that. Now my mind is racing. Here on East Coast of Aus, we have the BNT - Bicentential Natiinal Trail (5000? Kilometers), its for horses...so I know live stock is allowed on it 😊 should I? Could I? Hmmmm I love dreaming big dreams😊
Omg it's so great to see you my friends! I have missed talking to you guys and wondered what happened. You have my email right! I'd love to catch up! Enjoy your hike! Looks awesome!
Bryan! Hello! Yes, it's been too long. Thia and I still look forward to your videos and think of you often. I still have your email address and will send you a message shortly. We have some potentially exciting news to share (haven't really told anyone else yet).
@@kenthiasoutdooradventures2294 sounds amazing! I'm so glad you guys are out on this wonderful hike! When you get done we can catch up and I'd love to hear this news you're talking about! 🤗have a wonderful hike and I look forward to hearing from you and seeing pictures from the adventure!
That is so amazingly pleasant to watch!! Everyone in line following right along!! A Rubber Boa...how cool is that! Peanut butter eating goat, meet Otis, the banana loving dog! lol Absolutely awesome adventure!! You sure have a great new fan and hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
Thank you. Really sorry. We've gotten lazy and haven't kept up with videoing our adventures. That's going to change. Currently in the early planning stages of another epic hike!
Great to see a new vid pop up on my 'Notifications'!!! Ken... I've shared your channel with a number of people who could hopefully benefit from your 'Recovery Story'. I actually was over there on the 'east side' that week; but up in the Colville area, poking around 'family history'... Just a quick 3 day 'roadtrip', scouting out places to spend more time. I was home before the rain hit! Looks like you're both doing well! Quite a 'crew' you've got there.... Take care!
Thanks Ed, you're definitely one of our most loyal supporters. The years are adding up, but we think we've still got a few good hikes left in us. Maybe even another thru-hike! (seriously, we're talking about it).
@@kenthiasoutdooradventures2294 COOL! I'm assuming you mean something other than a 2nd attempt on the PCT.... Maybe Oregon Coast Trail... I hear there's lots of Good Chowder along the way! LOL I'll be looking for an announcement.... I'm patient👍... Staying close to home, with Mom & Sis both in a Care facility. Mom, at 94, has accepted 'No heroics, and make the Best of the Day' attitude. She's been an 'Eveready Bunny' for years!
Great seeing you guys. Its like running into an old friend. Glad you are still out there hiking. I like you're heeler. I have a blue who turned two during this hike. I had a red before but he passed after fourteen years. Best of luck to you guys. Take care. Looking forward to more videos.
Thank you, and sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved healer. I had a red too, and she actually died at 12 years old while we were on our PCT hike. I was totally heartbroken. I made a video about it called "All Dogs Go to Heaven". We've been complacent about putting out videos recently, but hope to get back to a regular schedule going forward.
It’s always so nice to see a video with you and Thia😊 Thanks for sharing this adventure it was absolutely beautiful!!! Hope you’re both doing well and I am anxiously awaiting another adventure take care from Oregon💚
Thank you for the kind words Mary. We've gotten behind on sharing our adventures, but plan to start doing better from now on. We're making plans for more stuff this spring and summer and maybe...just maybe...another thru-hike in 2025!
Tom! Thanks for sticking with us during this current "dry" period of adventure videos. Yes, I'm still rocking the kilt and "Epic Shit" hat. They've kind of become my "signature" hiking garb and people give me a hard time if I - heaven forbid - go hiking in shorts! 😆
Hello to my former boss when I was on the faculty at the USAF Officer Training School from 1973-1975. What a treat to watch your interview. It brought back to mind a lot a great memories of our association. I used to tell our 9-year old towheaded son, Brian, about your remarkable flying background. You may remember seeing him at our house or at one of our OTS parades. That must have lit a spark in him because many years later he became an F-15C driver who flew missions with Tod ‘Magoo’ Wolters and Ken ‘Cruiser’ Wilsbach’ during Operation Southern Watch. I learned a lot from you about how to lead, speak, and write which has served me well for many decades. Thank you so much for the influence you had on me. Jerry Tonnell
Hi Jerry. What a great comment! I'll forward it on to Doyle asap. I'm sure he'll reach out to you. Sounds like you two have a lot of old memories together.
