My AT experience: I didn't yellow blaze, I didn't do drugs, although saw lots, I did hydrate with LMNT (sometimes), I did try my best at leave no trace, sex...no comment (or action either). The depth of cat-holes were relative to the intense need, I didn't view day hikers as meal tickets, but I sure appreciated it when they offered something. And they smelled SO good!
Number one is my biggest pet peeve of the AT - from what I've seen, around 9/10 'thru hikers' don't hike the miles lol. I think it bothers me because I got injured and couldn't finish but still hiked way more miles than some people in my bubble who did finish lol. The thing that is the MOST annoying about it is when people monetize their thru hikes with things like book deals, sponsorships and things *after* the fact but the thru hike part didn't happen. Just be honest! Stories of failure are still worth sharing. Heck, even Bill Bryson admitted he didn't finish and his book was still a hit. And people get really really mad when you point the yellow blazing problem out. There's a woman working on a book deal now from this year who is claiming to have set some records on the AT but they skipped the Smokies, Hundred Mile Wilderness and a bunch of other hard parts of the trail. Driving to the top of a mountain for a photo op does not count as hiking it! *Now get off my lawn, lol*
Yes, and one of the worst of these was Soctt Jurek his then recently ex wife His first wife, she tried to set a runner record for the trail when it was found she never hiked any of trail but only popped in at every stop the roads meet trail to fake pictures for the book but was still running all of the paved roads. They knew when her descriptions in her book and was called out on it hard. Scotts Ex wife to get a book deal had threatened to sue same company Sott Jurek had his book on his ultra running after the breakup to his first wife, but before he did his book on how it took two tries to break the running record for the AT. Last I heard of her she lives her husband who only spoke in a rare Tarahumara language in the tribe area but they are legally married according to Mexico after she got citizenship. They met for a few years for about a week or two during the Copper Caynon Marthon and one year in 2012 the race was canceled due to drug runners in he area being so bad that people witnessed that year killings by the gang that was run by Sinaloa Cartel they got married, she had stayed down there to get citizenship in Mexico the year prior with plans to run or help with the race that year.
@@KaraKirtley I thought she had a book, maybe she only got the deal then they realized she never ran the route she said she did so they canceled. She also was not good enough to have run the route herself too having seen her times in the one 50K she ever did before this that was part of the Silverton Run Rabit Run races.
I’m sure that’s true! I geocache and met another geocacher. They claimed 12 caches, going in the opposite way I was going, but they didn’t sign any cache logs. 🤔
I hated every moment of the AT. All 6 months of it. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. My pet peeve is ultralighters. By this, I don't mean folks with standard "thru hiker loads", but the ones who call themselves "ultralighters" and brag about their reverse weight. They won't carry anything themselves, but expect a rescue with a guaranteed spot at the shelter every time it rains (never mind someone else with a tent has to leave to make room) or they run out of food. They are putting everyone else at risk.
I have a good friend who nearly died completing the AT. He honestly doesn’t speak about it much because it was so traumatic to him I believe. But he’d started hallucinating, wasn’t getting enough food or water, was hiking 30+ miles a day near then end, barely sleeping and had contracted a tick-borne illness. It frustrates me when I think of it, ultimately most of his troubles came because he was too prideful to just ask for help, take a break, or pack it up and go home. Thankfully he survived somehow. He was literally delusional, hearing voices when he stumbled to base camp at Katahdin. You’re not the only one who doesn’t have good memories from the trail, it’s HARD! nature is unforgiving.
I rarely hear from people that hated it yet still finished. If I hadn’t been with a great group of friends I def could have been in your shoes. I snore so I never slept in a shelter out of respect for others.
During my last section hike I was surprised at how many thru-hikers I saw yellow-blazing. No judgement - they were there for the experience and to make friends - just not the way I'd do it. The coolest I saw though was a group that did a section via canoe rather than on foot - definitely more legit than hitchhiking!
“Getting kinda toasty” 😂 I’m 36 with 3 kids and this was awkward but hilarious. I love your channel and your humor, I always laugh. I’m going to attempt a through hike one day with my teenage sons when they are all teens lol (we aren’t there yet) and your channel has taught us lots and given us such a realistic version of what we need to get prepared for. Thank you
Purest, yellow blazing, blue blazing, aqua blazing, pink blazing, slack packing, saftey meeting..Your a friend of mine the moment you step out there. Personally by my third consecutive year of thru hiking i threw away the idea of the TC that year and only chose a starting point on a none TC trail, no end point. My end point ended up being marrying another thru hiker and living in hawaii. If you ask me where my hike started and ended, it would be georgia-hawaii and the moments in between is why I did it.
I smoke when I hike but only when I pitch up for the night and I try my best to make sure no kids are around. I think it's fine aslong as you don't affect others around you
Thankfully being an older, senior hiker I don’t want to hang out with the younger sert around the shelters and hostels. They can hike and party all they want. But leave me the peaceful tent site away from them.
Hike your own hike. Simple. Don't worry about people not doing the miles. Be comfortable with yourself. Let others do there own thing....except when it involves ukuleles and loud talking/screaming after 8pm....yeah....
Great video Kyle. I hiked quite a bit of the AT this year and I was shocked to witness people yellowblazing A LOT of miles. I may have not finished this year, but when I do finish I want to know that I hiked the whole trail- barring closures. I don’t understand how anybody could feel like they hiked the entire Trail when they know deep down that they skipped parts
My aunt told me that when she did the JMT, she was told that it was easy to spot the section hikers from the thru hikers because they were the ones hanging their food 😬
@@eitanpaster5692unfortunately the thru hikers sleep with their food mostly. No bear cans (except maybe in the Sierra where they are required) and very little hanging.
