1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff you should know. A production of I 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. And I'm Josh, 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: there's Chuck. Jerry's here too, and this is stuff you 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: should know to get out there and do. An addition, 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: just a couple of no bos hanging out in front 6 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: of the mic. M hmmm mm hmm. And if you 7 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: don't know what a nobo is, prepare to learn. I 8 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: thought you were gonna give me a trail name. I 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: can think of one. I was, how about starfish? Your starfish? 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,200 Speaker 1: All right? What are you um? You're like, I don't 11 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: know what he eats a starfish. I'll be jellyfish. Jellyfish, okay, 12 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: and Jerry will be sunfish. Uh so our little sunfish. Yeah. 13 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: And it will make sense as long as we hike together. 14 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: But if one of us gets ahead of the other 15 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:57,959 Speaker 1: behind the other, then it'll just seem weird. Finally, we're 16 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: talking about the appalach and trail. Boy. We've been asked many, many, 17 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: many many times over the years to cover this by 18 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,760 Speaker 1: generally by through hikers that like, I'm listening to your 19 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: show as I hike from Georgia to Maine, and uh, 20 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,680 Speaker 1: we're finally getting down to it. Mm hmm, it is 21 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: about time for sure. In a big thank you to 22 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: Dave Rus for helping us with this one. I don't 23 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,399 Speaker 1: believe he ever threw hike the A T, which makes 24 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: this even more impressive all the info he came up with, 25 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: you ever hiked any any of the eight? I think 26 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,839 Speaker 1: I accidentally did and maybe Unicoise State Park and didn't 27 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: realize that's what I was doing. Um, I had no 28 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: idea I was on the A T. But now I 29 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: had a friend, um named Mitch who I went to 30 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: high school with, not dirty Mitch from this Gabies episode 31 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: of different Mitch and a few years sure, I don't 32 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: know about that, but still um medium Sure. A few 33 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: years after high school he he threw hiked the A T. 34 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: And he was the first and I think maybe the 35 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: only person I know who has uh my ends older 36 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: brother hiked the A T with his dog, his sort 37 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: of regular Doughey black lab, and Dude, that dog came 38 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: back ripped back like a black lab that was built 39 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: like a pit bull. Yeah. I can imagine. Because one 40 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: of the most physically demanding things you can do is 41 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: through hike the Appalachian Trail, and through hike means that 42 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: you hike the whole two thousand, one hundred and ninety 43 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: four point three miles from Georgia to Maine or Maine 44 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: to Georgia in one straight shot, usually averaging about four 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: to five to six months to do it. That's right, well, 46 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: not necessarily in one straight shot, as we'll see, because 47 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: you can do it in leap frogate and do it 48 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: in chunks, and I think it all counts as long 49 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,399 Speaker 1: as you do it within the same year. But for me, 50 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: and I used to want to do this, I had 51 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: a big, gigantic A T poster that hung on my 52 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: walls for many, many years, and my time has passed 53 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: to do this. But I think my new goal is 54 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: I would like to hike the entire Georgia portion. Okay, 55 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: at some point I have hiked portions of it in Georgia, 56 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 1: but uh, when I wanted to hike the A T. 57 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: I was always of the mindset and not that there's 58 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 1: any right or wrong way to do it, but I 59 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: wanted to do it just all in one go, and 60 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: not do it in chunks, and just start out at 61 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: Springer Mountain in Georgia and end up with some mountain 62 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: in Maine. Canadain. That's right. Yeah, that's a through hike 63 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: for sure, and that's the that's you would be a nobo, 64 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: like you said, going from yeah, from Georgia to Maine. 65 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:40,839 Speaker 1: If you went from Maine to Georgia, which is again 66 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: another way you can do it, you'd be a sobo 67 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: for southbound. But the thing is chucked. I think three 68 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: million people hike on the a T every year, some 69 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: little segment or portion. They're called section hikers. Anyone who 70 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: doesn't hike the whole thing in one shot as a 71 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: section hiker. But of those three million people, just a 72 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: few are several thousand people try it, try through hiking 73 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: every year, and only one and four of them is 74 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: successful because it's so hard to do. Yeah. It is 75 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: the longest hike only footpath in the world. Uh. There 76 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: are longer trails for sure. Uh. And at some point 77 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,679 Speaker 1: we might do one on the Great Specific Rest Trail. 78 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: But um, you can take pack mules and horses on 79 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: the PCT. Uh, you are not allowed to. You can 80 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 1: only take your body and your own feet on the 81 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: Appalachian Trail. Yeah. Whereas Dave puts it on the a T, 82 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: the pack animal, as you that's a great line. That's 83 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: very yakov SnO. So in addition to it just being 84 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: really really long, Chuck, there's a lot of ups and downs. 85 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: There's a lot of crazy terrain. There's a lot of 86 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: dangers that will see. But those ups and downs amount 87 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: to over that whole distance, four hundred and sixty four thousand, 88 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 1: five of hundred feet of elevation gain and loss. And 89 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:07,280 Speaker 1: Mount Everest is about twenty nine thousand feet, So if 90 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: you started at sea level and walked up and down Everest, 91 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: you'd have to do that eight times to equal that 92 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: amount of elevation gain or loss that you're gonna walk 93 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: along the Appalachian Trail in that one straight shot. That's right. Uh. 94 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,239 Speaker 1: That is not to say I mean those are apples 95 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 1: to oranges, but that just puts it into perspective a 96 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: lot of a lot of mountains you're hiking up and down. 97 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,599 Speaker 1: I never claimed they were both apples, No, No, I know, 98 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: I just don't, like, I don't want people that have 99 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: climbed Everest to be like, dude, you can't even compare 100 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: the two. That's such a good Everest climber impression. Almost 101 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: stood up there, bro Um. All right, so let's talk 102 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: about this history wise. Uh. The original human being that 103 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: thought this was a good idea was named Benton Mackay, 104 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: who obviously was a hiker in the New England area 105 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: and went to High of It, got a degree in 106 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: forestry and worked as a land use planner and was 107 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: hiking along in Vermont one day in the Green Mountains, 108 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: climbed a big tree, looked out upon all the peaks, 109 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: you know, those nice little rounded peaks of the Appalachian Mountains, 110 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: not like the Rocky Mountains. We've talked about that. Why, Uh, 111 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: it's because of wind, and said, you know what, that's amazing. 