101–110 of 281 posts
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Your comment made me think of Bill Bryson's accounts of how people change on the trail in 'A Walk In The Woods'. Good book if anyone is considering a thru-hike, and it's just a fun read anyway.
Agreed but don't waste your time with the film
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When you carry your gear for a thousands of miles, you reevaluate what you really need. A stove is not needed because food can be consumed raw. A full tent is not needed because a basic tarp and careful site selection are enough to keep a person dry while sleeping. Toilet paper is not needed because smooth rocks, leaves and other material found on the trail can be used to wipe.
Wouldnt you need a tent for mosquitos spiders and Scorpions?
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i biked the oregon coast with some friends. it was so fun, despite being a literal pain in the ass. also highly recommend! i was quite strong after just a week. the highlight of the summer for sure.
> despite being a literal pain in the ass A good saddle helps with that. :) My preference is the Brooks B-17.
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When you carry your gear for a thousands of miles, you reevaluate what you really need. A stove is not needed because food can be consumed raw. A full tent is not needed because a basic tarp and careful site selection are enough to keep a person dry while sleeping. Toilet paper is not needed because smooth rocks, leaves and other material found on the trail can be used to wipe.
Wouldnt you need a tent for mosquitos spiders and Scorpions?
Insect repellent and site selection (don't sleep next to lake) handle low bug pressure situations.
I don't worry about other critters where I hike in the PNW.
I came across three emaciated, bearded men on the continental divide trail in glacier national park. When I asked one of them where he was from he looked at his buddies and they all replied excitedly, in unison, "Mexico!". It was at that moment that I came to realize that these men were one day away from completing the entire thru-hike. I vividly recall one of their dinners: Dried ramen noodle, straight from the bag.…
> I vividly recall one of their dinners: Dried ramen noodle, straight from the bag. I'm embarrassed to admit how many times I've eaten that on hikes. For my next long hike I'm probably going to ditch my stove completely: it's not so much the weight, but personally the last thing I want to do after a day of hiking is cook.
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I'm reading a book on breaking the two hour marathon and one pro (I cant remember her name at the moment) sleeps 16 hours a day when her training peaks
What's the book? Sounds interesting!
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A good way is to sign up for group hikes and camping trips from REI and other places. You can also look for hiking clubs and ask for help, or find people at work/school who hike. Finally, you can start doing research by yourself and learn by (sometimes painful) trial and error. My first major hike (9 days at Torres del Paine, solo, I was 19) was hell, shitty gear, overweight backpack and so on, but was amazing and I…
> https://www.rei.com/outdoorschool/hiking-camping-classes.htm... Is this the type of thing you mean? REI is a brand I've seen so I wasn't aware they did things like that. I'll be traveling a lot but I'll be hiking/camping alone since I don't have a spouse, so groups would be a great way to make friends and not have as much risk.
That's a good place to start.
Ya but how many toenails does he have left? Every time I've hiked > 15 miles at a time they start turning purple
Get new footwear :). Get some flavour from somewhere like outdoorgearlab.com, then find a proper outdoor store that'll fit you properly. You'll find that you probably won't end up in whatever reviews best, but you can use the knowledge of what to look for in those reviews to make sure your choice is right. Basically, everyone's feet (and walking style) are different. I discovered this when I started skiing last year;…
Hiking is great, but it seems like you can get the same effects a lot more efficiently -- eat less calories and no carbs (to reduce body fat and train your body to burn fat), and do heavy lifting at the gym (to raise testosterone). It doesn't require an 8-hr-a-day program :)
I came across three emaciated, bearded men on the continental divide trail in glacier national park. When I asked one of them where he was from he looked at his buddies and they all replied excitedly, in unison, "Mexico!". It was at that moment that I came to realize that these men were one day away from completing the entire thru-hike. I vividly recall one of their dinners: Dried ramen noodle, straight from the bag.…
> I vividly recall one of their dinners: Dried ramen noodle, straight from the bag. I'm embarrassed to admit how many times I've eaten that on hikes. For my next long hike I'm probably going to ditch my stove completely: it's not so much the weight, but personally the last thing I want to do after a day of hiking is cook.