I guess I'm just a purist, but I hiked every foot of the AT and more, due to my poor sense of direction. lol No yellow blazing, no flip flopping no slackpacking at all. I was 59 years old, never had the sense to lighten my pack, and endured the criticism of the ultra lighters with a smile. I also smoked cigarettes throughout the entire hike. I ran into a day hiker once who asked if I wanted some trail magic. I gladly said yes, expecting a candy bar or something, but he pulled out some weed. I politely told that i wasn't in the mood at the time, but honestly I hadn't been in the mood since my pot smokin' days almost 30 years ago. He insisted I take it for later. I carried it around for a few days until I ran into a fellow hiker friend who happily accepted it. All in all I had a great time and would love to do it again.
If the unofficial campsite is obviously well-established and in frequent use, I don't consider camping on that spot to be a violation of LNT. In such cases, it would more damaging/leave far more of a trace if you made camp somewhere "fresh" 200 yards away that nobody ever camps at.
When I was on the AT we came across locals that were grilling steak and lobster and gave us free beer. It was like finding an oasis in the desert lol. It would be interesting to know how many people say they did the whole thing but actually skip hundreds of miles.
I’m really glad I watched this. I have been wanting to hike the AT for the last few years and I have been getting more serious about it but I felt like I wasn’t getting the whole story about what it’s actually like. My biggest fear is upending my life to hike the trail and then hating it because I wasn’t prepared for what it would actually be like. I’m one of the crazy ones who actually like hiking and the other people on and around the trail and their questionable actions are the thing that might keep me from hiking the AT at all. If I could hike it completely by myself guaranteed then I totally would.
Yellow Blazing is catching a ride along the road. Hitchhiking or getting rides from town to skip miles. Its called a Yellow Blaze because you're following the yellow lines on the road. I had a cousin do about 1/2 the AT yellow blazing before he quit.
A similar story: I have hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) in France, Italy and Switzerland twice, in 2021 and 2022. It is 170 km. Neither time did I hike every single km. I probably hiked 80-85% of it both times. Bad weather, fatigue, etc, caused me to choose a bus or taxi for short sections. But...my intent was to hike most of it, enjoy the trail, and push myself physically and mentally. I never claim to have hiked the entire route, but still feel I've accomplished a lot. I do find fault with people saying they hiked the AT (way longer than the TMB) to imply that they completed every mile, but if they let folks know that they did most of it, or a chunk of it, and had a fun and challenging hiking experience, then this seems fine.
does it really matter what some rando posts on their insta? Set your own goal, and grow from the experience of working and achieving it. Nothing anyone else does takes away from what you do for yourself.
People who yellow blaze and claim to have done it all are simply liars and usually awful humans. But it doesn’t matter to me because I don’t worry about them. It should not matter to others either really. It’s like getting mad if someone cuts you off in traffic, you aren’t racing to a destination why does it matter?
This is definitely my favorite of your videos I've seen so far😂 granted, have only seen about 20? But... Your a funny guy😂.... And i like the respect you show the people your videos cover. You kinda remind me of a mountaineering mr ballen lol. Which is a compliment btw. I love your videos. Have forwarded them to my son and his multitude of people that are all travelers. Hope that gets you closer to your goal... God bless.....
Pro Tip - Cat holes are for noobs... I poop in a plastic shopping bag... whirl it around my head, David vs. Goliath style... scream out "Banzai!"... and launch that poop bag into the woods.
In 14th century France, they pooped in chamber pots, so every morning, people on the upper floors would yell "Look out below!" before tossing their turds out the window and onto the street below.
As a hiker who loves to hike for the sake of hiking, I feel seen. I ran cross country in high school and I always describe it as a great sport for people who kind of hate themselves lol.
I feel the same way but I have camped with people before on the trial for a few days and it did break things up. We never really hiked together mainly because we all hike at different speeds. I am not into the tramly thing at all.
I love smoking a nice spliff after a long day of hiking. Helps with the aches & pains, stimulates my appetite and helps me fall asleep. I just make sure not to bother other hikers with it. I just find a secluded spot or make a small detour around the campsite ✌️
2nd point you mentioned is something my hiking buddy and I are guilty of. When we take a longer break, get to camp or are about to leave a camp we spliff up and get going. Both her and I are 4:20s 🙂
We had someone on trail that posted IG pics of her at the ATC in Harpers Ferry two days after I saw her at the same motel as me in Bland, VA. The next set of her posts started in Connecticut. I guess there was nothing of interest to talk about in Maryland, PA, NJ, or NY. Nothing like yellow blazing (or maybe aero blazing) half of the AT and claiming you hiked the whole thing. Yes, there is a whole lot of drug use, weed being the least harsh. There is one guy that can resupply you with just about whatever drug you need while you're hiking in NC/TN. He can be to any trail head in 20 minutes. One thing people don't talk about in their videos is the amount of folks with mental health issues you'll run into. Some are just wandering in the woods, some are living in the shelters, some hang out in town, but the AT attracts them. I didn't run into any violent ones but there is always a risk.
Homeless folks in shelters is just not something you see here in NH. Most shelters are too hard to get to for the average person and too cold to stay in without adequate clothes/bedding. Plus no close places to get food each day even if you had the money to buy food.
Ive met people "thru hiking" the AT who thought a thru hike was you followed along with your pack of people all the way to maine, and if that meant you had to drive parts of the trail, then so be it, nothing wrong with it. ie, if you needed a zero day, you didnt stopped moving, you just moved up the trail in a car. suggesting to such people that theyre supposed to hike the trail would illicit a very confused look from them, as if the notion of hiking the entire thing for the sake of hiking the entire thing was just crazy talk and no one really did that.
I knew a woman who insisted she drove to the top of Mt. Ranier in Washington. Absolutely wouldn't listen that she couldn't have done that (given there's no road).
My first interest in the AT came from camping in Smoky Mountain National Park in my teens. My brothers and I hiked three days away from my parents, and I was responsible for them. Not the position to devise various ways to cheat and cut corners. My first inspiration in through-hiking was Grandma Gatewood. I don't need to enlarge on that any more. She is still my inspiration, although nobody could hike today and live by her standards. Other minor points: I love the 5 1/2 inchers. I bought Bill Bryson's book and took it to the Good Will before I finished it.
