RUclips suggested this channel to me a few days ago and I watched a couple. Today I've been binging on them all day. I'm pretty sure Jen has the greatest smile! What an awesome teammate
My Grandpa who farmed just west of Great Bend also farmed some land near Larned. I understand he actually had a tractor and equipment and just left it at Larned. Had a couple grain bins out there too. This would have been during the 50s and 60s. I was too young to know exactly where it was. When you mentioned the trees in the middle of field (could have been old farmstead) reminded me of that.
And this is based on my own observations up here in the upper Midwest but those areas of trees just in the middle of the field you saw are most likely an old and abandoned farmstead.
"Easy" is a matter of perspective. Yes, for someone with mountaineering and climbing experience, the AT is a literal walk in the park. Most people who start the AT, however, have never even been on a backpacking trip, and the trail kicks their butts
This is a discussion we’ve had a lot around the wilderness course trips. Easy is always relative and so you can always throw mud at that description. So perhaps it’s better to describe the AT as the most straightforward of the big thru hikes. But regardless I would say the AT has the lowest chance of failure. Unless you count getting distracted by hostel zeros and drinking… :)
It looks like you have run into some alfalfa hay fields. Probably from Great Bend onward into the Arkansas river basin. They make small bales for mostly feeding diary cows. Has anyone told you that you are in the "Great American Desert"? In the middle of the hottest time of year? You're an inspiration to all of us. I may actually go out and walk a couple miles this morning.
We have had a hilarious number of conversations with people in cars or walking out of houses asking us if we know it’s really hot right after we tell them we have been hiking for fourmonths. I usually respond with a deadpan “yeah, yeah, we noticed.” :)
I know that wind…it’s like holding a blow dryer at your face while you’re wearing a sweater and standing in a small bathroom while someone takes a long, hot shower. Please stay safe under all that sky. I mean, that’s a freaking crazy amount of sky.
That has been one of the nice things out here. Granted we can’t always arrange to hit a town at the end of the day. Downside is they fence absolutely everything out here so trying just to pull over and sleep for the night is pretty difficult. Versus out west we do that all the time.
I would argue that the key to hiking in harmony long distance with one’s partner in occasionally difficult or unpleasant circumstances is being able to give each other space. When we are hiking separately, we are generally both wearing earbuds, listening to audiobooks.
Glad you are getting out of the windy heat tomorrow. Wodering if the patch of trees in the field is a family cemetary plot. Such an arrangement is fairly common in parts of rural Missouri.
As someone who lives in the Midwest (South Dakota) I can say with great certainty that you can't trust the weather forecast for more than 12 hours as it is always changing
Neat heat lightning. But watch out for Fried Taters! Signs of Heat Exhaustion which can, as you know, lead to Heat Stroke if you are not careful. 100 degree hiking is rough. We're hoping all is OK everyday! Hike On Carefully, Tortoise
Does Tater's shoes get sand pebbles in them from walking so many miles on sanded roads? That's my problem just walking a couple miles on them. I see she hasn't lost her "laugh" yet. If she does you know you're in trouble.
@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes the storm was on the 30th. it was 2 inch of rain within an hour. it was really windy especially for a guy that lived in western ks my whole life
Now the ACA (Adventure Cycling Association) Transamerica Trail bypasses Larned via Great Bend so that explains the lack of cyclists. I have older GPS maps of when it did go through Larned. back many years ago the maps were available free in a digital GPS form.
Larned became a major overnight stop for cyclers during the Bikecentennial in 1976. The main route came right thru town and hundreds of bikers camped out in the same spot you guys pitched your tent. This route continued to be used for many years, but changes in road conditions (conversion of paved roads back to gravel) eventually led to bikers using different highways. The number of cross country bikers in the Larned area seems really low in the last few years.
I have not been able to get anyone to exchange my Darn Tough's. So I stopped buying them, going to find an alternative that last longer. The stores that sell DT's say they don't honor the program unless you can provide a receipt that you purchased from that store. Who keeps paper receipts anymore? And it doesn't help if you paid for them at a GA outfitter and then go to another store in NC. DT warranty is unobtainium.
Please get one of those fuzzy microphones for your camera to cancel out some of that wind noise. Next year? We enjoy your videos. Glad you like to talk a lot.
