My buddy's trail transformation over 6 months was wild to see

Ran into my friend Dave on the Appalachian Trail near Harpers Ferry last weekend. Six months ago he was the guy with a 60 pound pack full of canned food and a cast iron skillet. This time he had a frameless pack under 20 pounds and was crushing 20 mile days like it was nothing. Said he just got sick of being miserable and started cutting every ounce after his first trip to the Whites. Anyone else watch someone go from gear disaster to trail pro that fast?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_williams5d ago

That's the magic of getting your ass kicked on trail - it either breaks you or makes you figure it out real quick lol. Dave probably looked at that 60 pound pack and realized he was carrying his problems instead of just what he needed for the day. Once you hit that point where you'd rather sleep cold than carry the extra weight, there's no going back.

keith1645d ago

That 60 pound pack number really stood out to me, @michael_williams. How long did it take Dave to figure out he was packing his problems? Because I've seen people carry that kind of weight for weeks before they finally snap and start mailing stuff home from a post office. Did he hit that point on day three or did it take him hitting a real low point like a bad fall or getting stuck in a storm? The difference between carrying gear you actually need and carrying gear you just think you need is a hard lesson. Once you realize your sleeping bag is warm enough without the extra liner and your stove is fine without the backup, that's when the pack really sheds weight. I'm curious if he had a specific moment or if it just slowly clicked for him over a few days.

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aaronroberts5d ago

What was the moment that finally pushed Dave to send stuff home though? For me it was day four on the JMT when I stopped to take my pack off and just sat there on the trail for like 20 minutes staring at it, realizing I'd packed three pairs of pants for a two week trip lol. I ended up mailing home a bunch of stuff from Red's Meadow and my pack went from 55 pounds down to 38 and I felt like I was flying the next day. The funny thing is you don't even miss the extra stuff once it's gone, you just wonder why you thought you needed it in the first place.