Lol, calling weed “doing drugs” is hilarious in 2023, when it’s legal in so many states now. I learned to enjoy whiskey from fellow backpackers while hiking the Black Elk Wilderness. Weed is actually less of a big deal.
You are correct, I am an old hiker and I rarely smoke weed but when I am on the trial I become a daily smoker. I do it because my body hurts and the weed makes me feel better. I only smoke alone.
I tried to hike Pa to NH to work at a backcountry camp in 2020. It was bad in places. Some town people hated that i was backpacking even tho i passed no crap 300 people going up eagles nest. My knee got messed up and i had ro get off trail. Borderline helped me decide it wasnt the right time to be there. Its okay because i heard NJ had cops posted at trail heads looking for hikers. Eventually the camp contacted all of us and said season was canceled. It was a dream job of mine and im sad i never got to go work on the trail.
I’ve heard…there’s nothing better than hiking after a little weed or an edible. But NEVER at dusk! No, no, never at dusk! 🤣 And definitely NEVER when in Grizzly country!!
The AT is somewhat of a frat party, but it does have the most bars close to trail, of the popular trails , definitely the most weed, and that is probably the reason for the most yellow blazing due to extended or unplanned hungover zeros. But as they say, hike your own hike
I see no annoyance with using cannabis. It's pain relief. It numbs the eventual agitation to the sheer volume of miles. Drinking on the other hand is something I find to be annoying when people don't pack-in, and pack-out.
I didn't finish my thru hike in 2021. I hiked 1,300 mi. I would argue that I had more fun than anyone else that year lol. Hike your own hike. The trail will provide:)
Went on a hike with my father in law. At some point he smelled something skunky and i said "somebodys pry smoking weed on the trails" him being a VERY devout catholic acted like it was terrible thing not knowing that i was hitting a pen behind him the whole hike 😂😂
Man ive done 3 day hikes on the AT . And ive been planning to through hike it in 2026. My mortgage ends next spring and im sure i can financially do it then. On my day hikes only one day i met through hikers. And i had brought various extra controband in case i might. Im no fool i know what you animals want. And I happily shared it, i had planned to. 3 of the hikers were so nice and apreciative. One of them (the others didn't know him) was like trying to manipulate me into giving him money, and wanted to go back to my truck with me. And i found out though the guy had hiked the trail like 20 times he never finished it and really hadnt done the southern half at all. He started with no money. Like man of course the trail provides and you should take advantage but he was taking advantage to a different level. The more and more i hear about people like this its discouraging me from going at all. Maybe ill just stick to myself.. i gotta do it though. I'll just pretend im broke haha
I think that using unofficial but clearly established campsites is probably better than making new unofficial campsites. Sort of the lesser of two evils.
I met a badass lady on the summit of Blue Mountain in the Adirondacks. It was about 10am and found out she was a 46’er, lived in my hometown for years and was already a couple beers deep. By the time we got done with a 30 minute chat she had finished her 4 pack of 10% abv craft brew and a few nips of Fireball. We parted ways because she was started her descent to another nearby trail. Freaking wild. She was fit as hell, beautiful dogs, nice vehicle and a great job…. Just loved hiking and day drinking. No judgement here. I love a good beer but not while doing physical activities, my stomach turn immediately lol.
I think it’s a dirty little secret that all the grumpy old through hikers are sitting back in their camp, rocking chairs, telling all the young hikers get off my grass
I didn’t realize yellow blazing was a thing lol for most hikers. I had plans to thru next year but had a bad experience on a trail (*cough, cough,* looking at you, Mount Mitchell). But in all of my research, everyone was like, if you don’t hike literally every inch of the AT, you didn’t thru it 😂
Look at medical electrolyte mixes like pedialyte and trioral.... They have small amounts of sugar in them because it's actually an important part of the mix. The sugars help you absorb the electrolytes better.
I have only thru hiked in Canada, but when people skip the road sections of trails (assume thats lile yellow blazing) and it drives me NUTS. Those terrible parts are part of it. Judge away lol.
I am guilty of camping to close to the trial but rarely and also sleeping with my food. I have seen many people blue blaze, taking short cuts knocking off big miles. It’s their hike so I could careless, it’s just walking.
Yellow blazing and claiming to through hike is a pet peeve of mine. I ran into a yellow blazer where I live. She wanted to skip the part of the PCT from Tehachapi to Walker Pass. I turned her down.
I thru hiked the AT in 2013 southbound and I didn’t really meet anyone who yellow blazed. That was only 11 years ago but I believe most people had different intentions back then. I didn’t have social media (still don’t) but most people I met didn’t either. None of these phony influencers that just want a photo to post.
Personally , my AT hike goals were to experience an adventure not specifically to thru hike . For example being a Southbounder , I did a 3 week work for stay / animal house adventure at a river guide company on the Penobscot River , we partied , we rafted whitewater , floated kegs , those river guides especially Kurt and Ben I will never forget them . Oh it gets better , I also stayed at “The Tabard” co-Ed frat house for 3.5 weeks , that was absolutely iNSANE! Yeah , my AT hike was not a thru-hike mission , the objective was to live a truly free existence of adventure . Everyone hikes their own hike , granted social media was not a thing back then , even then who am I to judge . Note : I completed the twelve pack challenge Southbound which is actually a seventeen pack challenge because of mileage .
Man are you right on the money about folks doing drugs. Strange thing happened to us, I am a former member of the 10th SFG was assigned to Fort Devens at the time. 5 of us from our SFG decided to hike the trail (wonderful place). On day two we thought we were losing it, we discovered 2 women and 3 guys off trail dancing around. The women had on long almost like Amish type dresses the dudes had beards we figured they were Amish. They looked at us and just kept on doing that crap. As SOP we always keep a fire watch rotating throughout the night. It was twilight and they had no camp, we were worried they may not have been prepared. Never seen them again, hope they made it out ok. We all figured they must have had a cabin or home nearby.
