😊 Thank you
😊 Thank you
Your a year younger than me so you remember pencil and paper along with updated technology to get on You Tube. Type in 2017 AT Gear List or 2016 Gear List. Watch three to four videos and any time the same item is mentioned - write it down. One of the first will be Sawyer Squeeze water filter system. Another one will be pocket rocket stove or Alcohol Stove. Down Jacket and Fleece Layer will be mentioned a lot. Start Building your Gear List. As mentioned, search this website for one item vs another. Also type in 2016 Post Hike Gear List to see what the Thru Hiker Finished with. This is the way I created my "Gear List" and then I started to purchase items for the first time, or to replace items I have used for many years backpacking. However, thru hiking gear is different gear that what you can get comfortable with for short hike backpacking.
On top of that, I will give you my final product. Here is my Gear List of Items I am ready to start my Thru Hike with: https://docs.google.com/a/northmonts...it?usp=sharing
Feel free to copy and use if it helps.
"gbolt" on the Trail
I am Third
We are here to help one another along life's journey. Keep the Faith!
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCik...NPHW7vu3vhRBGA
I would also offer to use youtube to see what equipment & food people are starting out with. Since I was on a limited budget, I also used youtube to make light weight equipment to save money (i.e. a penny can stove & koozie made from windshield reflector). I also made a few meals on my gear to figure out how much alcohol would be needed for each meal. To keep costs down, visit yur local Salvation Army/Goodwill/Resale shops and be creative with the items you find there.
As stated above, get the guide to figure out possible water sources and camping. Although I knew that things were fluid on the trail, I created a spreadsheet detailing the stops (water, camping and restocking) I would make on my hike.
Best of luck!
I live in Dahlonega, GA and will be retiring from teaching in a few short weeks. I am thinking about starting a business to be a teacher and guide for inexperienced women planning to through-hike or do their first long-haul. I could pick up from the airport, provide lodging and a pack shakedown the night before we leave, have my husband drop us off at FS 42 and hike with them to Dick's Creek Gap. From there, I would send them on their way after 5-6 days of instruction on the trail about safety, setting up camp, trail cooking, wilderness first aid, dealing with weather, woodland creatures and critters, and other trail wisdom. Do you think there might be a market for that?
I find it very sad, but yeah, there probably is.
Theres people at my gym that pay "trainers" $25/hr to basically talk to them while they work out.
Some people, cant be bothered to research and read. They want to be spoon-fed. They have the money and they don't mind paying for someone to show them or hold their hand
Usually a personal trainer does more than simply talk about the weather. They motivate, inspire, instruct, teach, train, etc
I used to charge up to 5 times that amount per hour. Clients paid me for my knowledge. I worked a lot with correcting movement issues i.e. muscular imbalances that created injuries. I had high school athletes, CEO's, first time marathoners (for "fun") and "ordinary people." There is a lot that goes into devising a program to help achieve specific goals for individuals who sit 90% of the time.
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 03-26-2019 at 00:33.
All good advice, there is a ton of info here and on YT. Read all the books. The folks at REI got used to seeing me drool over gear before I finally bought stuff.
The first time time that I set up my tent outside was on the local little league field. I had a nice discussion with a cop that I wasn’t homeless.
I used a local state park to gain experience - easy trails, close if I wanted to bail, etc.
76 HawkMtn w/Rangers
14 LHHT
15 Girard/Quebec/LostTurkey/Saylor/Tuscarora/BlackForest
16 Kennerdell/Cranberry-Otter/DollyS/WRim-NCT
17 BearR
18-19,22 AT NOBO 1562.2
22 Hadrian's Wall
23 Cotswold Way
I also think there would be a market for such a thing. With more vloggers and movies about hiking....its become more of a mainstream thing and with that comes more people that are looking for help on the subject.
Stuff you may not want to hear... Not being mean-spirited, but as you are a professional teacher, objectively speaking there are questions as to what qualifies you to do this professionally and for profit, which is different than doing it as a friend or acquaintance. What qualifies you to be a hiking "teacher and guide", teaching "safety, setting up camp, trail cooking, wilderness first aid, dealing with weather, woodland creatures and critters, and other trail wisdom", beyond just having personal hiking experience? Especially wilderness first aide? Do you have any certifications in outdoor leadership and/or wilderness first aid from acknowledged organizations like NOLS, OB, WMAI, USCG, etc? What qualifies you as a subject matter expert? 1000's of trail miles? Thru-hikes? Prospective paying customers may - actually they honestly should - want to know.
There are also some business considerations. Can you get liability insurance for a business such as this without those certifications? Doing this for profit means you are liable to your customer should something happen to them while under your guidance/control and you are judged to be even partially responsible, and worse if you are judged negligent [Why did my expert hiking teacher and guide lead me into this dangerous situation and/or not prevent me from getting injured? Your Honor, I got injured when their car was involved in an accident on the way to AF...]
Again, not trying to cast doubt on your personal knowledge. You may be a very knowledgeable hiker. But there are a lot of hikers with extensive personal knowledge - that doesn't necessarily qualify them to be a teacher and guide professionally. There are lots of well known and respected organizations out there running outdoor/wilderness schools. NOLS, OB, AMC, NOC - it's a pretty big list. And pretty much all instructors have formal training and certifications, etc. Most of the "AT Hiking Gurus" like Warren Doyle and Jennifer Pharr-Davis have extensive thru-hiking resumes to their credit.
Now perhaps there is a niche market for a 4-5 day hand-hold hike. But I honestly think it's a tough sell if people do their research. Because the very best advice as a teacher and guide you could give to any prospective thru-hiker is to hone their backcountry and hiking skills on some overnights, weekends, and then at least one section hike before ever considering setting off on an AT thru-hike. Without that experience, they don't even know if they will enjoy it - and that's before it starts raining...