112 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,919 Speaker 1: I've been trying to interlink trails in New England to 113 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:33,239 Speaker 1: make hikes longer. Is it even possible? Could we link 114 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: a trail from Georgia to Maine all along this Appalachian Range? Yeah? 115 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 1: And that's a great first thought. But then he had 116 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: plenty of successive follow up thoughts about that idea. UM. 117 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: He wrote a paper called an Appalachian Trail, a Project 118 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:53,840 Speaker 1: in Regional Planning in n and UM he basically said, hey, 119 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: in addition to this interconnected trail that forms one big 120 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:00,159 Speaker 1: trail along the Appalachians, we can also build shelter is 121 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: for people hiking. We can build community camps, we can 122 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,360 Speaker 1: build farms that are run by labor unions and basically 123 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: socialize the woods to give people a chance to get 124 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: away from the rest of the world. Yeah, it was 125 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: like a really really grand plan and one that like 126 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: super admirable I think, Yeah, for sure, I I admire it. 127 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: And Yeah, the thing is is he was like, as 128 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: Dave put it, he was the tree hugger who came 129 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: up with this idea, and he definitely was, and he 130 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: had a real vision for it. And people came along 131 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: and said, that has a great idea. We're gonna really 132 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: trim off this fat about socialism and labor unions and stuff, 133 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: but the rest of it we really like. And McKay 134 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: was like, hey, what do you mean fat? And uh 135 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: that that it just kind of got taken away from 136 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: him from their well sort off. He still worked a 137 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: lot with. Uh. This other guy who came along who 138 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about named Myron Avery, And this 139 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: is how Dave put it. By all accounts, Myron Avery 140 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: was a great a jerk. Here's the thing. Myron Avery 141 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: was a lawyer, a maritime attorney, a big time hiker 142 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: from Washington, d C. Who took charge of the project 143 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty and everything. I read up a lot 144 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: about this guy, because anytime I see someone just kind 145 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: of categorized as a big time jerk, I'm kind of 146 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: curious because it's probably complicated, and it sounds like he 147 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: was very stubborn and he was a perfectionist and he 148 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: kind of just didn't want to listen to other people, 149 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: Like he would go into a community and that they 150 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: would have ideas like, hey, why don't you get the 151 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: community on board with this and get some community support, 152 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: and he was like no, he was like, we should 153 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: just make this trail and then they'll see the benefit. 154 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: The locals will see the benefit and its value afterward, 155 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 1: and all we need to do is just blaze forward, 156 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 1: no pun intended as you'll see, and and just do 157 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: this thing. And it sounded like he was just really 158 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: tenacious and he did burn bridges, and it sounds like 159 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: he had a big ego and he may have been 160 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:04,719 Speaker 1: a bit of a jerk in a bully, but I 161 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: think it's probably a little more complicated than to just 162 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: say he was a big a hole, for sure, But 163 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: he was enough of a whole Are we singing that now? 164 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 1: I mean I just did. Okay, So he was enough 165 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: of one of those that he and mackay had a 166 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: falling out and McKay stayed away from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 167 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: which Myron Avery led until Myron Avery died at age 168 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: fifty two of a heart attack. From being such a 169 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: type a personality. Yeah, I mean they had they worked 170 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 1: together for a while and then eventually couldn't sort of 171 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: see eye to eye, so he backed out. Have you 172 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:39,319 Speaker 1: ever read the book A Walk in the Woods by 173 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: Bill Bryson? No, but I'd like to chuck you will 174 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: love it. It's Did you read it? Oh? Yeah, it's 175 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: It's one of those best in your late teens early twenties. 176 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: But I think you would appreciate it no matter what 177 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: your age. It's just a great book. And he's such 178 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 1: a great writer, and his um, his Companion on the Trail, 179 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: is just such a great like oil and comic relief. 180 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,080 Speaker 1: It is just a really good book. But in it 181 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: he he described Myron Avery is blazing to two trails 182 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: from Georgia to Maine. One was of hurt feelings and 183 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: bruised egos. The other was the t uh well for 184 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: his stubborn efforts. Uh. The east peak of Bigelow Mountain 185 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: and Maine is now called Avery Peak. Oh it's nice 186 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: or a whole peak. Oh boy? So Avery did walk 187 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: the Appalachian Trail. He mapped apparently every square inch of 188 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: it because again he was in charge of it, and 189 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: he was such a um, a pragmatic and totally driven 190 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: visionary that um he got the A T completed in 191 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: seven years and it opened to the public in ninety 192 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: seven because of him, that's right. Uh. And after it 193 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: was completed, everyone was like, this thing is great, but 194 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: is anyone ever gonna really? I know you link these trails, 195 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: but is anyone even capable of hiking this whole thing? 196 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: And we will let you know if that's possible, well, 197 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 1: or at least who made that possible. Right after this 198 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: and drum roll, Uh boy, your drum You need to 199 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: change your drumhead, my friend, we need to work on 200 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: our timing to Okay, what does that mean? I finished 201 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: my drum roll and you were still talking about my drumheads. Sorry, 202 00:11:54,600 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: let's try it again. Look, No, that's great, it's really good. Uh. Yes, 203 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: we know that we can complete the A T we're 204 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,319 Speaker 1: being coy. Many people have done it, but the very 205 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 1: first time that it was done was but eleven years 206 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:21,080 Speaker 1: after it opened, and a man named Earl Schaefer, Pennsylvanian 207 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 1: from York County World War two Vett who uh you 208 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,680 Speaker 1: know we what we called this now is PTSD by 209 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: you know, back then they just you know, called it 210 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:34,559 Speaker 1: suffering from war demons. But he clearly had some kind 211 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 1: of PTSD and and was quoted as saying he wanted 212 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 1: to walk the army out of his system and started 213 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: at the time, it was not at Springer Mountain and 214 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: Georgia at the time. It was Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia 215 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: on April four, nineteen and didn't even have a tent. No, 216 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: he had a poncho that he slept under, had paper maps, 217 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: he had a compass. He was wearing Russell Moccasin Company's 218 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: bird Shooter boots and they still make those. Actually they're 219 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,839 Speaker 1: nice looking boots, but I would not like the t 220 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 1: and them very expensive. They're like fours. But I believe 221 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: they're so handmade that you can find like fingernail clippings 222 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:20,239 Speaker 1: in them. Yeah, that's handmade chuck. That is super handmade. 223 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: So He did this in a hundred and twenty four days, 224 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: the first guy to ever through hike the a T 225 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: did it way above average of what people do today. Yeah, 226 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,840 Speaker 1: he was making about sixty miles a day on average. 