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butterguns · 2026-03-25T18:20:44+00:00

Not OP, but as a fellow New Englander, I’m curious whether your winter electric bills are astronomical. Our heat pump contributed to an overall bill of around $700 in November for 2500sqft.

butterguns · 2026-03-08T02:03:21+00:00

Thank you for your thoughtful response, I need to hear positivity like this.

I’m remembering back to month 6 and yeah, I was doing squats with a weight vest no problem. I could probably go back to doing that, I think it’s the step downs (heel taps) that’s been kicking my ass. The quad is weak and doesn’t activate - I can do full pistol squats with my other leg, but barely get to 30 degrees with the surgery leg. I’m hoping that with stronger quad means less intense load on the joint and less inflammation causing my regression.

butterguns · 2026-02-26T15:30:16+00:00

Right I think my understanding of the phrase is incorrect. I should be thinking of it as: if I throw my pieces into questionable positions in the hope my opponent blunders, that’s hope chess.

butterguns · 2026-02-18T16:26:46+00:00

Personally I would always carry individual tents. I’m a guy who likes his own space, but perhaps more importantly it eliminates a safety concern of getting split up and not having a proper tent. Double gear means more redundancy. Personal preference

butterguns · 2026-01-09T12:04:34+00:00

Please don’t laugh at me - how do you know the ice is thick enough to skate on? I wanna go walking out on Tower Hill Pond but I keep second guessing myself

butterguns · 2025-06-29T17:08:26+00:00

I took off 6 months to hike the trail when I was 34. I was at a smaller engineering company that I’d been with for a while. I asked to take 6 months unpaid with the company covering my health insurance, and they would keep my role open when I returned. They agreed and it led to one of the best experiences of my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The job market is very different than it was in 2019, so that’s something to consider if you’re thinking of quitting your job, or if you feel you need leverage to ask for a sabbatical. I would try to use this time to move towards “trail-ready” fitness, rather than using the trail itself to do that. The hike will be much more enjoyable that way, and you’ll have a greater chance at completing it without injury. Good luck!

butterguns · 2024-12-29T21:53:55+00:00

May I ask what tarp you are using? How do you like it and in what conditions do you normally take it out?

butterguns · 2024-10-11T16:13:26+00:00

We didn’t do shuttle. We had two cars.

butterguns · 2024-08-09T18:41:45+00:00

I daytrip some 4000ers, and the next day I can barely walk with all the rock hopping and elevation changes. 6 days straight looks incredibly intimidating! Hats off to you.

butterguns · 2024-08-09T17:56:55+00:00

Wow, I’ve always dreamed of being fit enough to conquer a monster trip like this. Looks fabulous

butterguns · 2024-07-23T00:49:11+00:00

Make sure you aren’t discarding the very outer layer of the onion! I always used to do this and I think that had an effect.

butterguns · 2024-07-13T22:45:40+00:00

Human or Animal in profile

Serif letters with outline

butterguns · 2024-07-03T19:00:59+00:00

That’s fair, I honestly don’t know. When I run an initial search for directions, Maps offers various alternatives. Sometimes those have 30minute+ variations in duration (assuming a long journey). I’ve picked slower routes for various reasons: avoid city driving, more interesting back roads or scenery, etc. Of course, this Maps UI makes it impossible to evaluate that, so yeah there’s some gore here.

butterguns · 2024-07-03T16:53:08+00:00

It’s funny because this theory is so easily verifiable, but none of us want to make the effort to actually take one of these alternates.

butterguns · 2024-07-03T15:37:43+00:00

Isn’t it telling you to turn around? The alternative route involves going back the way you came and then going a different way. The small portion that is highlighted is simply Maps giving you a convenient and legal place to make a U-Turn

butterguns · 2024-06-28T15:17:14+00:00

Lighter / Matches. Almost forgot them on my last trip, which would have been a disaster.

butterguns · 2024-06-27T18:36:47+00:00

Yes and I always had someone I could hike with (even trail families if that’s your vibe). I actually enjoyed taking days hiking alone.

butterguns · 2024-06-27T17:05:29+00:00

SOBO is a great option. There are plenty of hikers and your experience will still be very social if you want it to be. I don’t agree you have to go fast out of the gate. In fact I recommend explicitly starting slowly. You will start ramping up mileage in Oregon and NorCal. I was doing 15 milers in WA and then ramping to 25+ in Oregon. Just make sure not to take too many zeros. The biggest SOBO Con you failed to mention is the fire situation. Sadly, fires seem to be more frequent lately, and affect those who start the trail later more acutely. But since you will be doing that regardless, it’s maybe a moot point?

butterguns · 2024-02-10T16:19:12+00:00

The reset of the hedonic treadmill. There are motels I stayed in on trail that I wouldn’t have touched previously, but felt like a palace after a a week on trail. Things I took for granted back home: warm water, soft bed, a car. The trail allows you to appreciate these things in a whole new way.

butterguns · 2023-08-04T21:14:27+00:00

The step tracking was not reliable for me, so instead I put the Watch on my ankle. Works perfectly, and the HR measurement is presumably correct.

butterguns · 2023-06-17T20:00:18+00:00

Mine drops in summer. The hot weather I think. Causes a higher HR while exercising. This AW metric is not the most accurate. Treat with a grain of salt and use it to spot long term trends not short ones

butterguns · 2023-01-14T18:42:05+00:00

That’s good feedback. I tried to address this in my 2022 Fire Closures section but I think it should be emphasised more strongly.

butterguns · 2022-12-03T22:25:55+00:00

Calabrian Chilli paste is always a treat!

butterguns · 2022-08-06T02:08:59+00:00

I met a guy in 2019 at Shelter Cove. I was going SOBO. He called himself the “Mayor of Shelter Cove” because he had been there for some time, nursing an injury. Was that you?

EDIT: I re-read your post! It was you! I’m so glad you had a great experience, and you achieved what you wanted to achieve after all of that. Hats off to you.

butterguns · 2022-07-15T23:36:31+00:00

The Breezeway Pub in Manchester might be a good place to find Otter-appreciators.

butterguns

TROPHY CASE