I have to err on the side of the negative commentors a touch more than the sunshine and rainbows 'you're so cool' comments on this particular vid. But, whatever your purpose was for your rants today, I hope it helped you cope with your current challenge while showing it. This will go a long way on getting the negative out of you so sou keep carrying on toward your goal. Because if its this bad after a 12 mile water carry in your CYTC, I think you might need a couple more of these negatively oriented stick in the eye videos. You are on the older side of the country. This is where it all started. Everyone is closer together here than in the West. The entire country was cut bare at least once until some protected areas were developed during Westward expansion. You are walking from the wider south, funneling rapidly now toward the busiest set of cities on the Eastern Seaboard before going within an hour drive or less of the largest Cities including the Nation's Capital, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Allentown, Philadelphia, New York, Newark, Boston, Albany, Hartford, Springfield, And then the Northwoods take over in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. So, hard working colonists who didn't care about recreation, killed wild game to survive as well as sustain themselves. There are more population centers closer to each other in the northeastern United States simply by how the country was settled. Sorry it didnt workout that the decendents of our great Nation didn't think of it quick enough to qwell the development of Boston, New York, Philly, and eastern VA. I am a hunter and my family hunts and traps in PA. It is managed now. But I would recommend reading this book, "30 years a Hunter", by Philip Tomey. It is a story of one man and his family who sirvives and thrives during the surveying and settlement of Pennsylvania. It is a great story telling how many wildcats, snakes, bears, wolves, elk, and other large and dangerous game there were back in the 1700-1800s. The AT was finished around 1937. It was probably the most monumental restorative and conservation effort in 100 years of the entire country. Your spoken inner monologue on this episode is very interesting and somewhat highly entertaining. But it would be excellent material for a podcast with some of the imaginary and real characters you are talking to in your rant, but having them on the other microphones in order to hear the other side of the story. You hike your hike, I will definitely watch, but without trail legs and my desire to hike, not just camp, I will see the entire trail through section hiking year to year. There are many ways to eat the pie. And there are many ways to find water in the Shenandoahs. Too great to get into, but you can look at the National Geodetic Maps online, as well as carry USGS Quads and use mapping to find water along with recognizing vegetation, seasonal flow, there won't be too much melt this year but spring rains bring intermittent streams to life and some permafrost up higher might be letting go. You're really lucky to get through that part of the trail earlier in the year since water does actually become a challenge to most in the summer. This brings out more trail angels putting water drops at gaps and trail heads. But, I hope the next weeks are more positive on your psyche and your journey continues in the direction you want it to go! Good luck and Safe Travels!
Thank you for the thorough and thoughtful comment. I don’t respond to most comments because I don’t have the time, but also because most critical comments seem to have not comprehended my point. You clearly listened carefully and are capable of entertaining a nuanced point, even when you disagree with it. So thank you for your open mindedness. I chose to include my points of frustration in this week. Anyone hiking 2000 miles is going to have a down day or down week(s). That’s exactly what I’m showing you in this video. I strongly suspected I would receive negative feedback for including it. Keep in mind, I absolutely have the power to “editorialize” which clips I include in what I present as a representation of “this week”. I suspected my audience would “prefer” to not see this, nonetheless I included it because it depicts the reality, and it also depicts a truth of hiking more broadly, namely that we have down days and weeks. Most channels would simply not allow such moments to make the edit. When another vlogger takes a “week off” from the trail, I suspect this is roughly where they were at emotionally. You will note, among the feedback, the positive reception I received does not say “what a cool stud this guy is”, instead it says “as a fellow thru-hiker” I totally get it, we all have this kind of a week or weeks; thanks for showing the reality. Thank you for the book recommendation. I will download an audio form and listen to it next when I finish my current book.
You are hands down my favorite vlogger this year. Your honesty, keen observations, and unapologetic diatribes are so refreshing compared to the mundane/standard vlogs that just comment on the scenery. Even if your opinions don’t sit well with everyone, that’s why they’re your opinions and your willingness to share them shows there’s at least some working brain cells behind the camera. I greatly appreciate that. Thank you for your refreshing honesty.
I enjoy your ramblings. My mind randomly thinks about a lot of things when I'm on a long drive or hike by myself. Weird stuff I don't even think about thinkin. But you say it out loud to us and that's cool.
I love the insight into what you are thinking about on the trail. Not sure I agree or disagree with you, but you are clearly hiking your own hike. Looking forward to following your progress. Your videos are so real and inspiring
Too bad you could not see the beauty of why Shenandoah is a National Park. There are so many beautiful spots to hike there that aren’t on the AT. I’m Native American and the Parks roots are filled with my ancestors spirits. I feel it’s energy many places when my feet hit the ground there. It was that Park that showed me my love for hiking and from there I followed trails all over the US. I’m so thankful it was protected by a President who enjoyed its beauty and actually had a fishing cabin there. Just like the Smokies all Native American land. It made me sad to hear you voice that. By the way I see animals when I hike there. The bear, owls, bobcats and so many deer.