When I day hike on the AT, I set up camp and have all my goods spread out plain to see. Then I get off on telling through hikers “nah” when they ask for something.
I prefer a purist approach. Some vloggers talk about "connecting their footsteps", but clearly, yellow blazing happens when someone"hikes" 2,200 miles and doesn't lose any weight.
A popular hiker from new Hampshire didn't lose any weight, mom was around a lot. Other vloggers mentioned seeing her, her mom, a friend, etc. Kinda odd.
@@Louisvilledc It's really not. Women have different body compositions and physiology. I became more muscular and that's about it. This also goes for the other women I hiked with and was around. The men I was around lost a lot of weight. This is a well known thing if you've actually thru-hiked. Because guess what, physiology. It's free to come on the internet and be nice.
This is so random but it freaked me out that when chillin by the fire on the APT I want to say in VA, that random skunks (yes the animal) would just walk right up to me. Like what do you do in that situation. I just kinda froze n hoped they'd just keep truckn n thankfully they did ...
1000 milligrams of sodium is insane,unless you are sweating profusely AND drinking a lot of water. And unless you are sweating an extreme amount all day,you wouldn't want to drink more than one of those.
Read “Free Country” by George Mahood. He and a friend hiked the length of GB starting in their boxers. Hilarious story. Lifelong VA resident. Day hiker at times. Mostly residents think of serial killers and lost children.
Congrats on literally not comprehending anything I typed. I simply said that NSAID's are more toxic to your body compared to weed. Which is a fact. Also... I don't smoke week. @@brokenfoxproductions
Tylenol is a horrible drug that can destroy your kidneys and liver. It is only good for reducing fevers. Weed is probably the safest drug on the trail.@@brokenfoxproductions
Please tell me you haven’t been the model for over a year! Last week was the first time I actually saw the packaging for the extreme light frog togs. My local Walmart doesn’t carry the extreme light version. OK so what’s your surprise?
Back in my day hiking section hiking the AT 20+ years ago mooching was called "Yogi-ing" as in Yogi the Bear. I used to hike with meals I'd dehydrate at home like Chinese take out and homemade chili, spaghetti and stews. The "Yogi-ing" was hilarious at shelters when the smell hit the thru hikers. Had a girl offer to "share my tent" for the night if I gave her some of my Kung Pao Shrimp at Dahlgren Chapel campground. Didn't do it. Bought her a drink at the restaurant up the trail on Rt 40 and gave her a handful of Girl Scout cookies I had brought with me. I kind of regret not taking advantage of that offer. Not gonna lie.
My AT experience: I didn't yellow blaze, I didn't do drugs, although saw lots, I did hydrate with LMNT (sometimes), I did try my best at leave no trace, sex...no comment (or action either). The depth of cat-holes were relative to the intense need, I didn't view day hikers as meal tickets, but I sure appreciated it when they offered something. And they smelled SO good!
...what are cat-holes?
*Edit - after reading a few more comments, I think I get it.
I hiked the CTF (Couch to Fridge) routinely.
😂
Number one is my biggest pet peeve of the AT - from what I've seen, around 9/10 'thru hikers' don't hike the miles lol. I think it bothers me because I got injured and couldn't finish but still hiked way more miles than some people in my bubble who did finish lol. The thing that is the MOST annoying about it is when people monetize their thru hikes with things like book deals, sponsorships and things *after* the fact but the thru hike part didn't happen. Just be honest! Stories of failure are still worth sharing. Heck, even Bill Bryson admitted he didn't finish and his book was still a hit. And people get really really mad when you point the yellow blazing problem out. There's a woman working on a book deal now from this year who is claiming to have set some records on the AT but they skipped the Smokies, Hundred Mile Wilderness and a bunch of other hard parts of the trail. Driving to the top of a mountain for a photo op does not count as hiking it! *Now get off my lawn, lol*
Yes, and one of the worst of these was Soctt Jurek his then recently ex wife His first wife, she tried to set a runner record for the trail when it was found she never hiked any of trail but only popped in at every stop the roads meet trail to fake pictures for the book but was still running all of the paved roads. They knew when her descriptions in her book and was called out on it hard. Scotts Ex wife to get a book deal had threatened to sue same company Sott Jurek had his book on his ultra running after the breakup to his first wife, but before he did his book on how it took two tries to break the running record for the AT. Last I heard of her she lives her husband who only spoke in a rare Tarahumara language in the tribe area but they are legally married according to Mexico after she got citizenship. They met for a few years for about a week or two during the Copper Caynon Marthon and one year in 2012 the race was canceled due to drug runners in he area being so bad that people witnessed that year killings by the gang that was run by Sinaloa Cartel they got married, she had stayed down there to get citizenship in Mexico the year prior with plans to run or help with the race that year.
@@caseysmith544 Woah!! Is this documented anywhere? Would love to read more about it.
@@KaraKirtley I thought she had a book, maybe she only got the deal then they realized she never ran the route she said she did so they canceled. She also was not good enough to have run the route herself too having seen her times in the one 50K she ever did before this that was part of the Silverton Run Rabit Run races.
I’m sure that’s true! I geocache and met another geocacher. They claimed 12 caches, going in the opposite way I was going, but they didn’t sign any cache logs. 🤔
90 percent? Not the people in my bubble. More like 10%
I hated every moment of the AT. All 6 months of it. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
My pet peeve is ultralighters. By this, I don't mean folks with standard "thru hiker loads", but the ones who call themselves "ultralighters" and brag about their reverse weight. They won't carry anything themselves, but expect a rescue with a guaranteed spot at the shelter every time it rains (never mind someone else with a tent has to leave to make room) or they run out of food. They are putting everyone else at risk.
Why did you go than? So sorry to hear that.... thanks
I have a good friend who nearly died completing the AT. He honestly doesn’t speak about it much because it was so traumatic to him I believe. But he’d started hallucinating, wasn’t getting enough food or water, was hiking 30+ miles a day near then end, barely sleeping and had contracted a tick-borne illness. It frustrates me when I think of it, ultimately most of his troubles came because he was too prideful to just ask for help, take a break, or pack it up and go home. Thankfully he survived somehow. He was literally delusional, hearing voices when he stumbled to base camp at Katahdin. You’re not the only one who doesn’t have good memories from the trail, it’s HARD! nature is unforgiving.
