Thru Hike Training

[jjimen16]

Went for a walk today. Got pulled by the cops. I guess its kinda weird seeing a guy with a beard and a fully loaded backpack walking thru the neighborhood.

"what you got in the backpack?"

-"About 25 lbs without food and water. Tho For my thru hike I'm going for more of an ultralight approach"

"??? Looks like you got the right shoes for it too."

-"Yup. Whelp, see ya later."

[Joey C]

Yup, you're hiker trash now!

[JAK]

Vagrant on a Mission. Awesome.

[Spokes]

There's a trail name in there somewhere.......

5-0? APB? Frisk? Hands Up?

[Del Q]

Brings back old memories, I started on the local track walking with my wife, pack in tow. Too many questions, not hard enough.

Brought it to local trail that I "train" on................what others have said is true, the only real way to prep is backpacking up & down STEEP HILLS. As a section hiker I have never fully experienced getting my "trail legs", longest section hike about 150 miles.............so far.

Before my hike to NH last Fall, I walked up and down the hills on our property, seemed to help a lot.

[Pedaling Fool]

Went for a walk today. Got pulled by the cops. I guess its kinda weird seeing a guy with a beard and a fully loaded backpack walking thru the neighborhood.

"what you got in the backpack?"

-"About 25 lbs without food and water. Tho For my thru hike I'm going for more of an ultralight approach"

Try loading up a bicycle and ride around, doesn't take long before people start asking if you're homeless.

On one of my trips up the east coast I stopped in Southport, NC; I was just too tired to look for a stealthy spot, didn't even feel like setting up my tent, so I slept under a pavillion adjacent to the Cape Fear Restaurant & Lounge. At about 5 in the morning some little yap-yap mut starts barking at me, not sure why because I never saw him coming, I was just sleeping there under the pavillion. But that mut must've alerted the cops who came by and shined their light on me asking me a bunch of questions, starting with, "Are you homeless?" They made it pretty clear that they wanted me to move on, so I packed up and went to Waffle House

BTW, the Cape Fear Restaurant & Lounge has outstanding food, either that or I was just hungry as hell

[RWheeler]

I've walked around the lake by my house with about 40lbs on my back, just to up it a bit more, and I've gotten such weird looks.

I know it's probably a weird sight for everyone else, but I just smile and continue on as if there's absolutely nothing out of the ordinary with a guy walking down a gravel path with enough gear to survive out there in a blizzard.

[Smokestack]

The best way around this problem is to hang a sign on the back of your pack. I've found HAZMAT fairly effective. Or you can really try to confuse them -- try something like Google Maps Street View.

[Mags]

Depends where you live.

Here in Colorado (and Boulder in particular), if you see a person hiking up a local foothill trail you assume they are training for something.