The kitty at the end of the video was amazing. Beautiful cat. And you caught the cat at a moment when she/he dashed off in search of prey. Great ending to the video where you aired some of your understandable grievances.
i totally appreciate your honesty and your outlook on things along your adventure... rants, venting, whatever and who cares... be you and let the others comments roll off.. i will watch the realness as you take on this calendar year triple crown... stay true to you and keep crushing your hike !!!!
First off, thank you for your tangents. I struggle to explain why I love that to the people in my life who have never done it. It’s always great to hear from people who understand. Also, SNP is a beautiful place rich with wildlife in the summer wherever the hordes of tourists aren’t. I think it was established as a NP and the road built to protect the wilderness and give people the experience of the wilderness from the comfort of their cars. Benton MacKaye was less than thrilled since it meant changing the AT. But it did keep the cities in the valley.
J, you are a rambling soul today. And i feel the need to respond. As a Pennsylvanian, I'm a bit hurt that you feel that because the season you are making your journey, you don't see much wildlife and translate that to mean there isn't much wildlife. Look around. The leaves aren't even out. I assure you there are leaves and there is wildlife. It's 1st week of April. (Only 3 weeks into spring) Please don't spread rumors that the eastern wildlife is nonexistent. It's been a joy observing you attempting your CYTC. Hike on in peace and health! ❤ a gentle reminder that your journey is your whole world, but it indeed is a snapshot of a moment in time.
The Appalachian trail has been hiked since 1937 but Far out comments have only been around since 2012. Generations of hikers have hiked the trail without Far Out comments so it's a pretty modernist mindset to be upset about hikers not using an app to help you with water sources. You touched on the mindset of a slow/fast hiker but maybe also think about the different generations of AT hikers and how they found water along their jounrey.
Prior to the digital age, people relied on paper maps and trail guides. Today’s hiker has it much easier in terms of navigation and knowledge of the trail. But all hikers, no matter what decade, are responsible for themselves and should not rely on others to tell them where to find water. Jaru, you choose to leave that water source with a half-full water bottle and that’s on you brother.
Shenandoah National Park was established for Skyline Drive. The road was developed then the land around it made into a national park. The park is a very narrow corridor with the road in the center. That's why you can see civilization all along the way. I agree that SNP is barely a NP. As a hiker, you honestly don't get to see the best of it, the drivers on the road get the best views at the overlooks. Part of that is because the original AT followed the path the road eventually took. They moved the trail to give drivers priority. I also was not that impressed by the SNP portion of the AT. But at least I got some Blackberry milkshakes when I was there in peak season. Hang in there, I can see that this week had some challenges for you!
SNP has over 500 miles of trails. There are many trails that are further away from Skyline Drive than the AT that are really gorgeous. Jones Run Falls and White Oak Canyon are a couple of my favorite spots, and I know that so many folks really enjoy the hike up Old Rag. Personally I prefer the hikes away from Skyline Drive over the AT in SNP, at least the sections I have hiked. That said, I still really enjoy the AT in SNP because it is so close to my home.
There was a beaver dam that I encountered in southern Pennsylvania that was a beautiful wildlife oasis. I could immediately sense that the wildlife were thriving in this small pocket.
@@JaruWalks Nice! You just triggered a very fond memory of a Pennsylvania beaver dam in the Tionesta Scenic Area of the Allegheny NF. I am now realizing it was 20 years ago 😳
Thanks for sharing your journey and the insights like getting in tune with the moon cycles, etc. I appreciate your willingness to understand others on their level. Kudos and God bless.
Shendoah is a national park because of a 115 mile scenic highway that runs the ridge. It’s not about spectacular hiking, it’s about the spectacular driving.
Good thing you was pushing for big miles because you would have not have beat the fire just saying love the vlogging thanks for documenting I’m pulling for you to achieve the triple crown
I live in Upstate NY in a small city, the animals you mentioned not seeing are nocturnal, as I'm sure you know. Put cat food on your porch for strays and you will see raccoon and possum within days. Other animals I've seen with my own 2 eyes are fox, skunk , deer, rabbit and the bane of my garden the woodchuck. I want to assure you the north east has ample wildlife
Born and raised on the east coast. Currently live in a suburban area that backs up to a good chunk of city-owned woods. They are FULL of possum, raccoons, owls, deer, coyote, squirrels, birds, turtles, the occasional rabbit, chipmunks... did there used to be more? Absolutely. I don't really see beaver or bobcats or turkey or foxes, all of which I'm sure used to be here. Also, every single time I visit the Smokies I've seen at least one bear. When someone on the AT hikes all the way through the Smokies without seeing a bear I'm always surprised. Also, A lot of those animals are very shy and you're not likely to see them but more likely to see the evidence of them.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💛💛💛💛💛💚💚💚💚💚💙💙💙💙💙💜💜💜💜💜 WHERE IS THE WATER? I WOULD LITERALLY PANIC 3 MILES INTO A 21 MILE SECTION THINKING I HAD ANOTHER 18 MILES TO GO WITH LESS THAN 1/4 LITER OF WATER LEFT. BASICALLY WHAT HE IS SAYING IS HIKERS PLEASE UPDATE FAROUT💕 BTW I LOVE YOU KEEPING IT REAL
...so after reflecting on this for a day or so, I thought I'd humbly pass along my perspective on SNP for your consideration... While the Smokies remain the most visited National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive (the part through SNP) have the most visitors of any National Park Service property - which makes sense as it connects SNP to GSMNP over ~470 miles. SNP is also the main NP for the Northern Virginia/D.C. region. So, you're spot on that the Park itself is a relative sliver of preserved land centered around the most popular NPS property, and bounded on both sides by towns or very small cities. The best parts of SNP you really don't get to see from the AT - personal favorites include Old Rag, White Oak Canyon, and Little Devils Stairs, etc. That said, I agree that hiking the AT through SNP can seem underwhelming compared to how significant the park is but it still has nice vistas and they do a lot to maintain the park -- so that at least makes it relatively enjoyable. Have a great hike!
