BirdShooter's Backpacking Blog & Podcast Series
In Episode 31, we discuss the life and legacy of Emma "Grandma" Gatewood, who at 67 years old was the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Author Ben Montgomery gives us an intimate look at this extraordinary lady who overcame financial hardship, survived domestic and sexual abuse, and had 11 children and 23 grand children when she left a small town in Ohio to walk the A.T. in 1955. The book, Grandma Gatewood's Walk is now a New York … [Read more...]
Here's what ~22 hours as a #walkinthewoods extra will get you. Don't quit your day job :) … [Read more...]
In Episode 29, we discuss the expected surge of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers this spring and why a southbound hike might be the right decision for you in 2016. On the show, Popeye talks about his southbound (SOBO) thru-hike and we debunk many of the myths of walking south from Maine to Georgia: dealing with the weather, the insects, the lack of community, the lack of services, and the immediate challenge of terrain. Popeye and I met at Tray Mountain when he was … [Read more...]
In Episode 28, Sprinkles and NoKey discuss their ultimate summer: Thru-hiking 1400 miles on four major trails along the East Coast - including the Benton MacKaye, Finger Lakes, Northville-Placid and Long Trails. Forewarning, we spend the majority of the podcast discussing their 20 day, ~290 mile hike on the Benton MacKaye Trail - a great alternative to the Appalachian Trail in the South - but there's lots of great tips on backpacking and thru-hiking in general. So listen in - … [Read more...]
Fall always makes me think of Katahdin - October 6th, 1994. A few pics from 21 years ago today... … [Read more...]
In the mid-90', Dana Design was the backpack for thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail. I liked mine so much that I bought a second one two years after my thru-hike despite the steep price of $400+ And Dana Gleason, founder of his namesake Dana Designs, has returned to the market! After selling his company and watching a series of outdoor companies fumble with a once dominant brand - Dana is back (and so is the Terraplane). The U.S. Military and U.S. Forest Service "hot shot" … [Read more...]
