A Day in the Life of an AT Thru-Hiker

[5673959831]

Can you do it in 3-4 months

[5673959831]

I am going to the trail in may

[WoodsIsHome]

Going SOBO this year!!!!!!!!!

[hbc2194]

I leave in march and can hardly wait!

[amd87]

i'll be northbound in two weeks....i just hope i can find my friend mary jane on the trail

[zerordie95]

@amd87 dude your awesome

[randomvideos9316]

i want to hike the trail solo but just watching this makes me feel lonely.

[paradoxb3]

@randomvideos9316 the last thing (at least nobo during thru season) you would be is lonely on the AT. In 2010 by tennessee i'd met up with most of the crew i summited katahdin with. The AT is an amazing social experience, unlike any other in the world.

[apopj1]

Great video. Makes me want to do it again

[tophergopher5000]

ha! fire warden's cabin at 00:15. i spent a zero day in there this august because of a wicked storm. manks, scribbles, and mark trail were there too. good times, good times ...

[bomanton]

this is a very good video. covers most if not all aspects in a very short and concise manner... GREAT JOB.

[fagpint]

You've got several photos of my cousin in that ('09) nice.

[nolobede]

Bucket list !!



[MrForrest1991]

Their backpacks look really small! How come they arnt so much bigger? You have to carry clothes, a tent, sleeping bag, mat, towel, food and other things, why is their backpack so small? I want to know, maybe im doing something wrong lol.

[christianmetalpwns]

@MrForrest1991 well from what ive read, its better to carry a smaller backpack and carry the stuff you need at the time. The more weight you carry, the bigger strain on your feet, knees, and back, this will prevent unnecessary injuries. Hickers usually carry a week's worth of supplies and then mail the rest to themselves to a post office thats is close to the trail. there's also some towns that you can pass by and buy food and supplies there. God bless

[paradoxb3]

@MrForrest1991 you learn as you go... and if you dont know what you need, or more importantly what you DONT need before you hit the trail, about 30 miles north (at Mountain Crossings, Neels Gap) theres a great place to get rid of all the crap you THOUGHT you would need that you can't bear to carry a foot further... or re-equip with lighter, thru-hiker oriented gear. after 1-200 miles you'll realize how very little you actually need from day to day.

Caveman - GA>ME 2010

[MrMiniseb]

Thank you mrs state the obvious :D

[DennyRec]

I'm going to some canyons next year and I'm excited about it. I started backpacking this year and love it. I'm an young police officer, so it gives me time to unwind & relax. It's nice when no ones around, time to clear your mind. If other are around, the friendship that forms in a short amount of time. Thanks for the video

[gregorybrandt]

Great Production Value. Exactly what I like to see. Thank You.

[btsseeker]

I have no doubt this video is a good representation, but it doesn't look that enjoyable to me. Perhaps you can help me out. The 3 wall shelters are not appealing. Are you allowed to camp along the way where you choose, perhaps hang a hammock? It looked rather flat and open with not many vistas according to the video.

[mrsparex]

Funny that many viewers aren't oriented with trail life and don't understand much of this. For example they see a short thin sleeping pad and they think that a longer thicker one would "only weigh a few ounces more" so "why not be comfortable" etc. I love these vids.Ounces turn into pounds and pounds make for a miserable hike

[Fj4LiFe23]

@mrsparex Ounces = pounds, pounds = pain :)

[DasKrabbe]

@Fj4LiFe23

Actually, 1 ounce = 0.0625 pounds

[paradoxb3]

@DasKrabbe good job math wiz... now put down your pencil, and try it. when (if) you do you'll realize EXACTLY why thru-hikers will cut handles off tooth brushes, and pull straps off their backpacks. sure 1 ounce is only 1/16th a pound, but when you can cut an ounce off everything you carry, you can shed pounds from your pack. pounds you dont have to carry over 2000 miles. if you're ok with carrying extra pounds thats cool too... HYOH, but if i want to shave lbs, whats your problem with it?

[bringawareness]

Less than 2 months away from going! So stoked!

[BIHS54]

I might do this, but where do you get your food?

[paintbaler94]

@BIHS54 mail drops or going into a town along the trail

[SAMURAIWARRIOR1972]

wow! this is a nice piece. very inspiring :)

[ericsterwerf]

I leave this March!

[mrsparex]

@ericsterwerf I'm jealous and envious but I will refrain from calling you names...

[DarthVorace]

This is one of those things I absolutely have to do before I die. 

[paradoxb3]

@DarthVorace if it's something you're really considering doing set a realistic date, and dedicate yourself to it. tell others about it. work hard to meet your goal. otherwise it will always be "someday"

[WoodsIsHome]

@DarthVorace I understand completely and utterly. Going SOBO this year after finishing xray school!!!

[mrfireclaw]

i want to this one but i need know someone help me set up

[fickle09]

5 MONTHS!! Wow, that is amazing! How do people get work off for that kinda thing? Or do they quit their jobs?

[N4ANE]

@fickle09 I think most quit I want to do it as a senor project 

[fickle09]

@N4ANE That is a fantastic idea!