Had a conversation last year on my section about the same. Comments are always appreciated. Water, wildlife, people. Make a comment. Give people a heads up. Good on you for being kind to that man. He might have scared someone else. A heads up is very helpful. It’s people being into their hike, I don’t believe malicious, they just don’t consider. And people don’t use FarOut to its full extent. People get caught up in their effort and sometimes do not take in different peoples perspectives. Lots of people do 10s, then increase as they go. May never hit 20, but that’s their hiking. They make it. If they have the time and resources it works. It’s that hike your own hike mantra. They may never have the thoughts of other trails due to that limit. And that ok for them. They may enjoy watching you do it! People should not look down their noses at anyone’s else’s hike. It’s their hike. And - You are early for a large amount of wildlife. They hear you coming. I promise eyes are on you. They are there. Tip: look up in the trees for porcupines! I really enjoy watching your hike.
I wonder if one of those ultra-marathoners you ran into at the Priest was Tara Treks (on youtube). She's a former AT thru-hiker ('19) that was training for the Black Canyon 100k by running up to the Priest around the time I think you were going through that section. Also, I saw 5 Stack got caught by the SNP fires around Thornton Gap. Glad you made it through. Have a great hike!
It will be very interesting to see what your opinion of the CYTC is once you are finished. If you finish it in a year. It can be a life enriching experience if you let it. There are more people than you know of that have hiked the CYTC they just don't need to brag about it.
Love your commentary, thoughts. Re A.T. wildlife: I recently learned of the near extinction of the American Chestnut tree throughout the Appalachians that totally changed the region, wildlife, human migration out of the region, etc.
I just realized how much you're crushing it. 😮 enjoying following you. Ribeye fat on your tongue 😂, you're funny. I was going to leave you trail magic but you blew by here before I knew it. As for animals, there are a lot, they just know how to hide frome people. Peace
Jaru not sure if you felt it, but today there was an earthquake at 10:23 am near Lebanon New Jersey. Felt in NYC, Pennsylvania, western Massachusetts, and north to Oswego NY. Here in Vermont I didn’t notice
Yes, I literally just recorded a video about it haha. I was in a shelter and I thought my ears were pulsating but it was the shelter. I was reading the NYTimes and then an alert popped up 4.8 earthquake hits nyc. I’m currently 45 minutes west of nyc.
I was thinking all the Natives that lost that land, and all the soldiers that fought and lost their lives. I would feel the spirit around me more than anything.
People post on Farout on necessity. Day hikers go through there a lot, but they don't need water, so don't think to post about it. Sometimes it'll rain in a spot, no one's been through and water source starts flowing again. Sometimes people already have water and aren't thinking about water to post about water. Some people hike their hike and magically think other people update things. I update things based on being a Google local reviewer. I'm incentivised to do so. Not everyone is
Just a thought these trails will either make you or break you. Its all up to you. Are you going to fall in love with hiking these trails. Or let your mind go to a different place. Stay positive in your head.
It seems like you have gotten into a toxic headspace and I hope you are able to turn it around or else it will wreck your ability to reach this goal. There was so much entitlement in this video that it was shocking. You are acting as if the trail and every person on it owes you something. Please let someone talk some sense back into you or else this attitude will be your undoing. Really disappointed in this video.
I agree, almost "thumbs down"ed it. But I don't know how that effects UA-cam algorithms. 😕 He will be ok once the weather breaks. March and April are awful months. Spring doesn't come until May or June in PA. 🎉
I hiked the AT and PCT in the 80s. I used a compas, maps, and trail guides. There was no way to know the trail conditions ahead. No way to know the water situation. Almost no hiker hostels, trail angels or trail magic. I doubt very many modern thru hikers could manage under those conditions.
I’ve also hiked using paper maps, compass, bearing orienteering, and line of sight. It is much more challenging, and much slower. Very few people on earth would have the courage and ability to complete a true, solo, offseason full thru-hike of the AT using map and compass as sole navigation. Nobody has ever completed a calendar year triple crown (my goal) using compass orienteering as navigation because it would be too slow and imo dangerous. Using modern gps navigation, there is a culture of updating comments of resources to enable safer and faster navigation. I’m fully justified in calling out hikers for benefitting from a system but not contributing to the system.
