20 Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE my Appalachian Trail Thru Hike... 

I am almost 76 years old. I don't backpack or hike but I wish I would have when I was younger. That being said.....I listen to the very end. I always enjoy your content.

Re: camp shoes... Never underestimate the psychological and physical benefits of little comfort items. Factoring in some hot meals rather than cold soaking everything, camp shoes, one of those plastic collapsible bottles like what comes with a Sawyer and fill it with wine at town stops (can use with water after emptied), little knife for whittling, paper diary/journal, edible plants guide (great for making a little tea with leftover hot water), etc.

A cheap double room at a hotel is luxurious and affordable. Plan on eating, showering, getting laundry done, eating, shopping, eating, unwind (beer +pizza) repack all of your fresh, clean, dry, stuff and waking early so you are ready to hit the trailhead. Energy drinks and cold pizza are considered gravity reducing drugs after a zero day. Food, carry an extra day of super light foods. Like mountain house. Eat the heavy stuff first. Also, carry extra ramen noodles. This will help you when you get held up by weather or just going slower than you expect. Also, extra noodles are a cheap and easy way to help out other hikers who need a little assistance or encouragement. My hard and fast rule is to never feed lazy people who won’t carry anything and try to mooch off the other hikers. An ultra lighter who talks trash about traditional hikers but then begs food every time someone reaches into a food bag… (saw a lot of that) Let that guy who carries a single snickers bar and no tent on a 3 day leg drink water and sleep under the picnic table at the shelter. Every once in a while, empty your backpack and wash it out. I didn’t smell bad because I sweat a lot more than the average person. Fresh sweat actually helps reduce pit and crotch odor. Washing in streams is fine. Never had an issue. My pack was another story. It soaked up sweat and needed washed out at least once a week. Really smelled bad. Best out of town food as a treat is avocados. They are better than anything else I ever found in a small town grocery for the trail. I used crocs for camp shoes and they were worth it. I pulled out my hiking shoes insoles and placed them in a breezy spot to dry. I also had a pair of cotton socks that I wore to draw the moisture out of my feet. I would wash them and hang them to dry before putting them away. Snakes, avoid. They will avoid you if they get a chance. You get more aware as you go. If it is a busy day, warn others. Shoes, Trail runners and half size larger than your normal daily shoes. After a few days, your feet will swell and stay that way. Have a set bought and boxed in a prepaid fedex pack so you can have them sent by your home contact. Spend money on good quality socks. I had two pair of smart wool socks last 500 miles and I swapped them out but they were still good. Bought 5 pairs of them in 2006, They’re still good in 2024. Spend money on your feet and your sleep system. Good sleep and healthy feet are going to make or break your body on a wet route like the AT. If you can’t recover you just get weaker.

My boyfriend picked me up at Carver's Gap TN. To this day, he jokes about how he works in the oilfield and at the end of the day, 5 sweaty guys ride home in a crew truck and all 5 of them didnt smell as bad as me 😂 Also about the reminiscing over the photos, I do that too. My regret is not keeping a journal to go along with the photos. Would've loved to be able use both to relive the adventure.

A trick some people do for camp shoes is to bring two bread bags or oven liner bags, so you can put them on and have a waterproof barrier between your dry camp socks and wet hiking shoes walking around camp

I really appreciate that you continue to post your backpacking content the way you do on this channel. I’m grateful that your other channel blew up, but sometimes I miss a classic “20 things” video from Kyle. Thanks for all the great content! I appreciate it.

Always carry day and a half more food than you need. Have meet hiker’s that I that I had to share food with that didn’t pack enough

Great job with your adventure! I am 63 years old and enjoyed the entire video. One thing I've learned is that I can always learn more from listening to others, no matter how much experience they have. I'm from Northern Michigan and back in fall of '84 rode cross country on mountain bikes with 4 friends. I left Mackinac Island in late October and rode from Mackinaw City to San Diego. (Two of us completed the trip. We all had the most current bikes and equipment and made it with minimal funds (camping for the most part). I can't imagine making that trip as a 24-year-old in today's social and economic environment. It was a terrific experience! Thanks for your video and keep up your work.

