10 OVERRATED Spots on the Appalachian Trail that secretly suck
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
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Two Appalachian Trail thru hikers go through the 10 most overrated parts of the Appalachian Trail. It's all for fun folks, and so of course Baker Bokorney joins the show to complain about our favorite trail. Is McAfee Knob worth the hype? Is the 100-mile Wilderness really all that remote? Is Mount Washington really that special? Tune in and find out.
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Trail Tales episode 160 (Kyle Hates Hiking podcast)
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Two things Baker might want to think about bringing even on a day hike: a source of light other than your phone and a length of cordage. I always have a head lamp, even on a day hike, which has come in handy when stuff happens and it gets dark, and approximately 60 feet of 550 paracord that I normally use for hanging food but also bring along on day hikes. I have used the cordage for lowering my bag ahead of me or pulling up my bag behind me when travelling off trail, and I need to do some climbing.
Headlamp is useless too unles you have access to it. Some kind of light source that is always on you woul'd be nice.
It can be headlamp too if it is small and you have pocket for it.
Agreed Washington should have a special line for hikers. 😂
haha I guess Baker didn't have to be ashamed for that after all!
While we're at it, we should add a special line for thru hikers in the food court, too.
My biggest gripe on the AT was having to stop every 5 seconds to skip all the podcast commercials. My God. How's that for entitlement?!? 😂
😂😂
Mount Mitchell (Not on the AT is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi 6684 in NC). Clingmans Dome is the highest point on the AT (6643) with Mt. Washington the second highest point on the AT (6288), the hight point in the Northeast. Mt Guyout would be the second highest point on the AT, but it doesn't directly cross the peak on the trail. All of these are in NC/TN: Mt Graig 6647, Mt Guyout 6621, Balsam Cone 6600, Mount Gibbs 6520, Mt Chapman 6417, Richland Balsam 6410, Potato Knob 6400, Lickstone Ridge 6380, Old Black 6370, Mt Hallback 6329, Celo Knob 6327, Blackstock Knob 6320, Waterrock Knob 6292. You guys bring up some good points, but a lot has changed since my 1990 thru. I still love section hiking it to this day though, but still avoid sleeping in shelters. As a Virginian, it's really offensive to call the area shitty in your comments. Thanks for visiting the state though, maybe you'll never come back !
Blood is a fun climb from both sides, but I saw people struggling on the section with big rocks, Neel's gap has the shoe tree, they need a craft brewery and food trucks. Cut the line at the summit sign😆.
i agree about the food trucks! Love a good food truck
This was so incredibly interesting!!! My heart just sunk when he was telling the story about his pack! I was literally yelling OH NO!!!!😮😮😮 I am so claustrophobic, just imagining his adventure was giving me heart palpitations 😂😂 you guys are so awesome 💕💕
hahaha thank you for watching! I'm glad he got the pack back
What a great episode! Explanations brought on several chuckles. Fun stories.
Thanks for watching!
Greeting from Southern California via Bozeman Montana via Roseburg, Oregon via Homer Alaska….new subscriber. Love your videos
Awesome episode & I appreciate the honesty, there's nothing worse than acting like everything is wonderful when it isn't!
Loved Baker's story, sounds like my luck!
Happy Birthday Baker 🎂🍰
Baker rules! Thank you for watching!
I remember Neels gap.
They had food, cold drinks, a good gear store, shakedown service, a hostel and free camping out back.
I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Nice people too.
Omg omg omg a new trail tales is posted!!!
OMG, Baker’s story!! Great podcast Kyle
Oh I see that Fender Strat in the background. With the CBS era headstock….my fav! Rock on 🤘🏼
You should come visit Norway some time. A lot of amazing routes and nature around here. I’m not saying the US isn’t cool, but I absolutely prefer the Norwegian mountains and climate. Everything from the tundra, mountains, glaciers, etc. to the fjords and the northern lights 😜 a shitload of nice animals too. Not to mention the Norwegian huts.
I would let a thru hiker cut the line on Mt Washington, I would probably try to get everyone to let hikers cut the line ! (You hiked how many miles to get here ?!!)
😂😂
When I hiked the hundred mile dub , other than the lakeside hostel , I recall crossing one logging road , seeing zero vehicles , it felt very remote .
Lol, as someone who drives on highway 129 every so often, Neels Gap makes us laugh. It’s a curve in the highway going 45 mph, we just watch out for the oddness of pedestrians on this winding mountain road. Also amusing to stop in and find out they are the busiest mail stop, the sheer amount of gear that gets shipped out or abandoned. That’s its entire claim to fame for the outside world. Nothing there.
Great podcast y’all!
Horse grime is a real thing for sure - I brush mine all the time, but bathing is the only way to totally get rid of all the dirt!