@@jo-eo9ld so sorry to hear that....
Would it have been easier if you would have been with a buddy?
I rarely hear from people that hated it yet still finished. If I hadn’t been with a great group of friends I def could have been in your shoes. I snore so I never slept in a shelter out of respect for others.
There’s no way I could take pride in saying I hiked it and skipped some/most of it
yeah, I don't get it. I mean, it's a hike, do what you want. Be proud of what you accomplish, it's not a contest.
During my last section hike I was surprised at how many thru-hikers I saw yellow-blazing. No judgement - they were there for the experience and to make friends - just not the way I'd do it. The coolest I saw though was a group that did a section via canoe rather than on foot - definitely more legit than hitchhiking!
You have 100% talked me out of hiking the AT any time soon. Thanks.
“Getting kinda toasty” 😂 I’m 36 with 3 kids and this was awkward but hilarious. I love your channel and your humor, I always laugh. I’m going to attempt a through hike one day with my teenage sons when they are all teens lol (we aren’t there yet) and your channel has taught us lots and given us such a realistic version of what we need to get prepared for.
Thank you
I skipped a 50 mile section 8 years ago and it STILL eats at me. I think about it all the time. Will knock it out eventually…but it’s in MAINE
The editing on this one -- hilariously well-done!!
🥰 TANKS, M8
i was gonna say this was one of the funnier ones i'd seen and that's one of the reasons i love this channel, so that means a lot.
Purest, yellow blazing, blue blazing, aqua blazing, pink blazing, slack packing, saftey meeting..Your a friend of mine the moment you step out there. Personally by my third consecutive year of thru hiking i threw away the idea of the TC that year and only chose a starting point on a none TC trail, no end point. My end point ended up being marrying another thru hiker and living in hawaii. If you ask me where my hike started and ended, it would be georgia-hawaii and the moments in between is why I did it.
You can yellow blaze if you want... Just dont call yourself a Thru-hiker...
I smoke when I hike but only when I pitch up for the night and I try my best to make sure no kids are around. I think it's fine aslong as you don't affect others around you
Thankfully being an older, senior hiker I don’t want to hang out with the younger sert around the shelters and hostels. They can hike and party all they want. But leave me the peaceful tent site away from them.
Did anyone else feel like this was the most chaotic Kyle video yet?
Yes 😂
Very funny an instant Kyle classic.
Probably stoned
"dude what is this video?"
DRINK LMNT!!!!
Hiked the AT in 2017. Agreed w this. Did not blue, yellow blaze, i came to hike the entirety of the AT. Not skip parts of it.
I saw a ton of people skipping sections and cheating . After that i didnt care about finishing or not realizing a ton of "finishers" were cheaters
Crack pipes weigh a lot is the most hilariously lightpacking reason to go sober
Hike your own hike. Simple. Don't worry about people not doing the miles. Be comfortable with yourself. Let others do there own thing....except when it involves ukuleles and loud talking/screaming after 8pm....yeah....
Great video Kyle. I hiked quite a bit of the AT this year and I was shocked to witness people yellowblazing A LOT of miles. I may have not finished this year, but when I do finish I want to know that I hiked the whole trail- barring closures. I don’t understand how anybody could feel like they hiked the entire Trail when they know deep down that they skipped parts
Because they lie about everything in their lives to feel superior to others. It’s who they are at their core.
My aunt told me that when she did the JMT, she was told that it was easy to spot the section hikers from the thru hikers because they were the ones hanging their food 😬
Hi
Because the thru hikers use bear cans because bear cans are required for the majority of the trail and only some parts u can hang food
@@eitanpaster5692unfortunately the thru hikers sleep with their food mostly. No bear cans (except maybe in the Sierra where they are required) and very little hanging.
@@joannalh9491 the jmt is only in the sierras
"There's a lot of people that literally like walking all day ... and they're psycho." 😅
2023 nobo here and the one thing that shocked me more than the yellow blazing was the amount of people slack packing
what is slack packing?
I guess I'm just a purist, but I hiked every foot of the AT and more, due to my poor sense of direction. lol No yellow blazing, no flip flopping no slackpacking at all. I was 59 years old, never had the sense to lighten my pack, and endured the criticism of the ultra lighters with a smile. I also smoked cigarettes throughout the entire hike. I ran into a day hiker once who asked if I wanted some trail magic. I gladly said yes, expecting a candy bar or something, but he pulled out some weed. I politely told that i wasn't in the mood at the time, but honestly I hadn't been in the mood since my pot smokin' days almost 30 years ago. He insisted I take it for later. I carried it around for a few days until I ran into a fellow hiker friend who happily accepted it. All in all I had a great time and would love to do it again.
If the unofficial campsite is obviously well-established and in frequent use, I don't consider camping on that spot to be a violation of LNT. In such cases, it would more damaging/leave far more of a trace if you made camp somewhere "fresh" 200 yards away that nobody ever camps at.
I've yellow blazed, however I have never claimed to hike the miles I yellow blazed.
I had a person bring me a resume that said she hiked the PCT and had no idea where Campo was.
Love the chaotic energy of this video 😂
When I was on the AT we came across locals that were grilling steak and lobster and gave us free beer. It was like finding an oasis in the desert lol. It would be interesting to know how many people say they did the whole thing but actually skip hundreds of miles.
I’m really glad I watched this. I have been wanting to hike the AT for the last few years and I have been getting more serious about it but I felt like I wasn’t getting the whole story about what it’s actually like. My biggest fear is upending my life to hike the trail and then hating it because I wasn’t prepared for what it would actually be like.
I’m one of the crazy ones who actually like hiking and the other people on and around the trail and their questionable actions are the thing that might keep me from hiking the AT at all.