Love your honesty as you quoted "I really am quite stupid". Where you make up for this is you can keep the attention of the audience and you are a good story teller. And I always watch until the end.

All about ultra light backpacking, but some of you guys are insane

I really like the talk about the trail upkeepers! Up in Lonesome Lake in NH. Me and my son where talking about how much work it must have been to put all the timbers used to make the trail around the entire lake! So much work!!!

I hired a Sports Nutritionist to give me a nutrition plan, which I can do by macros. That way I can pack for macros per day and I'm good with food/nutrition. It's one of the smarter things I've done for myself.

You don't "Get slack" - you cut slack - it's a nautical term. You get flack. Also - they are opposing terms.

My perspective on your trouble with food planning...when in the store, I actually arrange the food in the cart according to my eating schedule. So, eg for a 4-day carry: 4 breakfast grains (8 oatmeal packets), 4 breakfast proteins (real bacon pieces), 4 tea bags; 4 x 2nd breakfasts (protein bars); 4 lunch savories (pepperettes and cheese sticks or tuna or chicken salad packs, or dehydrated hummus/peanut butter), 4 wraps, or a bag of Triscuits, a lunch treat, eg cookies; afternoon snack (trail mix and 4 candy bars); 4 hot dinners (raman mixed with half a dehydrated meal, mashed potatoes with spinach, bacon pieces or hot dog). I always have enough for 1 full extra emergency meal, and don't touch it. Hope this helps! Diddly, PCT Class of 2019

“I didn’t freeze to death” …thank you, Kyle, for this exciting revelation 😂

Just found your channel after randomly watching some AT vids. I've hiked the distance of the AT on the AT, but only repeating certain sections over and over (outdoor instructor). I'm older now but it still gets a twinkle in my eye thinking of doing the whole thing. Your penchant for correcting yourself about correcting yourself about correcting yourself is just very human. Don't fret it! See you on the trail!

Heads up Kyle. A lot of these points will apply to life in general. The same things happen when you have children. Enjoy as many moments that you can even when it's incredibly difficult. Take videos and pictures and just absorb everything. I always had that in mind when my kids were babies. I would stare at their face and just breathe in every second. I knew it wouldn't last. I'm so thankful I didn't take it for granted. Babies are difficult and amazing at the same time, just like trail.

Hiking the AT in 2025. Thanks for the insights!

Thanks for the episode. It's amazing how many things you have to consider before a thru hike. You're definitely helping all of us go in stronger and more prepared. Keep shining bright.

35:58 i moved from Maine to Oregon, where on one of my first hikes, I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake while picking blackberries. I was wearing sandals bc I had just finished swimming. I happened to look down just as I was about to set my foot down, and there it was-coiled with its head up. I was wearing headphones, so if it rattled, I didn't hear it. Without any snake experience, I screamed and ran. It never lunged, but I cut that hike short. I'm back in Maine and loving the snake sitch.

I will have to get my sons to watch this as they talk about doing the Appaalachian Trail--This is very good information. Thank you and if this is where you leave a 5 star review-here it is.

I'm not a hiker or even a camper but I do enjoy your videos. I think the most important thing you talked about is body tole and foot care. I would think this would be the main topics all hikers would talk about since your feet are the most important part of your body in hiking. I can promise you that age will take a tole also. You won't be able to hike like that as you age. You will be slower. I know this first hand.

Yep, blue eyes are more sensitive. I have blue and can TOTALLY relate!!! I love the sun but it's not always my friend. 😎🌻

Thank you for this video. I hope to do the AT one day. I also hope to do the JMT, the PCT, the CDT, and the Colorado Trail. Admittedly, time is running out; I am 72. Your insights into through-hiking will be invaluable if I can get myself in shape to do it. Keep on rockin'!

