WILL ROBINSON aka AKUNA MATATA ~ THRU HIKING GEAR & TRAIL WISDOMS
“There is no cure for PTSD. What I’ve learned on trail is how to better manage it.”
GEAR
FOOD
• Knorr Sides
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PACK
• Hyperlite Windrider 2400
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SLEEP
• Big Agnes Fly Creek 2
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• ZPack Duplex
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• Therm-A-Rest pump
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MISC
• “WILD” by Cheryl Strayed movie
VIEW
• Appalachian Trail
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• Continental Divide Trail
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• Wonderland Trail
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• Long Trail
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• Ice Age Trail
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• Lonestar Trail
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• Rawlogy Ball
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WISDOMS
THRU HIKING
• It’ll work itself out.
• There is no cure for PTSD. What I’ve learned on trail is how to better manage it.
• When I was in situations where things like this occur, when you’re out on the trail you
can’t run from them cause you can’t just go to your house and lock yourself in your room. You kinda have to figure out a way to deal with it.
• The waiting game in between seasons is like torture for me sometimes.
• One of the best things about thru hiking to me is socializing with people.
• I’ve learned over the years, like that extra filter… I don’t need that extra filter.
Worst case scenario my filter clogs or breaks, I can find another hiker and I can use
their filter and when I get into town I can get another one.
• Walking in the wilderness, there’s so many great sounds. It’s so cool, but after a while you need distractions. Especially going up hill. Nothings worse than having 25-30 miles ahead of you to get to town with 4000-5000 feet of elevation gain and you can’t listen to your audio books. That is like the longest day ever right there.
• Since my pack is only 40L on the interior, anything I can get smaller is better.
• They tell you that you should do a lot more of is to make noise while you’re hiking.
Even if you’re a person or it’s early in the morning and you’re usually more quiet
during that time, every so often make some type of noise to let other animals in
the area know you’re there. You’re less likely to have that bad interaction with them.
• And of the stuff that you need to do the (body) maintenance,
that is all weight that is well worth it.
• If you have demons that you try not to think about, they’re going to come out.
• One of the big things I can tell people that are going on a thru hike is
you’re going to think about everything cause you have nothing but time.
So be prepared to live in your head.
FOOD
• I don’t care how much you change your food, how much extra food
that you start packing, there’s no way around hiker hunger.
• That first week, two weeks maybe three weeks, you’ll probably find that you’re not eating as much as you thought you were and you have all this extra stuff. I would tell anybody don’t adjust your food just yet. Once your hiker hunger kicks in you may need that extra stuff you weren’t eating plus some. And at some point in your hike it really doesn’t matter how much you carry, you’re going to eat it all.