If I could hike it completely by myself guaranteed then I totally would.
I had never heard of “yellow blazing” but it definitely sounds like something having to do with urine. Anywho thanks for the video.
I thought yellow blazing is what happens when you have the clap.
OMG you guys are hilarious 😂😂😂
nope, it's when you get Jaundice from all the beer.@@throbbinwoodofcoxley6830
Yellow Blazing is catching a ride along the road. Hitchhiking or getting rides from town to skip miles. Its called a Yellow Blaze because you're following the yellow lines on the road. I had a cousin do about 1/2 the AT yellow blazing before he quit.
Wait until you find out about pink blazing. 🤔
A similar story: I have hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) in France, Italy and Switzerland twice, in 2021 and 2022. It is 170 km. Neither time did I hike every single km. I probably hiked 80-85% of it both times. Bad weather, fatigue, etc, caused me to choose a bus or taxi for short sections. But...my intent was to hike most of it, enjoy the trail, and push myself physically and mentally. I never claim to have hiked the entire route, but still feel I've accomplished a lot. I do find fault with people saying they hiked the AT (way longer than the TMB) to imply that they completed every mile, but if they let folks know that they did most of it, or a chunk of it, and had a fun and challenging hiking experience, then this seems fine.
I would imagine the _"Yellow blazing" thing would be kinda frustrating to the "real" thru hikers that actually hike every mile.
who gives a shit what other ppl doing. focus on yourself 😇
does it really matter what some rando posts on their insta? Set your own goal, and grow from the experience of working and achieving it. Nothing anyone else does takes away from what you do for yourself.
People who yellow blaze and claim to have done it all are simply liars and usually awful humans. But it doesn’t matter to me because I don’t worry about them. It should not matter to others either really. It’s like getting mad if someone cuts you off in traffic, you aren’t racing to a destination why does it matter?
I cant decide which phrase is more cringe between "tramily", "hiker hunger", or "hiker midnight."
Tramily. Not ever close. 🤮
It's me, I smoke the devils lettuce and hike. Also, if you're nice about it. I'll definitely share snacks on a day hike.
Not even a hiker but now I feel like that's where I should be at!
We dig 6” cat holes unless it is cold, in which case the shrinkage leads to 4” cat holes…
The quick overmountain shelter shot got me in the feelings. RiP to the barn
This is definitely my favorite of your videos I've seen so far😂 granted, have only seen about 20? But... Your a funny guy😂.... And i like the respect you show the people your videos cover. You kinda remind me of a mountaineering mr ballen lol. Which is a compliment btw. I love your videos. Have forwarded them to my son and his multitude of people that are all travelers. Hope that gets you closer to your goal... God bless.....
Pro Tip - Cat holes are for noobs... I poop in a plastic shopping bag... whirl it around my head, David vs. Goliath style... scream out "Banzai!"... and launch that poop bag into the woods.
I hope you don't have dogs, back at home: Your neighbors might respond with a "front-porch merdre-flambee".
In 14th century France, they pooped in chamber pots, so every morning, people on the upper floors would yell "Look out below!" before tossing their turds out the window and onto the street below.
so you're littering and laughing about it
As a hiker who loves to hike for the sake of hiking, I feel seen. I ran cross country in high school and I always describe it as a great sport for people who kind of hate themselves lol.
That is a weird comment, after all if you hike like me, by yourself, you're with the hated one all the damn time...
Always digging on the AT….what about showing the PCT some love, or are you walking away…again. 🔥🔥🤣🤣
I hike to be on my own. I don’t want to hike with a bunch of weird strangers.
Same I’ll be with my brother:)
I feel the same way but I have camped with people before on the trial for a few days and it did break things up. We never really hiked together mainly because we all hike at different speeds. I am not into the tramly thing at all.
I love smoking a nice spliff after a long day of hiking. Helps with the aches & pains, stimulates my appetite and helps me fall asleep. I just make sure not to bother other hikers with it. I just find a secluded spot or make a small detour around the campsite ✌️
2nd point you mentioned is something my hiking buddy and I are guilty of. When we take a longer break, get to camp or are about to leave a camp we spliff up and get going. Both her and I are 4:20s 🙂
We had someone on trail that posted IG pics of her at the ATC in Harpers Ferry two days after I saw her at the same motel as me in Bland, VA. The next set of her posts started in Connecticut. I guess there was nothing of interest to talk about in Maryland, PA, NJ, or NY. Nothing like yellow blazing (or maybe aero blazing) half of the AT and claiming you hiked the whole thing.
Yes, there is a whole lot of drug use, weed being the least harsh. There is one guy that can resupply you with just about whatever drug you need while you're hiking in NC/TN. He can be to any trail head in 20 minutes.
One thing people don't talk about in their videos is the amount of folks with mental health issues you'll run into. Some are just wandering in the woods, some are living in the shelters, some hang out in town, but the AT attracts them. I didn't run into any violent ones but there is always a risk.
Homeless folks in shelters is just not something you see here in NH. Most shelters are too hard to get to for the average person and too cold to stay in without adequate clothes/bedding. Plus no close places to get food each day even if you had the money to buy food.
Ive met people "thru hiking" the AT who thought a thru hike was you followed along with your pack of people all the way to maine, and if that meant you had to drive parts of the trail, then so be it, nothing wrong with it. ie, if you needed a zero day, you didnt stopped moving, you just moved up the trail in a car.
suggesting to such people that theyre supposed to hike the trail would illicit a very confused look from them, as if the notion of hiking the entire thing for the sake of hiking the entire thing was just crazy talk and no one really did that.
I knew a woman who insisted she drove to the top of Mt. Ranier in Washington. Absolutely wouldn't listen that she couldn't have done that (given there's no road).