Being the soft-footed weenie that I am, I always take camp shoes, even when car camping. They are a huge physical and psychological comfort item.

I enjoy your content. This may be my favorite video you have ever made. I think more lesson learned videos would be great.

I'm 21 now and it is one of my dreams to through hike the Appalachian trail and I really like your stories! Thanks!

I do these foot exercises called “The MELT Method”, which involves different ways of rolling your feet over different size little balls. Looks simple but has really helped with pain, stiffness and misalignment/

When I was young we had zero videos and we got an Instamatic with 12 pictures for a regular vacation. For special trips we got a whopping 20 shot model!!

Going to my first Trail Days this year! AT Class of 2023 NORTH⭐️STAR

food: one cup of cooked dehydrated rice, one cup of cooked dehydrated quinoa, plus dehydrated veg and spices, four tablespoons of olive oil, two cups of mix nuts, one 1/4 - half of dark chocolate bar 50g, one tablespoon of protein powder, two tea bags - per day. Sometimes corn chips if i'm craving them. I usually measure out for 5 days for 60-80km. Or if i'm going around 100 - 120 km I'll take 8 days.

I hope to meet you at Trail Days. I will be on my 2nd section hike up from Hot Springs as far as I can get in 4 weeks then come back down to the fest!!

Heading back for my first trail days since I thru hiked in 2018. Would be stoked for a meetup!

Congrats on the growth and success. Can we also get a Flossy update? He is missed.

The PATC!! Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. Awesome group. They are the one you were trying to get off your tongue.

Kyle! I will see you at Trail Days. 😊

No way, the first hostel he showed is where i stayed at, laurel hostel, before figuring out my arches were gone in my feet and had to get off trail, and he was hangin out with steppin wolf playin harmonica, what a trip. Steppin wolf gave me my trail name, cowboy, cause the way i played his guitar 😂

I got to the end. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thanks. From my brief experience with the AT, I learned it’s the steps you take not the miles you make. Wishing you peace and good fortune. Happy Trails!

You gotta try Peak Re-Fuel meals I really can't stand those meals but Peak Re-fuel are hands down the best meals I ever tried and super easy to cook with minimal water

You definitely need an underquilt when hammocking.

I buy sunglasses at Home Depot, no cap. Less than $6, UVA & B blockers, shock drop and roll resistant. Heck, go nuts, buy two! They have the regular and also wraparound types. No, not an ad, I'm just horrible to the poor things!

Love your content! Hope to see you on a trail some day.

Photos are my most prized positions ❤

Potomac. You pronounced it properly. Yes it is a river and a town in Maryland. That section is really nice for sure

You are all good Kyle. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Always enjoy your podcasts.

Always fun hearing about the AT

You guys don’t know what cold is at all. I welcome you to the North/Norway 🇳🇴 😂

Listened to the end! I can’t remember if you have talked about this before on trail tales (😂 ) but would you ever re hike the AT again in the future or was it more of a one and done type of adventure for you?

oh god I desperately need camp shoes. A super light pair of flip flops. If I were to go today I would get a pair of XERO new trail sandals.

Thx for the honest review, found myself in a lot your thoughts ❤👊

Trail Days 2024 Have to represent in the parade.

Really like your stuff, Kyle 👍❤

I’ve been holding back with comments so far but I’m totally the shoe guy😂😂😂 I actually did the entire AT with ONE pair of Keen H2 sandals. I just kept sewing them and repairing them. First sewing session was at the NOC😂 Keen was awesome, and actually hooked me up after I told them what that one pair had accomplished, but I busted my ass so many times in VT-ME because I had no grip whatsoever. But I was determined at that point that I was doing it in one pair!

I dub thee "The Psycho Hiker" 😂 Love you Kyle!

