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 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?”
I was given a trail name last night as mentioned in the quick video below. I’ve paraphrased the scene for you below as best as I can recall how it played out. Apologies to my new friends if I didn’t get it quite right.
[A dozen prospective AT thru-hikers plus handful of veterans sit around a campfire at Woods Hole Hostel, Virginia, NOBO mile 625.]
RTK: “So, does anyone have any final questions or topics they want to cover tonight?”
Benj: “Well, I still need a trail name…”
RTK: “Okay. Look, everyone, it’s not often you get a chance to give someone their trail name! Let’s take a shot at it…”
Benj: “Maybe something to do with technology? Who was the guy who developed new tech for James Bond? Wasn’t it Q?”
Ramdino: “No, Q was from Star Trek.”
Pony: “How about Batman’s tech guy?”
Benj: “Alfred?”
Pony: “No, his name was Lucius. He was in the comic books.”
Benj: “Never heard of him, so that doesn’t bode well for a trail name. And people will think it means Lucius Malfoy.”
Pony: “It’s Lucius Fox. But more likely people will confuse it with the word ‘luscious.'”
Benj: “Hmmm. I don’t know about this… Any other ideas?”
Pony: “Well, you can call yourself whatever you want, but you can’t really control what other people call you. Sometimes a name just sticks…”
RTK: “And there’ll be such a great story leading to this one. Around a campfire at Woods Hole Hostel [of Platinum-Blazing Hall of Fame] no less!”
Benj: “OK, I guess this is happening. I used the spelling Lucius, but you can pronounce it luscious, if you really want.”
Pony: “Luscious, Luscious!”
Everyone: “Luscious, Luscious, Luscious, …”
Ramdino: “I fixed the spelling on the support list to Luscious, and made it bold, all caps, and blinking. Oh, and I locked that trail name cell of the spreadsheet.”
Luscious: “I guess that settles it.”
[End Scene.]
I don’t know if this is already an Appalachian Trail aphorism, but it should be: “The Trail Giveth (my name), and the Trail Taketh Away (my dignity).”
I don’t know if this adventure is going to be strictly a vlog, or a mix, or what! I guess it depends on whether I have a lot to say that isn’t covered in my video footage, or whether I’m feeling camera-ready and/or wordy on any given day. But we’ll call it a vlog for now since this is all I have to say presently:
One more thing. (Clearly this will have to be a vlog+blog.) Comments and questions are welcome here or on YouTube. I guess I’d prefer them here because then they’re not owned by Google, but that’s a pretty weak preference. Whatever suits you! I’m guessing Migratory Pebbles will be populated more heavily by you few (but cherished!) long-time followers, whereas YouTube might have more random folks who love the Appalachian Trail? It’s all good.
Benj: ”How do you suppose that town’s pronounced?”
Seth: ”Well I don’t know, Benj.”
Benj: ”Let’s go with Fuck-a-Bears.”
Seth: ”… Alright.”
If you’re wondering why after 3 days of hiking, I’m only just now making a brief post, I could tell you it’s because of exhaustion. Hike 13+ miles a day. Eat, sleep, repeat. That would be true. It’s all-consuming.
It’s like that one section of road they use in every episode of The Walking Dead: non-stop déjà vu that I’ve been here before.
Or I could tell you it’s the alcohol. Yesterday we shared two flights of whisky before lunch. And there’s endless pints of beer. Stringing together a train of thought in the rare moment of downtime when I can reach for a device is truly aspirational. So there’s that. [I started this post while fully sober first thing this morning, but… it’s mid-afternoon now, and circumstances have shifted!]
It’s 11:30am somewhere. (Here.)
But the truth is, I downloaded the Apple Arcade title Wylde Flowers before my flight to London last week. I’ve been preoccupied with collecting eggs, milk, and honey, fishing, getting rich cooking and selling fish sticks, and flirting with the village’s hot doctor. IYKYK. Time spent undertaking these critical tasks means time not spent blogging.
I’ll be in Fairhaven if you need me. Oh, yeah, also the Scottish Highlands I guess?
Anyway, rewind a few days, and we were having breakfast in Buckie on the coast of the Firth of Moray before our first day of hiking.
Before starting the hike in Scotland, I had a few extra days to fill after spending last weekend with Felicity at school in Durham. So why not fill in some gaps in my country collection?!