Lol. I've lost my temper on trail a few times and it fucking sucks. So many times there's no place to direct your anger and it's easy to get lost in it. I do. Good for you to vent. Fuck these people complaining in the comments.
Exactly. I strongly suspect the people pointing their fingers from their couch do not understand that I’m literally living outside in the winter while hiking a marathon a day and vlogging and editing a documentary for them. I’m not going to censor my journey, and I’m not going to censor a single comment. Platform your critics, a revolutionary concept in 2024.
Lowest recorded athlete resting heart rate: Miguel Inudrian, Spanish cyclist, 26. kilian Jornet,35 bpm. Factors that go into national park designation: natural attributes, cultural and historical significance, scientific value, recreational opportunities, conservation needs, public support (per AI query). Rants are part of hiking. No worries.
lol as far as the wildlife goes.... not sure if you're referring to ancient megafauna that were most likely killed off by settlers or just wildlife in general. I would argue the current wildlife does exist it is just most often consciously avoiding you unless it has been domesticated to a degree. Also your time of passing the wildlife is most likely laying low thru the end of winter... there are no hotel rooms for hogs bears bobcats ect. however I do believe if early settlers and americans didnt kill off megafauna they would have a chance of still roaming the wild. sorry for long random comment. love the vids btw
It’s not that they are avoiding my detection. I rarely saw animal prints in the snow or mud. The PCT and CDT have been filled with animal encounters and tracks. It’s not like the animals on the east coast are successfully avoiding me, while the animals on the west coast and in the Rockies are failing to do so.
Don't forget the season you are in. It's April 4 when you posted this. Not everyone is using that app. I'm sorry you are in such bad headspace this week. Hopefully some sunshine will come and surprise your spirit. Please please come back to the AT in September or October!!! My my my you are pulling at my mama's heart, I think the world of you and your journey. Get out of your head and enjoy the journey yourself. Caution jumping to conclusions. YCTC, that's your goal. 🎉
Think for a moment how much beauty you miss because you hike in the dark and can only see 6 feet in front of you. Some hikers cicadia rhythms are such that they wake before dawn and crawl in the sack at sundown. Others are night owls and do their best on a graveyard shift. Some hikers are narcissists who don’t care about others, listen to music or audiobooks, others listen to their surroundings and connect to life around them. Some people muse about things but keep their thoughts mostly to themselves, others go off on tangents and verbally vomit every thought. I wonder how different your experience would be if you hiked with someone and socialized in the moment instead of hearing feedback 3 weeks later. Try to relax and enjoy the trail. The snow ❄️ is still at it in northeast. Mud season too. Most trails in Vermont are closed. You hike too fast, the continuous foot path will become a flop between trails to finish.
The animals are there, they're just more human-averse in the forest. I see so many animals every day in my (overly) developed New Jersey town 15 miles from NYC. Here are some I filmed in my backyard on my trail camera. Happy trails! ua-cam.com/video/VD6iHK3LT0Q/v-deo.htmlsi=whBIgTPYGj7L2R_j
Speed of hiking has nothing to do with appreciation of nature. I know both speedy and slow hikers who see nothing. The nature is to them, as you put it, only the treadmill they perfirm their walk/ run on. I am a very slow hiker. In reality I can't hike at all ( due to illness) but I just do it anyway. I would love to be able to do big miles when ever I wanted to so I could see the wildest and remotest areas. I have been caught watching your videos because you DO appreciate the nature and the experience of hiking. I will never understand the American attitude to carrying water. Yes it is heavy. Ideally you want to carry less. In my opinion AT and PCT hikers carry a lot less than is safe. In my favourite hiking area people regularly go and die of thirst because they carry the water they think they need. They carry what they know they will drink. Then they have a minor problem which immobilises them for what would have been a short while if they had had extra water. But it won't be a short while for them because they die if thirst. They die 1h or even 30 min from water and safety because they didn't want a heavy pack. You must always carry water fir small and big emergencies. It is pointless to die of thirst while waiting an hour for rescue. I almost always carry 1.5 litres more water than I will use. But I can agree that on such well trodden and culture enveloped trails as the AT it is quite bizarre that people do not update on the trail situation. They themselves use the notes and comments but do not pass it on, which is wrong. Some might have been unable to update but that can't be true for all passers by.
I suspect one does not really see the value of SNP on the skyline drive or on the AT. It's more off the beaten path. You have the right to rant and feel angry but you also can take some time to tell us more about how excited you are to be doing this.
There are days and there are weeks on trail where you are not excited to be there. When your favorite UA-camr takes a “week off trail”, that’s what’s happening. I’m just showing you it when it’s happening. My only commitment out here is to attempt to show you exactly what I’m experiencing.