Not an expert but I believe a marijuana cigarette is commonly referred to as a joint. 😂 love the video
My first interest in the AT came from camping in Smoky Mountain National Park in my teens. My brothers and I hiked three days away from my parents, and I was responsible for them. Not the position to devise various ways to cheat and cut corners. My first inspiration in through-hiking was Grandma Gatewood. I don't need to enlarge on that any more. She is still my inspiration, although nobody could hike today and live by her standards. Other minor points: I love the 5 1/2 inchers. I bought Bill Bryson's book and took it to the Good Will before I finished it.
Lol, calling weed “doing drugs” is hilarious in 2023, when it’s legal in so many states now. I learned to enjoy whiskey from fellow backpackers while hiking the Black Elk Wilderness. Weed is actually less of a big deal.
Cannabis can really help with muscle inflammation so it's not necessarily only for partying
Two birds one stone in my book.
No, actually both birds are stoned.
@whirlinggrouse. Mary Jane is amazingly efficacious in treating symptoms of altitude sickness. The sativa strain is a great caffeine substitute.
You are correct, I am an old hiker and I rarely smoke weed but when I am on the trial I become a daily smoker. I do it because my body hurts and the weed makes me feel better. I only smoke alone.
I tried to hike Pa to NH to work at a backcountry camp in 2020. It was bad in places. Some town people hated that i was backpacking even tho i passed no crap 300 people going up eagles nest. My knee got messed up and i had ro get off trail. Borderline helped me decide it wasnt the right time to be there. Its okay because i heard NJ had cops posted at trail heads looking for hikers. Eventually the camp contacted all of us and said season was canceled. It was a dream job of mine and im sad i never got to go work on the trail.
To me, it's like entering a marathon and cheating to finish it. What's the point of doing it if you're just going to skip parts of it?
Isn't the experience of hiking whatever part worth something in and of itself?
I’ve heard…there’s nothing better than hiking after a little weed or an edible. But NEVER at dusk! No, no, never at dusk! 🤣
And definitely NEVER when in Grizzly country!!
I yellow blazed the whole goddamn'd thing .....twice 👍
Do I need a UV wand at some of these shelters?
If you know a guy who can turn a day hiker into a trail angel, stay close to him :)
The AT is somewhat of a frat party, but it does have the most bars close to trail, of the popular trails , definitely the most weed, and that is probably the reason for the most yellow blazing due to extended or unplanned hungover zeros. But as they say, hike your own hike
Funny as heck. I did a 2 year flip flop and everything you mentioned is so true.
Happy they, at the very least, dig a hole. It's better than the Portlanders that leave it just off trail in my neck of the woods.
I see no annoyance with using cannabis. It's pain relief. It numbs the eventual agitation to the sheer volume of miles. Drinking on the other hand is something I find to be annoying when people don't pack-in, and pack-out.
I didn't finish my thru hike in 2021. I hiked 1,300 mi. I would argue that I had more fun than anyone else that year lol.
Hike your own hike. The trail will provide:)
Went on a hike with my father in law. At some point he smelled something skunky and i said "somebodys pry smoking weed on the trails" him being a VERY devout catholic acted like it was terrible thing not knowing that i was hitting a pen behind him the whole hike 😂😂
Man ive done 3 day hikes on the AT . And ive been planning to through hike it in 2026. My mortgage ends next spring and im sure i can financially do it then. On my day hikes only one day i met through hikers. And i had brought various extra controband in case i might. Im no fool i know what you animals want. And I happily shared it, i had planned to. 3 of the hikers were so nice and apreciative. One of them (the others didn't know him) was like trying to manipulate me into giving him money, and wanted to go back to my truck with me. And i found out though the guy had hiked the trail like 20 times he never finished it and really hadnt done the southern half at all. He started with no money. Like man of course the trail provides and you should take advantage but he was taking advantage to a different level. The more and more i hear about people like this its discouraging me from going at all. Maybe ill just stick to myself.. i gotta do it though. I'll just pretend im broke haha
Kyle, I could see you get up to a million subs! You're great what you do.
I started watching a few of your missing person videos. Now I stumbled across this one and you seem pretty funny. Subscribed
I think that using unofficial but clearly established campsites is probably better than making new unofficial campsites. Sort of the lesser of two evils.
Thanks for the upload bromie. Loving the podcast too!
Bruhhhh AT NOBO 2023 the amount of people I met who yellow blazed like CRAZY and then are like “Oh I’m a ThRu HiKeR🤪”
I met a badass lady on the summit of Blue Mountain in the Adirondacks. It was about 10am and found out she was a 46’er, lived in my hometown for years and was already a couple beers deep. By the time we got done with a 30 minute chat she had finished her 4 pack of 10% abv craft brew and a few nips of Fireball. We parted ways because she was started her descent to another nearby trail. Freaking wild. She was fit as hell, beautiful dogs, nice vehicle and a great job…. Just loved hiking and day drinking. No judgement here. I love a good beer but not while doing physical activities, my stomach turn immediately lol.
I think it’s a dirty little secret that all the grumpy old through hikers are sitting back in their camp, rocking chairs, telling all the young hikers get off my grass
Learn something new everyday. Thanks for the well presented information.
I didn’t realize yellow blazing was a thing lol for most hikers. I had plans to thru next year but had a bad experience on a trail (*cough, cough,* looking at you, Mount Mitchell). But in all of my research, everyone was like, if you don’t hike literally every inch of the AT, you didn’t thru it 😂
Look at medical electrolyte mixes like pedialyte and trioral.... They have small amounts of sugar in them because it's actually an important part of the mix. The sugars help you absorb the electrolytes better.
I’ve mooched water from day hikers, in desperation. Ain’t nothing wrong with a little Yogi-ing. Yogi Bear it. People have shit to spare.
First thing I do when I get to a campsite where there is no outhouse/bathroom, is to dig a major cathole.
I have only thru hiked in Canada, but when people skip the road sections of trails (assume thats lile yellow blazing) and it drives me NUTS. Those terrible parts are part of it. Judge away lol.
Weed is not a drug lol...its a plant
It's a medicinal plant and herb.
