My AT Thruhike's Begun! 

That's so sweet! Thank you!

Thank you, and I appreciate your husband's and father's service as well ❤️

Thank you! :)

Awesome! Thank you!

Awesome, thank you!

Thank you for the support, really :)

Thank you 😊

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying them ❤️

I'm glad you found your way here! And thank you for identifying this bird! I've got another one for you to identify in a future video! Some kind of woodpecker!

@@hikingwithhootie Will try to ID it for you! Safe travels my friend!

Exactly :)

That's very thoughtful, thank you :)

Thank you! 😁

Right?? I was very lucky to see it :)

I hope you're able to get out on the Ice Age Trail and give it a shot! Yes, I've learned backpacking is not an easy feat by any means lol.

Thank you and I still have hope that he can come out and hike with me in the future :)

Thanks!

Thank you :)

Thank you! I'll be sure to tell her if I do! :)

Guam was so beautiful and om really glad I got the opportunity to live there for a while :) Thanks for following!

Thank you so much! Yes, I've met so many vets on trail already! It's nice to have something immediately in common with some folks out here :)

Thank you 😊

Thank you! Yeah I felt a bit of whiplash from those first few days, but all is well now :)

Thanks! :D

Thanks haha me too! :p

Thank you very much!

I will! Thanks!

Awesome, thank you!

Well I'm still on track for my goal and I hope that he can come out to hike with me in the future :)

Funny story, I actually did not weigh my total base weight- but when I was at the Amicalola Falls Visitor Center, they weighed my pack with full food bag and 2L of water and my weight was 32lbs.

I separated as a First Class Nuclear Machinist Mate. I worked as a nuke mechanic on CVN 72 USS Abraham Lincoln for 4 years, then I went to RCTQS and qualified as an RCT (radiological control technician). I kept the same rating, just earned another NEC. I worked as an RCT for 3.5yrs and the AS 40 USS Frank Cable out of Guam. :)

Well, that explains why you appear to "glow." I envy you following spring as it progresses northward. Sort of like a perpetual period of new leaves and blooming flowers. An admirable rating particularly given all of the time required at Nuc School. I rubbed shoulders with such students at Orlando in the PO Club. I was astounded at the amount and pace of the course(s). I figured it would have been more efficient for the Navy to have installed a zipper around your head to facilitate shoveling in the amount of information into your head. My Naval odysseys: • Boot, Orlando • RM A School, Bainbridge, MD - Morse code and teletype operator. Day hikes along the lower Susquehanna River. • Radio Station, Thurso, Scotland. Day hikes in northwest Scotland. • Communication Station, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Day hikes in the county of Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. • USS Saratoga (CVA-60), Mayport, FL (WestPac cruise, Shellback). • SubGroup-7, Yokosuka, Japan. Several week-end backpacking in the central mountains of Honshu Island. Switchbacks are uncommon. Either straight up or down. Mt. Fuji. • Teletype Repair School, Norfolk. • USS Belknap (CG-26) plankowner, Norfolk. Section hiking the AT in Central Virginia. • Oceanographic Unit-3 aboard USNS H.H. Hess (T-AGS-38) no home port, underway for two years. Day hikes Oahu. 1-week backpacking Haleakala crater, Maui; Northern Hawaii (Big Island), Mt. Fuji (again-recruited as a train guide for some shipmates. Cold rain and high winds). Weekend backpacking San Bernardino National Forest. • Naval Support Force Antarctica, Christchurch New Zealand. Several week long backpacking trips on the Harper Track, Milford Track, and the Mt. Aspiring area. All on the South Island. Put this on your bucket list. Think "Lord of the Ring" background scenery. • USS Yorktown (CG-48), Norfolk. Two Meds. Day hikes in central Italy and weekend backpacking central Virginia. If there are no objections I would like to post achievement stats of your progression as I did with "Stella Hikes" NOBO last year. If you're interested, I've some amusing stories from some of my hiking trips. They are two large for posting here. Let me know via email if you want to read them as you tuck in at night. michael.power212@gmail.com.

That's a great idea! I've actually already asked him about that and he wants to come out! :)

Thanks for the feedback!