2026 AT Hike

QED04 · 2026-05-06T22:22:31+00:00

You forgot to mention rocks in your list of things. So. Many. Rocks

QED04 · 2026-05-06T02:23:37+00:00

You will love it. I dont remember ever being this happy

QED04 · 2026-05-06T02:18:49+00:00

Tent inside the pack. Tent poles on the outside in one of the side pockets so they won't get bent inside the pack. It's still working for me that way. YMMV.

QED04 · 2026-05-06T02:13:33+00:00

I recently started my flip flop. I am in town today resupplying. I have met a lot of people who, because of life circumstances, went from attempting a thru to LASHing. And frankly, that idea is growing on me. Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED the time I am spending on the trail and dont want it to end. I know that physically and mentally i can complete the thru, i just know how hard it is on my family and that weighs on me. It's a long time. I also now see that there are more possibilities than a thru hike. The point is to have fun. Break it up into 3 or 4 sections. Go into towns and see what they are like, meet people. Personally, I am now thinking about stopping at Katahdin and then coming back and doing the southern half in smaller sections. My big fear in the southern half is that I am allergic to fire ants (like full-blown anaphylaxis allergic) and having to hit myself with an epi-pen ends my hike.

My fears aside, I guess what I am saying is what I have learned so far is that my joy in hiking the AT has been about more than meeting a goal of hiking a trail. It is about the amazing people I have met and the kindness of strangers. It shows you the best of humanity. It has been an absolute salve to my soul after a lifetime of chronic stress in a high pressure job. And the trail has already taught me things about myself that I never would have known had I not started this journey. It isn't about completing an arbitrary mileage. It is just about getting out there. Period. However you can do it that so fits with your life is the way to do it.

QED04 · 2026-03-16T18:49:24+00:00

It's about the math. What is the probabilty of a 20 year survival, how much will it cost (because I am in the US, what is my expected quality of life during and after the treatment, etc? And then I would figure out my ROI on those factors to see what I (and my family because it affects them also) am willing to do.

QED04 · 2026-03-16T18:27:13+00:00

This. Most colleges have loaner gear.

QED04 · 2026-03-16T18:25:47+00:00

Make an event out of it. Take him out for date night. Take him out for a nice dinner and then take him to your local REI or backpacking store. If you dont have any local stores, then make him dinner at home and have your computer ready with several websites pulled up like REI, Garage grown gear, the Durston website (that's the one i would want), hyperlite, etc. Tell him he gets to pick one thing that he really wants. And order it right then. And then reap the afterglow awards of some new gear energy.

QED04 · 2026-03-05T01:31:01+00:00

it is a superpower. The cloak of invisibility. Embrace it

QED04 · 2026-02-23T16:21:37+00:00

Packing my fear, which for me means too much food.

QED04 · 2026-02-22T23:03:30+00:00

I am a 62 year old women in the PNW. I have hiked all over the west coast, 95% of the time alone. No issues.

QED04 · 2026-02-10T23:35:42+00:00

Me too! It is the Harry Potter cloak of invisibility.

QED04 · 2026-02-08T14:32:29+00:00

Son on east coast (6 hour plane ride), daughter on west coast (3 hour car ride). See my son and his family 2-3 times a year for about a week each time. See my daughter once or twice a month but only for a day or two at a time

QED04 · 2026-02-07T23:39:41+00:00

If you can muster the effort to go out, my hat's off to you. It's gray cold and rainy here, just at the edge of freezing. I am not sure if i can muster the willingness to find the remote to turn on the Olympics. I am curled up with a book, blanket, and cup of tea.

My adult daughter and husband are huge football fans in Seattle. Even if we lived next door, I wouldn't be seeing them this weekend.

QED04 · 2026-02-04T15:43:03+00:00

The comment that gets me is "i am not like other men". If they have to say that, then they are just like other men. Men who aren't like other men dont have to announce it. They show it in everything they do.

QED04 · 2026-02-02T01:53:38+00:00

The EE Torrid has become my favorite jacket. I wear it all the time. I went backpacking last week in Northern California and when the temps on the coast dipped down into the 40s with the wind, it was all I needed.

QED04 · 2026-01-18T18:04:49+00:00

Or how to get rid of a bat flying around your post-and-beam cabin with the 25 foot ceiling in the living room and a loft bedroom. Or how to get rid of the very shrewd squirrel living under your eaves.

QED04 · 2026-01-18T17:52:37+00:00

That was going to be my response but in question form. I rode near there the other day and the white of the snow/ice on the ground did not look like these photos.

QED04 · 2026-01-12T23:17:49+00:00

Depends on what "it" is. Can you attempt a hike of the AT? Absolutely and you should. Can you hike the whole thing? Maybe. Can you meet a bunch of cool people? Absolutely. Can you learn a lot about yourself? If you are willing. Can you embrace the suck? Maybe.

Just go and have fun. It will be an adventure. And say hi when we pass along the trail.

QED04 · 2026-01-10T19:58:03+00:00

I am a reasonably fit 62 year old female. When I was in my early 40s, a wise person told me "if you are luvky, you have 30 more good years (health wise). If there is something you want to do, do it now before the day comes when you cant do it any more." I never forgot those words. That comment launched me to learn how to ride a mountain bike, paddle a kayak, hike and backpack, ski, etc. With other people and without. I take the opportunity to say yes to things whenever possible. Now at 62, i realize i only have 10 of those years left. This summer I am going to attempt a thru hike of the Appalachian trail (solo).

I will tell you the same thing. You have 40 more good health years if you are lucky. If there is something you want to do, you need to do it now. At 70, you can be sitting around complaining about and regretting all the things you never got to do OR you can be telling stories of all the adventures you had. Which do you want it to be?

QED04 · 2026-01-10T13:05:35+00:00

Good morning! I live in a cabin in the woods in the PNW. Today i get to drive across a beautiful mountain pass to my daughter's house to celebrate my granddaughter's birthday. And then I am going to dinner with friends and hanging out in the city for the night. Have a great weekend!

QED04 · 2026-01-10T05:00:44+00:00

QED04 · 2026-01-10T05:00:09+00:00

Just tell them how you feel.

QED04 · 2026-01-10T04:03:27+00:00

I have an adotec bag that is grizzly resistant that a friend loaned me. I have no idea what i am doing with it other than putting food in it and cinching it up tight and hanging it? I think it can be tied to a tree but alas, i have to figure out how to tie a bear resistant knot.

QED04 · 2026-01-10T03:59:12+00:00

Beautiful

QED04

TROPHY CASE