Along with (figurative) century posts, interstate highways crossed, and National Parks navigated, checking off states is one of the main ways AT thru hikers measure their progress. Some of the associated signs, like the one which greeted me on June 8 upon entrance into Virginia, the state with the greatest mileage, are merely nondescript and
The most obvious transformation after 4 weeks on the trail is that I have lost more than 10 extraneous pounds. The more profound transformations have come through highly-tuned senses. The feeling through the bottom of your boot that the muddy trail is about to give way, and you had better slow it down or risk
Northern GA and southern NC are a relatively solitary experience for the thru-hiker. This sign at mile 167 of the trail marks entrance into the busiest trail corridor, with over 7 million yearly visitors. After depositing their permits, thru-hikers also share the trail with the occasional horseback rider, and the several hundred black bears who
"This is 10 percent luck, 20 percent skill, 15 percent concentrated power of will, 5 percent pleasure and 50 percent pain. . ." The mental side of thru-hiking can make or break the experience. In part, it can be about summoning the will to push a 19 mile day, as I did on May 6
One can find dozens of AT equipment lists on the Internet. Rather than provide another one here, I will offer some wisdom on what to take and what to leave behind. A photo of my unpacked gear follows. This includes 18 pounds of dry gear, to which 8 pounds of water and 11 pounds of
By way of introduction, I am a history professor (the photo above shows me atop the walls of Istanbul earlier this year) who will set aside his books for the next five to six months to hike the 2,184 mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail, more commonly known as the Appalachian Trail, or AT for
After reading what I could, I decided I wanted to climb a Gap classic, a 5.4 called Triumvirate, located on Mt. Tammany. Mt. Tammany is on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River and is one of the two main climbing areas at The Gap. The other is Mt. Minsi on the Pennsylvania side, which I hope to explore on another trip.
Costa Rica Outward Bound Social Media Coordinator Britten Ferguson talks about the program and life in Costa Rica, What does it take to spend expended time in the outdoors world and why do more people not do it in our culture, Fitz Cahall's(The Dirtbag Diaries) latest Project: The Love Letter, and more. Hosts: Patrick Gensel, Britten Ferguson, James Garner, and Jason Elliot
Many people ask me how I do the things I do and go the places I go. I commonly hear things like, "how can you afford to travel so much?" and "You must be nuts climbing that high" and my personal favorite: "I want your job." In reality everything I do is accessible to everyone.
By Patrick Gensel For many backpackers, myself included, one of the single most important elements of any piece of equipment is weight. even shaving just a little bit of weight off of trivial things such as a first aid kit can extend a day on the trail, but how is this done without compromising the