I’d like to start off talking about my tent.
Boundless Camping Denali 2 person Tent, List $193 sale price $125. 65 oz. This is a small tent if you want to fit another person in it you would have to be very friendly with them. I love this tent it is a four season tent. It has vents at the top so that you can stay cool if the fly is on it really traps heat in it.
My treking poles are a life saver! I will always suggest having poles on a long hike.
REI Flash Carbon Trekking Poles $149 they are very light weight at 14.6oz and keep me from tripping and falling on my face everyday.
My pack is very comfortable. It is a Kelty Zyro 65oz, that is no longer available. $161. You can try to find one if you want.
My sleeping pad/ float is Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra Sleeping Pad. It was $100 and weighs 22oz. It’s pretty comfy and comes with a bag that captures air to inflate.
And finally I want to talk about shoes! One of the most important thing you invest in is you footgear. Mine are the men’s LA sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX hiking boots $175. I chose these because I needed the extra width for my feet. When I am on the trail my feet swell alot. A common thing for hikers.
A beautiful and difficult run on the AT. The Smokies take about 70 miles of the AT and even though I didn’t see any bears there was a lot of talk on trail about them. There were two shelters shut down as I went through, the Russell Feild shelter and Cosby Knob. Mollies ridge had a warning.
To be honest I have yet to see a bear and I have been on the AT since June 2nd. Perhaps it is because I am always listening to books or music and simply just walk right past them. At least that seems to be what happened as I was shown a video by a hiker where I unknowingly walked passed a bear about 100 feet away from me!
Besides the bear warnings and their droppings all over the trail, the Great Smokies really are beautiful.
I would suggest that those who want to get out into the wilderness for a bit, hanging out in the Smokies would be a magical adventure. There are many trails to check out and the vistas take your breath away.
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I'm looking forward to an amazing adventure on the Appalachian trail. I am so excited to share my experience with family and friends and/or anyone else who's interested. I feel like I'm ready for the tough days. I'm mostly excited about the beautiful views that I'll get to see. I am 36 years old. Lived most of my adult life in Maine so I'll be happy to get to go back and see the beautiful trees and mountains there. I have three lovely kiddos. One passed away at 6 months in 2017 and it caused me to go into a very deep depression with an addiction to alcohol. Now I'm 6 months sober and ready to start living again. I'm going to do all the things that I can possibly do while on this Earth. I feel like it's my responsibility to have all the adventures that I can for Link. His ashes will be coming with me on the trail. I'll find a spot that is beautiful and quiet. I will spend a little time thinking about him, thinking about life, thinking about the things that I've done and the things that I can still do. Then I'll spread his ashes and let go of all the pain and hurt and let in love, grace and serenity. So I guess I can say that I'm hunting for peace. Perhaps that's the reason why I am hiking this trail.. perhaps it's something else.. maybe it just sounds like a good thing to do.