I am guilty of camping to close to the trial but rarely and also sleeping with my food. I have seen many people blue blaze, taking short cuts knocking off big miles. It’s their hike so I could careless, it’s just walking.
I'm a 5.98 incher, baby. I'm a rebel, an outlaw.
Yellow blazing and claiming to through hike is a pet peeve of mine. I ran into a yellow blazer where I live. She wanted to skip the part of the PCT from Tehachapi to Walker Pass. I turned her down.
I thru hiked the AT in 2013 southbound and I didn’t really meet anyone who yellow blazed. That was only 11 years ago but I believe most people had different intentions back then. I didn’t have social media (still don’t) but most people I met didn’t either. None of these phony influencers that just want a photo to post.
wow you have real comedy chops! love it
Got my LMNT Thanks Kyle!
Please do tell@Kyle-Hates-Hiking
10:08 had me ROLLING! 🤣 The editing on this is chef's kiss! 💋
You're back on Brand, Hatin' and Yo Momma jokes, it feels so cool
Personally , my AT hike goals were to experience an adventure not specifically to thru hike . For example being a Southbounder , I did a 3 week work for stay / animal house adventure at a river guide company on the Penobscot River , we partied , we rafted whitewater , floated kegs , those river guides especially Kurt and Ben I will never forget them . Oh it gets better , I also stayed at “The Tabard” co-Ed frat house for 3.5 weeks , that was absolutely iNSANE! Yeah , my AT hike was not a thru-hike mission , the objective was to live a truly free existence of adventure . Everyone hikes their own hike , granted social media was not a thing back then , even then who am I to judge . Note : I completed the twelve pack challenge Southbound which is actually a seventeen pack challenge because of mileage .
Man are you right on the money about folks doing drugs. Strange thing happened to us, I am a former member of the 10th SFG was assigned to Fort Devens at the time. 5 of us from our SFG decided to hike the trail (wonderful place).
On day two we thought we were losing it, we discovered 2 women and 3 guys off trail dancing around. The women had on long almost like Amish type dresses the dudes had beards we figured they were Amish. They looked at us and just kept on doing that crap.
As SOP we always keep a fire watch rotating throughout the night. It was twilight and they had no camp, we were worried they may not have been prepared. Never seen them again, hope they made it out ok. We all figured they must have had a cabin or home nearby.
When I day hike on the AT, I set up camp and have all my goods spread out plain to see. Then I get off on telling through hikers “nah” when they ask for something.
I prefer a purist approach. Some vloggers talk about "connecting their footsteps", but clearly, yellow blazing happens when someone"hikes" 2,200 miles and doesn't lose any weight.
I mean, I only lost 5 pounds on the PCT. Many women don't lose a lot of weight... most men do. I definitely didn't yellow blaze.
A popular hiker from new Hampshire didn't lose any weight, mom was around a lot. Other vloggers mentioned seeing her, her mom, a friend, etc. Kinda odd.
@@Louisvilledc It's really not. Women have different body compositions and physiology. I became more muscular and that's about it. This also goes for the other women I hiked with and was around. The men I was around lost a lot of weight. This is a well known thing if you've actually thru-hiked. Because guess what, physiology. It's free to come on the internet and be nice.
This is so random but it freaked me out that when chillin by the fire on the APT I want to say in VA, that random skunks (yes the animal) would just walk right up to me. Like what do you do in that situation. I just kinda froze n hoped they'd just keep truckn n thankfully they did ...
1000 milligrams of sodium is insane,unless you are sweating profusely AND drinking a lot of water. And unless you are sweating an extreme amount all day,you wouldn't want to drink more than one of those.
Read “Free Country” by George Mahood. He and a friend hiked the length of GB starting in their boxers. Hilarious story. Lifelong VA resident. Day hiker at times. Mostly residents think of serial killers and lost children.
I'm sure a lot of hikers also use Tylenol or other NSAIDs which are WAY more toxic to the body compared to weed.
Seriously, you're demonizing Tylenol? 😂 This is why non-smokers think weed makes you stupid.
Congrats on literally not comprehending anything I typed. I simply said that NSAID's are more toxic to your body compared to weed. Which is a fact. Also... I don't smoke week. @@brokenfoxproductions
The difference, of course, is that someone’s use of Tylenol or other NSAIDs doesn’t make their problem someone else’s, like the stench of weed.
Tylenol is a horrible drug that can destroy your kidneys and liver. It is only good for reducing fevers. Weed is probably the safest drug on the trail.@@brokenfoxproductions
neither does the smell of weed. Most people on the trail that smoke DON'T do it around non-smokers.@@daven.7685
Bro, you had me laughing so much. 😂❤
Is Kyle the new model on frogg toggs Xtreme lite rain suit packaging?!
Please tell me you haven’t been the model for over a year! Last week was the first time I actually saw the packaging for the extreme light frog togs. My local Walmart doesn’t carry the extreme light version.
OK so what’s your surprise?
My greatest fear of attempting the AT is 'the guy with the guitar' at a campsite or people that wont leave you alone. Id rather sleep in a river.
Back in my day hiking section hiking the AT 20+ years ago mooching was called "Yogi-ing" as in Yogi the Bear. I used to hike with meals I'd dehydrate at home like Chinese take out and homemade chili, spaghetti and stews. The "Yogi-ing" was hilarious at shelters when the smell hit the thru hikers. Had a girl offer to "share my tent" for the night if I gave her some of my Kung Pao Shrimp at Dahlgren Chapel campground. Didn't do it. Bought her a drink at the restaurant up the trail on Rt 40 and gave her a handful of Girl Scout cookies I had brought with me. I kind of regret not taking advantage of that offer. Not gonna lie.
When I thrued in 2017 that's what it was called too
I’m a poop first then dig the 6” hole kinda guy. That way the panic won’t affect your good judgement of how deep that hole really is.
What a Fun 🤩 Video Kyle!! You be Dynamite 🧨 🧨🧨🧨🧨🧨
My favorite TH-camr 😂
Never hike the day in my life but this dude is legit funny... He makes me wanna go hike