Nice. I plan on riding it this Friday. This was helpful. Appreciate you.

I felt you struggle buddy but you did it I enjoy you sharing your hiking journey thank for sharing happy trails 🙏🏽❤️

Thanks for giving us a heads up on the hike to the actual campsite.

Awesome thanks 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Hey Justin, what are you doing these days? Hope you are well.

Justin- As a former AT hiker, what is your take on backpacking vs bikepacking, logistics wise, physical wise, etc? Example - what hurts bikepacking after the day compared to a 20 plus mile day on the AT?

Dear Justin, I watched a sampling of your videos today of your thru hike journey including this one. I loved the videos and I hope you are feeling better. I also just wanted to say, nothing in life quite works out as expected for all of us whether it’s a thru hike, marriage, family, jobs, children etc. life brings us all disappointments and heartache just at different times. I said a special prayer for you today. I think you are a special light and person and have much to offer this world. 😊😊😍❤️

Was this your first time on the LT?

Congratulations (very very late!)!!!! I wish the trail had been a better experience for you but even so your perseverance was inspiring so thank you for that. I hope we can see more BIPOC hikers (and vloggers!) out on the trails in the future!

Wow, what a ride, lots of miles and very long days. Very impressive. Keep it up.

I loved your call to action for us. We are out here! I hope the trail gets more accessible but we will still fight our way there in the meantime.

The trail is looking so green and lush now! (Obviously I'm still behind on your episodes 😅) I think it's so interesting that the way you describe struggling here is how I've heard people talk about being stuck at a bad job, and yet they still keep going for years. Really shows how even though your body might be able to keep going through the motions, it doesn't mean that your mind is at all okay with it.

Thx for the awesome video. I love the NCR trail because you can ride for hours without stopping and without riding in traffic.

Justin my family met you in Connecticut. You were a gift to myself and adult children. We will always give trail magic and think of you. I send people to your You Tube page!

Justin my family met you in Connecticut. You were a gift to myself and adult children. We will always give trail magic and think of you. I send people to your You Tube page!

Justin my family met you in Connecticut. You were a gift to myself and adult children. We will always give trail magic and think of you. I send people to your You Tube page!

If you can make it on pa trails you can make it anywhere🤣

from my experience, those at risk youth programs , treat the people worse than what the streets do!! rael talk!! Most of the people who work there are perverts!

Great video! I’m considering doing this, was doing some research, and this was the first video that popped up.

Hey Justin Two Shoes! Christmastree here, remember from Blood Mountain Cabins? I'm loving your videos. Very well done. Last year I hiked up to Damascus and That is where I'm starting up again in a couple weeks. I'll have about three weeks to hike. I hope you are doing well wherever you are. Peace.

You're defiantly a bad ass. (I was there when you got bit by that dog way, way back)

So nice to see a video(s) of this trail! Thank you for sharing. This makes me really excited to do the trail one day.

Congrats and one day you will look back at your trip with a sense of accomplishment. Expectations often lead to unsatisfied results. Follow your heart.

Brother, How are you! I’m literally watching this video right now on my Apple TV while writing you on my phone. I assume you remember me a little. I gave you the bands for your ankle at Unicoy Gap in Helen, GA. Anyway, I’m headed out to the Appalachian trail for my Thru hike starting February. You seem like you need a little encouragement. What can I do for you brother? Stay in touch. I’d love to hear from you!

Awesome video, Justin. Thanks for sharing the info. on reaching out to the park ranger to notify them of your wish to park overnight. This trail is a favorite of mine, and I hope to follow in your footsteps conquering the entire trail one day soon.

I don’t know you from Adam, young man….but you impressed the hell out of me! I’m retired from two careers-Navy Officer and Federal LEO-I’ve had more than my fair share of challenges. I now spend my life bicycling, kayaking, backpacking, and running my dog. The C&O is on my “bucket list”. You did 61 miles on the first day? That’s phenomenal. Your attitude, your communication skills, your enthusiasm? Gives me much hope and appreciation for your generation. I know your parents must be proud of you….and again, I sure am. Bravo-Zulu….well done!

So, how is life doing as you get near to Christmas? New job doing good? Thinking about you and hoping all is better

I just want to say you are gorgeous and your style is on point you gorgeous queen. Im trying to figure out how I can get so much style in my bag on future hikes....

Hey Justin - I wanted to first send you a belated congratulations for finishing your hike - I followed you from day 1 but fell behind in late summer. It is such a significant achievement - you worked so hard and achieved your goal and I hope you're proud of your accomplishment. I appreciated your honesty throughout the hike - as I hope to one day thru hike, I find these honest assessments eye opening. I'm sorry you don't yet have 100% positive feelings of your journey and that at times you felt isolated. I hope you're able to hold on to the good - I saw you have lots of good moments and maybe over time you'll prioritize the good over the bad in your mind. I wish you all of the best going forward and please keep us updated of any future plans!!