My BFF, Jen, years ago gave me a special keychain-like keeper for country rings. They’re stainless steel with a unique 3-letter abbreviation for each country. On a good year I’ll add one or two new rings to the collection if I’m lucky.
All Your Country Are Belong To Us
Last year was a banner year introducing GRC, CHE, ITA, and LIE. The former was a January trip with Harry when a beautiful snowstorm shut down Athens for days. The latter three were courtesy of my Swiss spring break trip with Felicity, along with two gratuitous ring-grabbing side-trips by train.
This winter I finally visited BMU, closest ring to home! And now in a single three-day ring heist I’ve just bagged NLD, LUX, and BEL! It’s all a blur, but I’ll give you some highlights. I dropped my suitcase full of Scotland-bound hiking gear at the Left Luggage service at King’s Cross next to platform 9 3/4 (for real), took in a showing of Macbeth at the Globe (research?), a few hours sleep, then all aboard the Eurostar!
Amsterdam (➡️ Be ➡️ Ne)
The last time I went through the Channel Tunnel, aka Chunnel, I had an engagement ring burning a hole in my jacket pocket. (In my Jocket, if you will.) More than half a lifetime ago! The stakes were a lot lower this time. And I avoided France… just in case. Direct on to the Netherlands, waving to Belgium along the way. “I’ll be back!”
This Parkside ad was everywhere in the Belgian train stations.
First things first. I had pre-booked a cookie pickup at Van Stapele. Priorities!
Dark chocolate dough, white chocolate filling, and also some chocolate chips for the basic bitches.
Anne Frank’s house is closed one day each year: Yom Kippur. Aaaand for 3 days of maintenance coinciding perfectly with my BeNeLux trip. So best I could manage was an Anne Frank virtual geocache.
(also More Cowbell)
My kids insisted I go all the places AFC Richmond went on their Season 3 away trip. I settled on the Van Gogh museum, the Homomonument, and the red light district. (I put my camera away out of respect for the hard working people of Amsterdam, after a quick selfie.)
Looking forward to rewatching S3E6 with Harry soon. Leslie Higgins was here!
I also walked over to Boom Chicago, the comedy club where the Ted Lasso character was allegedly born. Then after over 24,000 steps, 12+ miles, I called it a night. There’ll be another early morning train tomorrow…
Luxembourg (➡️ Be ➡️ Lux)
On a Thalys train, back through Belgium again 👋 and on to the Grand Duchy you’ve all been waiting for!
I went on a wine tasting walking tour. No better place for day-drinking as far as I’m concerned. It’s just beautiful! But it’s shocking how quickly you become numb to views like this.
Okay, we get it Luxembourg. You’re cute. But… do you have canals like these other BeNeLux places? Oh, of course you do. ✅I’ve never been to Euro-Disney, but I have to assume it’s totally redundant.Lux and I were vibing, then I went and ruined it with this photo of a giant lamp post.Even the graffiti is adorbs.This place is ugly. Let’s get out of here. How shall we escape? Another early morning train!
Bruges (➡️ Be)
Instead of going through Belgium, we’re going to Belgium. It’s finally your turn! My BeNeBeLuxBe train circuit is now complete.
To be efficient, I found a way to combine beer, waffles, and chocolate: a beer tasting, waffle making workshop! I was teamed up with Anand from Birmingham as my lab partner. We had compatible shirt preferences.
Look at that shirt cuff. Anand is my doppelgänger.Belgian beer batter Belgian waffles with Belgian dark chocolate sauce on a Belgian plate.This is some Biscoff porn for Jessica to watch if she misses me while I’m gone on this trip.Okay, I just died from canal over-stimulation. If you want more of this filth, rent the Martin McDonagh film In Bruges. I’m Audi.
Tomorrow: Scotland!
Stay tuned for the Speyside Way whisky trail walking tour to actually begin SOON… So soon that I should be sleeping already. 😬
In the second half of September, Seth and I will be taking a week to hike the Speyside Way Whisky Trail through the highlands of Scotland, where most Scotch is produced. Find out if a Yorkshireman and an Irish/English/Czech American, both raised on strict diets of robust beer, can continue to walk straight after 93 miles of world-class distilleries.
But first, after arriving in London next week, I’ll have a few days to kill on the continent. Stay tuned for a whistle-stop tour of BeNeLux!
