Well Chuck, we all have our reasons for hiking the AT. Yours sound solid and it appears you have a plan. I hiked the AT last year at 66. I had planned or rather thought about it since 2016, but my family was against it. Being a 90% disabled VET they had good concerns. Eventually, I won them over but with two caveats. The first being if I got hurt or sick and had to leave the trail, I would not go back. Second, my son had to hike the first 10-days with me. I will say hiking those ten days with my son was my best time on the trail; except for summit day. As for getting hurt/sick, like all hikers we have accidents with falls being the most common. I did have my share and getting sick; got sick after a stay in a shelter and had to take a ZERO for antibiotics and IVs. The thing is, get up each day and walk. Listen to your body, if you are tired, consider a ZERO. When in town, eat carbos and lots of them. Don't pack your fears. I strongly suggest your pack with water and food, weigh less than 25lbs. I am following a large number of through hike attempts this year with about 12 having started in Jan and Feb and of those, five have left the trail before Neel's Gap for one reason or the other. Wishing you the best of luck. We look forward to following your adventure.
Beautiful Chuck...My hiking buddy and I prepared for 2 years as well. This was in '93-'95...So glad you hiked with a weighted pack..many don't and it just isn't the same. We would finish our hike at a 8 story parking garage and hike the stairs up and down with our packs. My Dad passed away 2 months before we were to leave so I had family duties to attend to. My buddy did the hike for the 2 of us. He did mention that we should have done a lot more stairs in preparation. But he made it just fine. Just take it slow and HIKE YOUR HIKE. I'm 73 now and still smoking the "hopium" that my day will come. I look forward to watching your journey....Be the Rock Star You Are. 👍
This will be a great adventure. The better that you prepare, the easier the first 300 miles will be. Treat your outer clothing and gear with Permethrin every month. There are 9 tick diseases along the trail. In 2017, my wife died from a tick disease. Many thru hikers come down with tick diseases now. The deer ticks are so small that you rarely see them when they are attacking you. Share the warning. Take your time on trail. It is very easy to injure yourself. I recommend that you carry a poncho(River Country $10) and a Heetsheet emergency blanket(its bigger, tougher, quieter, and reusable unlike mylar). Carry a few extra oatmeal packets in case you get delayed along the trail and run out of food. Good Luck, Rick
I had the privilege of hiking the trail in 2021 (Georgia to Vermont) and 2022 (Vermont to Maine). I'm very excited for you since I know the adventures, the scenic views and the wonderful people you will meet on your journey. This will be the journey of a lifetime for you. Thank you for sharing it with us. Godspeed!
Sounds like you planned well and did well slowly increasing your mileage. I followed a training plan two months before I biked across Wisconsin, my home state. I'd get up at 4:30 am and bike 20 miles before work. On weekends, I biked 40 miles for the purpose of increasing my endurance. When it came time to do the bike trip, I had no problems at all. 400+ miles in six days. We camped overnight on high school lawns. I biked with a cycle group and vans carried our tents and camping equipment. I can vouch for training ahead of time. It really pays off. I'm watching your hike now and it looks great. Take care.
Now this is the way to prepare for such a trip 👍 Absolutely brilliant. Something very obviously not many do. I’m working on it myself but need to up the mileage and weight. I’d recommend Goruck packs for anyone preparing like this. Designed to carry weight plates and very durable, lifetime guarantee. Also check their pants and shirts. Great gear and much of it made in the US. Good company with a good story, started by a former army special forces officer.
I wish you could have videoed the chair event and now we see you going up Sassafras without a problem. This was the most sensible preparation I have watched. And Fresh Ground sets up on the foothills trail 12-26 if you want to join in
Sounds like you are prepared,watching you on your videos and enjoying,Good luck ,keep heading NORTH……Grandfather,and Linville are fairly close to where I live but I go there to play GOLF 🤣🌿🍃
Look at all youve been learning & living in retirement. ♡ Thats what real life is about. My story is kind of opposite. Im just a little old lady dinking around, when suddenly i realized that i had done a 53 mile hike on the OT. Holy Crap, Im a Hiker!
I just rewatched your prep vid. How did you lose 40 lbs in a year ? Was it just the hiking and carrying weighted packs? Did you change diet or was it all from doing prep hikes? Great inspiration!