So there's a lot to unpick here. Yes you are right, people do project much of what they want/admire/like/dislike/enjoy/hate onto other people and it can be summerised by "YOU are not doing it right according to ME". But that's not just concerning hiking, it's about everything. What I would add though is that the American attitude(?) culture(?) that almost fetishizes "rugged individualism" doesn't help in that regard. The country is so big and undeveloped there's every reason to have lots of National Parks. And have to say the idea that they are in some kind of competition, one deserves the status another doesn't, is unnecessarily competitive. And if they cost a bit to maintain, is that so bad considering what else the government wastes so much money on? I'm following quite a few through hikers, the mountains all look pretty much the same as far as I can see, so who gets to judge? The trail runs through very similar terrain so you aren't going to get much diversity of wildlife. Plus it's early in the year, you are mainly at higher elevations and the areas you are walking through don't show much in the way of available food at the moment as far as I can see. And there doesn't seem to be much in the way of managing the woodland to provide a variety of resources (which encourages a variety of animals/birds). I live in the far south of the UK, overpopulation is a real issue. But what the conservation people know is that you have to manage what areas are still for wildlife otherwise you end up with very little variety. So they graze the uplands, they clear the brush/scrub, they manage the forests by removing invasive trees and selective clearing, they plant food providing trees, they create wetlands, ponds and drain others, they encourage (and subsidize) farmers to leave wildlife corridors, harvest later. use crop rotations and fallow land ect. Anyway, it's interesting listening to your observations. More entertaining than "oh look a (another) mountain summit and a sunrise/set" (it's not like they don't happen everyday!!! I mean even if you can't see them they are always bloody there, lol). On the other hand I do get that if you are outdoors all day, everyday, seeing the sun come up must always be welcome and celebrated. So all the long trail hikers should get a pass on that. You seem to be getting some long miles under your belt now so that's good and just to finish, Well done and keep going.
What would grandma gate wood do? 30 years ago you would have to rely without an app. Chill dude. Pretend the app doesn’t exist. Stop complaining. Go look for water without technology. How self absorbed do you have to be to expect an app to find you water. Unsubscribing.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I have to err on the side of the negative commentors a touch more than the sunshine and rainbows 'you're so cool' comments on this particular vid. But, whatever your purpose was for your rants today, I hope it helped you cope with your current challenge while showing it. This will go a long way on getting the negative out of you so sou keep carrying on toward your goal. Because if its this bad after a 12 mile water carry in your CYTC, I think you might need a couple more of these negatively oriented stick in the eye videos.
You are on the older side of the country. This is where it all started. Everyone is closer together here than in the West. The entire country was cut bare at least once until some protected areas were developed during Westward expansion.
You are walking from the wider south, funneling rapidly now toward the busiest set of cities on the Eastern Seaboard before going within an hour drive or less of the largest Cities including the Nation's Capital, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Allentown, Philadelphia, New York, Newark, Boston, Albany, Hartford, Springfield, And then the Northwoods take over in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
So, hard working colonists who didn't care about recreation, killed wild game to survive as well as sustain themselves. There are more population centers closer to each other in the northeastern United States simply by how the country was settled. Sorry it didnt workout that the decendents of our great Nation didn't think of it quick enough to qwell the development of Boston, New York, Philly, and eastern VA.
I am a hunter and my family hunts and traps in PA. It is managed now. But I would recommend reading this book, "30 years a Hunter", by Philip Tomey. It is a story of one man and his family who sirvives and thrives during the surveying and settlement of Pennsylvania. It is a great story telling how many wildcats, snakes, bears, wolves, elk, and other large and dangerous game there were back in the 1700-1800s.
The AT was finished around 1937. It was probably the most monumental restorative and conservation effort in 100 years of the entire country.
Your spoken inner monologue on this episode is very interesting and somewhat highly entertaining. But it would be excellent material for a podcast with some of the imaginary and real characters you are talking to in your rant, but having them on the other microphones in order to hear the other side of the story.
You hike your hike, I will definitely watch, but without trail legs and my desire to hike, not just camp, I will see the entire trail through section hiking year to year. There are many ways to eat the pie.
And there are many ways to find water in the Shenandoahs. Too great to get into, but you can look at the National Geodetic Maps online, as well as carry USGS Quads and use mapping to find water along with recognizing vegetation, seasonal flow, there won't be too much melt this year but spring rains bring intermittent streams to life and some permafrost up higher might be letting go. You're really lucky to get through that part of the trail earlier in the year since water does actually become a challenge to most in the summer. This brings out more trail angels putting water drops at gaps and trail heads.
But, I hope the next weeks are more positive on your psyche and your journey continues in the direction you want it to go! Good luck and Safe Travels!
Thank you for the thorough and thoughtful comment. I don’t respond to most comments because I don’t have the time, but also because most critical comments seem to have not comprehended my point. You clearly listened carefully and are capable of entertaining a nuanced point, even when you disagree with it. So thank you for your open mindedness.
I chose to include my points of frustration in this week. Anyone hiking 2000 miles is going to have a down day or down week(s). That’s exactly what I’m showing you in this video. I strongly suspected I would receive negative feedback for including it. Keep in mind, I absolutely have the power to “editorialize” which clips I include in what I present as a representation of “this week”. I suspected my audience would “prefer” to not see this, nonetheless I included it because it depicts the reality, and it also depicts a truth of hiking more broadly, namely that we have down days and weeks. Most channels would simply not allow such moments to make the edit. When another vlogger takes a “week off” from the trail, I suspect this is roughly where they were at emotionally. You will note, among the feedback, the positive reception I received does not say “what a cool stud this guy is”, instead it says “as a fellow thru-hiker” I totally get it, we all have this kind of a week or weeks; thanks for showing the reality.
