Which Trail Should You Hike? - How To Thru Hike ep1

The How to Thru Hike series begins! Ever wanted to hike thousands of miles across a country? Or even just tens or hundreds of miles across a state! This would be a series for you. We'll later get into topics such as gear you would want to stay safe and comfortable on trail, how you might want to train to do a long hike, how to prepare for a long distance hike, taking care of yourself out in the woods, how to lighten your backpacking kit, and much more!

This time we talk about the question anyone interested in a long trail might have first... which trail should you hike? I have different perspectives than most might. I hope you enjoy! This series is entirely aimed to help, so if you have any questions feel free to comment down below.

Whether it's the appalachian trail, pacific crest trail, continental divide trail, or a shorter hike like the uinta highline, sheltowee trace, foothills trail, superior hiking trail, or the wonderland trail this episode is for you! Really, no matter the trail, no matter the distance, you can't go wrong. You'll have an incredible experience.

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[JupiterHikes]

I'll post these videos as often as I can! It takes a bit of work so we'll see how quickly I can do them. Next up is how to prepare for your long distance hike, and then tips to lighten your backpack

[jsweevil]

I've spent most of my life wanting to do the AT. My brother and I got lost on it in the Shenandoahs back around 1972. We went camping and while my mother and sister were setting up the camp site, (we had a pop up trailer), my brother and I went exploring the campground. We got turned around and ended up on a trail and we decided we would go see what was at the end. Needless to say we were tracked down by a ranger after my mother didn't hear anything from us. I think my brother was about 12 and I was around 9 years old at the time. The ranger told us we had to go back and we told her we just wanted to go to the end. She pointed down the trail and said it didn't end until Georgia, then turned around the other way and said that way it ends in Maine. Been wanting to do it ever since. I'm 57 now.

[daniellej]

My dad always wanted to hike the AT; I was too young to ever talk with him about it so I've just heard it secondhand from my mom and my grandma, but I know that's the kind of guy my dad was. He was the one to take me and my siblings hiking, camping, boating, just going out in the woods. I am where I am because he taught me to love nature. I didn't appreciate it at the time he left, but I'm learning now what it would have meant to have a relationship where we could have adventures like this. Don't take any time for granted, especially with the people in your life. You're not always guaranteed a next moment.

[earlwooten]

I don't hike, but I used to be a touring cyclist. The lessons you're teaching here apply exactly the same. My first attempt at touring was a 2, 000 mile tour across the south. I lasted about half way before giving up. Six years later, after spending that time doing many one to ten day tours, I took on a 3, 500 mile cross country tour and had a great time. My accumulated knowledge helped me through the inevitable rough spots and I had all my gear from my bike down to my pillow dialed in. Your advice to hikers is spot on, and applies equally to other endurance sports.

[terranceandcopper]

I took yours and similar advice to heart, because it seemed sensible. i took 2 weeks off work and just completed a thru hike of the Ouachita Trail . It was awesome, so my PCT 2022 dream is still alive! Thanks for the tips.

[philwestmoreland]

A lot of great logic on determining why, how, and where to do a long hike. I completed 245 miles which included the entire the John Muir Trail in 2019. Now I am planning for the entire PCT in 2021 going NOBO. This is where my heart has been since the early '70s, but I let life move me in other directions for many years, and so now it is time. I hope to be able to do other long trails, but I am following my heart first. Thanks for the inspiration.

[anotheryoutuber_]

currently falling in love with two to three day hikes. so many more days out, since committing to doing less days in a row. even been picking the worst weather windows just for the fun of the struggle and the variety of new experiences. been learning so much more in the past two years then all of the bigger trip years combined. hike the hikes you love and share them with the people you love. thanks for your content.

[justmichelle]

I've sectioned hiked so many trails in my 49 years of living, I can't list them all. I have no shame for not completing because I can't afford to take off work that long and I still get to see some amazing things. I'm a full-time traveler, working seasonal workamping gigs to pay my bills while I get to play on some of the best trails around. My best advice is go light and keep it simple. I'm currently in Utah for the summer and there are so many wonderful little trails that will kick your butt like a big trail with amazing views of red rocks going for eternity. Come out and play, even if it's a park trail.

[shaggyterrell]

I’m in Houston Texas, been planning and upgrading all year for my first thru hike, the Lone Star Hiking Trail. I love camping and hiking but never done something that long. Can’t wait to do it, make sure my 41 year old body can handle it and then go for a bigger one! I’ve been obsessed with it, almost all I think about. Love the channel, thanks for all the info!

[kerrir]

Just did my first overnight on the Appalachian Trail this past weekend. Where I wound up sleeping on the ground because my pad failed. Definitely better to learn these lessons on a quick trip than on a long one first. Planning a whole section hike of the AT through Ct.

