Your talking while you are actually hiking the trail is what I at least am drawn to your channel for. It's like getting to see the whole trail without actually walking it myself. Making a memory is also super cool! I keep a falconry blog, mostly for myself. I have gone back and read entries from years gone by, and get to re-live things I have forgotten.
Really beautiful video today! Thank you for this; it's the kind of trip I always dreamed of doing but life in the form of 3 children took that away. I love seeing the mountains.
Love the videos. The format of good and rough you spoke of appeals to me. Like the local Sierra hike videos as well as the epics. Greats adventuring, great videos.
I look forward to your daily blogs. It is depressing when you are between hikes, or paddlings which was quite interesting. I find you and taters hike fascinating, plus the fact you are plus 40 seems to only add to the intrigue. For all that think your hikes are a walk in the park, spend a few weeks near sea level, then go to 23k. Ha, not an easy step, no matter your age. Best of luck Matt. We are with you, if only on-line.
It's good to have a Good Day! Always a shock to a dyed in the wool pessimist, but these things happen. :) Guess it takes a good night's sleep to get Matt nice and chatty. Great musings on the trail. Makes the climb tolerable. Hike on! Possessor of another popular trail name but I'm not about to change it. . . . Tortoise! (It just fits too well.)
As it should! May you never have to go to Winter Park again! (Until old and cranky so you can wallow in nostalgia and tell your "There I was . . " stories to a gathering of credulous young hikes!! @@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes
What a great day. I love it when you get chatty on trail. I’d much rather watch you walk and listen to you talk than watch an overproduced hiking video.
Spending much of the summer not much above sea level and not having done any hiking at any appreciable altitute for awhile could be contributing factors. It's my understanding that it doesn't take long for the human body to lose its acclimation to the higher elevations. One positive is that you aren't in the Nova Scotia area with the weather they just had. You're right, these videos will be priceless to you in future years. A couple of years ago, your channel showed up as a recommendation. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, thinking it would be something really awful/ridiculous or something really great. I'm glad it was the latter. BTW, nice typo...Hassell Peak 1,315 ft. Lol
I'm from Florida, planning my first trip to the Rockies (mostly a Carolina life) with regards to mountains. Really enjoyed your narrative and filming. You are a warrior and your candor to the experience is refreshing. I'm just going to tour around with basic "scenic" hikes but any tips on how I can deal with the Altitude? I'm literally at sea level here in Boca Raton. I'm 63, in good shape but just wanted to see with your experience if there is anything I can prepare for? Great time watching these...
Poles and I finished Nov 15 but had to do the Creede cutoff to do it. For reference, we were at Steamboat Springs around the date you shot this video. Re: trail names, there are far too many "RANGERS" out there these days for my ego. 😄 When I got mine at Mary's Place on the PCT there was one other that I knew of, and he was also an ex army ranger on the PCT. We met each other (he was SOBO) in the Trinitys. And yes, Winter Park is obviously cursed. I am reminded that is also where we got food poisoning. 🤮 The following day of hiking was not at all pleasant. Winter Park should be avoided at all costs. I had a good time climbing Grays though. We had a lot of company going up.
Didn't you hit a privy at some pass a little before you came down with Noro - maybe it was something like that? Apologies for the long delay - having thoroughly enjoyed your ECT series, I'm going back and catching up on these. Looking forward to getting to the Discovery series ASAP. Have a great hike!
Great video and commentary… I love the CT, but my son got noro/giardia/etc by Salida too, with no hostels or towns to blame it on… I will definitely add aquamira to the pack the next time through
just relax and do the best you can - this is a luxury hike not a forced march - do carry bear spray - the moose can always be used as alternative shelter during blizzards
Your channel name is part of what made me click on the video... I wanted to know the story (though the ECT might have been reason enough to call yourself a masochist). Unusual names stir my curiosity.
Back to back 13ers stretches,rolling hills in between (yah clear skies lightning storms at that point would have been< gulp> And you wonder why you're tired ? Oh my Just out of curiosity did you ever make a wall map of USA and fill in the trails/areas you have 🥾 hiked ,the same for scuba diving only with a world map? It would make a great visual aid for lectures when PowerPoint can't relay the industriousness of a man of your stature.oops will need to add little canoe icons to the rivers you have paddled. Phew ..would need a year for that endeavor alone.
I’ve started paying attention to the map view on google photos. It gives this interesting heat map of where all my photos are taken and I can try and fill in the gaps :)
Glad your doing better today. I agree never ever go to WinterPark. I understand about the monetary issues and why you are doing these videos. I enjoy all your videos and learn things from you. Hike your hike 🥾🥾🥾
I'm listening but I'm also trying to make sure that there are more footfalls than breaths. I guess the good news is that if you die while doing this they'll get the video from your body and we'll still get to see it. The breaths have moved from subtext to uber-text.
I've never seen the black range and I've watched untold numbers of CDT videos over quite a few years. The Gila looks like the absolute best section of the whole hike to me but I'm interested in seeing something new.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes I'm looking forward to seeing the black hill. I've always been under the impression that unlike the AT and PCT the CDT doesn't really have a "proper" route. I've always heard it referred to as "choose your own adventure". I don't think I've seen two people hike it exactly the same way. That's what makes it the most interesting one to watch.
I like seeing a lot of the terrain but music drives me nuts. I want to hear the trail as much as I want to see it. My perfect world video would be mostly terrain with periodic narration from the hiker.
"Red-line" hiking equals authentic hiking i.e. the actual trail? I like to imagine that if I were a thru-hiker I would have that attitude. I can see it for the AT and the PCT for sure. But I've been under the impression that part of the authentic experience for the CDT is to choose your own paths for your own reasons at times; more of a "wild west" attitude; unburden yourself from convention?
That is what I had always heard but personally I’ve found that it is somewhat…controversial in some circles. A lot of the “choose your own adventure” seems to come down to shortcutting away from the divide.
no acting. do not break a leg. like me bro once did. in known agate ranch field he stepped on large rock, it shifted. femur broke through skin. had to drag up ravine to be seen or signal. hunt found an airlifted. so watch wat steps one takes...