Thank you for the book recommendation. I will download an audio form and listen to it next when I finish my current book.
You are hands down my favorite vlogger this year. Your honesty, keen observations, and unapologetic diatribes are so refreshing compared to the mundane/standard vlogs that just comment on the scenery. Even if your opinions don’t sit well with everyone, that’s why they’re your opinions and your willingness to share them shows there’s at least some working brain cells behind the camera. I greatly appreciate that. Thank you for your refreshing honesty.
I appreciate your tangents and sharing your current thoughts while mid-hike!
I enjoy your ramblings. My mind randomly thinks about a lot of things when I'm on a long drive or hike by myself. Weird stuff I don't even think about thinkin. But you say it out loud to us and that's cool.
I love the insight into what you are thinking about on the trail. Not sure I agree or disagree with you, but you are clearly hiking your own hike.
Looking forward to following your progress.
Your videos are so real and inspiring
Too bad you could not see the beauty of why Shenandoah is a National Park. There are so many beautiful spots to hike there that aren’t on the AT. I’m Native American and the Parks roots are filled with my ancestors spirits. I feel it’s energy many places when my feet hit the ground there. It was that Park that showed me my love for hiking and from there I followed trails all over the US. I’m so thankful it was protected by a President who enjoyed its beauty and actually had a fishing cabin there. Just like the Smokies all Native American land. It made me sad to hear you voice that. By the way I see animals when I hike there. The bear, owls, bobcats and so many deer.
Thanks for this beautiful comment. It makes me happy that this park inspired your love for hiking.
Keep hiking and remember to take in not only the scenery, but the beauty that being in nature brings. Rooting for you!
Keep going! Thanks for sharing your perspective! HYOH
The kitty at the end of the video was amazing. Beautiful cat. And you caught the cat at a moment when she/he dashed off in search of prey. Great ending to the video where you aired some of your understandable grievances.
i totally appreciate your honesty and your outlook on things along your adventure... rants, venting, whatever and who cares... be you and let the others comments roll off.. i will watch the realness as you take on this calendar year triple crown... stay true to you and keep crushing your hike !!!!
First off, thank you for your tangents. I struggle to explain why I love that to the people in my life who have never done it. It’s always great to hear from people who understand. Also, SNP is a beautiful place rich with wildlife in the summer wherever the hordes of tourists aren’t. I think it was established as a NP and the road built to protect the wilderness and give people the experience of the wilderness from the comfort of their cars. Benton MacKaye was less than thrilled since it meant changing the AT. But it did keep the cities in the valley.
J, you are a rambling soul today. And i feel the need to respond. As a Pennsylvanian, I'm a bit hurt that you feel that because the season you are making your journey, you don't see much wildlife and translate that to mean there isn't much wildlife. Look around. The leaves aren't even out. I assure you there are leaves and there is wildlife. It's 1st week of April. (Only 3 weeks into spring) Please don't spread rumors that the eastern wildlife is nonexistent.
It's been a joy observing you attempting your CYTC. Hike on in peace and health! ❤
a gentle reminder that your journey is your whole world, but it indeed is a snapshot of a moment in time.
90% of these comments are from people that have never hiked a step on the AT. Don’t change. Love the roller coaster of emotions. Keep grinding kid!
I appreciate your emotional insights. It is interesting to hike along with your feet as well as your mind.
Glad you made it through before the fire!
❤
The Appalachian trail has been hiked since 1937 but Far out comments have only been around since 2012. Generations of hikers have hiked the trail without Far Out comments so it's a pretty modernist mindset to be upset about hikers not using an app to help you with water sources.
You touched on the mindset of a slow/fast hiker but maybe also think about the different generations of AT hikers and how they found water along their jounrey.
Prior to the digital age, people relied on paper maps and trail guides. Today’s hiker has it much easier in terms of navigation and knowledge of the trail. But all hikers, no matter what decade, are responsible for themselves and should not rely on others to tell them where to find water. Jaru, you choose to leave that water source with a half-full water bottle and that’s on you brother.
So happy you made it through before the fire closures.
Nice almost rant. Your prospective on trail and about life in general is why I watch your videos. Thanks
Shenandoah National Park was established for Skyline Drive. The road was developed then the land around it made into a national park. The park is a very narrow corridor with the road in the center. That's why you can see civilization all along the way.
I agree that SNP is barely a NP. As a hiker, you honestly don't get to see the best of it, the drivers on the road get the best views at the overlooks. Part of that is because the original AT followed the path the road eventually took. They moved the trail to give drivers priority. I also was not that impressed by the SNP portion of the AT. But at least I got some Blackberry milkshakes when I was there in peak season.
Hang in there, I can see that this week had some challenges for you!
SNP has over 500 miles of trails. There are many trails that are further away from Skyline Drive than the AT that are really gorgeous. Jones Run Falls and White Oak Canyon are a couple of my favorite spots, and I know that so many folks really enjoy the hike up Old Rag. Personally I prefer the hikes away from Skyline Drive over the AT in SNP, at least the sections I have hiked. That said, I still really enjoy the AT in SNP because it is so close to my home.