I didn’t change my diet a whole lot other than reducing (not eliminating) carbs. I did remove cookies and chips from the house and ate a lot more fruit. The big thing was the exercise. You either cut calories or burn more. It also helped to think of it as training for my hike. I told myself “if I quit training, I’ll quit my hike”. If you think about it, 40 lbs in a year is less than a lb a week. Weigh weekly and stay on top of it and it comes off before you know it. Just don’t give up
Bandit, I had never stepped one foot on the AT until a couple weeks ago. I was inspired to spend a weekend hiking. I dropped in the rollercoaster near Bears Den and hiked south to Sam Moore shelter. My pack was 20lbs with food and water, and it was 90+ degrees. I think I hiked only 5 miles + and I was exhausted that night. The trail kicked my butt! Set up tent, talked to a couple thru hikers who just hit the 1,000 mile mark. I was so excited to be on the trail. The next day I hiked back out the same way . The roller coaster is no joke. You did the whole thing in one day and I have much respect for you. I learned that my gear is good, but my fitness needs work. I now have a baseline. I hiked in and out over two days with a 20lb pack in super hot weather. It was 80 degrees in my tent at 10pm! I'm 66 yrs, 6', 260lbs. I set a two day goal and did it- huffing and puffing. I'm planning a four day AT hike . I have work to do to drop 40lbs over the next year or sooner . Thanks for putting yourself out there!
Keep up the training. We all have to start somewhere. You picked a hot time to be out there. If you eventually do a thru hike, you will most definitely not start that hot. Don’t get discouraged and keep hiking!!
The chair story was funny but really illustrates how far you’ve come! That is an impressive training regimen. Sounds like you’re ready!
Thanks. We'll find out if I'm ready. It was kind of embarrassing in the store
Well Chuck, we all have our reasons for hiking the AT. Yours sound solid and it appears you have a plan. I hiked the AT last year at 66. I had planned or rather thought about it since 2016, but my family was against it. Being a 90% disabled VET they had good concerns. Eventually, I won them over but with two caveats. The first being if I got hurt or sick and had to leave the trail, I would not go back. Second, my son had to hike the first 10-days with me. I will say hiking those ten days with my son was my best time on the trail; except for summit day. As for getting hurt/sick, like all hikers we have accidents with falls being the most common. I did have my share and getting sick; got sick after a stay in a shelter and had to take a ZERO for antibiotics and IVs. The thing is, get up each day and walk. Listen to your body, if you are tired, consider a ZERO. When in town, eat carbos and lots of them. Don't pack your fears. I strongly suggest your pack with water and food, weigh less than 25lbs. I am following a large number of through hike attempts this year with about 12 having started in Jan and Feb and of those, five have left the trail before Neel's Gap for one reason or the other. Wishing you the best of luck. We look forward to following your adventure.
Thanks. I’ve headed out and just uploaded my day 1 video. Feeling good right now!
Beautiful Chuck...My hiking buddy and I prepared for 2 years as well. This was in '93-'95...So glad you hiked with a weighted pack..many don't and it just isn't the same. We would finish our hike at a 8 story parking garage and hike the stairs up and down with our packs. My Dad passed away 2 months before we were to leave so I had family duties to attend to. My buddy did the hike for the 2 of us. He did mention that we should have done a lot more stairs in preparation. But he made it just fine. Just take it slow and HIKE YOUR HIKE. I'm 73 now and still smoking the "hopium" that my day will come. I look forward to watching your journey....Be the Rock Star You Are. 👍
Wow. Great words of encouragement. Thanks
Thursday, February 15th: You got this! Slow and steady! One foot in front of the other. Good luck! Happy Trails! Ross08
Thanks. Looking forward to the adventure.
This will be a great adventure. The better that you prepare, the easier the first 300 miles will be. Treat your outer clothing and gear with Permethrin every month. There are 9 tick diseases along the trail. In 2017, my wife died from a tick disease. Many thru hikers come down with tick diseases now. The deer ticks are so small that you rarely see them when they are attacking you. Share the warning.
Take your time on trail. It is very easy to injure yourself. I recommend that you carry a poncho(River Country $10) and a Heetsheet emergency blanket(its bigger, tougher, quieter, and reusable unlike mylar). Carry a few extra oatmeal packets in case you get delayed along the trail and run out of food. Good Luck, Rick
All good advice. Thanks
I had the privilege of hiking the trail in 2021 (Georgia to Vermont) and 2022 (Vermont to Maine). I'm very excited for you since I know the adventures, the scenic views and the wonderful people you will meet on your journey. This will be the journey of a lifetime for you. Thank you for sharing it with us. Godspeed!
Thanks
Looking forward to following you on trail Chuck. You must have worn a track around that golf course!!! Good luck from Wales, UK!
Thanks. It was mostly on pavement so no trail😄
Sounds like you planned well and did well slowly increasing your mileage. I followed a training plan two months before I biked across Wisconsin, my home state. I'd get up at 4:30 am and bike 20 miles before work. On weekends, I biked 40 miles for the purpose of increasing my endurance. When it came time to do the bike trip, I had no problems at all. 400+ miles in six days. We camped overnight on high school lawns. I biked with a cycle group and vans carried our tents and camping equipment. I can vouch for training ahead of time. It really pays off. I'm watching your hike now and it looks great. Take care.
