JOSH TIBBETT aka CHEESEBEARD ~ THRU HIKING GEAR & TRAIL WISDOMS
“It changes kinda the way you look at life. Some things seem a lot less important. You know kinda of like what you can push yourself to, the limits in your head and in your body. ”
GEAR
FEET
SHOES
Oboz Sawtooth (on the AT)
VIEW PRODUCTLa Sportiva Wildcat (on the PCT)
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Darn Tough
VIEW PRODUCTBalega Socks
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FOOD
• Green Belly Bar
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PACK
• Hyperlite
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SLEEP
• Enlightened Equipment Quilt
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• Therm-A-Rest XLite
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• Tarp Tent Protrail
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• Gossamer Gear The One Tent
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CAMERA & FILMING EQUIPMENT
• Keyhole Hands Free Camera Harness
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• Camera Lens 24-105mm
MISC
• Head Net
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• Long Sleeve Button-up
• 40% Deet Lotion
• Trail Angels – Scout and Frodo
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• Trail Angels - Hiker Heaven
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WISDOMS
GEAR
• Keep your camera on your chest by replacing the sternum strap with a camera harness so you can whip out your camera all of the time. So I went from shooting 2500-3000 photos on the PCT to shooting around 9000-10000 photos on the CDT.
FEET
• On the AT, Pennsylvania’s the only time that my feet really got messed up and that’s just all the rocks. You just take a beating and your bones end up hurting.
• Find a shoe that actually works for you. Cause every shoe is based on a different foot model and people just don’t have the same feet. There’s a shoe out there for you, you just have to dial it in and find the right one.
• On the CDT I had this really weird pain in my foot. It felt like I stepped on a nail day 1. I bumped into this girl who was flip-flopping and she was like “Yeah I had a problem like that last year I just loosened my shoelaces.” I was desperate so I’ll try anything, so I loosened my shoelaces even more and the next day it subsided and within 4 days I had no pain.
FOOD
• Dinner – off brand macaroni and cheese every night when have stove
• Breakfast - Pop-tarts or Greenbelly Bar
• Lunch – Tuna wraps or bologna on bread and mayo; Always chips
• Big Hunk Bar
• Real Cheese – extra sharp cheddar lasts even in the desert for 4-5 days
• On the trail, if it’s not 100 calories or more per ounce it’s not worth carrying.
• I hate carrying more than 5 days (worth of food) because its so damn heavy. Typically food is about 2-2.5 pounds per day for me. My base weight is about 17 pounds with camera. Water, usually carrying about 2 litres and its 2 pounds per litre.
• Never rely on a water cache in the desert. I carried 6 litres. When I would get to a water cache, I’d drink a litre and fill a litre.
RESUPPLY
• I don’t do bounce boxes. I will hold onto it until I’m pretty much done with it, then I’ll ship it home.
• Resupply boxes I only do one if I think it’s the best option. Sometimes on the CDT you don’t have an option. Keep it as simple as possible.
THRU HIKING
• The final 500 miles of the PCT are the best 500 miles. And the final 200 miles especially are some of the best I’ve ever hiked...Washington explodes around you.
• It changes kinda the way you look at life. Some things seem a lot less important. You know kinda of like what you can push yourself to the limits in your head and in your body.
• My whole goal is to get back out there. I do whatever it takes to go out again. Work to go out and hike or travel. Doing the AT made me realize what makes me happy and what I want to pursue.
• The CDT is a whole other beast. That ones pretty rough mentally and physically. It’s pretty abusive to say the least.
• I had a rule for myself on the AT that I was not allowed to quit, unless I wanted to quit 3 days in a row. I never made it past 2 days of not wanting to do it.