If we take time to sit quietly by a beaver dam, we might see the builder. The wildlife is there, i promise. The season is early, yet.
There was a beaver dam that I encountered in southern Pennsylvania that was a beautiful wildlife oasis. I could immediately sense that the wildlife were thriving in this small pocket.
@@JaruWalks Nice! You just triggered a very fond memory of a Pennsylvania beaver dam in the Tionesta Scenic Area of the Allegheny NF. I am now realizing it was 20 years ago 😳
Thanks for sharing your journey and the insights like getting in tune with the moon cycles, etc. I appreciate your willingness to understand others on their level. Kudos and God bless.
Shendoah is a national park because of a 115 mile scenic highway that runs the ridge. It’s not about spectacular hiking, it’s about the spectacular driving.
Good thing you was pushing for big miles because you would have not have beat the fire just saying love the vlogging thanks for documenting I’m pulling for you to achieve the triple crown
I live in Upstate NY in a small city, the animals you mentioned not seeing are nocturnal, as I'm sure you know. Put cat food on your porch for strays and you will see raccoon and possum within days. Other animals I've seen with my own 2 eyes are fox, skunk , deer, rabbit and the bane of my garden the woodchuck. I want to assure you the north east has ample wildlife
The upper east coast definitely felt wild and alive when I hiked the woods of Maine in January. I’m really looking forward to NY, VT, NH, ME.
Born and raised on the east coast. Currently live in a suburban area that backs up to a good chunk of city-owned woods. They are FULL of possum, raccoons, owls, deer, coyote, squirrels, birds, turtles, the occasional rabbit, chipmunks... did there used to be more? Absolutely. I don't really see beaver or bobcats or turkey or foxes, all of which I'm sure used to be here. Also, every single time I visit the Smokies I've seen at least one bear. When someone on the AT hikes all the way through the Smokies without seeing a bear I'm always surprised. Also, A lot of those animals are very shy and you're not likely to see them but more likely to see the evidence of them.
There are definitely beaver in PA and NJ. Just walked past a beaver dam this morning.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💛💛💛💛💛💚💚💚💚💚💙💙💙💙💙💜💜💜💜💜
WHERE IS THE WATER? I WOULD LITERALLY PANIC 3 MILES INTO A 21 MILE SECTION THINKING I HAD ANOTHER 18 MILES TO GO WITH LESS THAN 1/4 LITER OF WATER LEFT. BASICALLY WHAT HE IS SAYING IS HIKERS PLEASE UPDATE FAROUT💕 BTW I LOVE YOU KEEPING IT REAL
All of NJ has lots of water right now. maybe too much in some places. 😉
...so after reflecting on this for a day or so, I thought I'd humbly pass along my perspective on SNP for your consideration...
While the Smokies remain the most visited National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive (the part through SNP) have the most visitors of any National Park Service property - which makes sense as it connects SNP to GSMNP over ~470 miles. SNP is also the main NP for the Northern Virginia/D.C. region. So, you're spot on that the Park itself is a relative sliver of preserved land centered around the most popular NPS property, and bounded on both sides by towns or very small cities.
The best parts of SNP you really don't get to see from the AT - personal favorites include Old Rag, White Oak Canyon, and Little Devils Stairs, etc. That said, I agree that hiking the AT through SNP can seem underwhelming compared to how significant the park is but it still has nice vistas and they do a lot to maintain the park -- so that at least makes it relatively enjoyable.
Have a great hike!
Had a conversation last year on my section about the same.
Comments are always appreciated. Water, wildlife, people. Make a comment. Give people a heads up. Good on you for being kind to that man. He might have scared someone else. A heads up is very helpful.
It’s people being into their hike, I don’t believe malicious, they just don’t consider. And people don’t use FarOut to its full extent.
People get caught up in their effort and sometimes do not take in different peoples perspectives. Lots of people do 10s, then increase as they go. May never hit 20, but that’s their hiking. They make it. If they have the time and resources it works. It’s that hike your own hike mantra. They may never have the thoughts of other trails due to that limit. And that ok for them. They may enjoy watching you do it!
People should not look down their noses at anyone’s else’s hike. It’s their hike.
And - You are early for a large amount of wildlife. They hear you coming. I promise eyes are on you. They are there.
Tip: look up in the trees for porcupines!
I really enjoy watching your hike.
Having a bad day? Wow just wow
I wonder if one of those ultra-marathoners you ran into at the Priest was Tara Treks (on youtube). She's a former AT thru-hiker ('19) that was training for the Black Canyon 100k by running up to the Priest around the time I think you were going through that section.
Also, I saw 5 Stack got caught by the SNP fires around Thornton Gap. Glad you made it through. Have a great hike!
If I recall their names correctly, it was not Tara
It will be very interesting to see what your opinion of the CYTC is once you are finished. If you finish it in a year. It can be a life enriching experience if you let it. There are more people than you know of that have hiked the CYTC they just don't need to brag about it.
Is their a week 8 vlog? I see week 9 is upcoming.