[N4ANE]

@fickle09 Yea i just hope I can get every thing done in time to do it and get some more backpacking in before I do it

[nealpartyof5]

great video Im planning my thru hike now and your video encourages me all the more. very artistic. Thanks

[dasadopeboy]

nice.



[Chrisrivers5]

Love this one! It is a great snap shot of what its all about!

[mjtco]

Real nice video. We watched & smiled. Our family did a through hike in 2001 (7 folks). You captured the "essence" of the normal hiking day.

[87bayoubengal]

Doesn't the thru-hike take 5 months on average? I just saw this posting where it took the guy 7.5 months.

[SolitaryWarrior]

@87bayoubengal That's roughly the average. Some people do it in far less time; others take much longer. Those are the extremes.

[dalostvernoner23]

@87bayoubengal 5 months is really flying.  You have to be pretty fit to finish in 5. Most people take at least 6, which is an average of 12 miles per day, but considering most people only hike 6 of 7 days of the week, they have to average more like 15 miles per day to finish in 6 months.

[pinemanj]

@dalostvernoner23 Whatever, I did it in 4 months. Just walk, there's not much to it.

[whitbyjet65]

Me & my friend, Gilbert, went on this in 1997. We were chased by a huge creature with the body of a spider & the head of a man. It was over 15 feet tall and just came from the forest. Unfortunately Dave was caught and eaten alive by it. Thankfully I got away & I'm here to tell the tale.

[McMokimi]

I just read the book of Bill Bryson: 'A Walk in the Woods', and this video rounds it up. Both together let me think back to my impressions of crossing the AT a few times, without knowing very much of it.

Thanks for sharing

[iceaxe56]

someone has painted white blazes all along the trail to get hikers confused-it takes all kinds--be sure your map is up to date this is in tenn and north carolina mostly and part of virginia-gl

[moose406]

good video Ive been wanting to thru hike it for years now but work always gets in the way hopefully soon I will :)

[ahunterofdeer1]

excuse me jjjessee but i do not know what the author removed but if you believe the what you posted that i can read -You are full of It !!! I am a retired meter reader of 32 years.. the company's policy on rain was that it did not rain on meter readers.. i worked every day come rain , 100 degree + days, or cold.. so i know a little about walking or hiking to the extremes..what i said was if that what you want to do it's OK by me but sleeping on ground and eating out of box seems silly to me..

[DigitalCard]

great video, great composition. thanks for sharing.

[seabasstian17]

Nice vid

[trucker274]

about the bear poles- are those at every shelter?

[rainbowrob]

@trucker274 No, many shelters do not have bear poles, although IIRC all of the ones in the Smoky's do. (Several other shelters do, too, but many others do not.)

[BrokenAeroVT]

@trucker274 Wherever there is a known problem with bears, they tend to have poles set up, but always carry your rope just in case. For example, there is a problem with bears at MauHar shelter near Wintergreen, VA (one ate the apples of a hiker 15 minutes before I arrived). It has a pole, but 7-8 miles south at the next shelter, there is no pole and no known history of bear activity. Many shelters in SW and Central VA do not have poles. MauHar was the first I ever saw in this neck of the woods.

[tushtushtushtush]

haha, this does make it sound boring

[ahunterofdeer1]

Maybe i miss the point but i like to take my time and enjoy where i am, eat a good meal, get a comfortable nights sleep. This looks more like a forced march of prisoners in some third world country. I keep looking for the guards. Never heard of the term Thru-Hiker so i looked it up, just means long distance hiking. Well to each his own but if i was doing it i think i could plan it better..

[evilroboknee]

This vid does make it look rather uncomfortable to be a thru hiker. The true experience can never be told by video or pictures. The adventure is what calls people to the trail. A better definition of thru-hiker is someone hiking the entire trail in one shot. Since 1948, roughly 7 to 8000 people have completed thru-hikes of the AT. That out of approximately 25,000 that attempt it. It's tough, but also amazingly spiritual and beautiful.

[Dookieshoes]

Easier said than done. The trail is 2k.

[JJJessee]

:) The Guards? The guards of the first world as it calls itself, are fast food, fast comfort, and, by extension, the massive corporate propaganda machine of "creature comforts are prerequisites of enjoyment" and "enjoyment (make that pleasure) is your right as an individual". These people look more free than most because they learn to live more by their on resources and less as serfs to self-ingratiation. Perhaps they will carry some of theer ingenuity back to the first world and inspire others.

[JJJessee]

Sorry, ahunterofdeer1, if that sounded a little harsh.

[nikki33100]

nice video

[SquirrelMeat03]

>>>Interesting video in regards to the long-distance backpacking routine - gives insight on how social a northbound AT thru-hike can be.

>>>glad I'm not the only one that "takes care of business" every morning on the trail. I'm never more regular than when I'm hiking :>)

[skisacky]

Great video, lots of good info.

[hiketech]

The hiker is passing St. Peter's Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry to the right, and is approaching The Harper House on his left.

I live in Harpers Ferry :)

Nice video. Thanks for sharing.

[name7574]

Grayson Highlands at 3:03. Sweet...great  area.

[pawb8782]

AMAZING video! I leave 4/11/09 for my thru hike!

[younwhosarmy]

Hope you make it all the way....