227 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,760 Speaker 1: So not only did he, you know, set the bar 228 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: by being the first person to throw hike, he said 229 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: a really high bar as far as records to break, 230 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: Like that wasn't just something the second person was going 231 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: to do better than you know, Yeah, for sure. His 232 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 1: advice was carry as little as possible, but choose that 233 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:57,320 Speaker 1: little with care. Uh And everyone said duh and he went, 234 00:13:57,400 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: shut up, I'm the first one to do it. I 235 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 1: get to have my my advice has given out. And 236 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: he did it again just to prove himself in nineteen 237 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: and was the first person to do it both ways 238 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: in both directions, and then at almost eighty years old 239 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: in the late nineties, he did it one more time. Yeah, 240 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: and there's other other trail legends, but he was definitely 241 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: the first. They called them crazy one Earl Schaefer and 242 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 1: then original crazy one apparently. Yeah, I guess there was 243 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: somebody who was just as crazy who came along. Well, 244 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: I'm sure a lot of people are like oh, I'm 245 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 1: gonna be crazy one too. And then you know, yeah, 246 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:35,720 Speaker 1: you know it's steal his name. No, that's his trail name. 247 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:40,480 Speaker 1: So Charles. Um we said that the Appalachian Trail goes 248 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: from um Georgia Springer Mountain to Mount cadad In in Maine, 249 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: and as it as it winds from one place to 250 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: the other, it goes through fourteen different states, some more 251 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: than others. Virginia it goes for about five and fifty 252 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: plus miles. West Virginia, which is very jealous of Virginia 253 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: in this respect, only has eighteen miles of Appalachian Trail. Yeah, 254 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: that's what I said to But if you add all 255 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:10,640 Speaker 1: these together, a couple hundred miles here, tens of miles here, Um, 256 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: you have this whole mile trail, and on average it 257 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 1: takes a through hiker about a hundred and sixty five days, 258 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: which again this is today with modern amazing gear people 259 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: average a hundred and sixty five days, And Earl Schaefer 260 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: did it in a hundred and twenty four back in 261 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: nineteen eight with fingernail boots, right exactly. It just makes 262 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: his accomplishment that much more amazing. Um. But one guy 263 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: showed up Earl Schaefer like nobody's business, didn't he? Oh yeah. 264 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: A trail runner named Joe McConaughey in average fifty miles 265 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: a day to complete the eight and forty five days, 266 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: twelve hours and fifteen minutes. I had my little blaze 267 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: pun earlier. If you've ever hiked any portion of the 268 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: A t um you will know about the blazes. If 269 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: you've never hiked the A t you may wonder, how 270 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 1: do you know that you're still on the A T 271 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: and you don't accidentally go off on another trail, which 272 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:13,360 Speaker 1: is possible. But it is marked with little blazes there. 273 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: It's a rectangular piece of paint, piece of paint. It's 274 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: a rectangular swash of paint, brushstroke of paint. Uh. And 275 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: they're about I don't know, I feel like they're about 276 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: six by three inches or so. Uh. And they are 277 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: on trees and rocks about every seventy feet or so. 278 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: So it is a very very well marked, whale well 279 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 1: trod trail. That's hard to say, So don't don't be 280 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: afraid of getting lost. And there are plenty people on it. Uh. 281 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 1: It is not to say you should go into it 282 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: lightly or without any preparation, but it is. It's pretty 283 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 1: easy to find your way along the A T. Yes, 284 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 1: it is. And you're gonna encounter plenty of people along 285 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: a tube because remember three million people a year hike 286 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,760 Speaker 1: it to some extent. And again, there's thousands and thousands 287 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,400 Speaker 1: of people who are nobos or sobos trying to throw 288 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: hike at any given on any any given year. And 289 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 1: because of the weather and the distance that you're covering, 290 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: you're actually going through the A T in different seasons, 291 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:25,200 Speaker 1: so there's actually like certain windows, depending on which direction 292 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 1: you're going north or south, um, where you can hike 293 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: the A T. So all of those thousands of people 294 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: are not spread out over a full year. They're actually 295 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,920 Speaker 1: kind of condensed in four or five or six month 296 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: periods on any given years. So you're definitely gonna have 297 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: lots of companions on the trail, whether you like them 298 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 1: or not. Yeah. Well, trail sex is a thing too, Yeah, 299 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 1: I saw, it's not nearly as much as you would think. Yeah, 300 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:55,200 Speaker 1: I'm sure, Okay, I don't know. I mean I'm sure 301 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: that these uh, these dirty hippies out there sweating it 302 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 1: up for days at a time, don't mind knocking boots 303 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: under the stars. But no, it's not the sexiest way 304 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: to do things. I saw that that was saved for town. 305 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: Oh okay, like your your zero day, like you take 306 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:14,720 Speaker 1: a down day, maybe stay in a cheap hotel, take 307 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:20,480 Speaker 1: a shower, meet a friend, starfish meat and jellyfish meat, 308 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:25,679 Speaker 1: starfish right, and they have sunfish. Sure that this is 309 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,240 Speaker 1: something weird just happened. I'm glad we planned that out. 310 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,360 Speaker 1: Uh So, if you are a NOBO, you're gonna want 311 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:34,639 Speaker 1: to and if you want to hike the a t 312 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 1: there are books out there that like, and websites and 313 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: and blogs that will tell you very specifically exactly. You 314 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: can map it down to the day if you want, 315 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,680 Speaker 1: like day one, day two, um, or you can kind 316 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:49,919 Speaker 1: of do your own thing. But generally, if you're a NOBO, 317 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,399 Speaker 1: you're probably gonna want to start at Springer Mountain in 318 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: the early spring and like March or April. So those 319 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 1: first couple of months, those first few months, actually you're 320 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 1: be hiking and pretty good weather h as far as 321 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 1: it getting too hot, Uh, it will get elevation. You 322 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 1: can get snow still for sure. In March and April 323 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: in North Carolina and Tennessee even parts of Georgia. So 324 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 1: the disadvantage there is that you will have to pack 325 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,199 Speaker 1: some cold weather gear for your first five miles or so, 326 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: which you can ditch in mail uh mail home at 327 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:26,359 Speaker 1: some point if you want, right, But you have a 328 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: much longer stretch of time to finish your through hike 329 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: than you do if you're going from Maine to Georgia 330 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: or southbound. UM. And because you have a much more 331 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: limited window of about four to five months UM, you 332 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: have to cover a lot of miles every day. So 333 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,919 Speaker 1: being a sobo, if you see a SABO on the trail, 334 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,719 Speaker 1: this is probably not their first hike. They're usually pretty 335 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:52,679 Speaker 1: experienced and can make it over some unforgiving terrain a 336 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: lot faster than the average hiker, I would guess for sure. 337 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: And you talked about the amount of people hiking, there's 338 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 1: something called the bubble, So early on in March and April, 339 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:06,119 Speaker 1: the nobo areas get pretty and when we say congested, 340 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: it's not like you're surrounded about like hundreds of people, 341 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: but it definitely thins out as you go. Yeah, but 342 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 1: that's a real advantage to being a sobo is far 343 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 1: fewer people start north to south UM. So you're going 344 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 1: to run into a lot less people at the time, 345 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 1: and by the time south and by the time you 346 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: do start running into those original members of the bubble, 347 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 1: they've thinned out because again, remember only one and four 348 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: people make it all the way through the a T 349 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: and it's not like they all make it close to 350 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: the end. People burn out at different spots along the way. Yeah. 351 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 1: And then I mentioned at the very beginning the flip 352 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,960 Speaker 1: flopping technique, that is when you're doing it in chunks 353 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: to really try and get the best weather everywhere you 354 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,399 Speaker 1: are at the time. Uh. And there's a leap frogging 355 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 1: route where you would start in Georgia in April, uh 356 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,679 Speaker 1: late April, just as so you maybe don't get that 357 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: snow that we were talking about out. You hike to 358 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: West Virginia to Harper's Ferry, and then you leap frog. 359 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:06,680 Speaker 1: You can take a car, you can take a train 360 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 1: anyway you would normally get somewhere not by foot. You 361 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:14,680 Speaker 1: would go to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, then hike north from 362 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:18,320 Speaker 1: there to finish up by September before that cold weather, 363 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,360 Speaker 1: and then you leap frog back down to Great Barrington 364 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 1: and hike that southern portion back down to Harper's ferry 365 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,360 Speaker 1: that you skipped, and there you have if you ever 366 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: want to hike the a T. Just pack a backpack 367 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:31,439 Speaker 1: and listen to what Chuck just said and just go 368 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:35,399 Speaker 1: for it. You don't need any other information, that's correct, 369 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 1: I think, actually you do need a tremendous amount of information. 