Ramdino (Appalachian Trail YouTube celeb) suggested on his most recent video that I could have saved myself the trip to Quebec and just spent some time at a grocery store’s walk-in freezer. I also probably could have avoided this crash course with Hurricane Francine in September and just spent an afternoon walking around in a car wash. But like Ramdino says, “Luscious, he does everything to the max.”

Let me first take a moment to acknowledge our countless neighbors in Virginia, Tennessee, and especially western North Carolina, impacted by Hurricane Helene. I filmed this gear test during the relatively tame Hurricane Francine a few weeks prior, which by the time it hit Memphis was downgraded to a tropical storm. I was on an epic roadtrip to the Ozarks staying a few days in Memphis by chance anyway, so decided to take advantage of the poor weather. I don’t mean to be insensitive to the destruction these storms cause. I’m no stranger to them after 15 hurricane seasons living in the Outer Banks! Those of you in the process of mourning losses, rebuilding homes and businesses, you’re in my thoughts every day.

Gear tested by our lady Francine:

• REI Co-op Minimalist GTX Mittens 2.0 (XL) 50g
• Montbell Versalite Jacket (XL, gunmetal) 211g inc. 12g stuff sack
• Montbell Versalite Pants (L, black) 104g inc. 10g stuff sack
• Sealskinz (cold weather mid-length XL) 157g
• Zacks pack cover (L) 47g w/ stuff sack

I didn’t follow up in the video about the pack cover, but it performed as expected. The material absorbs no water, so it just beads up. My pack is already fairly waterproof, so the added protection may be unnecessary, but at least in winter I’ll continue to inhabit better safe than sorry territory!

This weather event went a long way toward giving me confidence I’d be okay on windy AT summits, occasional rainy days, and probably random snow days, too. All of the items fit even when I’m wearing all available layers underneath… And you know that will happen, maybe even on Day Zero!

Apologies for the radio silence! For a while the most common questions I got from everyone I encountered were “When are you starting?” (January 2025) and “Which direction are you going?” (northbound) and “Are you going with anyone?” (no, just me!) But these days the most common question I get is, “How was the AT?!” So an update is clearly overdue.

I spent most of October doing training hikes 2+ days per week. Aside from a fun 3-day diversion on 50-mile Jockey’s Trail, all of my practicing has been in and around Nags Head Woods. It hasn’t been particularly noteworthy. Just hundreds of miles with an obnoxiously overloaded pack, doing laps around the same small loop trails in perfect autumn weather near sea level with elevation gain measured in inches. It’s kept me in good shape, but not brought me closer to Springer Mountain readiness with under 2 months to go!

And so it was time to get serious. I had two weekends worth of parties to attend in New England and a gap in between begging to be exploited. I got a headstart during the first weekend in Vermont (HBD, Mary B! 😘) where it dipped below freezing so I camped outside my AirBnB. But to get any colder, I knew I’d have to head farther north. And while this video is neither cohesive nor coherent, at least it gets me back in the groove of posting.

Notable firsts on this trip:

• 1st time sleeping out in below freezing temperatures (24°F)
• 1st time wearing my AT hiking clothes while actually hiking
• 1st time needing my Kahtoola MICROspikes on icy trails
• 1st time hiking with all this on an actual mountain
• 1st time making video and blog posts without my MacBook: video editing with LumaFusion, and photo editing with Affinity Photo
• 1st time thinking, “Wow, 38°F is downright balmy!”

I wish I could have experienced temperatures closer to 10°F on this trip for added confidence, but some things must remain a mystery until I reach the AT. Things like, “What does it feel like to freeze to death?” and “Will I poop more often or less often when it suddenly becomes much less convenient?” and “Where can I go hide out for 6 months while everyone thinks I’m still thru-hiking?”