I literally just had an ah-ha moment when y’all were talking about this, and realized this may be why when my mother in law visits and I come up from the barn she always wants me to take a shower before we start cooking!😂 (I mean I DO wash my hands really good first! 😮😱)
And I loved the pony riding advice too! If you didn’t die I bet you would get a lot of views 😂😅
😂😂 def won't be riding any horses for views
Washington needs a line for hikers- agreed. Hiked it in my 20s, finally got my picture this past summer (in a backpack- was section hiking the summit to Highland center with my kid) because the line was too long when I had hiked it. My husband was my section hike sherpa/ride at ends, and I paid him with a Cog ride up (he is NOT a hiker). As there was no one at summit when first train let off- I was OK with summit pictures of us- but my husband and kid must have asked me 20 times if was REALLY ok to take the picture. NOT PETTY! Mt Greylock in MA feels the same for me, too- BTW. NOT PETTY, not petty- NOT petty!
Couldn’t agree more on the ‘remoteness’ of 100 mile wilderness. I got trail magic in the 100 mile on my thruhike. This was legit trail magic too, they were out there barbecuing. I just remember thinking how did they get out here with all this stuff if this is such remote wilderness
After listening to trail tales since its inception, and watching Kyle since his first video, this was a big episode...Baker does not look how I imagined.
P.S Baker is my favorite guest.
Kyle what a great video!!! Loved it!!!
Great episode. Love the story at the end.
Thanks for watching Tim!
I agree with you Kyle, I don’t often stay in shelters but I love having lunch at shelters.
facts! love a good shelter. just don't love the mice lol
Interesting tale at the end! Yeah, not something I might have thought about, if I ever had to blindly push my bag ahead of me. Hmmm. Maybe before entering that sort of terrain, I could tie a not-too-long length of cord to the bag, and keep the other end either in my hand, or tied to me somehow. ? But that would certainly be an extra PITA, and might carry its own entanglement/entrapment risks, and probably would only be needed 1% of the time, lol. Probably best to just be mindful and extra careful if that circumstance should arise . . . :)
Object retrieval… if you can’t reach it or see, use your foot.
Just from the intro i say an emphatic NO to all of what was mentioned
They are kind of whiney today, LOL.
Does trail tales still do trail overview episodes? I went on the Grand Enchantment trail this fall and thought it was a pretty sweet trail that lots of people don't know about
Have you looked at hiking Ouachita National Recreation Trail. It has shelters.
😂 are you joking
Neils gap slaps, mt washington should have an express line. The ice cream challange was overrated. Theres a beach like 100' from there, skip the bad ice cream go swimming. The rollercoaster was 100% overrated.
Serious question. There are a bunch of shelters on the AT with no privy. So when its crowded, where does everyone go poop?
Trowel?
@@philippal8666 Cat hole on top of cat hole on top of cat hole....?
.Shelters suck - sorry Kyle, I’m with Baker on this one. The critters and human-caused dirtiness ruined it for me. Props to the group that maintains the pristine and magical Quary Gap shelter in PN. It’s the exception.
Grayson Highlands was a magical winter wonderland when I passed through. It was gorgeous and a highlight of my thru. Not overrated for me.
Lines for photos at McAfee and Mt. Washington were totally lame - agreed.
THE NOTCH!! Ugh, the notch in the rain. That’s all I’ll say.
😂 thanks for the insight
Same, day hike from Elk Garden all the hoarfrost from moist air being pushed up and over the notch was a winter fairy tale. I've had multi-day campsites a couple times at the State Park, love the area.
If the only way the doughnuts can come up is cable car, it’s ok. If everyone is driving past and Walmart is setting up, that’s irritating
Pony hater 😂. I lucked out on Washington getting there after visitor center closed. Great video 👍
It wasn't stupid to push your bag out, you didn't have a choice, it was stupid to go in a dark hole you know nothing about, snake haven, especially by yourself, glad it worked out though..
175 steps at Amicolola Falls? You must have entered from a trail nearer to the top. There are 604 steps from the parking lot.😅
Things I’ve learnt. Sleep on peaks and knobs.
A great episode as always 🫡
thank you for watching!!
Amicola stairs weren't that difficult. I never long hiked before, 60ys, but that's only a number, my pack was about 30lbs. and it took me maybe 1.5 + hours. I stopped rested and talked to others on my way up.
It truly pains me to hear what has become of the hundred mile wilderness .
Most dayhikers climb blood mountain SOBO. It’s like double the climb compared to the NOBO climb.
true...
@@trailtalespod probaly not a big deal either way for you thru hikers. But I hiked up the same direction nobos do when I first went up and had the same thought (easier than expected) but when I went down the other side was def like wow this way is a lot longer.
You should do the same topic for the pct
good idea!
Well you knew you would get disagreements, and I absolutely disagree that Neel Gap is overrated. It's been quite some time since I passed through there (but will do so again as a thru hiker in 2024), but they are so helpful to so many hikers that are having trouble with their kits, trying to reduce their pack weights, and shipping stuff out that people have decided to quit carrying, as well as accepting resupply packages taking up space in their store. To me they are underrated if anything.
fair point!
The funny thing is I see this a goal in a back-handed sense. The shoe tree is epic in that people decide that maybe hiking the AT is not for them and this is OK, it's truly a life decision, no? In contrast. if you make it there, have 30 miles under your belt and you're doing OK, you've met the minimal entrance test. the real start of the through-hike. kind of an unappreciated moment. Of course you will see wider vistas, hike taller mountains, and, of course, endure tougher tests and may even get knocked off the trail, but after Neel's gap...you belong. I always thought it would be funny to be a SOBO, quit at Neel's gap. throw your shoes in the tree, but that's just me.