370 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,960 Speaker 1: And luckily there's a lot of information out there on 371 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,680 Speaker 1: the web, a lot of really good free advice. UM. 372 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: If if you are thinking about, um hiking the A T. 373 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: I'm sure you have already found a lot of these, 374 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,360 Speaker 1: but a good place to start if you're just if 375 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 1: this episode inspires you, is probably the subredit for the 376 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:00,920 Speaker 1: Appalachian Trail. I know. Just there's a ton of good 377 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:04,479 Speaker 1: advice on there. Um and just whatever question you have, 378 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,640 Speaker 1: just ask it in type Appalachian Trail, and there's probably 379 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 1: pages and pages of people who have great advice and 380 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: suggestions on how to do this. UM. And we'll share 381 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 1: a little bit with you right now. I'm about sleeping 382 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: and eating. Yeah, I used to do plenty of backpacking, 383 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,000 Speaker 1: so I'm familiar with all this stuff. Now. I'm a 384 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: car camper mainly, but I am going to get back 385 00:22:24,359 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: into backpacking at some point. Um, But I still have 386 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 1: all that gear. But boy, it's it's a lot lighter 387 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,440 Speaker 1: now than when I bought it. Um. You can get 388 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: an ultra light tent these days that weigh less than 389 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: twenty ounces. My friend, it's about one point one seven pounds. 390 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: That's like the weight of a cockatil, a big one. 391 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 1: That's right. So leave your cocket deal at home too. Um. 392 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 1: So you know you're gonna want an ultra light tent 393 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 1: unless you're gonna really really either sleep in a hammock 394 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: or just you know, sleep under the ground under a 395 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,120 Speaker 1: tarp or something. But I would suggest an ultra light tent. 396 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,400 Speaker 1: But there are two hundred and fifty shelters along the way. 397 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: I've slept in a couple of these there. It's just 398 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: you know, two walls in a roof and a and 399 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 1: a sort of like a small deck that you're sleeping on. 400 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: And it's first come, first serve, uh. You. Some of 401 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: them have little outhouses, some of them don't. They're usually 402 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: near water, like a river or something. Uh. And you 403 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: can and I have camped on these with strangers, and 404 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: then it could be a lot of fun sometimes meeting 405 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,080 Speaker 1: people like that. Oh yeah, if you're gonna throw hike 406 00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 1: the a t You need to get used to interacting 407 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,640 Speaker 1: with strangers in close quarters for just for times like this, 408 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 1: but also you know, on the trail you run into 409 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,120 Speaker 1: lots of strangers and a lot of times they want 410 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:41,960 Speaker 1: to stop and talk or whatever. But um, I saw 411 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: that those rustic shelters are um first come, first serve. 412 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,679 Speaker 1: So even if you meticulously planned your hike UM to 413 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: hit one of these, did you say they're about eight 414 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: miles apart? I didn't, but that's about right yet. So 415 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: that and that's like, you know, that's an average day's 416 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: walk for a very average ridge hikers. And they purposely 417 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:03,880 Speaker 1: spread them out like that, and they're a little further 418 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: spread out if there's a town in between them with 419 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: hotels and hostels and all that. But you can meticulously 420 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 1: plan your your route so that you hit one of 421 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,719 Speaker 1: these shelters every night, so you're you're you have shelter 422 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: without needing a tent. But if there's a lot of 423 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:20,680 Speaker 1: people on the trail, you may be s o l 424 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,120 Speaker 1: when you show up at that shelter because it's full 425 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: up by with eight people in their sleeping bags and 426 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: there's no room for you. Yeah, that's when you're gonna 427 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: want that tent as a backup at the very least, 428 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:32,639 Speaker 1: and you can camp right behind the shelter if you 429 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: still want to hang out with people. Because I don't 430 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:36,680 Speaker 1: know if we mentioned this, there are a lot of 431 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:38,920 Speaker 1: different reasons people hike the A t Some people really 432 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: want to get away from people. Um. But for what 433 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 1: I'm have read and talk to people who have done it. 434 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:47,399 Speaker 1: Even those people, when you're out there for five and 435 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: a half months, can enjoy talking with someone every few days, right, 436 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: you know what I mean? Even though weirdos want to 437 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 1: talk to people sometimes or you may not. They they're 438 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: probably names for everything. They're probably named for people to 439 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,680 Speaker 1: don't want to socialize, like a little a t uh, 440 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,919 Speaker 1: sort of made up name they give them sure, trail 441 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:13,919 Speaker 1: hermits all bad. Yeah, termits termites, Yeah, termites is what 442 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: they call them. We've been a cockney rhyming rhyming slang. Um. 443 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,479 Speaker 1: Food is another thing. Obviously you're gonna be eating a 444 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:23,439 Speaker 1: lot of calories, or at least burning up a lot 445 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: of calories and ideally replenishing those calories with food. Um, 446 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: you will lose a ton of weight hiking the A 447 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:32,679 Speaker 1: t if you're through hiker and you need about two 448 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: pounds of food a day and you want to resupply 449 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 1: generally every three to ten days, depending on kind of 450 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 1: how you want to plan it out and how much 451 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,080 Speaker 1: weight you want to carry. Uh. And there are great 452 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: books again that you can tell you exactly how to 453 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,919 Speaker 1: do this. But you're either going to be replenishing on 454 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 1: the trail when you hit a town, or a lot 455 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:53,719 Speaker 1: of people mail or have family members mail their stuff 456 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,400 Speaker 1: ahead of time to post offices that you'll hit. Yeah. Um, 457 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 1: some people mail their own stuff or they have some 458 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 1: family do it for him. And there's a lot of 459 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:05,679 Speaker 1: a lot of websites dedicated to teaching you how to 460 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:08,640 Speaker 1: do that successfully and giving you the addresses you need 461 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,679 Speaker 1: and where you can it can't send send stuff. But 462 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:13,879 Speaker 1: the off shot is you're not gonna have to carry 463 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: your five months supply of food with you the whole time. 464 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: People have figured out how to not do it, and 465 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: there's no shame whatsoever. And going into town not only 466 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 1: to eat or to resupply and restock up on food, 467 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: but also to sleep to like people take zero days 468 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: I think you mentioned earlier, where you just you just 469 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 1: take the day off or maybe even two days off 470 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:37,119 Speaker 1: if you're particularly burned out, and you just kind of 471 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: recuperate and recharge and get back on the trail after that. 472 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 1: So that's definitely part of a t culture that's not 473 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: like cheating or anything. Yeah. Absolutely, uh And apparently it's 474 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 1: a tradition to uh to go on a feast and 475 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 1: when you're in a town just to really eat just 476 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: a bunch of high calorie junk. Uh, to load up 477 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 1: on calories and think to maybe satisfy a certain urge 478 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:06,120 Speaker 1: that's not being met on the trail when you're eating, uh, 479 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 1: you know. Uh. Dave calls it gorp. I've never heard 480 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: it called that, but like trail mix and and freeze 481 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:14,440 Speaker 1: dried food and stuff like that, even though that stuff 482 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,119 Speaker 1: has come a long way and how good it tastes, 483 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 1: I will say that I looked it up. GORP stands 484 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 1: for good old raisins and peanuts. Okay, gn't that delightful. 