Yesterday morning, while the sun was still just rising on August 6, MA’s birthday, I scattered the rest of her ashes in the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay. She’s hiked along the length of Hadrian’s Wall with us in a jar in my backpack. This was the same spot of our glorious conclusion to the 192 mile Wainwright Walk back in 2015. (MA hiked herself across that one!) Eric took photos to mark the occasion.
Bye, MA. I love you tons.
Walking along the beach back to the village, Eric told me how several of his elder family members had instructed him to scatter their ashes on the family farm, though he doesn’t totally understand why. I suggested maybe it helps give them peace as they get older, knowing that they’ll eventually make it back to their Happy Place. And it’s nice to think that MA has many happy places. My sister Maggie has already brought some of her home to her beloved Florida Keys, and there are probably some other Happy Places in store…
View from one of MA’s many happy places.
And if you can believe it, with Eric as my witness, when we walked back to the Wainwright Bar next to the beach, the Beach Boys were playing this blog post’s title track. It brings me right back to the end of Love Actually, with the mosaic of family reunions at the airport. Kills me every time. ❤️
Eric hooked us up with a sweet post-hike cool-off weekend in RHB.
Big props to Hadrian’s Wall Wingman Eric, who made possible a post-hike weekend in Robin Hood’s Bay. I had given up on finding lodging, as everything was booked months in advance. But he found the cutest little AirBnB, one of the many cottages along the alleyways halfway down the steep hill. (If you’ve been to RHB, you know what I’m talking about!)
Eric noted the seagulls are worse for sleeping than howler monkeys in the Amazon.
Only downside: the seagulls are VERY active between the hours of 4:30am and 11:00pm. Right over my head in the attic bedroom!
Thanks also to Seth, his mom Anne, Ealish, and Sophie for joining us in Robin Hood’s Bay for a lovely beach afternoon. We revisited the Bay Hotel for dinner, the same place where we celebrated 7 years ago after finishing the Wainwright Walk. Such great memories it evoked.
I’d only seen RHB at high tide before. What a difference!
Any science nerd knows what makes these in the sand? [We have an answer: worm poo.]
Until our next adventure… Adios! (A tip of the sombrero to all the Duolingo Spanish we were all doing by the end of the trip. 🤓)
“I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.” ―George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
If you’re wondering if George had Hadrian’s Wall in mind when conjuring the wall in Game of Thrones, apparently that’s a big yes.
Day 7’s 12 mile walk from Newburn to Wallsend went by super fast. We wanted time to properly celebrate before going our separate ways beginning with Moe’s 4pm train. So we averaged sub-16 minute miles without stopping, banging out this last leg in barely more than 3 hours.
The last sign post, or the first for those traveling east to west.
Having seen no wall yet all day, it was nice to get this final glimpse at the very end!
Dave, an old AMD work buddy for all 4 of us, kindly received our luggage at home and delivered it to us at a pub across from the train station. Seth & Dave go waaaaay back.
After breaking company, Eric and I took a train to Whitby. Unfortunately, it arrived 15 minutes late, which gave us just enough time to wave at our bus to Robin Hood’s Bay as it pulled away on schedule. Fortunately, there were taxis available, which would get us to RHB before the bus would have! Unfortunately, the taxi only took cash. Fortunately, Eric had an old £10 note in his hat (don’t ask), and I found an old £5 note in my backpack. Unfortunately, our cash was so old it’s now out of circulation and the taxi driver wouldn’t take it! Fortunately, we convinced him to take a $20 bill instead.
So now we’re back in Robin Hood’s Bay, the finish line of our 2015 Wainwright Walk. I have some unfinished business with MA, who’s also completed Hadrian’s Wall with us now, and is itching for a swim tomorrow. Seth and fam are planning to drive up from York as well. So more on that tomorrow!
Jessica has had a few less than stellar days back home. I think subconsciously, deep deep down, she’s starting to miss me. So I took a picture of some flowers that are her favorite color.
Day 6 today was an easy breezy 9.5 miles from East Wallhouses to Newburn on the outskirts of Newcastle. We’re definitely in the city now. Like when Buddy the Elf hikes through seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then emerges from the Lincoln Tunnel. It’s kinda like that.
Meanwhile, tomorrow is our last day of Hadrian’s Wall! So I’m going to get some extra sleep before our long day of hiking, celebrating, and onward travel. But first I’ll put a smile on your face:
Moe and his pudding!
Having escorted pebbles from the Irish Sea to the North Sea on the Wainwright Walk, now Benj is eyeing the Appalachian Trail…