Hi friend! the hair looks great!

Hi. What was the dates you were there? Thinking of camping this weekend and I’m wondering if it might be too cold. Thanks.

Justin, So very good to hear from you and excited to hear of your interest in wilderness therapy programs. My caution in that regard is to appreciate that all such programs are not created equally and the research remains inconclusive with respect to significant positive outcomes experienced by participants. That is certainly not to say this “treatment” modality cannot have a significant impact in increasing and possibly habituating problem solving skills useful for addressing life’s challenges. We all engage in problem solving, often through self counseling or self talk. The extent to which this is useful, I believe, is contingent on possession of the personal skill sets necessary to accurately evaluate what we are telling ourselves about events we encounter as we journey through life each day and how our thoughts about those events influence our responses. Given your apparent penchant for exploring any new area of interest, I have little doubt you have/will examine closely this field of interest to help guide you in your thinking about career decisions you may make. Using wilderness settings as a vehicle to help individuals broaden perspectives, increase problem solving skill sets, team building, self exploration, engage in rational thinking, etc, does have a proven track record, you need look no further than the Outward Bound program started in the UK in the mid 1940’s now found in many countries (including the US). Specifically, in the US, I refer you to a program with similar conceptual underpinnings, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) begun in Lander Wyoming in the middle 60’s. You may find of special interest, beyond their involvement with NASA, the University of Utah, and The Wilderness Medicine Institute, their role in initiating, organizing and leading Expedition Denali , the first team of African Americans to attempt a summit of Denali (Mt McKinley). I guess what I am trying to say, perhaps poorly, is if this is truly a career direction you want to move in life it may prove useful to build upon your already significant accomplishments by acquiring additional experiential/educational background that would support this pursuit. I apologize for running on for so long but after forty plus years of trying to make a difference in the life of folks who just need some help in acquiring the resources and skills necessary to become the person they each identify as contributing members of this challenging world in which we live, I have come to believe you have the prerequisite character, intellect and physical capability necessary to be successful in this field of endeavor and this is my way of offering encouragement. Best wishes and good thoughts coming your way, peace brother.

Ahhhhh!!! Justin! I’m so happy to see you!!!

Glad to see you again! I think you would be amazing at the Wilderness camps! If only I had the courage that you have when I was younger to follow my dreams.

Thanks for letting us know what ur up to. You have a great (screen) presence. I always enjoyed your videos Justin. You are well spoken. ☮️♥️

God bless you in your next endeavors. You are very honest and sharing and I think that is wonderful. Keep in mind that you really could not control how things "played out" on the AT. You put yourself out there because you had a vision. Even though it was not what you expected you finished the AT in spite of everything else that was happening in your world. Listening to you talk about the wilderness therapy I was struck by how appropriate that could be, I am guessing that is no surprise. I have never heard of that term but when I was young my mom sent me on a 3 week experience in the northern Maine wilderness and I was surrounded by young people from all walks of life that were experiencing the "outdoors" for the first time. I did not realize this for many years, but it was a really impactful experience for me. I am confident that you can impart some great knowledge and caring comfort to anyone in the wilderness therapy program. Good luck and I will look forward to future updates.

Super cute hair! Always love your honesty and straightforwardness in your videos. I feel that it is so hard to put into words what it feels like to come back from a thru hike…I’m over a year past when I completed my AT thru hike, and I still don’t quite know how to talk about to people who haven’t done one. I’m glad you’re getting some time and space to figure out what you might want to do next, and recovery is so important. Wilderness therapy sounds awesome! I will keep lookin for those further updates whenever you feel up to posting them. ✌️

Hi there. I think you will be great at helping people connect to the healing properties to Nature. It will nurture and strengthen your compassion and give you that sense of the wider purpose you strive for. I first saw you on your video hiking the Loyalsock trail. You were so enthusiastic and cool. Thanks for sharing how you feel now. You may be in a bit of a trough now, but soon you will back riding the crest of the wave. Grab hold of your time while you are young. Old age comes so fast. Finding out so young that you don't want to do a desk job is a hugh accomplishment. Though you are still searching for your calling, sometimes knowing what you don't want is a big saving grace. Hang in there. Keep connecting with nature and somewhere along the path/trail of life you may be fortunate to find some kindred spirits and the understanding you seek. It may not be evident to you in your current state of feeling and being, but the wisdom you gained on the trail/life's journey will always be within you as a precious gift you can share. 🤲 🌠

I think your view about your hike will change over time. It has changed you in ways you haven’t figured out yet. I saw you on trail in Vermont and we briefly talked. You are a part of a relatively small club, many of us felt lost upon returning to “real life”. In my days nobody talked about that. It’s hard having so much ahead of you and finding the right path in life. You will be fine. Don’t stop hiking. It’s good for you. Thanks for being so honest.