My top three overrated not included-
1. Trail Days in Damascus. Too many people, too much commerce…get me outa here!
2. Shenandoah National Park. Not many cool views, Waysides were meh including the overhyped and overpriced milkshakes, best views were on the road and so many people
3. Visitors centre at Amicolola. Great to get my thru hiker tag and so grateful for the volunteers but a lot of fear mongering regarding the difficulty getting to Springer and the Georgia section. Like Kyle, this is delightfully easy hiking if you are reasonably fit and prepared.
Thanks for sharing your list! I totally disagree about Shenandoah, I loved it! But, to each their own. Thank your for watching
Fair enough! To be clear I enjoyed Shenandoah, it just didn’t live up to the hype IMO🤷♂️
Can see both, sure it serves the purpose of seeing AT personalities but so what, every through-hiker is a personality in their own way. The funny thing is I can agree with the SNP but not really. It's in my backyard so it's always there for a day hike for me. But ... if you were doing a through-hike I could see it as being a little tedious, so just depends who you are if it's a great destination or just more work.
Of course, kyle can fly up the steps and fly up blood mountain
He's a 46-R !!!
I hiked blood mountain before I finished the ADK 46!
@trailtalespod O , I see, I did not know that, You're videos are helping me get through COVID. I'm very sick and have been lying here for 4 days now
Happy new year, I would love to hear about your 46 r journey.
So - before I comment on the points you are making, I need to say how shocked I am.
I now live in East Africa. You chose to walk the AT. You had the time to walk the AT. You are whining about a great adventure. When you are in mud enjoy the experience.
Walking in mud in Vermont is better than walking through raw sewage to get to your school in the slums. Seeing ponies on the trail are nicer than dealing with rabid dogs on your way to that school. Trail shelters, even though they suck, are better than living in a one room tin shack with a dirt floor. You walk two hours to work to save the 40 cents that it would cost to take a matatu (bus.) This is what life is like for some people in Africa.
You had the experience of a lifetime on the AT... and you are complaining and whining about parts of the AT.
Step back a minute. Don't have expectations and enjoy the moment....
Now my comments on your "overrated" low points of the AT.
What is worse than Mt Washington are the AMC Huts. They are an elitist but ugly pimple on the face of a beautiful landscape. But the food is good.
PS - Hit Mt. Washington early in the morning and you will not see a soul. And then you will love Mt. Washington. (And will not have to wait in line to have the pic taken)
PPS - Please don't tell us about your diarrhea episode by the Knob. Propriety does have its place. Been at the Knob all by myself for three hours. it was a cold day.... but beautiful. Don't compare one view with another. I had a magic moment all by myself on the Knob. Plus I watched a bald eagle fly by me while I was sitting there.....
PPPS I never stay in shelters. NEVER. EVER. They used to be great, but now too many people use them. I don't even stay near shelters. Yuck. Mice will bite into your tent....
PPPPS Stairs: There are other ways to get to Springer than the stairs.....
PPPPPS - We all know that the 100 mile wilderness is not a true wilderness, but it is a beautiful section.
PPPPPPS - I never got sick of Mahoosuc Notch. I loved it. It is fun. Just take your time. Are people on trail just to get from Georgia to Maine or to enjoy the whole experience.? Why climb up or down Mahoosuc Notch in the dark??? Take a break and wait untill morning....
PPPPPPPS I heard you say you delete comments. Don't do it except for out and out hatred, or violent threats. Otherwise leave all comments in there even if they are mean or make fun of you. Censorship is a terrible thing. Funny episode....
Wow. Yeah, you have a lot of feelings about this video. 😮
@@thisbeem2714 Correct.... but it's all cool.
Your friend Baker learns the hard way!! He presses his luck way too much, in the end he got lucky to get his pack back with everything inside! Nothing down in those caves,
maybe a skeleton of the unlucky.
Shelters seem like a disgusting place to catch an illness!
depends on the shelter!
Rodent-borne illnesses are part of an authentic trail experience, like norovirus, giardia, or Lyme.
@@bbokorney To each his own, no thanks !
Kyle only like shelters bc he didn’t sleep in them very often 😂
😂 I've spent many a night in shelters, not just on the AT
4:30 before they start talking about the subject.
Roan highlands > Grayson
facts!!
if you time all the heath plants
Glad you got bucked off the pony and ticketed, Kyle. You could have injured it and animals have boundaries, just like people. Not all dogs like random people touching them either, and if you're dumb enough to stick your hand in a strange dog's face and you get bit, that's your fault.
I was joking haha, obviously did not ride the pony
Umm it was a joke friend. 😂
❤️🇮🇪
thanks for watching!
I hike but hikers have this Ego about walking and I just want to grab them and say you are WALKING you are not special .. Read a book people have been doing it since the dawn of time ..
😅
That was a great story at the end. Could happen to anybody kinda thing.
absolutely, glad he got his bag back!
Definitely could happen to anyone dumb enough to crawl down into a dark, dank cave.