Absolutely bring camp shoes, even in the West. I’m Ultralight specifically so I can bring a few comfort items. Bring an ultralight chair and an ultralight set of camp shoes that breath and my God does it just make being at camp so nice Basically a hostel minus a shower at that point haha

PATC - Potomac Appalachian Trail Club do a great job!

Freeze-dried meals weren't that bad when I was backpacking as a teen in the 1970s in the Colorado mountains.

So, in answer to your query about food planning...I calculated the exact grams of protein/fat/carbs that I wanted to consume daily based on a 3500, 4000, and 4500 calories per day diet. I made a spreadsheet, found the calculations for how many calories are in carbs/fat/protein per gram, and then calculated the proportions. It's a lot of work, but it's definitely been worth it. I used backcountry foodie website for making all my own dinners and many snacks. The owner of the site is a registered dietician and ultralight thru hiker. She's also a vegetarian/vegan and I am not, so I added beef to the dinners I made for the extra protein. Her recipes are excellent.

Yes, potomac river

Hiking the AT this year and will 100% be at trail days. I'm down to hang my dude.

I loved this! Thank you it was very helpful. I am through hiking this year but am unsure as to when I will be in Damascus. Hope to meet you.

“Mullet Mike” - how awesome of a trail name is that? 😂

5 star review grew up near peters mountain pa.... thats a hell of a shelter....maybe going trail day inbetween kayaking and festivals

planning on section hiking the AT and I wanted to be over-prepared as much as i can. ❤

A lot of things I would have never thought of....have never done a through hike. Wish we had more of that here in Ontario Canada. Loads of trails and cool spots. We have the Bruce Trail but oddly, there is very little wild camping along the way. Sad really. Growing up near Algonquin Park, always assumed you could just throw up a tent anywhere and camp. Now that I'm getting more into hiking, here in Southern Ontario there is pretty much no wild camping at all. Makes it difficult to do multi-day hikes unless you have a car.

Yes, will be at Trail Days. My 50th year class reunon!

Don't like Snakes ? Then don't go to a (recently vacated) shelter. Careless hikers leave spills/food scraps. Which attract Rodents. Which attract Snakes. I did an August weekend SoBo on the AT, along Skyline Drive in SW VA. It was during a Heat Wave (even at elevation: 95 degrees by day, 77 by night; most water sources GONE !). We camped a few hundred feet from a shelter. Mid-Camp, not long after dark, I Happened to look down, with my headlamp: Timber Rattler, just chilling between me and another guy (standing 5-6 feet from one-another). I barked: "St__e; FREEZE !!". Thankfully, he did. A few flash photos, and then the snake (calmly) decided he/she had better things to do, and "see"..... =O

Hi, for your nutrition question I would shout for 1.0 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight of protein and 0.5 to 1kg grams of fat each day and fill in the remaining balance with carbohydrates.

Blue eyes are more sensitive to light changes. My eye doctor told me that. It takes our pupils longer to change size and they aren’t as efficient at it. I have a lot of trouble at twilight because everything blends together.

I’ll see you at Trail Days!

HEY BRO IM GOING TO TRAIL DAYS 2024 CAUSE MISS THE LAST TWO. I THRU HIKE THE A.T IN 2021 AND FINISHED NOBO . MY TRAIL NAME IS GENIE AND IM FROM JERSEY CITY / NEW YORK CITY, NEVER HIKED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC OR THE THRU HIKE. ILL SEE YOU AT TRAIL DAYS HOPEFULLY WE CAN CHAT OR EVEN HAVE A FEW BEERS.

“not knowing” should be the lesson.. never lose focus on a trail

Yup! Hiking around in NH Peterborough, I was paying attn thank goodness. A little unnerving to say the least!

I’m from CA, very near Yosemite, did a section hike of the AT last year and honestly couldn’t fathom sleeping inside an actual shelter vs in my tent. Glad that where I was it was not mandatory. I just don’t get shelters…yet.

Maine can be more humid than people think.

