I wanted a small light video camera to take backpacking, so I bought a GoPro Hero 5 Black. With all the upgrades to picture quality, I thought it could make a pretty good documentary camera on i...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2018/03/my-gopro-documentary-rig.html
The number of hikers starting Appalachian Trail thru-hikes in Georgia have increased each year such that shelter areas and campsites are beyond capacity. Hikers with scant hiking experience t...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2017/05/a-bureaucratic-solution-to-appalachian.html
That's the cumulative milage of hiking the AT in five sections. At least the way I did it. Last June I got back on the trail at VT11 in Vermont, where I got off from my 2012 southbound sectio...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2016/01/21849-miles-give-or-take.html
AND IT'S MAKING ME CRAZY! After spending the winter going over my gear list, measuring items to make sure I had the right weights, and stuffing it all in a big tub, my spreadsheet said my kit ...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2015/06/the-whole-is-greater-than-sum-of-parts.html
Next week I'll start the final leg of my Appalachian Trail section hike. I'm meeting Blue Jay in upstate New York, and we'll drive up to the trail crossing near Manchester, VT where I got of...
Before I started my hike I had logged way too many hours on WhiteBlaze.net, and knew I was gonna be a Purist!* Well mostly pure. I mean, I wasn't quite so anal that when I hitched into town fro...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2015/05/on-becoming-99968-pure-flip-flop-flip.html
Back when I was first planning my AT hike, I outlined my completely rational fear of Ixodes scapularis - aka the Deer Tick, aka the Black Legged Tick - The most common vector for Lyme disease....
I had two goals for this summer. To complete my hike of the Appalachian Trail in one, long-assed section. From where I got off last summer, to where I got off in Vt back in 2012. And to do it...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2014/12/virginia-is-not-flat.html
"Blue Jay 5" and I had been hiking together for several days through Shenandoah. Well … we’d been camping together. He’d leave camp early and stop early. I’d leave late and get to cam...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2014/12/slackdown-at-jim-and-mollys.html
My next Appalachian Trail section hike is from the James River Footbridge, to Manchester Center, VT in early June. Hoping to keep my weight down, my summer-weight equipment plan sports a 50 de...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2014/05/how-cold-could-it-get.html
I got a new pot that would provide more food in my belly, and take less room in my pack. So it was back to the drawing board to design a new cozy for it. As the title suggests this is my th...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2014/04/backpacking-pot-cozy-v30.html
I've been slowly wading through all the photos I took during my 2013 hike, and have uploaded them to Tumblr along with the rest of my AT pictures. You can see them at bit.ly/LDTmblr . This ...
Been using my old 600ml Snow Peak cup as my solo cookpot on my AT sections. I found it a little small as my hunger got bigger. I like to boil enough water in the morning to fill my coffee cup an...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2014/03/my-evolving-cook-kit.html
Two years ago today, I woke up early at Black Gap Shelter on Springer Mountain's approach trail, packed my gear, and climbed the last mile and a half to Springer's summit to start my Appalac...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2014/03/the-season-of-rebirth.html
In the last couple of years, the term "Lasher" has wormed its way into the long-distance hiker's vernacular. It's an acronym for Long-Ass-Section-Hiker, meaning one who hikes a long trail in...
(Sigh ...) I was pretty happy with my transition from Aquamira to Sawyer's Squeeze system last year. I rationalized that the weight was practically, almost nearly the same. And besides, I wo...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2014/03/tweakin-my-hydration-system.html
For Appalachian Trail hikers, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or GSMNP, offers wonderful experiences, with a few logistical challenges. Following are my lessons learned from hiking ...
When I was getting serious about Hiking the Appalachian Trail, I got familiar with the cottage industry supporting long-distance hikers with ultra-light gear. I chose a Lightheart Gear Solo ...
I got home just in time for Mary's family reunion. She picked me up at Glasgow, VA 94 days after I started at Rock Gap, NC - 672 miles away. If that sounds like a long time to go that distance,...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2013/07/my-summer-2013-section.html
I was hiking along the ridge between Mt Sequoia and Mt Chapman when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to look, and it was Loopy! One of my hiking partners from last spring. She was hiking fro...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2013/05/eleven-days-of-healing.html
I twisted my ankle my first day out, and I wanted to give it a rest. I had climbed out of the NOC, and camped at Sassafras Gap Shelter. The forecast was for rain all that next day, with dangerous...
The 2500' descent to the Nantahala River from Wesser Bald Shelter was tough on my old knee bones. But the promise of a shower, laundry, two hots and a cot was motivating. The Nantahala Outdoor ...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2013/04/the-noc-onward-and-upward.html
Predawn breakfast in bed ... After three hiking days, I'm at Wesser Bald, and heading into Nantahala Outdoor Center for a minor resupply, a hot shower and a warm bunk. I've been hiking throug...
It's almost like I took a couple of zeros in Franklin. I went into town on April 3Rd and was back on the trail on the 6th. Except it was a year later ... I went into town last spring, hoping to...
A week from today I'll hop into a rental car, drive to Asheville, NC, and take a shuttle to Franklin, NC. The next morning I'll be at Rock Gap where I'll continue my AT hike. Ok so, I started...
http://www.laughingdog.com/2013/03/cocked-locked-ready-to-walk-again.html