485 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:24,439 Speaker 1: That may be a regional thing. I've never heard anyone 486 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:27,360 Speaker 1: call it that here. Yeah, I have never heard it either, 487 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: which is why I was like, what is this gorps stuff? 488 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 1: I didn't I'm glad you, Uh, I didn't know as 489 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: an acronym. It definitely it does not accurately convey what 490 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: it's talking about because gorp sounds disgusting, but raisins and 491 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: peanuts are not disgusting. Yeah, Dave also hasn't here. The 492 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 1: average cost of gear that you buy is about a 493 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:52,160 Speaker 1: thousand bucks. I think that is, uh, can vary wildly. 494 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: I think it really depends on how much gear you 495 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:58,159 Speaker 1: already have, because that one pound tent that I was 496 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 1: talking about is a seven all our tent. Oh yeah, No, definitely, 497 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,719 Speaker 1: Like you can also like buy your stuff off of 498 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:08,680 Speaker 1: like eBay or Craigslist or something like that probably save 499 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: a tremendous amount of money compared to going to are 500 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,639 Speaker 1: e I and buying everything brand new. Um. And also, 501 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,680 Speaker 1: especially if you're a first timer, you're definitely going to 502 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: over purchase, over plan, and overpack. So I would guess 503 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: if you're if you're a first time through hiker, you 504 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: were going to spend substantially more than you would on 505 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: maybe your second attempt. Yeah, and I think at the 506 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: beginning of no matter where you start in Maine, And 507 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:35,640 Speaker 1: it's weird that he can do this in both places. 508 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 1: But Sam Elliott is at the front at the trailhead 509 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:41,840 Speaker 1: going through your pack and saying, you don't need this, 510 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 1: you don't need this, get rid of this, why would 511 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: you even have this, and just tearing your pack apart 512 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: basically until you're down to you know, that ultra light 513 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: tent and some gorp. Yeah, and by proxy tearing you 514 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 1: apart psychologically. Yeah. He was kind of a jerk lately 515 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: about that power of the dog. Maybe I forgot about that. 516 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:04,480 Speaker 1: What do you mean he was a jerk? What do 517 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: you do? He the power of the dog came out 518 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: and he was just kind of like, well, do you 519 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 1: know what these candy butts in their homosexual cowboyd notions? 520 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: And that's that's not the West. I knew what's problem. Yes, 521 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 1: he knew he was born in nineteen fifty or the 522 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: crotchety old guy, homophobic, crotchety old guy, which was very 523 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 1: disappointing because all that's great, Sam elliott Um. But getting 524 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: back to the money, Uh, you're gonna spend about a 525 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: grand a month. They just say that at least plan 526 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: on about a thousand dollars a month, So between five 527 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:42,680 Speaker 1: and seven thousand dollars, depending on how long you're gonna 528 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 1: take to hike it. Yes, so cough up the smoleans. 529 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: Everybody are prepared to and also prepared to listen to 530 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,160 Speaker 1: some commercials because we're gonna take a break real quick. 531 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,880 Speaker 1: All right, Well, let's talk weather. If you're hiking the 532 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 1: a T we mentioned potentially, potentially the snow at the 533 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:29,400 Speaker 1: beginning of the northbound route, or you know, Maine is crazy, 534 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 1: you might you might get a late snow and in 535 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 1: May or early June and May and even at elevation, 536 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,280 Speaker 1: so you're gonna have some cold weather to contend with 537 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 1: for a little while at least, right, yes, one way 538 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:45,320 Speaker 1: or another. And again, um, if you have cold weather 539 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:48,040 Speaker 1: stuff that you need to eventually ditch, you don't have 540 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:49,680 Speaker 1: to plan on carrying it the whole time. You can 541 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: go to one of those same post offices that you 542 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: pick up your mail drop at and mail it back, 543 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 1: mail back your cold weather gear, a little lead, a 544 00:30:57,720 --> 00:30:59,480 Speaker 1: little trail magic for someone, you know what I'm saying. 545 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,240 Speaker 1: There you go, I wonder, I'll bet a lot of 546 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 1: people do that. To tell you the truth, you think, Yeah, 547 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: and then hypothermia because there's cold weather associated with the 548 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: um hike. It's a real problem and it's not just 549 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: from being snowed on. It's actually much less likely from 550 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: being snowed on. It's more likely from being hit by 551 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 1: a cold rain and being soaked and then hit with 552 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: some very cold wind, which can happen at high altitudes, 553 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, your core temperature is dropping 554 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 1: very quickly, so you have to get naked and try 555 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,680 Speaker 1: to warm up as fast as you can. That's right. 556 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: The clothing that they make these days is amazing. It's 557 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:40,040 Speaker 1: very lightweight. Uh, these synthetic weaves that with the water away, 558 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: they dry out super fast. Uh. It is not like 559 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 1: the stuff in the shapeer days. And this other wonderful 560 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:47,959 Speaker 1: hero that we're going to talk about in a little bit, 561 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:51,000 Speaker 1: this woman. I cannot wait to get to her. H 562 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 1: But you're also gonna hit really hot, humid, balmy weather 563 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 1: in the in the thick of it in the summer, 564 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:00,080 Speaker 1: in the middle of that hike. Uh, you're gonna you 565 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:03,760 Speaker 1: depleted of your electrolytes and your salts. You could suffer 566 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,880 Speaker 1: from cramping and heat stroke and heat exhaustion. So they 567 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:10,360 Speaker 1: say to count on a couple of liters of water 568 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: a day. Uh, And obviously you're not gonna carry that 569 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 1: much weight, so you're gonna gonna want to use and 570 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: I got one of these two uh, one of those 571 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:21,840 Speaker 1: beautiful little lightweight water purifying systems that you just kind 572 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 1: of pump into your water bottle from a running, beautiful stream. Ye, 573 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: you pump and dump into your water bottle. That's right. 