We actually haven’t had any interactions with the grain elevators. I tried to go into one of them at Durham (which we now refer to as the least friendly town in Kansas after a few encounters there) And the person inside was yelling, throwing a phone, and pointedly ignoring me. And honestly, it is a lot more viable to ask farmhouses for water.
Those lone stands of trees out in the middle of fields may hearken back to the days when farming was done with horses. The farmers would leave a few trees so there was a shady place to rest and water the work horses.
There are several possible reasons for clumps of trees in the middle of a field. 1) the old-time farmers left a tree or two standing so they could have shade during the middle of the day. 2) There is a topographical reason--there might be a small spring, marsh, or rock outcropping there which makes it impractical to plant that patch. 3) That is the spot where all the rocks that appear in the fields each spring get dumped.
I believe that ridge has some spots where rocks are on the surface, so tillage is impossible. I'm somewhat familiar with that field but I'm not sure why there is that little spot of 'waste ground.'
@@PhoenixFireFalconry Yes, we're having more sink holes in Kansas. My own pasture just east of us had a hole appear that was 5 ft deep by 5 ft across. It was a place where previously a hog facility was started. I filled it in with old concrete and dirt. There's some other sinkholes that appeared in a road 3 miles south of me etc. One just never knows.
When you get a little further you should be able to get water and even shower with/under those big circular irrigation pivots. The water is from the Ogallala Aquifer and is probably as good as it gets. Just pick your times to get the shower. And improvise a mic muff.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Just make sure you don't get into an irrigation that is pumped from a lagoon from say a large feedlot operation. That wouldn't be funny.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes It will be a very cold shower. But a shower. If the water is cold it will be from the Aquifer. I don't know of a lot of irrigation done from a lagoon. Actually, I don't know know of any. But Its probably done somewhere. It takes alot of water so a lagoon wouldn't last very long.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Last year were coming home from Colorado into Kansas and saw 21 semis in the fields west of Garden City. Couldn't tell what they were harvesting but assume perhaps wheat fields that got overrun with weeds and they were "chopping" up what was left and putting it into trucks. They had unusually high rainfall and weeds took over. Same thing this year. Either Garden City or Dodge had lower than usual rainfall and other city was up 13 inches. Weird stuff. Everything is on a big scale in western Kansas. Nothing is done small.
RUclips did not feature your channel until you were near my home east of KC. By then you were gone. 😢 Missed my chance to be a trail angel and bring y’all cold water and coffee! Be safe.
I upload the videos as near to real time as I can but unfortunately due to the realities of not always being to upload from the trail we run about a week behind. Instagram is more “live” but people tend not to run across that
We got hit by a tropical storm when we did the Appalachian Trail in 2021. In the middle of this heat wave I have had the thought that I would be OK if we were hit with one right now…
RUclips suggested this channel to me a few days ago and I watched a couple. Today I've been binging on them all day. I'm pretty sure Jen has the greatest smile! What an awesome teammate
Kind of unique really.The more I watch the more I like.
I love your adventure and Vlogs, I'm totally hooked now!
Glad you enjoy them :)
I put your water out at Hurrah Pass west of Moab the other day and it was 104F, I wasn't happy but you're making it sound good.
My Grandpa who farmed just west of Great Bend also farmed some land near Larned. I understand he actually had a tractor and equipment and just left it at Larned. Had a couple grain bins out there too. This would have been during the 50s and 60s. I was too young to know exactly where it was. When you mentioned the trees in the middle of field (could have been old farmstead) reminded me of that.
True. I’ve also seen at least a few cases where there was a depression and I guess the land wasn’t suitable to turn into a farm field.
loving the videos. Appreciate the effort it takes the heat/ modified day.
Lot of times those isolated tree areas are old homestead plots that may have things of note within them. Burial sites etc...
And this is based on my own observations up here in the upper Midwest but those areas of trees just in the middle of the field you saw are most likely an old and abandoned farmstead.
Definitely. Pretty familiar sight here in IL.
"Easy" is a matter of perspective. Yes, for someone with mountaineering and climbing experience, the AT is a literal walk in the park. Most people who start the AT, however, have never even been on a backpacking trip, and the trail kicks their butts
This is a discussion we’ve had a lot around the wilderness course trips. Easy is always relative and so you can always throw mud at that description. So perhaps it’s better to describe the AT as the most straightforward of the big thru hikes. But regardless I would say the AT has the lowest chance of failure. Unless you count getting distracted by hostel zeros and drinking… :)
It looks like you have run into some alfalfa hay fields. Probably from Great Bend onward into the Arkansas river basin. They make small bales for mostly feeding diary cows. Has anyone told you that you are in the "Great American Desert"? In the middle of the hottest time of year? You're an inspiration to all of us. I may actually go out and walk a couple miles this morning.
