Are you ready for your thru hike? Need help - Stop in!

[pyroman9]

Ha some fun memories, i should go back and read it... would be fun.

That limb was some scary sh%#!

The bear - priceless

Trail magic - if it was not there I found it... hahaha hence i was the yogi master as orange lightening put it. But yes there are some amazing people out there.

[linder]

Hi Bomber, I followed your journel and almost cried when you summit on the 4th of July. What a great story!

[pyroman9]

Linder - I did. I am reading my written journal now... I miss it a lot. Hard to put into words honestly. Thank you for reading - did you send me a email at the end like i asked? If so i have it printed and in my main journal at home... its amazing to see all the emails.

[JHG008]

I am thru hiking Nobo march 30th of this year.

I would like your thoughts for a few items: 1) which waterproof stuff sacks? 2) which convertible hiking pants? 3) down or fleece jacket? (I already have an older fleece) 4) i see that you would eat white chunk chicken while on the trail......was it ever awkward.... You know with Henry being around and all? 5) did you have any issues with ticks?

Thanks for the insight and a sincere thank you for your service!

[pyroman9]

1. Waterproof stuff sacks - Sea to summit ultra sil ones. Also use a contractor trash bag inside your bag as the first line of defense. That will keep everything inside dry - then if water does get through that your stuff sacks are waterproof also.... a little extra redundancy saves a lot of frustration there. And it saves any water weight since it is all dry. water is heavy. Sea to summit works great and has never failed me.

2. Whatever you like. Find some nice light nylon ones.. i wanted the cargo pockets becuase they are good but i used them less and less as my hike went on. EMS makes a pair, Mountain Hardwear, I think north faces are heavier... maybe Marmot... not sure. Shop around.

3. Down Patagonia jacket - its like $180 i believe and VERY VERY VERY light and stuffs into practically nothing. Oh and for your sleeping bag use a compression waterproof bag - it saves a lot of extra space.

4. Henry knew that it was a matter of life and death. And besides that stuff was probably fake anyways for all i knew. He made a mutual agreement with me that it was alright provided i did not try to eat him. We got along just fine.

5. Ticks were a pain in the butt. I wore shorts though and mini ankle gaiters. This allowed them to only crawl up over the gaiters and on and up my legs. I felt them every time crawling and would just stop and flick them off. With pants it protects more against them but you cant feel them crawling up since the pants are already touching you. This would cause surprises later on for me. Only once did I find a tick on my back and it was not yet burrowed but trying. At night leave your shoes outside your tent and VERY carefully inspect your gaiters and socks before bringing them into the tent. They are not horrible - just be aware they are there and pay attention daily.

[bfayer]

Ha some fun memories, i should go back and read it... would be fun.

That limb was some scary sh%#!

I need to go read your journal.

My son and I had a scare this weekend. We headed out of Bears Den heading south. Stopped for the night just south of Rod Hollow.

About an hour after we went to bed in the tent, a loud sound woke us up, a very large tree about 50 feet from the tent fell down right next to our tent, scared both of us almost to death. I don't think my son slept for the rest of the night.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[HikerMom58]

I need to go read your journal.

My son and I had a scare this weekend. We headed out of Bears Den heading south. Stopped for the night just south of Rod Hollow.

About an hour after we went to bed in the tent, a loud sound woke us up, a very large tree about 50 feet from the tent fell down right next to our tent, scared both of us almost to death. I don't think my son slept for the rest of the night.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Oh my Gosh... I'm glad you guys are ok. I've always had that fear, that would happen to my daughter on the trail. Even she was afraid of that happening as well. When I read about it in Bomber's journal, I was so glad it missed him 2. But ya know, if you worried about all the things that could possibly hurt you, you'd never leave your house... that's not any fun! I bet u had a great weekend hike with ur son.

You'll get a laugh out of the bear encounter story... it's kinda scary as well but a very funny word picture as to how he handled the whole thing.

Just want to add that I appreciate Bomber being an active member on WB as a 2012 thru hiker. I love his willingness to share his experience and knowledge with us. He's so thoughtful, IMHO.

[bfayer]

Thanks for your concern HikerMom. In all my years its the first time that has happened to me.

Overall I still think we are safer in the woods than driving down I95.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[pyroman9]

That bear was so much fun.. in the full video of it we are clapping and orange lightening is like... umm we are applauding the bears... now we are retreating from the bears.... now we are assualting them with rocks (which nearly hit the cub).... alright they just aren't listening!! The Bears are not listening!

what a great time! Thank you Hikermom - I love helping out to those who need it on here. I have got quite a few emails with questions to, glad to help anyone with any question. I hope that I am being fair with my answers and giving good and open answers that help everyone as much as able.