Thanks. It definitely helps
Now this is the way to prepare for such a trip 👍 Absolutely brilliant. Something very obviously not many do. I’m working on it myself but need to up the mileage and weight. I’d recommend Goruck packs for anyone preparing like this. Designed to carry weight plates and very durable, lifetime guarantee. Also check their pants and shirts. Great gear and much of it made in the US. Good company with a good story, started by a former army special forces officer.
Thanks
Just saw you on Peaks 4 Pounds channel and had to check out your channel. Best wishes for an awesome adventure. I'll be following along.
Thanks Welcome aboard
I just saw you on PeaksNPounds video climbing up Sassafras, and then this one popped up in the suggested lol. Cheers!
Thanks. She’s great! Already seen her a few times. Keep pulling for her. I know I am.
I wish you could have videoed the chair event and now we see you going up Sassafras without a problem. This was the most sensible preparation I have watched. And Fresh Ground sets up on the foothills trail 12-26 if you want to join in
Thanks. It’s been a long journey to get here. Feeling strong
Sounds like you are prepared,watching you on your videos and enjoying,Good luck ,keep heading NORTH……Grandfather,and Linville are fairly close to where I live but I go there to play GOLF 🤣🌿🍃
Thanks, and a beautiful area to live.
Solid plan. Looks like you are very prepared.
Thanks
Preparation sounds great.
Thanks
You’ve done very well with you prep. Favor follows you! I start 3/19/24 NoBo from Springer. I hope we meet up.
Heading out a day ahead of you. It’s likely we’ll meet sometime
Look at all youve been learning & living in retirement. ♡ Thats what real life is about.
My story is kind of opposite. Im just a little old lady dinking around, when suddenly i realized that i had done a 53 mile hike on the OT. Holy Crap, Im a Hiker!
It kinda just happens, but isn’t it great!!!
I’ve been preaching myself as well.
You encouraged me (and others) to keep going.
Keep us posted on your pilgrimage.
Will do! Day 1 out today
Great video!
Thanks!
Well, you did it so……. you did it right!
Yes we did!!!! Thanks
Good luck on your adventure!
Thank you!!
This video was great! Thanks for sharing the idea of training with a bag of dog food! Best of luck and I look forward to watching your journey!
Thanks. The dog food spread out the load nicely
Very thorough and informative.I’d like to see yourFoothills video someday.😊❤
I hope to put it out, but I’m on the AT now. I’ll try and get it out once I finish. I’ve finally learned how to get it all done
I just rewatched your prep vid.
How did you lose 40 lbs in a year ? Was it just the hiking and carrying weighted packs? Did you change diet or was it all from doing prep hikes?
Great inspiration!
I didn’t change my diet a whole lot other than reducing (not eliminating) carbs. I did remove cookies and chips from the house and ate a lot more fruit. The big thing was the exercise. You either cut calories or burn more. It also helped to think of it as training for my hike. I told myself “if I quit training, I’ll quit my hike”. If you think about it, 40 lbs in a year is less than a lb a week. Weigh weekly and stay on top of it and it comes off before you know it. Just don’t give up
“If I quit training, I quit my hike” - my new mantra.
Just remember to take a couple days off every week. I didn’t train on weekends. Your body needs time to recuperate
Bandit, I had never stepped one foot on the AT until a couple weeks ago. I was inspired to spend a weekend hiking. I dropped in the rollercoaster near Bears Den and hiked south to Sam Moore shelter. My pack was 20lbs with food and water, and it was 90+ degrees. I think I hiked only 5 miles + and I was exhausted that night. The trail kicked my butt! Set up tent, talked to a couple thru hikers who just hit the 1,000 mile mark. I was so excited to be on the trail. The next day I hiked back out the same way . The roller coaster is no joke. You did the whole thing in one day and I have much respect for you. I learned that my gear is good, but my fitness needs work. I now have a baseline. I hiked in and out over two days with a 20lb pack in super hot weather. It was 80 degrees in my tent at 10pm!
I'm 66 yrs, 6', 260lbs. I set a two day goal and did it- huffing and puffing. I'm planning a four day AT hike . I have work to do to drop 40lbs over the next year or sooner .
Thanks for putting yourself out there!
Keep up the training. We all have to start somewhere. You picked a hot time to be out there. If you eventually do a thru hike, you will most definitely not start that hot. Don’t get discouraged and keep hiking!!
When you retire, you do MORE of what you already enjoy .
Couldn’t agree more