We have had a hilarious number of conversations with people in cars or walking out of houses asking us if we know it’s really hot right after we tell them we have been hiking for fourmonths. I usually respond with a deadpan “yeah, yeah, we noticed.” :)
I know that wind…it’s like holding a blow dryer at your face while you’re wearing a sweater and standing in a small bathroom while someone takes a long, hot shower.
Please stay safe under all that sky. I mean, that’s a freaking crazy amount of sky.
We were car camping when we drove through Kansas a few years ago. And many of the towns offered camping all through the state.
That has been one of the nice things out here. Granted we can’t always arrange to hit a town at the end of the day. Downside is they fence absolutely everything out here so trying just to pull over and sleep for the night is pretty difficult. Versus out west we do that all the time.
Day 115. Love it when you two hike together. I always feel bad when Jen is walking alone…she looks sad and lonely.
I would argue that the key to hiking in harmony long distance with one’s partner in occasionally difficult or unpleasant circumstances is being able to give each other space. When we are hiking separately, we are generally both wearing earbuds, listening to audiobooks.
Glad you are getting out of the windy heat tomorrow. Wodering if the patch of trees in the field is a family cemetary plot. Such an arrangement is fairly common in parts of rural Missouri.
I'm impressed you keep going with that heat. Hope you stay well!
Can’t sweat the small stuff :)
Please be careful, we don't want any burnt Taters. Your videos are inspirational, thanks.
Hotel for just a few hours is definitely not a waste of money! But I get it.
I like my taters crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
As someone who lives in the Midwest (South Dakota) I can say with great certainty that you can't trust the weather forecast for more than 12 hours as it is always changing
We’ve been hearing that in every single area for the last 2,500 miles along with the admonishment “it’s not like other places” :)
Neat heat lightning. But watch out for Fried Taters! Signs of Heat Exhaustion which can, as you know, lead to Heat Stroke if you are not careful. 100 degree hiking is rough. We're hoping all is OK everyday! Hike On Carefully, Tortoise
You guys are troopers!!! Please be careful in the heat!!!
This isn’t a hike it is an adventure.
That’s pretty much how I describe these things :)
Glad your taking a break tomorrow and get caught up on your sleep.
Well, break is somewhat relative…
I got to meet you today! Welcome to Holcomb!
Thanks! We really appreciate the kindness
Nice to meet you! Thanks for letting us stay in the camper and pet the kittens!
Does Tater's shoes get sand pebbles in them from walking so many miles on sanded roads? That's my problem just walking a couple miles on them. I see she hasn't lost her "laugh" yet. If she does you know you're in trouble.
They do. Even with my gators I have had some issues with sand and grit, making it through the shoe.
10 years ago I worked in larned and saw a good number of bicycle packers. did you get hit by the rain storm in the evening
Not that we noticed. But we have gotten so little sleep lately I’m not sure would’ve woken up for anything short of a tornado.
@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes the storm was on the 30th. it was 2 inch of rain within an hour. it was really windy especially for a guy that lived in western ks my whole life
Now the ACA (Adventure Cycling Association) Transamerica Trail bypasses Larned via Great Bend so that explains the lack of cyclists. I have older GPS maps of when it did go through Larned. back many years ago the maps were available free in a digital GPS form.
Larned became a major overnight stop for cyclers during the Bikecentennial in 1976. The main route came right thru town and hundreds of bikers camped out in the same spot you guys pitched your tent. This route continued to be used for many years, but changes in road conditions (conversion of paved roads back to gravel) eventually led to bikers using different highways. The number of cross country bikers in the Larned area seems really low in the last few years.
Ever consider the Hayduke trail..suffering but with beauty?
It’s on the list since we like that sort of terrain. Issue is we’re waiting for a time when Jen can hopefully do it with me
The Hayduke is a great challenge, but Nobody attempts it in the summer! It's is concurrent with the ADT for a while in Utah.