[congnar]

ok so I am planning on starting a thru-hike on april 1st. As of right now, I know just about nothing. That leaves me two months to figure everything out. I'm going to need ALOT of help.

[rocketsocks]

ok so I am planning on starting a thru-hike on april 1st. As of right now, I know just about nothing. That leaves me two months to figure everything out. I'm going to need ALOT of help.

Well, your in luck. The first right thing you did was come here.


to white blaze. Check out the home page left hand side, there is a ton of info, and later on today stop back and ask some specific questions, plenty of knowledgeable folks will answer as this is a very active forum. and again welcome to white blaze.

[congnar]

well thank you very much! I seem to be having some trouble finding answers. for the most part what I'm hearing is opinions. So I ask the question, what size should my pack be? and there is a thousand answers ranging from someone saying you shouldn't bring a pack at all just eat berries and dirt. all the way to the other end of someone saying you need a pack donkey! I mean its not really that extreme but I have no backpacking experience. (I have done lots of day hikes though, at least its something.) So what I'm looking for is someone who doesnt mind lots of simple obvious questions that have been answered probably thousands of times before. even though I cant seem to find them.

Anyone up to it?

[Malto]

well thank you very much! I seem to be having some trouble finding answers. for the most part what I'm hearing is opinions.

Anyone up to it?

Thats because there is no single answer for any question about backpacking, especially one regarding size of packs. One of the biggest problem is that people ask open ended questions like "what's the best shoe brand etc?". What's best? Cheapest, longest lasting, most support.......... I think you will find that the quality of the answers will get better with more information provided in the question. But at the end of the day, all you will get are opinions.

[Malto]

PS, IMHO the worst thing you can do is get a single opinion on gear, hiking etc. You better hope you find the right person. If you are looking to thru-hike then go to trailjournals.com and read through some journals. I would recommend focusing on those that finish. For those hikers that finish, look to see if they write summaries based on their actual experience vs what their naive plan may have been. You can also go to postholer.com. There are less AT hikers but it is another source of info. You will find that a lot more helpful than sifting through here

[congnar]

right I should have worded that better. I'm not looking for answers really I know that there is no right or wrong. just looking for advice, people to bounce my thoughts off of. But keeping my views open and taking input from multiple sources is important. thank you for the reminder

So I was thinking of making my start date april 1st, what do you guys think I could expect in terms of crowds and weather for the first month based of that time?

[pyroman9]

Well hello there new fella! I suppose I have nothing better to do, so I can happily help you out. First off read my first post. Second read all attached to it. Then... ASK away! As far as weather I started march 15th, once you see my slideshow that i posted you will see what the weather was like. As others said read. This thread is full of great questions and answers hence its nearly at 100 post. Let me know what I can help you with.

~Bomber
GA->ME 2012

[GraniteStater]

Bomber,

A little quote from my Trailjournal:

"Today, like many other days, I found myself online looking up anything and everything I could find on the AT. I came across a YouTube video that chronicled one man's thru-hike from 2012, and I found myself crying while watching it. I don't even think I realized it at first.. the video was not unlike the numerous others I've watched, but suddenly tears were pouring down my face. I can't tell you what I was feeling at that moment, many different things I suppose. I was overtaken with happiness for this man's accomplishment and I wanted that for myself. They were also tears of frustration over the dissatisfaction I feel with my life right now." [skip to..]

"All these feelings came to a head as I watched that video, and realized the only thing stopping me from hiking this year is myself. I have the money, or at least I can have it with a little figuring out. I have (most of) the gear, again with a little figuring out. I need to stop stopping myself. I am capable and I need this, I really truly feel like I need this. So damn it I'm gonna go do it."

Bomber the video was YOURS. I was planning a '14 thru but something about that video inspired me to let go of my fears and head out this year. I don't have any questions for you at the moment. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience, it means more than you know.

-Dana

www.trailjournals.com/hikerDane13

[cliffdiver]

Let's talk compression sacks. What size do you need for sleeping bag? I'm guessing you use one for clothes too or not? Thanks.

[pyroman9]

Dana - I have bookmarked your page. And I have no real words that can express my thanks and appreciation for your kind words... I am glad that you enjoyed it, and I hope your journey is as good as mine was. Hopefully not as wet but hey i always found water! well usually... but when i couldnt.. my socks were dry!

Keep me posted.

Compression sacks - take your gear to the outdoors store and see what fits for you. if they are any kind of good outdoors store they will not mind at all. I used the ultrasil ones that are very light and small.

[Six Steps]

Bomber, your journal was one I read faithfully this past year. Glad to hear you are enjoying the AF. Thank you for your service. Loved your video. How did you attach your camera to your hiking pole?