Nice video. Good info. Took me 7 days to complete the trail. I'm not getting any faster as I age, but I like to take my time anyway. I enjoy leisurely breaks in scenic spots, where I have a snack and slip into my camp shoes to let my feet air out and rest. But next time I am going to try to complete the trail in 6 days.
You did the trail in a perfect amount of time. Wish I would have taken my time more in a few of the areas. At the time, I was limited for time off. Can’t wait to go back and wish you the best on your hike! It’s awesome out there!
This is an awesome trail! So glad you enjoyed it. There's a great documentary about the trail and conservancy at youtube.com/@travelingpanda5108?si=v2-xvJWZKJR8VSJ1
Solid video! Perhaps I missed it, but did you visit King Creek Falls, Whitewater Falls, or Hilliard Falls? All of these are must-sees and worth the side trail.
We've thought about doing that trail as well looks awesome! You went in a really good time of year! I wouldn't argue with your statement about the art of hiking 😅 Funny that you ran into hunters near table Rock Mountain we did two just the one in North Carolina last year lol I definitely like this style of video a lot better not much down time in between shots always talking good editing!
Appreciate that feedback. Trying to change up the format a bit. Thinking I might do three videos for hikes like this. 1. Commentary. 2. ASMR 3. METRO Style with Music. Thoughts?
@@MetroOnTheMove Try all three. Just look at your retention rate on each video style and see which one does the best. All I know is whenever we keep it moving when we're constantly talking not having much down time and long breaks between scenes watch time go up and you get more views.
Awesome video! I love how you put it together with the mix of talking head spliced in. Cool that Tom was able to get with you. Hiking to exotic places for a snack 😂 Looks like you had sour patch, that’s what’s up lol. I’d love to do at least a section of the trail, that includes heartbreak ridge. Great adventure!!
Thank you my friend! This trail was challenging and rewarding. Having the opportunity to do this solo teaches you a lot about yourself and you have time to go through your thoughts. Appreciate the kind words!
Thanks for documenting your thruhike. My wife and I have done several sections of the trail and I would like to solo thru hike. I'm curious what your thoughts are around campsites. My biggest (probably irrational) fear is that I will get to where I want to camp and there will already be people there. Do you just find a hole and squeeze in or move on? Any tips in terms of what to expect there and the etiquette? I would also be happy to do it out of peak season, too. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words! This trail is amazing. Campsites were not full when I was in trail. There are limited spots in some areas and if they are taken, you will have to keep pushing. However, most hikers will accommodate those in need so you should not worry about this too much. I still think Fall is the best time to go.
I am the crazy fool you met heading to Oconee State Park. I finished in 4.5 days or (45 hrs 33 min moving time). 12330 ft elevation gain with 11615 descent. One thing I liked about going this way was getting a shower at Oconee before heading home. We did have a problem with a bear getting my friends food near Sassafras Mountain. It was a well hung bear bag, but the bear must have jumped and held the bag till the carabiner broke. My Ursack was untouched but I upgraded the carabiner I use on it. So I recommend everyone use a bear canister or Ursack in this area. I will say this was the first time in a life filled with camping and hiking on the East coast to ever have a problem with bears. It was a great hike with excellent weather. You did a great job capturing the feel of the trail. I’m a subscriber!
Wow! That is crazy that the bear took the bear bag on trail. This was an excellent adventure and happy to hear you enjoyed this video. I appreciate the feedback and happy to hear you had a good time on trail despite the incident with the bear. Need to look at ursack as an option.
Awesome video! Such a place to be at that time. I'm looking forward to hiking that in the future, maybe a couple months after the Alabama Triple Crown.
I definitely saw one at Table Rock as I had to wait for it to be opened in the morning to register. Not sure about OSP. You may want to call to confirm. Thanks for watching and hope you have fun out there!
We did this the first week in june...no bugs, no ticks, not hot. But seeing the trees in ur video, i want to do this again in the fall. So, how were the bugs and ticks in the fall?
It's a great hike! We were on the trail at the same time. I was a day behind you. I went Sunday-Thursday and our times are within minutes of start and finish! That's awesome! My campsites were 1. Burrels Ford 2. Thompson River 3. Rock Creek 4. Big rock. Sadly the fog rolled in that morning before sunrise on Sassafras but amazing views later that morning from Pinnacle. Thanks for sharing your trip with us, I enjoyed your videos! Happy hiking brother!
That hike up to Sassafras is something else right! Especially if you get there first and have the place to yourself. Great that you had this experience and made great time as well. Great job my friend!
Happy November my friend! Hope you are having a great week!!! Thanks for sharing and posting this!!!! Awesome upload and big like!! amazing scenery and awesome hiking my friend
Party pace.... hahaha... 10-15 is near death march for me. Nice video! Really need to get back to NC and hike. Haven't been there since I was a kid (born and raised there). So gorgeous..
If I had to do this again, I would take 5-7 days to slow down and enjoy the trail. Still have blisters on my feet. You should definitely hike the Foothills Trail as this was a great physical/mental/spiritual trip for me to hike solo. Hope you have fun out there!
More orange for safety! Congrats on this huge accomplishment! You have some great hiking friends to join you and drive with and leave suxh awesome notes or gifts along thw way...Snacks and great views!! Lol. 100% 16 miles a day is a great tempo.Thank you for the great information. Beautiful images!!