574 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:32,160 Speaker 1: And then also, chuck, I mean you want to keep 575 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: up with your water, you really need to keep up 576 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:36,000 Speaker 1: with your calories, because, like you said, you're gonna lose 577 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: a ton of weight. And apparently, even if you ate 578 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 1: four thousand calories a day, by the time you were 579 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 1: done with your through hike, on average, you would have 580 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: probably lost ten to twenty pounds and you would look 581 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:55,479 Speaker 1: like a black lab that has ripped like a pit pole. Yeah, 582 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: that's right, and that's a cool reason to do it, 583 00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: you know it is. But I also saw that it 584 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 1: can lead to a lot of um like guilt or 585 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: shame when you start to gain your weight back, because 586 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 1: everybody's been telling you how amazing you look, and then 587 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,200 Speaker 1: when you get back to normal life, it can be 588 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 1: really difficult. Right. There's something called hikers hunger, where it 589 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:19,120 Speaker 1: is you're just starving and you can eat those incredible 590 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 1: large amounts of food, calorie dense food, and just keep 591 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 1: shedding the pounds because you're exerting yourself so much. But 592 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 1: when you get off of the trail, when you're done, 593 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:32,440 Speaker 1: you're not exerting yourself any longer. But that that hikers 594 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,240 Speaker 1: hunger can still linger. So you're actually eating way more 595 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,400 Speaker 1: than you would have before you started the trail, and 596 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:40,120 Speaker 1: you really have to kind of keep up with it 597 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 1: or else you can gain whatever weight you have back 598 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,640 Speaker 1: and then some. But yeah, I saw that there's there 599 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 1: there can be guilt associated with with not looking like 600 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:50,720 Speaker 1: that any longer after a little while. Yeah, So if 601 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 1: you next time you see a buddy come off of 602 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:54,760 Speaker 1: a through hike on the a T, don't tell them 603 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:57,480 Speaker 1: how amazing they look. Just say it's good to see you, 604 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,880 Speaker 1: yeah exactly, I'm glad you're safe. And then they'll go, 605 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,480 Speaker 1: you know what you say anything about how great airlock? Right? 606 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,520 Speaker 1: What's wrong with this? I thought we were a friend. Uh. 607 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,600 Speaker 1: There are animal dangers, of course, snakes and spiders and 608 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 1: bears and things like that. Uh. Ticks are a big, 609 00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 1: big part of the problem. Uh. Lime disease is huge. 610 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:20,800 Speaker 1: You're gonna get ticks if you hike the a t 611 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: So you wanna check that every night around your ankles 612 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:28,239 Speaker 1: and armpits and groin area and waistline and everywhere that 613 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 1: ticks like to hide out. Dude, I saw that people 614 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:35,280 Speaker 1: drop their pants in squat over an iPhone and video 615 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: like run a video of their underside or undercarriage and 616 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,120 Speaker 1: then watch the video just see if there's any hiding 617 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 1: there that they can't feel. Or the stranger that they 618 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:46,640 Speaker 1: met in the thing. They say, I looked at the 619 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:48,400 Speaker 1: video a few times. Will you just give it a 620 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,839 Speaker 1: once over? Right? And the stranger says, I'm a term Mike, 621 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 1: please leave me alone. Bears, I did mention you don't 622 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,120 Speaker 1: want your food to be left out. If you are 623 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,399 Speaker 1: an experienced camp n hiker, you know this stuff. But uh, 624 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,759 Speaker 1: some places they have bare boxes, but that you can't 625 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:09,640 Speaker 1: count on a bare box being there. Um, there are 626 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,280 Speaker 1: bear proof canisters you can carry, but what you're probably 627 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:14,840 Speaker 1: gonna do it's just what's called a bear hang, which 628 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:18,080 Speaker 1: go about two hundred feet away from your campsite and 629 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: loop a rope over a tree and pull your food 630 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,720 Speaker 1: up at least twelve feet off the ground. Yeah, every 631 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: single night without fail, and they still might get it. 632 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 1: Bears are crafty. They are crafty, but at least they're 633 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 1: doing it two feet away from where you're sleeping exactly. 634 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:35,920 Speaker 1: You know. Um, a lot of people get injured too, 635 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 1: but very few people die U. Two to three people 636 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:42,560 Speaker 1: out of again three million people die on the A 637 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:45,200 Speaker 1: T every year. That's actually seems like it would be 638 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,920 Speaker 1: way higher than that. UM. And there have only been 639 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 1: I say only, but to me, statistically speaking, it seems low. 640 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:55,759 Speaker 1: Thirteen murders on the trail and the first one wasn't 641 00:35:55,800 --> 00:36:00,200 Speaker 1: until yeah, and I look this up and they did. 642 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:03,360 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna bother going on the crazy apples to 643 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:06,239 Speaker 1: apples math they had to do to make it work 644 00:36:06,239 --> 00:36:09,280 Speaker 1: out to like just being living in the United States 645 00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 1: in a regular neighborhood. But they did do that math 646 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:14,520 Speaker 1: if you want to go out there and look. But 647 00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 1: they found that your chances of getting murdered on the 648 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,920 Speaker 1: A T or a thousand times less likely than just 649 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:26,880 Speaker 1: being a regular American walking around on a daily basis. Man, 650 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,080 Speaker 1: I'm really glad you said that, because all you have 651 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,480 Speaker 1: to do is hear about thirteen murders on the trailers 652 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:35,399 Speaker 1: and people die. And this is the fact that you're 653 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 1: putting it in the context of dying out in the woods, 654 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:40,160 Speaker 1: are being murdered out in the woods. It seems so 655 00:36:40,239 --> 00:36:42,920 Speaker 1: much worse. So I think that's a really reassuring thing 656 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: you just said. Uh it is. And I was also 657 00:36:45,239 --> 00:36:50,040 Speaker 1: curious about sexual assault type of things, and of course 658 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:53,400 Speaker 1: things go unreported, so I'm not not even enough to 659 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:55,799 Speaker 1: think that this accounts for all of them. But they 660 00:36:55,840 --> 00:37:00,000 Speaker 1: said that there's one basically one reported rape every two 661 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:03,560 Speaker 1: to three years. And it is more dangerous to live 662 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:05,520 Speaker 1: on a college campus than it is to hike the 663 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:07,759 Speaker 1: a T. So I don't know if that makes you 664 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,279 Speaker 1: feel better or worse, depending on if you're on a 665 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 1: college campus or not. But the point is it is 666 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: generally a pretty safe, helpful community out there. Yeah. That's 667 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 1: one of the reasons it's safe is because there's such 668 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:25,440 Speaker 1: a established culture and there is such tight community out there, 669 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:29,239 Speaker 1: not only among strangers, but among the towns folk like this. 670 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,560 Speaker 1: These this trail goes through or right past some towns 671 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: that part of their industry is supporting Appalachian Trail through hikers, um. 672 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:42,439 Speaker 1: And so they're really kind and generous and um and 673 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: helpful um out on the trail. Some people will just 674 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:48,719 Speaker 1: go out on the trail who live in town and 675 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:51,919 Speaker 1: take like snacks and drinks and stuff and just hand 676 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:54,920 Speaker 1: them out to people who are walking on the Appalachian Trail. 677 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:57,400 Speaker 1: So I mean like there's that's that's like kind of 678 00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:00,360 Speaker 1: like the the vibe and the zeitgeist on a T. 679 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:04,359 Speaker 1: Not everybody's out for themselves and you know, don't don't 680 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,279 Speaker 1: turn your back on a stranger because they'll hit you 681 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 1: with a hatchet and take your one pound hint um. 682 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:12,360 Speaker 1: It's nothing like that. It's actually quite the opposite of 683 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:15,120 Speaker 1: that from everything I can tell. Uh, we have kind 684 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: of joked around about these trail names, but that is 685 00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:20,600 Speaker 1: one thing that you do, or at least you're encouraged 686 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,239 Speaker 1: to do, is give yourself a trail name. Only go 687 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:26,560 Speaker 1: by that trail name, and it's a symbolic thing that 688 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:31,120 Speaker 1: you are leaving your old identity behind for now you 689 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,919 Speaker 1: are becoming a new person on the trail. And it's 690 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:36,719 Speaker 1: kind of fun, I think, yeah. But I mean that 691 00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:40,560 Speaker 1: that kind of goes to underscore like why people hike 692 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: the a T. And one of them is to like 693 00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:46,000 Speaker 1: just get away from their life to kind of reset 694 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 1: their perspective on things or think things through or you know, 695 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,480 Speaker 1: go through a transition. Um, and that you know, taking 696 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:54,120 Speaker 1: a trail name is a really good way to just 697 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:57,200 Speaker 1: become somebody different for a little while, or not your 698 00:38:57,280 --> 00:39:00,279 Speaker 1: usual self. It gives you that kind of freedom. I think. Yeah, 699 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:03,240 Speaker 1: I just don't don't use the trail named Ted Bundy 700 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:07,120 Speaker 1: and you should be fine. Right. Um, you mentioned the 701 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:11,160 Speaker 1: towns that are behind this. There is in Damascus, Virginia 702 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:15,359 Speaker 1: in May there's a weeklong festival called Trail Days where 703 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:18,600 Speaker 1: there's a hiker parade and everyone gets showered with water 704 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:22,320 Speaker 1: balloons and water guns and they're sort of celebrated. Uh. 705 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,960 Speaker 1: There's the half gallon ice Cream Challenge or write a 706 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:30,160 Speaker 1: passage in pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania, where 707 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:32,200 Speaker 1: you get a half gallon of ice cream from pine 708 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:34,919 Speaker 1: Grove Furnace General Store and try to eat the whole thing. 