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@@im_agine852 it really was! Super cute, too 😍

@@im_agine852 we’ve found really cool rocks and some bullet casings, but no artifacts yet. Maybe one day!

@@CaptainScooby23 can’t wait to take the kids on this one!

@@CaptainScooby23 aww, we miss you too, Rory!

@@CaptainScooby23 thanks so much! We miss y’all too. Thank goodness for email and FaceTime, right?

@@im_agine852 haha never pet the fluffalo 😆

@@eprohoda thank you!

Thanks so much! Yeah, it's a beast but full of beautiful payoffs. Way to go on tackling it!

@@im_agine852 thank you! She’s using Black Diamond poles from REI. They’re not the cork handled ones-retailed around $95 when she got them. Hope that helps!

@@RedC63AMG yes! We interacted with a few groups at the top who hiked in on that trail. Definitely a great alternative to the $26/person (I think) that it cost 😅

@@tonyvango759 You’re in for a treat! It’s an absolutely beautiful trail. Make sure you’ve got ample water, though. I live locally and am on different sections of the trail fairly often. It can be quite dry if we haven’t had much rain prior to your hike.

@@danielahirschmann4811 Thanks! We parked in the Black Rock parking lot on the right as you’re driving up toward the visitor’s center/swinging bridge. We took the Black Rock Trail to Grandfather Trail Extension to the true Grandfather Trail. The parking lot coordinates are: 36.09522, -81.82917 Does that help?

Thank you. The trail is signposted or isn't it? We can't miss the real grandfather trail experience?

@@danielahirschmann4811 it’s all very well marked, thankfully! And I use Gaia (GPS trail map app) on my phone to make sure I’m on the right trail. Keep in mind that going the way we did, you’ll have to pay an entry fee into the state park. It opens at 8am 👍🏻

Looks like you all are enjoying the great outdoors….beautiful views…. God knew what he was doing when he created these mountains

Trail magic is loosely defined as any act of kindness given to a thru-hiker on trail. This could be as simple as a passing hiker offering treats like we did or could be more planned out like folks who set up a grill at a road crossing and cook a meal for passing thru hikers. Trail magic also includes rides to town or offering a bed for the night and more! It’s an incredible joy to provide it, and I’m sure as thru hikers, it can make the difference in a day that isn’t going quite great ☺️

Wow! That’s incredible. Way to go, Benji 🐶

Thank you so much! We had a wonderful time.

Thanks for the sub and the encouraging words! Yeah, rain hiking isn’t the worst at all. It did get a little tricky going downhill on leaf covered rocky trail 😅

Way to go! I can’t name anyone over 60 that I know who’ve reached such daily mileage. That’s remarkable 💪🏻💪🏻

Wow! Thanks so much. It felt pretty spectacular to conquer this trail just before the big 4-0 💪🏻🥳🙌🏻

It was intense for sure! I thru-hiked it twice NOBO (once over 3 days and once over 2 days) with my family. We're really familiar with the trail which I think helped significantly in this particular challenge.

Thank you so much! I left feeling very accomplished-and sore. 😆 But overall, proud of the push!

Yes! I kept snacks in the waist pack I was wearing and would refill when I went through everything. I ended up eating a lot: Cliff bar, cheese stick, meat stick, ham and cheese tortilla wrap, trail taco (tortilla + peanut butter + honey), apple, ramen with chicken, peanut M&Ms, trail mix, pretzels, mints...I think that's it. According to my fitness tracker, I burned 6,000 calories!

@@sixpackhikersthank you - that gives me a good idea of what I'll need. I was planning on at least 3 energy chew packs, 2 LMNT drink mixes, about 6 bars, and a cold soak salad. just re-watched your video! You had a fantastic attitude throughout - really enjoyed it! Just makes me excited to attempt it myself! The most miles I've done so far was about 22 or so - when I had a failed backpacking trip and decided to hike out instead of camping. So, I'm hoping since I could do 22 with a 32lb pack - that maybe 30 is achievable with a day pack! Happy trails. 😃

@@roselee_explores you’ve got this! And remember to bring plenty of H2O. Something I didn’t chat much about is the water sources. If it’s been dry for a while before your hike, the sources by the shelter tend to be in a much poorer state than when it’s rained. If you’re hiking NOBO, once you leave Deep Gap shelter, there’s no more water til an off trail pipe spring near the Black Balsam Knob trail parking lot. After that, not til you’re descending the final 2-3 miles 👍🏻👍🏻

@@sixpackhikers thank you so much! I'm pretty familiar with the trail and it's lack of water sources. I typically carry 3L at all times with a filter in my bag just in case I need to top off :). Definitely not doing nobo - but looking forward to attempting it! :)

@@roselee_explores cheering for you! 🥾💪🏻

Hey guys! Thanks so much for your support and well wishes. We will definitely stay in touch. Maybe y’all can hike along with us some!

It really was! ☺️

I was there Dec 2, 2021 Awesome experience 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Thank you so much! We definitely prefer the entertainment of the outdoors over screens. And you're right, the Art Loeb is no joke!

Thank you so much! We are counting down the days 🤩

Love this! 😄

We aim to keep that curiosity and sense of adventure up!

Glad you enjoyed it! We had perfect weather for a hike 🥾

Thank you so much for that encouragement and for your support! We feel so blessed to be in a place that we can make this happen for our crew 🥰

Thank you!

@@sixpackhikers my pleasure

What an incredible homeschool success story! Thank you for that encouragement. This is our ninth year of homeschooling, and I cannot imagine doing school any other way. It's helped our family grow close together and keep priorities where they need to be. Thanks for the comment!

@@sixpackhikers to encourage you and your family.....my oldest son is a leader in his job at the chamber of commerce, my middle son is a quality engineer in the auto industry, and my youngest son just graduated college in finance and is working for a bank. Y'all are on the right path! Family is so important and your children are receiving an education customized to each of them individually. That is very powerful! Prayer is the key!

Small world! Thanks for watching our recap :)

Thanks for watching and for your feedback. There were definitely some tough climbs. I would need a GoPro mounted to my chest or something similar to capture the big climbs. I just hold my iPhone out, so when filming, I can’t use my trekking poles very well-if at all-and I can’t easily watch the trail for foot placement. It’s a tricky element to navigate, but I hope to get better at it (and get better equipment) as I gain more experience. Hope you continue to watch our adventures 😊

@@sixpackhikers Absolutely. You must watch where put your foot. The video is wonderful. I only mentioned the difficulty of the trail so potential hikers are aware. Thank you, again.

Thanks so much! Yes, the a-frames had rotted to a point of disrepair and were demolished. The Butter Gap shelter was rebuilt this past spring. Not sure if the Deep Gap one is back in place yet or not. Hopefully soon!