AT through-hikers (obviously) burn WAY more calories per diem than a typical weekend/4-5-day backpacker (I have been the latter). Many of the freeze-dried backpacker dinners I've experienced were portioned 1.5 to 2 "servings" per package, which can be a bit much for a weekender. In addition, they typically contained up to 1500 mg of SODIUM, which is excessive (though a proper balance of sodium AND potassium is important). But having one stashed away for "emergencies" is always a good idea, given the minimal weight. And beats daily "potato flakes" (unless you're marooned on Mars XD).

Dude, I'm not gonna lie but at the end of the day, and I've said it before, I wish I had known how bad the black flies are in the spring and how much I needed to use repellant and a net over my head. Relentless little MF-ers suck. I still have the little red dots on my body even after all these years. Did you know that the Abenaki tribe gave Flossy a new Indian trail name? Dances with nerds.😎

Foot care is of great importance. Get great boots and socks. Nothing matters more than your feet. I once had a job that involved a lot of walking, so I know what I am talking about. Spend whatever you must to get the RIGHT boots and socks, then next in importance is your backpack. If boots, socks, and backpack are not right, you may as well stay home.

Yes, Floci was a neat person, have him on

I am pretty sure you are about to though hike the AT again. You were really getting nostalgic toward the end of this video. On another note, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains the AT from southern PA down through the Shenandoah National Park.

I'm class of 2024, starting in mid-April. I don't know if I'll make trail days, but I hope I do. If i do, I'll say hey.

Yea, dude, summer in the south ain’t no joke!

An interview with Austin Seder would be nice. Just finished watching his CDT documentary 👍

Not a glimpse of a bud light in the back of a truck.😂😂😂

Re: Food - Gear Skeptic has some pretty good videos on caloric density. I would try for ~3,000-4,000 (depending on mileage/elevation/time spent hiking per day) kcal x # days.

Keep up the good work!

This is perfect as I prepare for mine later this year! 👊👊 I’ll be there for sure!

Kyle, I commend your vulnerability. I hiked with the same kicks until Luray, VA (not recommended). Did not bring a camera until Virginia (walkman took precedence). Indeed, we all make the decisions we make at the time-- no better, no worse, or indifferent. Side note: Recently read that Trail Days is a no-go this year. A travesty, indeed.

Bandanna/gaiter around the neck should help with sweat lol

Your Awesome!!!!❤❤❤❤❤

I miss Flossy ❤. Hope he is doing well.

7:40 i would say one 2 serving meal. Per 10-15 miles. Thats how i would do it.

According to studies, blue eyes are more adept to see better in low light conditions rather than high light. Brown eyes are more ideal for more UV.

Dude, listen to song " glory days ", Bruce Springstien. You can will relate.

Hi I’m going be at trial days coming in the 14 flying in from Oklahoma in 2016 I started in Georgia Springer and made it up to Shenandoah so after trail day going try catch a ride up there be cool met you there Robert Gregory/ finder

Hey Kyle We are always looking for trail help on The Allegheny Trail in West Virginia 311 miles check it out. Celebrating 50 years in September.

Screw that kumbaya crap! Hotel for me! So many odd people out there and their quirks for one. Speaking from an older point of view, but would have done it back in the day. All comes down to money.

Jesus Christ, thank you for the video and content, you are 30 years old, SMALL KING, is why I can't get cheap insurance. My feet hurt

Hi from Sydney Australia.

As far as camp food, i usually am packing for 10 consecutive days with no restock option so i have to be really thoughtful. I plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, two daily snacks (upping this to 3 this year) and a drink or two like dry bone broth or hot chocolate. Am i full? I mean, no not really, but never am i hungry after a full day of eating. I just do a rough calorie count on a few sample days and try to make sure it's enough. That strategy wouldn't work on a thru hike though, definitely not enough calories overall for an extended period, but you're also not probably going ten days between resupplies. And got chocolate packets at night, my God nothing has ever tasted so sweet😅😂