[Hiker_Strider]

This seems like great advice. My first thruhike was ‘The Long Trail’ in Vermont. I did it in 15.5 days and loved every moment of it. I got the thruhiking big after that. Right now I’m section hiking the AT. My overall hiking goal is to hike the PCT in 2023 / 2024. I want to finish my section hike of the AT first though.

[Eric-rrzd]

Had to cancel my AT hike this year because 2020 happened. The entire time I was planning it I knew what I really wanted was to hike the CDT but I was afraid I would be in over my head and quit. I think I will forget the AT and just go hard on the research and preparations and go for the CDT. I have never hiked out west in my life, and that is the dream that got me into hiking.

[GuadalupePicasso]

Great info here. Hiking the AT was a dream of mine ever since before I even turned 10. Throughout my youth, I remember several day hikes on the AT in Georgia and North Carolina; and, then reigniting the flame in my lower 20s.

I was 24 when I finally decided to commit to doing the AT. I spent the entire next year acquiring gear, and getting info from staff at REI who had previously completed the thruhike.

While I did some small day hikes in my area, specifically to condition my body to putting in the miles. One thing that I never did was a “shakedown hike”, to test the mettle of everything from my legs and mental altitude to handle the solitude, but also to test out my gear. Beyond those reasons, I never once tested packing my backpack with my full gear list, including water for a day and food for several days. I was so confident in my research, that I never even thought to do even a test pack.

On the eve before I left, I finally did this “test pack” (I put it in quotation marks, as it wasn’t a test; I was legit going to the trailhead in the morning), and, lo and behold, things barely fit! It was so tight, that I was confident that I needed a slightly larger pack!

So, my friend who was driving me to the trailhead took me to REI, where I was able to swap out my pack for a larger one, paying the difference.

Looking back now, 13 years later, I can only imagine what thoughts were going through the minds of the REI staff whom I had become acquainted to over the previous year, watching me erratically change my backpack ON THE VERY DAY THAT I WAS GOING TO THE

Long story short, I managed reasonably well. As is the custom, I trimmed my weight by a decent amount at Neels Gap, thanks to the helpful staff there. However, I did end up getting off in Damascus, VA, due to a stress-fracture due to an unhealed shin-splint. The whole philosophy of “listen to your body, it’s the only way that you can finish” that I was given by Roger “Many Sleeps”, the caretaker atop Springer Mtn, the southern terminus of the AT, was lost on me as I became overly focused on putting in big miles before I was physically acclimated for it.

Again, that was 13 years ago. I now hike almost weekly, readily and regularly putting in nearly 20 mile days, in terrain with over 4, 000’ in elevation gains in these day hikes. At 38, I feel far stronger and healthier than my 25 year old self from when I first started the AT.

I have come to peace with the idea of finishing my hike as a section hiker. In fact, this summer, I plan on hiking the New Jersey and New York sections, roughly 150 miles; and, then the Pennsylvania section, all the way through the 40 miles in Maryland and 4 miles in Harpers Ferry, thus taking me to the northern Virginia border. My hope is that my boss will then see how serious I am about finishing this, so as to give me a full month of time off the following year, so as to hike the entire state of Virginia in one fell swoop.

From there, I’d return to the New York/Connecticut border, with “only” the New England section remaining.

[sheedove]

I LOVE this guy! Your soul just shines so brite through every thing that you do. I watch many backpacker channels and your smile makes you my favorite. It's your genuine joy and hapiness....that peace you carry within your self. . . Keep shining your light. 🥰

[alinemadebywalking]

Thank you for these videos, Jupiter. So nice to hear someone talk so passionately about what they love:)

[mjlcc]

Unbelievable video. Best advice I have heard from a hiker yet. Thanks.

[DavidOKeefe]

Great advice. Life really gets in the way of big adventures. Do the trail you really want, after some trial runs with your gear and to be sure you like multi-day backpacking. A friend told me about trekking in Nepal during my first week of college. I was 18 years old. I just did it in March at 53 years old. My twin brother and I drove across the US at 23 years old, back country exploring the national parks. We decided not to detour to the Grand Canyon because we would surely go some other time. 30 years later, I've still never been there...

[willswalkingwest]

I walked from Lake County, Florida to Santa Monica Beach. It took 18 months. I left with no idea what I was doing, hit brick walls and kept going. It was an experience of a lifetime, I'm planning on my second walk across the country, Florida to Seattle. I would recommend anyone going outside their comfort zones and experiencing life.

[johnnyonthetrail]

I’ve watched a lot of your videos and I absolutely love them, but by far this is the most informative and I think one of the best. I can’t tell you how you hit the nail on the head with this video with the things you’ve been talking about. Thank you brother, you’re in inspiration to me and some of my big dreams on hiking some of these areas. Looking forward to the next video in this series.

[bryanfreitag]

He has a nice sober way of presenting different ideas.