He went from Georgia to Maine alone and sur ived . I have an idea of some of the heartache and trials you dealt with . Fatigue hunger lonely and so many other feelings. But like the Phoenix he rose out of the ashes stronger and now teach others to be strong

Justin, I am super proud of you. I heard about your hike through your family. They were SOOOO proud of you. I had never heard of anyone that is young African American male and gay that has openly taken this journey. Your honesty and the sadness...will help someone ....you should seek some support....talk to someone who understands ALL your struggles...you have a lot of experiences to share, and these experiences will help someone else. It hurts now....but you will regain that spark...stay FOCUSED....I am looking forward to hearing your VICTORIES!!!

Hi Justin, I'm glad to see you again on youtube. Thank you for being so honest with us about your A.T. experience. It sounds like it was very painful both for how disconnected you felt from other people out there and for not meeting your expectations especially since so many people emphasize the social aspect of through hiking as one of the best parts of it. I know you said that you were disconnected beyond being black and queer, but at the same time how much do you think that really did contribute to the disconnection you felt out there? And if you think there was more beyond that what was it? Also you described your through hike as a failure. When I think of failure I think of something the person did to not succeed. Do you think there's anything you did to make your through hike a failure or do you think it was rather that the A.T. is not as comfortable a place for somebody who's black and queer as for others? You look really good and I'm glad that you're excited about your future career prospects.

Thank you for sharing your truth. I know it took a lot to get on here and share. I like you have different perspective and you kept it real. I look forward to seeing what will be next for you ❤

You are young, you think too much, you are healty, there is only one trailhead justin. Dalai Lama said to me years ago: if you only look at the end of your nose you will see a little, but if you look towards the horizon you will see the whole world. I just came back from Ukraine, everything was blown up there. But people, especially children, continued to believe in a better tomorrow.

Justin my heart goes out to you , Post Tru hike depression is real and I do admire your accomplishment and your honesty. Hope this video confession has helped and please take care of your mental health

Glad to hear from you again, and yes love your hair

It was good to see another video from you pop up Justin and btw love the hair. Attitude is the 'little' thing that makes a big difference. You inspire Justin more than you realise. I listen to just how much you think in depth, your mind is getting its shit together and slowly you will work it all out. Someone below said it, you have a knack of drawing people to you, I think its the straight talker, no mincing words, say it as it is kind of person. Yes it would feel weird coming home, no doubt about it, you are literally gone from the world as you know it and into another life for 8 months or whatever, come home, no things won't be the same, family dynamics as you said, everyday life, friends.... life moves on, life continues, little things change. Don't be disappointed in yourself, you did not fail. You only fail when you quit trying. Its the courage to continue that counts. All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them. Sounds like you have a good start to your future endeavours right in this video. Stay safe :)

Justin, it’s really great to see you again. Honest and true as always. I wish and hope that you find the joy you are seeking . As for the AT, you have inspired this LGBT senior Black women to start hiking. I never thought in a million years that I would even entertain such an challenge. But I’m making plans. I’ve done 10 Aids lifecycle rides and now I’m taking up hiking. Inspired by a gentleman named Justin who I’ve never met but who generously took me and so many others on an amazing adventure. You honored El Chapo. You honored the Native people who came before us and cared for the land. You cared for the land . It was lonely like many things are when a person finds themselves in a place where no one looks like them or has shared experiences. Bless you for hanging in there. So many are proud of your accomplishment and so inspired by your example . I hope one day you see the importance of your AT Thru hike. All the best in your new work. Any person who finds you as their mentor and guide , will be the luckiest person ever ! 😊

I'm still listening to this video, but these are thoughts I have... just listening and observing and, of course, my own experiences in life bias me. One, the feeling of being lost is a terrible feeling - feeling purposelessness is well, hard. And, seeing how other people get a deeper meaning in life and develop deep relationships and then you find your experience walking away from it with NOT getting that is a super "empty" feeling. Life can be really lonely in your own head. Just keep listening to your head. And I think what you are thinking of doing sounds really good and fulfilling - that seems to be what you are searching for - MEANING. I get it. I struggle a lot with that too. and I'm a LOT older than you. And being a wilderness guide would be wonderful - and I hope you can find meaning in that route.

Justin, you are a quality human. I still remember your beautiful tribal acknowledgements as you traversed their territory. Giving back to others, as you now seem destined, with fill your own cup. That’s what will bring you happiness. You learned a lot during this past year that has value. Share it. You could be the change in a young person’s life. What greater gift?