I have not been able to get anyone to exchange my Darn Tough's. So I stopped buying them, going to find an alternative that last longer. The stores that sell DT's say they don't honor the program unless you can provide a receipt that you purchased from that store. Who keeps paper receipts anymore? And it doesn't help if you paid for them at a GA outfitter and then go to another store in NC. DT warranty is unobtainium.
Please get one of those fuzzy microphones for your camera to cancel out some of that wind noise. Next year? We enjoy your videos. Glad you like to talk a lot.
Hey Y'all, please don't let Taters melt down Matt.
At Kinsley check out all the vultures on top of the grain elevator.
Love that brave Jen. 🎉
🙏
Grain silos are prairie skyscrapers.
think I've driven on every road you have shown these past 3 blogs. Beware the idea that all grain elevators are populated the further west you travel!
We actually haven’t had any interactions with the grain elevators. I tried to go into one of them at Durham (which we now refer to as the least friendly town in Kansas after a few encounters there) And the person inside was yelling, throwing a phone, and pointedly ignoring me. And honestly, it is a lot more viable to ask farmhouses for water.
Those lone stands of trees out in the middle of fields may hearken back to the days when farming was done with horses. The farmers would leave a few trees so there was a shady place to rest and water the work horses.
There are several possible reasons for clumps of trees in the middle of a field. 1) the old-time farmers left a tree or two standing so they could have shade during the middle of the day. 2) There is a topographical reason--there might be a small spring, marsh, or rock outcropping there which makes it impractical to plant that patch. 3) That is the spot where all the rocks that appear in the fields each spring get dumped.
Or there is a sinkhole! We have those in my area of Minnesota. A quick Google search said there are some in Kansas too.
I believe that ridge has some spots where rocks are on the surface, so tillage is impossible. I'm somewhat familiar with that field but I'm not sure why there is that little spot of 'waste ground.'
@@PhoenixFireFalconry Yes, we're having more sink holes in Kansas. My own pasture just east of us had a hole appear that was 5 ft deep by 5 ft across. It was a place where previously a hog facility was started. I filled it in with old concrete and dirt. There's some other sinkholes that appeared in a road 3 miles south of me etc. One just never knows.
When you get a little further you should be able to get water and even shower with/under those big circular irrigation pivots. The water is from the Ogallala Aquifer and is probably as good as it gets. Just pick your times to get the shower. And improvise a mic muff.
I wasn’t sure if that water was going to be safe to get in or not
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Just make sure you don't get into an irrigation that is pumped from a lagoon from say a large feedlot operation. That wouldn't be funny.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes It will be a very cold shower. But a shower. If the water is cold it will be from the Aquifer. I don't know of a lot of irrigation done from a lagoon. Actually, I don't know know of any. But Its probably done somewhere. It takes alot of water so a lagoon wouldn't last very long.
Oh, if this was last week, I feel bad for you. I'm from Kansas, and it was one of our hotter weeks.
Yep
Have y’all seen any of the wild hemp along the fence rows? It looks like cannabis, but not smoke able.
Neither of us are super observant when it comes to plant identification. Notice how many times I have been camping in the middle of poison oak, etc..
Heat exhaustion ?
“That John Denver is full of shit” I wonder if you guys are on the same road filmed in dumb n dumber when they got the moped
😎✌
Pommes frites
Have you made it to CO yet?
Probably Tuesday. Walking through Garden City today
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Last year were coming home from Colorado into Kansas and saw 21 semis in the fields west of Garden City. Couldn't tell what they were harvesting but assume perhaps wheat fields that got overrun with weeds and they were "chopping" up what was left and putting it into trucks. They had unusually high rainfall and weeds took over. Same thing this year. Either Garden City or Dodge had lower than usual rainfall and other city was up 13 inches. Weird stuff. Everything is on a big scale in western Kansas. Nothing is done small.
RUclips did not feature your channel until you were near my home east of KC. By then you were gone. 😢 Missed my chance to be a trail angel and bring y’all cold water and coffee! Be safe.
I upload the videos as near to real time as I can but unfortunately due to the realities of not always being to upload from the trail we run about a week behind. Instagram is more “live” but people tend not to run across that
you could be in fla about to get TS Debby
We got hit by a tropical storm when we did the Appalachian Trail in 2021. In the middle of this heat wave I have had the thought that I would be OK if we were hit with one right now…
Just don't understand the fun and adventure of this hike. IMO
You need to retire your hat after watching I would say you and tatters are above average.