Talk: The Care and Feeding of the Long Distance Hiker
The top two things hikers talk about are Food and Gear! This presentation covers both. For even the seasoned veteran, a long-distance hike tests the very limits of endurance. What steps can a hiker take to minimize the brutal physical effects of days, weeks and even months on the trail and maximize the chances for success?
In this presentation, we provide valuable tools for surviving a long-distance hike; the very same tools we used during our 2006 Appalachian Trail thru-hike and end-to-end hike of The Long Trail. We discuss creative and nutritious alternatives to standard “off-the-shelf” dehydrated meals as well as other important nutrition tips. We also share our secrets for minimizing, and even eliminating, blisters and demonstrate other techniques we employed to keep ourselves healthy. Our presentation also covers comparisons of stoves, the importance of water filtration and the specifics of “comfort-lite” hiking.
Each presentation is complete with reflections about life on the trail, answers to "Frequently Asked Questions", and wonderful anecdotes about the people and places that make up the legendary Appalachian Trail. The visual wonders of the AT are displayed through a backdrop of stunning photos from the DVD “Appalachian Trail Reflections”. Native American flute music, from “Windtalker - Native SoundScapes” welcomes the audience and establishes the mood for the presentation to come.
We have been day-hiking and backpacking together since 2000 when "Mom" first got the idea to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. During our preparation years, we encountered many opportunities to learn what worked, and what didn't work, for us. We have tried out a lot of gear (see one of our Gear Lists below) and foods while out on the trail. We've hiked all over the United States and a few other countries, but long-distance trails we've completed include:
If you would like to attend one of our upcoming presentations, look for them on our Calendar and Contact us for more details.