709 00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:37,400 Speaker 1: Not that sounds like a lot of fun to me. 710 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, definitely. I don't think you have to hike 711 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:43,279 Speaker 1: that a t to try that. Also, chuck. Apparently on 712 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:47,320 Speaker 1: the summer solstice in June, Um, there's Hike Naked Day 713 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:49,680 Speaker 1: for that is that is the thing, and my my 714 00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:52,240 Speaker 1: friend Mitch told me that he hiked most of it naked, 715 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:54,560 Speaker 1: not just on high on hike naked day, Like, there's 716 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:56,960 Speaker 1: a lot of naked hiking, or at least there used 717 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,719 Speaker 1: to be in the late nineties. Okay, good from Yeah, 718 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:05,600 Speaker 1: that's what I said to and this is medium uh hygiene, Mitch, right, 719 00:40:05,719 --> 00:40:08,560 Speaker 1: not any much? Okay, No one wants to see that 720 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:11,880 Speaker 1: I mentioned trail magic. That is not something I was 721 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:15,640 Speaker 1: just making fun of or made up. Trail magic is 722 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:20,800 Speaker 1: defined by the A T Conservancy as uh, I think it. 723 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:23,160 Speaker 1: People could be cynical about stuff like this, But the 724 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:24,800 Speaker 1: fact that you had to say that too is that 725 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,479 Speaker 1: it just goes to show how lame the words trail 726 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:32,680 Speaker 1: magic har you know. Uh. The A T Conservancy defines it, 727 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:34,840 Speaker 1: and it's finding what you need most when you at 728 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:39,760 Speaker 1: least expected, or experiencing something rare, extraordinary or inspiring in nature, 729 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:44,239 Speaker 1: or encountering unexpected acts of generosity that restore your faith 730 00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:48,680 Speaker 1: and humanity. And it is something like, hey, man, you 731 00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:51,879 Speaker 1: need you need that, I've got that, and here it is. Yeah, 732 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:53,920 Speaker 1: that's pretty cool. It also can take the form of 733 00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:57,600 Speaker 1: even like verbal encouragement from townsfolk in the towns that 734 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,759 Speaker 1: you walk through, you know, so I want to also 735 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:04,160 Speaker 1: clarify the term trail magic is what I think is lame. 736 00:41:04,239 --> 00:41:06,960 Speaker 1: That concept of trail mangic, I think is beautiful. No, 737 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:09,359 Speaker 1: I'm with you. I think it's wonderful and like you said, 738 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:12,040 Speaker 1: you know, something inspiring in nature. When you're on the trail, 739 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:14,360 Speaker 1: you might see things that you're never ever going to 740 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:16,520 Speaker 1: see again for the rest of your life and have 741 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:20,319 Speaker 1: never seen before, including some types of animals or just 742 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:25,040 Speaker 1: certain views um and that like that experience can be 743 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:28,200 Speaker 1: there's no other way to put it. Magical. Like that's 744 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:31,200 Speaker 1: what helps helps you when you're kind of on this 745 00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:34,799 Speaker 1: passage through the a t if you're going through life 746 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,400 Speaker 1: transition or if you're trying to figure yourself out, seeing 747 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:39,759 Speaker 1: stuff like that, bearing witness to it and letting it 748 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:44,279 Speaker 1: like um, impress upon you. That helps that process I 749 00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:48,120 Speaker 1: think probably tremendously. Yeah, or like somebody filming their butt 750 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:52,920 Speaker 1: hole with an iPhone. That's right, trail magic. All right. 751 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:57,040 Speaker 1: I think we should close the show and this episode 752 00:41:57,120 --> 00:42:00,480 Speaker 1: with uh. I think I can speak for both of 753 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:05,040 Speaker 1: us and say one of our new favorite amazing women 754 00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:08,880 Speaker 1: and human beings to ever live u Emma Grandma Gatewood 755 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,200 Speaker 1: true dat, who was the first woman to walk the 756 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:14,840 Speaker 1: A T by herself, um, all the way back in 757 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:19,040 Speaker 1: nineteen five when she was sixty seven, and this is 758 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:24,799 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty five, sixty seven, that's like hundred and fifty today, right, 759 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:27,319 Speaker 1: And as if that wasn't enough, it just gets better 760 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 1: and better. She was the mother of eleven kids twenty 761 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:36,000 Speaker 1: three grandkids, had a thirty year marriage to an awful, abusive, 762 00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:40,719 Speaker 1: physically abusive husband who apparently would beat her nearly to 763 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:46,720 Speaker 1: death at times. Eventually divorced this uh garbage human, raised 764 00:42:46,719 --> 00:42:50,320 Speaker 1: those eleven children by herself, and then in the nineteen 765 00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,520 Speaker 1: fifties read a nat GEO article about the A T 766 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:58,840 Speaker 1: and about Schaefer's through hike, and said in in nineteen 767 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:02,280 Speaker 1: fifty three, told her grandchildren, I'm sorry her grown children 768 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:06,640 Speaker 1: that she was going for a hike quote, and tried 769 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:10,840 Speaker 1: to hike the A T right then and there, starting 770 00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:14,840 Speaker 1: at Mount Katadin, which again, if you if you're a sobo, 771 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:18,480 Speaker 1: you're that's for experience hikers, not first timer who's going 772 00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:21,839 Speaker 1: for a hike at age sixty seven and nineteen fifty five, 773 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:26,120 Speaker 1: so uh and apparently very short order she fell she 774 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:28,960 Speaker 1: broke her glasses, she got lost. She basically turned into 775 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:32,719 Speaker 1: Veloma from Scooby Doo and she was rescued by rangers. 776 00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:35,000 Speaker 1: And you would think, okay, that's the end of the 777 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:36,920 Speaker 1: story that she you know, she had a wild hair 778 00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:39,080 Speaker 1: and she tried it and it didn't work. No, in 779 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,160 Speaker 1: two years later she said, let me try this from 780 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:45,560 Speaker 1: Georgia instead, and she was able to through hike the 781 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:50,000 Speaker 1: entire Appalachian Trail. Unbelievable. You look up pictures of this 782 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:54,000 Speaker 1: lady and you're like, wait a minute, it looks like 783 00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:57,359 Speaker 1: she's just holding a ruck sack over her shoulder. And 784 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:00,480 Speaker 1: that's because that's exactly what she did. She didn't have 785 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:03,120 Speaker 1: a backpack, she didn't have a sleeping bag, she didn't 786 00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:06,240 Speaker 1: have a compass. She had a homemade denim duffel bag 787 00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:09,960 Speaker 1: that she draped over her shoulder, that had a blanket, 788 00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:14,520 Speaker 1: a shower curtain that she used as a sleeping tart. Basically, 789 00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:19,480 Speaker 1: she had a canteen for water apparently, a small pot, 790 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:22,720 Speaker 1: a spoon, a Swiss army knife, some pins, a first 791 00:44:22,719 --> 00:44:25,040 Speaker 1: aid kit, a flashlight, a piece of rope, a raincoat, 792 00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:28,400 Speaker 1: a warmer coat, and a change of clothes. And she 793 00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:32,640 Speaker 1: hiked the whole thing and kids sneakers, yes, seven pairs. 794 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:35,399 Speaker 1: Did kids take advantage of this back then and they're 795 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:38,840 Speaker 1: advertising I don't know. They could probably still take advantage 796 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:41,800 Speaker 1: of it. It's that astounding, you know they should. And 797 00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:45,279 Speaker 1: despite wearing nothing but kids and carrying this denim duffel bag, 798 00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:48,759 Speaker 1: which I would guess is probably pretty heavy. Um, she 799 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:52,799 Speaker 1: managed the average of fourteen miles a day, and of 800 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:55,440 Speaker 1: course people heard about her in the newspaper started covering 801 00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:58,600 Speaker 1: her and all that. So townsfolk came out and said like, hey, 802 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:01,719 Speaker 1: you can sleep our house, no charge. We want to 803 00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: feed Jim, put you up. We just think what you're 804 00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:06,160 Speaker 1: doing is great. And she said, I appreciate it. But 805 00:45:06,239 --> 00:45:10,200 Speaker 1: most nights she slept out on a bed of leaves. Amazing. 