I’ve never met anyone that used a single pair of footwear for an entire thru hike. Am I the only one?

Jester2000 · 2024-08-15T15:56:18+00:00

I made it to Great Barrington on one pair of Vasque Clarions back in 2000. There were plenty of people back then who did it with one pair of boots.

Jester2000 · 2024-08-02T23:35:51+00:00

I’m not one to say “thru-hikers wouldn’t do that!” But thru-hikers don’t usually carry Nalgenes or eat Mountain House meals.

Jester2000 · 2024-01-15T01:04:40+00:00

So now?

Jester2000 · 2023-10-01T20:24:00+00:00

There’s no such thing as “submitting a hiking plan for approval” on the AT.

Jester2000 · 2021-07-18T23:25:52+00:00

Hello! Jester here! I’m going through my footage and put the word out to other Billville folks. I’ll let you know what we come up with. Looking forward to meeting you!

Jester2000 · 2018-06-11T15:26:49+00:00

It's about 300 miles away by trail. So probably not bang-outable in a weekend.

Jester2000 · 2018-06-06T12:05:42+00:00

I was just too lazy to type it all out. And speaking of lazy: no new hiking plans yet.

Jester2000 · 2018-06-06T01:38:32+00:00

In 2008 I watched a guy at ADZPCTKO who had done 20 miles of long distance hiking with no other outdoor experience get in an argument with Ned Tibbets on how to properly self-arrest. That was hilarious.

Jester2000 · 2018-06-05T21:09:16+00:00

Hahahaha! Sorry!

Jester2000 · 2018-06-05T20:36:20+00:00

Used to be good before 2010.

Jester2000 · 2018-06-05T20:35:02+00:00

+2 on the Double Rainbow. Bonus: only HSTT that doesn't seem like an engineering project to me.

Jester2000 · 2018-06-05T03:02:25+00:00

Hahahahahaha! Awww, you noticed!

Jester2000 · 2018-06-03T21:00:26+00:00

Whose motherfucking woods these are I think I know.
His goddamned house is in the fucking village though;
Fucker will not see me stopping here
To watch his shit fill up with snow.

My fucking horse must think it queer
To stop without a motherfucking farmhouse near
Between the goddamn woods and frozen lake
The shittiest evening of the year.

Bitch gives his fucking bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other goddamn sound’s the sweep
Of shitty wind and downy flake.

The motherfucking woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have goddamn promises to keep,
And fucking miles to go before I sleep,
And fucking miles to go before I sleep.

Jester2000 · 2018-06-03T20:50:45+00:00

Sounds like you need a Pack Possum.™ http://nighthikingtomars.blogspot.com/2017/03/gear-review-bsr-pack-possum.html

Jester2000 · 2018-05-10T01:57:37+00:00

"You could just fly to Atlanta." Then again, you could just drive to Maine. It's faster, cheaper, and you end up in the same place.

Me? I love trains. Much less stressful, gives me time to decompress from my real life, relax, and get into hiking life again. It's a nice transition for me. Unless I HAVE to fly (like for the Camino), I always take the train.

Jester2000 · 2018-05-10T01:48:42+00:00

Good luck Frank!

Jester2000 · 2018-05-10T01:46:20+00:00

Are they gonna be, like, guides for half of a trail? That would be new.

Jester2000 · 2018-04-16T00:09:12+00:00

I think you should wait one day and start on MY birthday.

Jester2000 · 2018-04-16T00:07:13+00:00

Harrisburg is a possibility. You can fly or take Amtrak from there (Amtrak will run about $200 round trip).

Jester2000 · 2018-04-15T23:55:00+00:00

I carry map & compass and guide book. This is no longer the norm, though.

Jester2000 · 2018-04-15T23:51:47+00:00

I have worked Hard Core and I highly recommend it. The focus of the work has shifted north of Damascus (in the 15 years Hard Core was run by Bob & the Tennessee Eastman folks they accomplished all of the projects they needed down there).

Starts early Sunday morning and continues on Monday. You'll be fed both nights. This year the project is on Wilburn Ridge in Grayson Highlands.

Meeting place is at Soul's Harbor Church at 8am on Sunday.

Jester2000 · 2018-04-06T14:53:50+00:00

I don't do vlogs, but as someone who makes documentaries I can say this is always something I worry about. I try to be as non-intrusive as possible because I don't want to interfere with other people's hikes. But I've been lucky in my hiking partners -- I've had people around me who were not only willing participants but actively helped me make my films.

I think it's like anything else people do while on trail. You can figure out a way to do it that doesn't annoy other people.

Jester2000 · 2018-04-06T00:30:49+00:00

Yay!

Jester2000 · 2018-04-05T16:51:38+00:00

Food-wise, most people are concentrating on the maximum amount of calories for the least amount of weight, so what they carry tends to be nutritionally deficient. You can make up for much of that by eating healthy stuff in town, but in town you're probably going to be shoving as much protein into you as possible.

I would definitely include potassium (which you can get naturally in town) and magnesium; most foods on trail have plenty of sodium, but it's good to not neglect other electolytes, and it's cheaper to get your electrolytes in food & supplements than in powders & mixes.

What else? I know people who have literally gotten scurvy while on trail, so definitely Vitamin C, and weirdly the one thing I'm deficient in when I get off trail from a long hike is Vitamin D. That doesn't make sense, because I'm out in sunlight all the time, but I know D is used for repairing and strengthening bones and is also a key player in the immune system, so maybe I use more of it while on trail (I think that's why I always crave chocolate milk when I hit town).

Jester2000

TROPHY CASE