Thank you! This was a hike for the books. Just wish I did slow it down a bit to enjoy the trail a little more. Yes, great hiker friends all over the US and very grateful to be a part of this growing community. Thanks for the kind words!
Metro! One of the best short version of explaining the FHT. You had some great video shots & awesome weather. Definitely backpacking is getting somewhere epic & having a snack. Come back again soon & we’ll do some of these spur (off the beaten track trails). Those honey mushrooms looked good in the video. 👍👍
Mr. Walker! Thank you for being a part of this adventure! It was great to see you again and thank you for your help getting me on trail! Yes, let's get back together and hit up some of those spur trails. You really are just a stone throw away. Need to pick your brain on how to grow these King Stropharia mushrooms on trail!
The tip about hunters is a good one. I keep a verity of blaze orange head gear for hunting season. I've walked across my share of hunters. I have not done the through hike yet. I'm planning on going the other way and at a relaxed pace over 7 days.
7 Days is PERFECT! Wish I would have taken some more time to stop and smell the roses. Did this hike in 99 hours...my feet were killing me. Yes, blaze orange is key this time of year! Have fun out there!
This is definitely one of your better videos. Your narration was on point, and held my interest throughout the whole video. BTW Congrats on a good video and finishing the FHT in 4 days, 3 hours and 33 minutes. Lol
Thank you my friend! Trying to figure out a better way to share the trail and this format was fun to do. Editing five days of content...not so fun. See ya soon my friend!
It took me 3 weekends 🤣. It was my first “section” hike. Funny enough… started at Table Rock (I think I died going up that in 90deg heat 🥵). I love overnights by Thompson River & Lake Toxaway. Great video - congratulations 😊
Great that you made the goal of completing this trail. Saw that video on you hiking up Table Rock in the heat! That is a HUGE challenge as those climbs are something else. Lake Toxaway was very nice and loved that bridge hiking in!
Heartbreak was definitely a heartbreak..lol great trail. It's my only thru hike (over 20 miles). Great video. Enjoyed your take on it. I did the trail in 6.5 days, I believe. I think an extra day would have been helpful. Carrying 7 days of food at once was not fun..lol. I believe that Taz does food drops also.
As you know, this trail has a lot of ups and downs but is really enjoyable compared to other trails like the AT. All that food and trash is not fun to carry. Glad you have had this experience as well. Thanks for the tip with Taz!
Awesome round up and trip vid Andy! How did this one rate compared to some other longer hikes you’ve done? Would you do it again? Weather looked decent.
This trail is moderate for the majority of the trail and gets aggressive at Sassafras Mountain. This trail was a lot more fun than other long trails I’ve been on at this distance. Yes, would do this trail again for sure!
Party pacer, I love that. That’s about what I like to do, somewhere between 12 and 15 miles most days. My teenage daughter and I will be headed up there in a couple weeks and trying to knock it out in five days. Enjoyed this video, we are excited... It looks about as pretty as some of the prettiest sections I’ve done on the Appalachian Trail.
Hope you have a great time out there! This was an excellent hike going this route, just wish I would have taken a little longer to enjoy some areas more. 15 miles a day over 5 should get you to the goal.
Metro, I can’t describe how well this was narrated and put together. I really enjoyed the way you narrated after the trip and introduced the different video clips and topics. 🦑
Thank you my friend! This was an awesome hike and going solo had some really great moments on trail. Definitely recommend this and you would love this trail. Good times!
You nailed it brother! On my LASH, I would leave camp early to find a view spot to eat breakfast and then see where I could eat lunch. 😁 Very informative video. Thanks!👍🏼
Love the feedback my friend! I make these videos for the love of backpacking to share with others to inspire people to get out in nature. Appreciate ya!
A lot of useful information about the Foothill trail. I saw Kevin's videos of the hike and it looks pretty nice out there! I agree 15 miles in a day is enough. When you have to do more, it's just too much! I think it's a good distance for a thru-hike. At least if you can't get away for weeks and months. I did 3 and 4 weeks this year for my way to Santiago. 😊 Haha, I love the idea that hiking is just about finding the perfect spot for a snack! 😂🤣 Maybe also finding the perfect spot for a campfire! 😊 The last part looked a bit more challenging. Dogs can be a pain and so are hunters... 😉 On the other hand bears might be a problem too. Wear orange, yes, good tip! Lovely sunrise All the best Kaat
Kevin inspired me to go for it! Going solo was a trip but I think it is worth it to help keep your pace up. Congrats again on your trip! Great job my friend!
@@MetroOnTheMove If you go solo, you only have to worry about yourself. On a good day, you do a bit more, but you can also decide to take a rest when you need it. I have noticed that you'll do more in a day when solo because your breaks are shorter and not much else to do than hike or cycle in my case! 😁
This trail looks really challenging especially for solo hiking! Nicely explained bud, autumn colors are so vivid here. It's always dangerous when it's hunting season, here even in some parts it's forbidden to go hiking until the hunting season is over.
Added a new orange blaze to the pack for extra visibility. The Hunter told me that they have to make sure the bear is big enough from the scope before they move forward. Scary though right?
This is a PERFECT trail for you! It is a mix between the Pine Mountain Trail and Twentymile in the Smokies. I would schedule 5-7 days to enjoy the trail.
