Ha! "Unique" sounds like a euphemism to me lol!

@@TheLongRanger I have done 500 miles in a week... on a bicycle. I don't know anyone else who even _wants_ to do anything like that on foot!

Definitely not an everyday thing. I started overnight backpacking trips the winter before, before even moving up to trying the 50 mile day in May. Afterwards, all through the summer, I did 50+ mile days, culminating in doing Segment 7 - 1 of the CT in ~55 hours. Only then did I felt ready to take on the whole trail a month later, hoping to finish in 10 days.

I usually bring some earplugs with me, although I usually only use them if humans are around (and loud!)

@@TheLongRanger Oh ok. The squishy ones like playdough (soft silicone) work way better than the foam ones, FYI.

I'm not sure if the CT has been completed in Winter. Anyone know?

​@@TheLongRanger Don't think it's been "officially" done. Unofficially, who knows. Sounds like an opportunity! I bet you have the aptitude for the first self-supported winter FKT since unsupported may not even be reasonable. Not many people can even attempt winter records. Plus the CT has always been difficult for unsupported record setters even in summer. Shawn Forry holds the FKT for the PCT in winter (with Justin Lichter). Forry also held the unsupported FKT for the CT before Zahorian. You could reach out to him and ask what he thinks about the idea.

@@TheLongRangerTwo dudes did a late winter thru hike/ski in 2022. Started April 9, ended on May 6.

Niiice.

Right?!

Thanks Adam!

You are welcome! Let us know how it works for you!

Right?!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your Family, Mark!

This would be a very advanced backpacking trip.

Are there easier ridge hikes that exist

Sure! One idea is to start at Berthoud Pass, and go towards Colorado Mines Peak. You can keep going on the ridgeline until you've got your fill and turn around and go back to the pass.

I wish thinking, that with the right mold, one could potentially make an entire zipper OUT of AquaSeal, solving many future problems.

Good idea!

The Katabatic quilts I've tried all have been too tight for me too. The FF Vireo works for me and I have pretty wide shoulders. The girth measures (shoulder/hip/foot): 64"/48"/38". That shoulder measurement is wider than most UL sleeping bags I've tested. My Western Mountaineering SummerLite measures 59" in the shoulder.

My Nobel Prize is in the mail- or so they tell me!

Sure! That can work. I have had some problems in windy conditions of my hat flying away!

Tilly hats that I use have the most sizes available in a hat company so they really fit well and are designed for use in wind while sailing. They are made of sailcloth and some new materials. I always remove the chin strap and it doesn't blow off my head under 25 mph​@@TheLongRanger

I can't argue -- those hats look niiice!

👆👉🫶🫶🫶

Two different philosophies for sure. Fenix lights are more about keeping it simple, while having a replaceable battery, while the BD headlamp is all about "batteries included" (sometimes literally) with a ton of features as well as the proprietary battery. The BD light may be a little more convenient on shorter trips, but for longer trips, being able to replace the battery once it's spent is pretty clutch for the type of things I do.

Sure! I respect people’s preferences to use whatever they like.

I just don't think it makes much financial sense -- maybe if the idea of Nolan's 14 was really mine to begin with (which emphatically it is not!), I'd be far more motivated to. But as it stands, the only thing I would charge for in the future honestly is an e-book or print on demand physical copy of the guide, something I have to put in even more additional work in to make something I'm proud of. I think there's value in that as it's yet another resource you can bring along and read while you're out on the route and the convenience of a guide you can bring up offline in a easy to read format would be worth something. And I also think most of the value of this guide is the Caltopo map with the tracks and the power of that is you can take the information and do what you want with it. Caltopo is an amazing platform to use it on, but I also respect that people may want to use something else. There's no way to "DRM" a GPX track and I loathe sites like AllTrails that attempt to put guide information behind a paywall. For now, I'd rather this project be seen as an excellent example of the type of work I can do while also being my way to offer a little act of service as I pay forward all the ways people have helped me out. And if people want to be consulted on the route via a video chat or even hire me as a backpacking guide on the ground because of this free guide, that's cool too (and if I get off my butt maybe I'll see what it takes to offer the latter officially). And if you find value in the guide in its present form, there's always a Patreon to join :) But no pressure on that,

Hey! You're welcome and thanks for following along -- I wish you the best of luck! (YOU GOT THIS!)

Kind words from you, sir!

Thanks! Let's get you on it!

@@TheLongRangerI’ll be there in 2025 🤝

@TheVirtualsherpa yeeeeeeees!!!

I've got three on me right now!

I linked my review of sun shirts in the description of this video. I think the Ketl Nofry (the red one in this video) is my favorite!

Excellent!

Great idea! I haven't checked out that specific sun hoody -- I'll put it on the short list for the next rev.

LOL focused on the important things!