Hi Ken and Thea, I have commented on this video before, but I wanted to say again how much I love it! I've watched it dozens of times, and it always lifts my spirits, especially now in the dead of winter. Thanks for going thru the trouble of creating and posting this!
Thank you so much for letting us know how much you enjoy this video. Your comment put a smile on both of our faces and feedback like this really helps motivate us to keep recording our adventures and sharing them here on RU-vid. We have more coming soon!
Thank you both for your service. Thank you also for this video. I happened upon it while trying to locate Col. Ruff and his contact information. I met him once at Pounds studio in Orlando and always remember the photo of the jet he flew in the Thunderbirds that they had framed and hanging on the wall above the record player. If you want more of the Pounds story, you'll have to ask him.
Thank you for the kind words. I don't feel at liberty to give out Doyle's contact info without his permission, but if you'd like I could pass on this message. Or you could give me your contact info and I'll give it to him. He isn't active on social media, but is usually pretty good at responding to emails.
Hey Ken. Marine Mike & Solar Power here. We are retired and hiking the PCT. Currently in Crater Lake. Would love to meet you up trail and buy you a beer. We both have watched all your videos and would love to meet you
Hi MM! Thia (Goldilocks) and I are flattered that you not only watched our PCT videos, but would actually like to try to meet up with us in person. It would be fun for the four of us to meet up and share our experiences on the trail. Are you planning to attend PCT Days at Cascade Locks (August 18-19) next month? We have talked about attending it ourselves this year and it would be an ideal spot to rendezvous with you and S.P. If that doesn't work out we may be able to coordinate a meeting somewhere else on the trail. I also just saw you have been videoing your own hike so I've subscribed and we'll be sitting down in front of the TV tonight to watch them. Good luck with the rest of your hike!
@@kenthiasoutdooradventures2294 thank you for replying so quickly. We are going to miss PCT days and be a little north during that time. We will be in Cascade Locks on about the 10th of Aug. we are about to be out of cell coverage so will check back as we can. So hope we can meet up. Dang we love the PCT
@@kenthiasoutdooradventures2294 Hey this is Marine Mike & Solar Power. We will be in Cascade Locks meeting some folks 9-11 Aug then back on trail north. If you have an email or phone number I can share our Garmin link and you’ll see our location as we hike north. Hope to see you both. Not sure best place to meet but you know our path. Lol
You're making good progress and should make Canada with plenty of time to spare ... if the fires don't shut down the trail. We made it over to PCT Days this past weekend. It was really fun for us to be back around hikers again. Really made us miss the trail. I understand you guys wanting to keep marching north, but it would have been nice to link up there and swap trail stories. Good luck!
Normally that river is great for fishing, but not right now. It's running very high with spring snowmelt, so fishing is a challenge. If we go back in mid-summer we'll limit out easily.
Fabulous video! We had to put it on the big screen as soon as we realized you had posted a new one. A few more treks like this one and I'm sure you'll be able to squeeze back into your kilt.
Thanks Steven. It was so fun to be out hiking again after this long, cold winter/spring. We are already planning our next adventure...and hopefully I'll be back in my kilt soon!
Well...they "mostly" behave on trail. They are curious creatures and will get into everything. If we don't keep them tied up in camp they'll walk right into our tents and make themselves at home!
I loved seeing the goats! They seem to really enjoy it and follow along so well. Do you ever have the dogs pack their own food? I noticed the two tents straight away and immediately thought about the snoring from your PCT videos. Does one dog sleep with each of you? And the cougar cameo of course! What a fun outing. 👏👏👏
Thanks THC! So cool to know you're still one of our friends. Yes, the dogs both have packs and on a longer hike we would have had them carry their own food, although our heeler needs a new/different pack. You might remember our video from last summer (Back on Trail) where his pack rubbed him so badly that after the second day on trail I ended up carrying it myself (8 more pounds...ugh!).
Oh...and yes, we each share our tent with one of the dogs. We bring pads for them to sleep on, but they inevitably end up trying to crawl on top on us in the middle of the night!
