Appalachian Trail

I never thought about that Big Guy, but good info. Most of my money there is spent, so my ability to boycott now is limited...

 

You and Brex both,
I really had no idea, and never would have guessed all that! Doesn't make sense, working both sides of the street like that...
Honestly, sometimes it's like I live on an island and have no idea what's going on in the world

 

That's no way to refer to a nice warm, dry place.

 

REI. camelback, northface, Patagonia and arcteryx are all pretty anti anything on trails unless it benefits them. Northface and Patagonia donate a lot of $$$ to keep bikes off trails, yet they both launched new mtn bike apparel lines.

 

True enough
Hostel

 

Hard to imagine a friend of mine joking about Lyme Disease given the
Devastating effect it has had on my family and friends as well as myself.
The section of Virginia he will be hiking through has the second highest number of reported cases of Lyme than anywhere else in the country
Cover your skin, wear plenty of Deet and check thoroughly for tiny tiny ticks every day
Most cases do not show a visible Bulls Eye rash but if you do seek immediate medical help and get started on Antibiotics immediately.
You don't need to make love to a deer to get fucked by a deer tick
Absolutely not something to be taken in jest

 

REI stated position is to support the Sierra club, but oppose land closures.
How can a reasonable argument be made for this position?
'Snowflakes & Cupcakes' advocate closure instead of intelligent access. Most cannot understand because they have never been there. Their position is based on what they have read about it (postings of their friends on social media) so they are well informed. Hipsters, and their 'topic of the moment'.
End of rant: Enjoy your 'Walk in the woods'.

 

Mammut. Waay better than North Face (who may have copied Mammut's clothing much the same way Termignoni copies Akrapovic) and available at a lower price for the "same" item. REI is one of the distributors, but even Walmarts have a brand or two of something that isn't complete shit. If supporting eco-politics isn't your thing, or taking a stand against it is, there are few dedicated Mammut stores to choose from. Don't know who else distributes it.

 

I'm not taking it lightly at all! It really is my biggest concern, more than bears. Is there any better or worse season? I'm starting in Shenandoah in early may northbound, and will start back there southbound maybe August? If you or yours have gotten Lyme, I'm sorry, because I've heard the horror stories.

 

Never heard of them. I thought maybe you meant Marmot, but I googled it and will check their stuff out. Thanks!

 

We're between Damascus VA and Hampton TN for support on your southbound leg.
I give AT hikers a ride to town or back from town all the time in season.

 

Irrelevant to the rest of the argument (i love mountain biking and also buy stuff from REI occasionally), i always find it funny that the biggest "bitchers" of trail condition and use tend to be hikers, and then equestrians, in that order... when literally horses do the most damage, and hikers never do jack shit to help conservation or maintenance efforts. ALL trail work in MD is essentially done by mountain bikers. i've never heard of or seen a "hiker trail work day" group or event, but they happen every month, all year from bikers. the whole issue is a convoluted mess of nonsense.

 

See you in August!
One thing to mention is we will have our RV and towed vehicle to use as shuttles. We'll be hop-scotching them, so on our northbound leg we'll park one where we want to start and drive the other maybe a hundred miles north, then hike back to the first. Then shuttle that maybe a hundred miles past the other, re-provisioning along the way, and hike south again. All our northbound travel will be hiking south! We have a dog with us, so this system saves us having to hitchike, roadwalk, or find motels/hostels with him for the most part. So one thing that would be helpful would be those of you who have access to, or can recommend, safe parking areas along the way?

 

Being established in 1862 as a mountaineering outfitter has to count for something. First heard about 'em in '76 when I moved to Germany. People that knew the stuff were all goo-goo-eyed about it, but then it was really top of the line, if not the top. We were all Wolverine/Vibram poor...$50 boots were easier to stomach.

 

For those here that are more experienced than me, here's our gear list so far:
https://lighterpack.com/r/b9s247
Haven't bought the pack yet, but the Osprey is where I'm leaning. Items marked "split" are shared items (tent,quilt,stove, etc) and therefore shared weight.

 

I am a huge fan of my Army ALICE pack. One of the best frames I have used. Didnt even notice the weight when I did the Nijmegen 4 day march last year.

I bought this 3 years ago and it is great!! The newer generations of my Army rucks are not good. Plastic frames flex and move too much while rucking...this ALICE aluminium frame is awesome.

Here is an example

http://www.epicmilitaria.com/us-army-alice-pack-large-lc-1.html

 

He went by himself, met a bunch of great people, most didn't make the whole trip. He stuck with it and finished. They were in a town every few days, supplied up and headed back out. At one point there were about 15 of them spread out over a few days walk. They would cross paths every once and a while. The camp sites didn't like them much, loud and having too much fun!!

 

Son got bit on the trail, got to the doctor real fast, spent a couple days recouping and has had no problems. He was lucky. We thought it would be the end of his adventure.

 

I used to be a whore for most things G.I. issue...boots, pants, dive gear, tents, boxes (trunks and ammo), etc...useful stuff for everyday scenarios. Got rid of my Medium LC-1 decades ago and recently started lookin' for another. People bitched about the frames, I didn't use the frame cuz I wasn't ruckin', just usin' it as luggage. Now, people are finding the MOLLE harness and belt transform these old packs into totally new animals when using the frame. Light and tough.
I gotta get another and "build" it. Prolly $50+ all told if you check for the stuff at gun shows.