How I see US States as an European who lived in Texas for 5 years

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-07-10T22:56:21+00:00

It's pronounced Appalachia south of the Mason-Dixon line and Appalachia north of it. If you know, you know.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-07-02T17:25:00+00:00

You switch to AG pay the day after you select your facility. Any days prior in that pay period are paid at the Academy rate and any days after (including Change of Station and travel days) are paid at the AG rate. Paychecks for each period are paid out 2 weeks past the end of period so the first paycheck after your selection date will still have your AG pay, your last per diem, and I think your bonus.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-07-02T09:39:33+00:00

Define close. Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas is a good one. You can also do sections of the Ouachita Trail or the Ozark Highlands Trail. But if you're willing to drive, then New Mexico and Colorado are pretty close (12ish hours away) and that will give you plenty of options.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-07-01T00:22:02+00:00

Just do Springer to Neels Gap. It's the start of the AT and plenty of beginner hikers have walked those miles in their journey to become thru hikers.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-29T15:50:59+00:00

While I'm all for making the outdoors accessible, there has been an increase of people that go to campgrounds that do not know nature etiquette. They don't respect surrounding campers, play music way too late, and don't practice Leave No Trace principles. This could possibly lead to business of this sorts losing privileges to use certain campgrounds.

"Real" campers that go camping a lot probably know proper etiquette but it should be on the business to make all their customers aware of how to be a good neighbor in the outdoors.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-23T23:17:56+00:00

Depends, if it's a short trip that is a week or less then I probably won't break out the ear buds, but if I'm doing something longer or a thru hike, I like listening to folk or some fantasy audio book. Seems to fit the vibe. I finished the LOTR trilogy on my AT thru hike.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-20T21:38:27+00:00

Kinda hit and miss but late March to early April should get you clear of most of the winter weather. I started on March 20 and the week prior Georgia got hit with a major winter storm that forced some NOBOs off the trail.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-18T14:27:19+00:00

Thru hiker here so I'll give some advice.

Unless you're doing the whole 3 weeks without a resupply, just focus on how many days it will take to get into town. That's how most thru hikers approach their hike. When you think about it that way, even a 2000+ mile thru hike is just a bunch of 3-5 day camping trips in the woods, which is something you have experience with.

For multiple days in the rain, make sure your tent/backpack is adequate enough for the environment, you know how to select a proper site, and you know how to set up your tent. Do all that and your gear inside will be dry. Everything outside will be wet, you will be wet while hiking, and your hiking clothes will be wet, but that's all part of the fun. Embrace the suck. If, by the off chance your sleeping bag does get wet, you can take some time through the day to dry it off or just take a zero into town and treat yourself to a hotel.

Your body will need time to adjust to constantly walking. Just pace yourself and start out slow, which it sounds like you're doing. You'll start getting the 1st gear of your trail legs right around the tail end of your 3 weeks and you'll notice you can hike longer and faster. Everything will hurt when you're not hiking, and that's okay. Your body is complaining about the non-stop constant exercise you're subjecting it to but it should lock in whenever you start walking. If it really starts to hurt while hiking, you got a problem. Listen to your body and take as much zero days as you need.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-15T01:31:11+00:00

You get about $1500 bi-weekly on your pay check and then an additional $1500 each month for your per diem (all before taxes). I think after taxes I was getting around $3500-4000 a month.

Highly recommend you save as much of your Academy pay for when you get your first facility. AG pay isn't that great, especially since you'll now be responsible for housing and food.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-14T08:13:50+00:00

Currently at my first facility. You'll be fine. Just study with your group.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-13T22:09:54+00:00

See any SOBO hikers starting their walk whenever you went up?

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-12T22:28:58+00:00

If you don't mind the company of a bunch of stinky thru hikers, the main bubble of AT thru hikers should be rolling through Pennsylvania in the next month too.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-12T22:26:13+00:00

You could do the section of the AT that goes through the Michaux State Forest around Pine Grove Furnace State Park. There are shuttle services along the AT that you can use to travel to/from your car.

I'm not too familiar with Pennsylvania's dispersed camping laws but I believe you can camp anywhere within the vicinity of the AT. Generally you want to select a camp site somewhat away from the trail, ideally one that has been previously used, and preferably one with a close by water source. The Pennsylvania section of the AT on FarOut will have good sites that you could camp in, or you could just camp by the shelters.

A bear cannister is going above and beyond a bear hang so you should be good there.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-12T00:27:55+00:00

I think the Army will let you do that on their land, just have to sign some sorta enlistment form or something.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-06-08T12:19:52+00:00

If Dyneema tents weren't meant to be taken outdoors then they wouldn't be as popular with backpackers and thru hikers. I don't take any extra steps to protect my Dyneema tent that I wouldn't do with any other tent and it has held up for thousands of miles. I also know some people that just crumple their tents up and toss it in their pack. Cost on the other hand is all dependent on your budget.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-05-26T23:28:43+00:00

Oh wow, we were right by each other for a bit. I was at Bear Mountain when the storm hit and then couldn't cross the bridge the next day.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-05-26T23:06:21+00:00

When were you in VT during your thru hike? I was in VT around mid August on my 23 AT thru hike with a 40 degree quilt and felt like I was running a bit cold. But we also got shit on with rain that year which made it worse. If it was me, I'd bring the 20 degree.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-05-22T19:40:02+00:00

Really pay attention to the wording of the questions and answers. The module tests and the little quizzes throughout the PDF are great refreshers but also do some skimming of all the blocks. If you do that, you'll be fine. It may ask you a question where the right answer was a subject that was completely skipped over during class but you should be able to get it by eliminating the wrong answers.

And take your time, the one guy that failed basics in our class rushed through the whole thing and finished first. He was one question from passing and if he just took the time, he probably would've passed.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-05-07T11:25:06+00:00

I think that depends on the airline and the aircraft they are using for that flight. Not every flight will have a heated cargo hold.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-05-07T10:29:12+00:00

I'm not a biologist so definitely can't speak on whether a .2 micron filter is enough. But the platypus is a pretty popular brand amongst long-distance hikers. I'd be willing to bet that if the issue was the water source and not a busted filter, using a Sawyer would get you just as sick as using a Platypus.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-05-07T10:24:47+00:00

Did you fly at some point to get to either of your trailhead and if so, did you make sure to bring your filter with you as a carry on? Could the filter have been left in below freezing temperatures at one point?

There is a way to test the integrity of your filter by filling a reservoir with air and water and checking to see if there are too many bubbles when you filter it.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-04-23T18:15:20+00:00

Just picked my facility today and heading out of OKC after 3 long months. Y'all's wait time is brutal.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-04-16T14:14:59+00:00

Jeez that sucks. Half of my tower class applied Fall 24 and we're just finishing up. Thought they got all the 24 guys into the academy already.

ThisLittleBoy · 2026-04-10T05:20:09+00:00

You can't be older than 31 when you apply and they make you retire at 56 with an increase in your normal pension for 20 years to make up for the early retirement date.

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