In preparation for my thru-hike on the PCT a shakedown hike is a must! What is a shakedown hike you might be asking? This is a time to test out of all of the gear you plan on bringing  for a longer hike but in a low stakes environment. It gives you time to make any necessary changes to your pack. You may need to add, remove, or upgrade the pieces of gear you think you will need. ... The post PCT Shakedown on the Ozette Triangle Loop appeared first on The Trek ..read more

Come to find out, trying to write witty, entertaining blog posts after a day of trudging up and down mountains is a bit of a challenge! Most nights I barely have the energy to do my camp chores and socialize with the other hikers, let alone come up with something to write other than “I walked. A lot. It was hard. Still no bear sightings.” But hope springs eternal; let’s give it a shot. Day 5 – Neel Gap to Low Gap Shelter – 11.6 miles After shuttling back from Blairsville to Mountain Crossings at the bleary-eyed hour of 7 am, ... The post The Only Brew for the Brave and True Comes From the Gree ..read more

Virginia took awhile. So many beautiful places and people through that stretch with memories I will carry with me always. The expanse of the views, the Virginia Triple Crown and Roller Coaster, and the wonderful Shenandoahs are all individually wonderful, and collectively mesmerizing. Apparently I couldn’t leave the state without seeing a few extra miles. How to hike the Virginia Roller Coaster in 22 miles My secret is being tired and not reorienting. Starting out at Bear’s Den Hostel two people talked to me about thru hiking and asked to take a picture with me. ... The post Days 74-80 on The ..read more

I might as well have been in a Halloween costume, walking around the University of Arizona with a full loaded backpack for a thru hike. Being surrounded by shirtless jocks and girls in bikinis made me stand out like a sore thumb, looking like Huckleberry Finn with brown bananas hanging off my pack. My bus ride from Tucson was scheduled to arrive at 9AM, but it never did…  “Don’t dream your life, but live your dream” – Mark Twain 12 hours later, ... The post Knock Knock… You’re late! : Day 1 on the CDT appeared first on The Trek ..read more

Managing the disparate needs on trail All of life is about balance. Trail life is no different, even though the things we need to balance are different from our normal lives back home. One of the challenges of trail life is striking the right balance for yourself. Just as each hiker must hike their own hike, each hiker must also find the balance that works best for them. We are all different. I’m still finding my balance after almost a month on the CDT. ... The post Balance appeared first on The Trek ..read more

Mice Track Meet The FarOut comments were right. The mice are active. Very active. They didn’t even wait until sundown to start speeding inside the walls and along the roof. Some described the mice activity as square dancing whereas it sounded like a track meet to me. I couldn’t hear them when I put the earplugs in, though. I was glad when I woke up and didn’t see anything of mine chewed through. It was a worry. ... The post Day 34: Wet Clothes and Mice Track Meets appeared first on The Trek ..read more

ater treatment is crucial for backpackers. After all, if you’ve put a lot of time and effort into planning a backpacking trip, you presumably will want to stay healthy during it so you can actually enjoy the hike. Contaminants you’re likely to encounter while backpacking include bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella, protozoa such as cryptosporidium and giardia, and viruses such as rotavirus and norovirus. There are additional considerations in areas with chemical contamination such as agricultural runoff. ... The post 5 Most Common Water Treatment Methods for Backpackers appeared first on T ..read more

Day 10 Start: Poplar Stamp Gap End: Unicoi Gap Miles Hiked: 8.5 Total Miles on AT: 52.7   We won the award for last campers at the campsite again. Our fellow campers were early risers, plus we were passed by a number of other hikers as we were having breakfast and getting ready to go. However, we only had 8.3 miles into town, so it was no biggie. The day started gradually. My morning thoughts rotated around some of the conversations we’d had with a few other hikers. ... The post Day 10 – Who’s Gonna Make It? appeared first on The Trek ..read more

I started hiking! WE started hiking! Nikki is joining me for the first week at least, maybe first two weeks, well heck maybe the whole thing. Plans are still being made at this moment, but I can tell y’all what might slightly unconventional hiking plan is so far. Flip Flop Rather than starting in Georgia with the masses of thru-hike hopefuls, I instead started on April 20 at Daleville, just north of Roanoke, and will be hiking north to Mt Katahdin Maine before flying/bussing/train-ing back and hiking south to Springer Mtn Georgia. ... The post The Beginning of Something Big appeared first on T ..read more

This is a guest post by Mike “Gravity” Knutson. The Lower Hudson Loop is an undesignated east coast backpacking route designed and hiked by Knutson in 2023. he Lower Hudson Loop (LHL) is an easily-accessible backpacking route traversing a variety of environs in southern New York and northern New Jersey. It is an Appalachian “low route” of sorts. Hikers will have a chance to sample Hudson Valley lowlands between jaunts along Shawangunk Mountain ridgelines and Hudson Highland crags. ... The post How To Hike the Lower Hudson Loop appeared first on The Trek ..read more