806 00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:13,960 Speaker 1: I salute you, Grandma Gatewood. She U. There were not 807 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:17,399 Speaker 1: many women obviously hiking the a T at the time 808 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:20,560 Speaker 1: at all, much less through hiking. I think they make 809 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:22,719 Speaker 1: up women make up about a third of all through 810 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:25,800 Speaker 1: hikers today. Uh. And she went on to hike it 811 00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:28,600 Speaker 1: I think a couple of more times to write. Yeah. 812 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:31,720 Speaker 1: Two years later she hiked it again. So she became 813 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:35,000 Speaker 1: the first person man or woman to hike the trail twice, 814 00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:38,279 Speaker 1: and she did a third time in nineteen sixty four. 815 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:41,239 Speaker 1: At that time she divided into sections, So yeah, she 816 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,920 Speaker 1: was definitely she definitely Again, there's really no other way 817 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,080 Speaker 1: to put it. She was a trailblazer for women on 818 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:50,200 Speaker 1: the a T. Sorry, but that's just how you put it. 819 00:45:51,520 --> 00:45:55,960 Speaker 1: A couple of other standouts we should mention um. Just 820 00:45:56,160 --> 00:46:01,280 Speaker 1: last year m J. Sunny Everhart Uh became the oldest 821 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:04,160 Speaker 1: person to complete it through hiking eighty three years young. 822 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:10,040 Speaker 1: What was Sonny's name on the trail Nimblewood nomad. Very nice, 823 00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:14,279 Speaker 1: but how about that kid trail magic to it? It does. Yeah. 824 00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 1: The same year, another record was set the youngest through hiker, 825 00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:20,879 Speaker 1: UH five year old named Harvey Sutton, who started off 826 00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:23,480 Speaker 1: when he was four and walked it in two d 827 00:46:23,719 --> 00:46:28,160 Speaker 1: nine days with his parents. Unbelievable. Harvey's trail name was 828 00:46:28,239 --> 00:46:31,040 Speaker 1: little Man And I read article about this and it 829 00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:34,719 Speaker 1: just sounds sounded like a wonderful family experience. Uh. And 830 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:37,560 Speaker 1: this one guy hiked with the family from somewhere in 831 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:40,600 Speaker 1: Pennsylvania through two Maine just kind of buddied up with 832 00:46:40,719 --> 00:46:43,799 Speaker 1: him and it was like this kid at the end 833 00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:46,520 Speaker 1: of the day, like our butts are kicked and he's like, 834 00:46:46,600 --> 00:46:50,120 Speaker 1: let's play freeze tag. Oh my god, unbelievable and and 835 00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:52,759 Speaker 1: just you know, the parents had to work over time 836 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:55,400 Speaker 1: to keep him engaged. And so you can't just like 837 00:46:55,480 --> 00:46:57,719 Speaker 1: be alone with your thoughts for you know, ten hours 838 00:46:57,760 --> 00:46:59,520 Speaker 1: a day on the trail with a five year old, 839 00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:02,960 Speaker 1: like you gotta be pointing things out and playing little games. 840 00:47:03,080 --> 00:47:05,200 Speaker 1: And so they said that was challenging. But they said 841 00:47:05,239 --> 00:47:07,880 Speaker 1: they were just closer than they'd ever been as a family, 842 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:10,160 Speaker 1: which is pretty cool. That it's cool. Did they say 843 00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:12,920 Speaker 1: anything about feeding him? Because I would find it distressing 844 00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:15,279 Speaker 1: as a parent to know that I needed to keep 845 00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:18,680 Speaker 1: up with thousands of calories. Yeah, that my kid needed. 846 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:21,120 Speaker 1: So I mean hats off to his parents for for 847 00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:24,759 Speaker 1: doing that and then successfully doing it too. You know. Yeah, 848 00:47:24,840 --> 00:47:28,640 Speaker 1: I did see that there was um another kid that 849 00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:34,279 Speaker 1: finished it for named Juniper net Netteberg, a young girl 850 00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:38,759 Speaker 1: that finished it. This is amazing and a wonder woman costume. Um. 851 00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:42,000 Speaker 1: But apparently he did it in sections and took time 852 00:47:42,080 --> 00:47:44,719 Speaker 1: off and I think did it within a year's time, 853 00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:47,799 Speaker 1: but didn't do this straight through hike like Harvey Sutton did. 854 00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:51,880 Speaker 1: But big salute to Juniper as well as well as 855 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:54,920 Speaker 1: Bill Irwin. Right, yeah, he definitely bears mentioning. He was 856 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:58,680 Speaker 1: the first man who was blind to hike the Appalitchian 857 00:47:58,719 --> 00:48:02,560 Speaker 1: Trail through hike In and he did it with his 858 00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:06,240 Speaker 1: dog Orient. Apparently the pair together we're called the Orient Express, 859 00:48:07,080 --> 00:48:10,880 Speaker 1: and it took him eight months. Again, this is not 860 00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:13,560 Speaker 1: like this trail is not just like some well worn 861 00:48:13,719 --> 00:48:17,920 Speaker 1: dirt path. For two thousand miles. You're climbing over boulders, 862 00:48:17,960 --> 00:48:22,000 Speaker 1: you're climbing up mountains, down mountains, You're crossing streams and rivers. 863 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:25,360 Speaker 1: Apparently they would do that because Orient would go across 864 00:48:25,680 --> 00:48:28,840 Speaker 1: and then bark at Bill, so he knew where to 865 00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:31,280 Speaker 1: swim across this river. He gets to the other side. 866 00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:33,360 Speaker 1: This is what they did, and they did it in 867 00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:36,600 Speaker 1: eight months, and he estimates that he fell about five 868 00:48:36,719 --> 00:48:39,279 Speaker 1: thousand times over that eight months. But he still made 869 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:41,839 Speaker 1: it from Georgia to Cadadin. You know what that means, 870 00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:45,160 Speaker 1: my friend, he got up five thousand times. That's right, 871 00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:51,920 Speaker 1: pretty neat chucking your brain? Do you love my body? Sure, Starfish. 872 00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:55,080 Speaker 1: I don't know why this episode is so blue. I 873 00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:58,440 Speaker 1: don't either, but it sure was. Hopefully it inspired some 874 00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:01,120 Speaker 1: people to go out and do this, you know, I hope. 875 00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:03,799 Speaker 1: So it's a very cool thing. I'm glad we finally 876 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:06,600 Speaker 1: got around to it. Hopefully there's some through hikers listing 877 00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:08,360 Speaker 1: right now that can write in and let us know 878 00:49:08,440 --> 00:49:11,360 Speaker 1: what's going on. Oh yeah, definitely. Uh, let us know 879 00:49:11,440 --> 00:49:13,640 Speaker 1: your trail name too. If you want to know more 880 00:49:13,640 --> 00:49:16,160 Speaker 1: about the a T. Just start doing research and there's 881 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:18,320 Speaker 1: plenty of stuff out there and hopefully it'll draw you 882 00:49:18,360 --> 00:49:20,520 Speaker 1: out into the woods. And since I said draw you 883 00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:25,279 Speaker 1: out into the woods, it's time for listener mail. I'm 884 00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:29,400 Speaker 1: gonna call this kidney donation story. It's pretty great. Hello, chaps, 885 00:49:29,480 --> 00:49:32,640 Speaker 1: love the program. Listen with more interest than usual to 886 00:49:32,760 --> 00:49:35,359 Speaker 1: the on kidney donation. I donated to a family friend 887 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:38,240 Speaker 1: a couple of years ago. We actually were in adjoining 888 00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:42,480 Speaker 1: surgery rooms. Out of me into him, lickety split. We're 889 00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:46,120 Speaker 1: both doing well. His kids nicknamed the organ little Kirby 890 00:49:46,440 --> 00:49:49,640 Speaker 1: after me, which I took as a high compliment. Uh, 891 00:49:49,719 --> 00:49:51,160 Speaker 1: and you asked how you got the kidney out. They 892 00:49:51,200 --> 00:49:53,880 Speaker 1: do make a three inch long incision low on the 893 00:49:53,920 --> 00:49:57,560 Speaker 1: bikini line up front and they just split it out. Wow, 894 00:49:58,000 --> 00:49:59,720 Speaker 1: So I think it it must just sort of flatten 895 00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:02,759 Speaker 1: out or something, and then they take it and they 896 00:50:02,920 --> 00:50:05,160 Speaker 1: feed it to the other person and hope it lands 897 00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:08,040 Speaker 1: in the right spot. Uh. That incision was actually the 898 00:50:08,080 --> 00:50:09,640 Speaker 1: worst part of the recovery. It took about a month 899 00:50:09,680 --> 00:50:12,560 Speaker 1: to heal up. In my case, I told my sisters 900 00:50:12,640 --> 00:50:14,320 Speaker 1: that they then made you poop the kidney out, and 901 00:50:14,360 --> 00:50:17,399 Speaker 1: I think part of them wanted to believe me. Thanks 902 00:50:17,440 --> 00:50:20,160 Speaker 1: for encouraging folks to join. The registry is well worth 903 00:50:20,200 --> 00:50:23,360 Speaker 1: it and the need is great. That is from Kirby 904 00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:27,960 Speaker 1: in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Very nice, Kirby. Hats off to 905 00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:31,320 Speaker 1: you for doing that. It's amazing, and hats off to 906 00:50:31,360 --> 00:50:33,480 Speaker 1: everybody who's done that. A few people have written in 907 00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:36,320 Speaker 1: and let us known that they've done that. So anyone 908 00:50:36,360 --> 00:50:39,760 Speaker 1: who does that, is it a okay in our book? Agreed. 909 00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:42,239 Speaker 1: If you want to be like Kirby and let us 910 00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:44,359 Speaker 1: know how you are a okay we want to hear, 911 00:50:44,640 --> 00:50:47,440 Speaker 1: you can send us an email to Stuff podcast at 912 00:50:47,480 --> 00:50:52,759 Speaker 1: iHeart radio dot com. Stuff you Should Know is a 913 00:50:52,800 --> 00:50:56,160 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 914 00:50:56,400 --> 00:50:59,360 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 915 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:03,759 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows, h