Hey, Ken, Thia...!!! Great to see you back out... and the Goats! Looks like a nice trail to hike, but it would take me a DAY just to get to the trailhead! I've got to get out and 'lose a few pounds' myself... Thanks for the inspiration!! (At least it stays a bit cooler over here...) Ed
Hi Ed! Great to hear from you again. I'll never forget the surprise "trail magic" you gave us at Hart's Pass. I really miss hiking and hate that every year I get older and fatter, making hiking even more difficult. My heart almost put me in the ground this past January (cardiac arrest). Now I have a defibrillator/pacemaker implanted in my chest. But it isn't going to keep me off the trail! Hoping to get back on the PCT later this summer to hike the section between Steven's Pass and Hart's Pass to finally finish the PCT.
@@kenthiasoutdooradventures2294 'The Indomitable Spirit'... but that's a tough section to 'wrap it up' on...!! Yeah... I've had a couple times lately exerting myself, and I could tell the 'ol ticker was telling me to back off a bit... Neeeed to do it more often! You guys take care!!
Hi Tom! It was great to be back out hiking again after a really long winter. Yes, we've been following several of this year's PCT hikers and WOW is there a lot of snow this year!
Glad to see you still have the cool hat…I watched your PCT hike in 2020…I am currently flipping all over SOCAL to hike the PCT where there is limited snow
Yup, that's my official "hiking hat". It always seems to get lots of comments (both positive and negative). I don't envy anyone trying to hike the PCT this year...so much snow! We really lucked out in 2020.
It was a particularly longer wet cold spring up there. My mom has lived in Vancouver since 1945 and she sent me photos of thick snow that fell in early April. What crazy weather. I grew up there and neither of us remember that late of snowfall. And we recall blizzards and thick snow in that area that doesn’t get that much snow annually. So I can only imagine what you got in eastern WA. My sister had goats for years and she always want to take them on hikes cuz they followed her everywhere. Love that orange screw contraption. I take my cat camping with me and let her wander around camp, supervised, during the day. But I try to make sure she doesn’t bolt up a tree or anything if she gets spooked. Tho usually she bolts into her backpack when she gets nervous. So I have a screw contraption but not as lightweight or as easy to screw into the ground. I will check that one out. Too bad about the fire in that area taking out so many trees, as has happened so much up there. But what a gorgeous trail. Thanks for posting
Hi Kelly! Yes, the winter this year has been bizarre. Despite the warm weather we had last weekend, it didn't last long. It immediately turned cool and wet again, and today (May 6th) the temperature maxed out at 52 degrees. Brrrrr! The goats are fun on trail. Really easy to take care of. On our 2020 PCT hike we actually ran into TWO different hikers who were carrying cats! It was so funny to see them perched casually on top of the backpacks as their owner hiked down the trail.
Thanks Josephine! I can assure you that Charlie is here to stay. I accidentally left him out of my last video and couldn't believe how many people called me out on it. LOL!
Thank you for video. Always wanted to know what happened to him. He sang just like Johnny Mathis. We must have met at NAR during B-1 era. I don’t remember! Thunderbirds my fav but I live in a Blue Angels city!
Wow, I knew that Doyle was pretty handy with an acoustic guitar, and loved to sing Gordon Lightfoot, but didn't realize his voice was that good. I'll pass along your comments to him, I'm sure it will bring a smile to his face.
Thanks Gayle! Now that spring is here we are looking forward to more adventures, including a goat-packing trip in Idaho and hopefully more miles on the PCT later in the summer.
A few notes from my '22 hike. Ditto on Kennedy Meadows Resort and Trout Lake. Both are great places to resupply. My " PCT Secret Town " is Lake Arrowhead in SoCal. Cool place for a Zero. Good resupply with a gear store, and the lake tour is cool.
Agree with Lake Arrowhead. We resupplied there in the small, but we'll stocked grocery store and then had a great meal at their malt shop (sorry, don't remember the name, but I remember it being an old-car themed restaurant).
Same to you Mark. We just went thru one of the coldest spells I've seen in my 30 years living in Washington: -17 degrees...without wind chill! I hope you're staying warmer down in Texas 🌞
Thanks Kelly! We're so happy we had this adventure and look back on it with fond memories and have even talked about the possibility of doing it (or another long trail) again in the near future. Thanks for following!
You're very welcome Dave. It's been a year of ups and downs for us too, and we find ourselves watching and rewatching the videos of our PCT adventure when our spirits are down. We're so glad we were able to have that experience and create those memories that we could share with others.
