51–60 of 86 posts
This is a quote from the book "The Motion of the Body through Space" by Lionel Shriver. It's about exercise, but it applies to hiking ambition too. "People who exercise less than you are pathetic; people who exercise more than you are nuts.”
I always love hearing about the logistics of trips like these, and this article leaves me with lots of questions. On the AT section, they mention starting out with packs that weighed over 20 pounds, which is extremely light for backpacking. That’s probably a few days of food, a change of clothes, 2-3 liters of water, and an ultralight sleeping bag. But then they mention a tent, too! In contrast, I talked with someone…
26 pairs of shoes between the two of them I actually find surprising--that they used that few.
I'm surprised at the mold--you don't have it sit around all that long, you update whoever is sending them with your location so they know when to send them. There's a limit to how long a post office will hold a package for pickup. And that sort of fare doesn't sound that perishable. I can't imagine beans on the trail, though--they take too much cooking time. Fuel is weight!
(And, no, I've never done any of the great trails, but they certainly sound like an experience. Section hiked in decent weather, not a speedrun like these guys did. I don't think I could handle any of them, though.)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Europe is far more free than the US for a lot of this, no permits required, right to roam in many countries, and camping is tolerated most places it isn’t a nuisance.
There's where you can WALK and where you can CAMP . I'm talking about where you can CAMP . The only countries in Western Europe where there's a lot of freedom to camp are Scotland, Norway, and Sweden. In the Alps, where there is the most dramatic scenario, in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, there aren't a lot of areas where you can just pick a spot and camp there. You don't need a permit to stay in a hut/refuge,…
In the Balkans people camp regularly on the side of the road on public lands. I have friends that did it in almost every country in the region on motorcycle tours, so they were camping quite close to roads.
In 2019 when I was 63 I did a 500 snippet of the Pacific Crest Trail. Because of needing to resupply, my long hike was really a series of 9 trips, each individual trip lasting about 5 days, more or less, like a work week. I started to think of a day hiking as "a day at the office". Already on "Monday", my first day back on trail I would be thinking about "Friday", the day I could get to town and eat restaurant food i…
I always love hearing about the logistics of trips like these, and this article leaves me with lots of questions. On the AT section, they mention starting out with packs that weighed over 20 pounds, which is extremely light for backpacking. That’s probably a few days of food, a change of clothes, 2-3 liters of water, and an ultralight sleeping bag. But then they mention a tent, too! In contrast, I talked with someone…
An ultralight tent weighs less than a pound.
Typical stretches between resupplies are sth like 2-6 days, depending on region and preference. Food for a day weighs sth like 1 - 1.5 lbs. So packs with about or a bit over 20lbs sure is no magic. 70lbs with modern equipment sounds weird or unnecessary. Resupplies are time consuming but necessary, you need to wash yourself and your clothes, repair or replace gear and first and foremost eat. Because while on trail it’s unlikely you manage to eat enough.
I always love hearing about the logistics of trips like these, and this article leaves me with lots of questions. On the AT section, they mention starting out with packs that weighed over 20 pounds, which is extremely light for backpacking. That’s probably a few days of food, a change of clothes, 2-3 liters of water, and an ultralight sleeping bag. But then they mention a tent, too! In contrast, I talked with someone…
I had friends do the Appalachian Trail and much of the decisioning was on how to start it after the winter but complete it before the next winter. I can see how the trail becomes nX more difficult during winter. Doing three in a year is remarkable for this reason, I think the almost mandates you done some through the winter.
IIRC we are now at the point where there have been the same number of single-year triple crowners as moonwalkers.
I'm a 43 yo French guy. In all my life, I only know one man that had problems with wildlife in France: he was charged by an angry wild boar and had to jump in a river to evade it. So I'm not worried at all about my safety when hiking in France.
However if I was hiking in the US I'd probably carry a 44 Magnum at all times (the ultra lightweight one from S&W). I don't know how you guys decide to go in the woods with just some pepper spray and think it's enough! I'd worry that it makes the bear angrier! :D
> A black bear charged at one of them in Washington state. I'm a 43 yo French guy. In all my life, I only know one man that had problems with wildlife in France: he was charged by an angry wild boar and had to jump in a river to evade it. So I'm not worried at all about my safety when hiking in France. However if I was hiking in the US I'd probably carry a 44 Magnum at all times (the ultra lightweight one from S&W).…
> A black bear charged at one of them in Washington state. I'm a 43 yo French guy. In all my life, I only know one man that had problems with wildlife in France: he was charged by an angry wild boar and had to jump in a river to evade it. So I'm not worried at all about my safety when hiking in France. However if I was hiking in the US I'd probably carry a 44 Magnum at all times (the ultra lightweight one from S&W).…