Yeah I uploaded the wrong one for week 8 so i pulled it. I should have week 8 uploaded today or tomorrow morning pending WiFi
@@JaruWalks 👍
Love your commentary, thoughts. Re A.T. wildlife: I recently learned of the near extinction of the American Chestnut tree throughout the Appalachians that totally changed the region, wildlife, human migration out of the region, etc.
I just realized how much you're crushing it. 😮 enjoying following you. Ribeye fat on your tongue 😂, you're funny. I was going to leave you trail magic but you blew by here before I knew it. As for animals, there are a lot, they just know how to hide frome people. Peace
Jaru not sure if you felt it, but today there was an earthquake at 10:23 am near Lebanon New Jersey. Felt in NYC, Pennsylvania, western Massachusetts, and north to Oswego NY. Here in Vermont I didn’t notice
Yes, I literally just recorded a video about it haha. I was in a shelter and I thought my ears were pulsating but it was the shelter. I was reading the NYTimes and then an alert popped up 4.8 earthquake hits nyc. I’m currently 45 minutes west of nyc.
Can you put out a community feed (short clip?)
no
It looks like it’s been a national park for almost 100 years. It doesn’t look like a 100+ year old forest though. Probably some history there.
From my experience on the AT most hikers use guthooks, not far out
I must also say the Shenandoah itself has soooooo much to offer OFF the AT, none the less keep trekking my man and stay safe out there.
Far out is the new name for guthooks
Well then. I stand corrected, thank you. Maybe there is just alot of people disconnecting while on trail, that's what I do for the most part.
A few other animals in the SNP include bears, cougars, chipmunks, coyotes, snakes, skunks, owls, turkeys. Just sayin’.
I love how you talk about how people judge everything as you’re judging everything…arrogant as hell
I was thinking all the Natives that lost that land, and all the soldiers that fought and lost their lives. I would feel the spirit around me more than anything.
People post on Farout on necessity. Day hikers go through there a lot, but they don't need water, so don't think to post about it. Sometimes it'll rain in a spot, no one's been through and water source starts flowing again. Sometimes people already have water and aren't thinking about water to post about water. Some people hike their hike and magically think other people update things. I update things based on being a Google local reviewer. I'm incentivised to do so. Not everyone is
And Shenandoah is a park more so for Civil War relevance, less because of hill and tree
Just a thought these trails will either make you or break you. Its all up to you. Are you going to fall in love with hiking these trails. Or let your mind go to a different place.
Stay positive in your head.
We hiked VA last week we saw wild turkeys near our shelter one morning!! The true draw for SNP is the countless loop hikes not so much the AT!
Nice, I saw wild turkeys just before I took the break in Lehigh. Good to know
It seems like you have gotten into a toxic headspace and I hope you are able to turn it around or else it will wreck your ability to reach this goal. There was so much entitlement in this video that it was shocking. You are acting as if the trail and every person on it owes you something. Please let someone talk some sense back into you or else this attitude will be your undoing. Really disappointed in this video.
I agree, almost "thumbs down"ed it. But I don't know how that effects UA-cam algorithms. 😕
He will be ok once the weather breaks. March and April are awful months. Spring doesn't come until May or June in PA. 🎉
I hiked the AT and PCT in the 80s. I used a compas, maps, and trail guides. There was no way to know the trail conditions ahead. No way to know the water situation. Almost no hiker hostels, trail angels or trail magic. I doubt very many modern thru hikers could manage under those conditions.
I’ve also hiked using paper maps, compass, bearing orienteering, and line of sight. It is much more challenging, and much slower. Very few people on earth would have the courage and ability to complete a true, solo, offseason full thru-hike of the AT using map and compass as sole navigation. Nobody has ever completed a calendar year triple crown (my goal) using compass orienteering as navigation because it would be too slow and imo dangerous. Using modern gps navigation, there is a culture of updating comments of resources to enable safer and faster navigation. I’m fully justified in calling out hikers for benefitting from a system but not contributing to the system.
Lol. I've lost my temper on trail a few times and it fucking sucks. So many times there's no place to direct your anger and it's easy to get lost in it. I do. Good for you to vent. Fuck these people complaining in the comments.
Exactly. I strongly suspect the people pointing their fingers from their couch do not understand that I’m literally living outside in the winter while hiking a marathon a day and vlogging and editing a documentary for them. I’m not going to censor my journey, and I’m not going to censor a single comment. Platform your critics, a revolutionary concept in 2024.
Lowest recorded athlete resting heart rate: Miguel Inudrian, Spanish cyclist, 26. kilian Jornet,35 bpm.
Factors that go into national park designation: natural attributes, cultural and historical significance, scientific value, recreational opportunities, conservation needs, public support (per AI query).
Rants are part of hiking. No worries.
Thank you for the factual corrections.
lol as far as the wildlife goes.... not sure if you're referring to ancient megafauna that were most likely killed off by settlers or just wildlife in general. I would argue the current wildlife does exist it is just most often consciously avoiding you unless it has been domesticated to a degree. Also your time of passing the wildlife is most likely laying low thru the end of winter... there are no hotel rooms for hogs bears bobcats ect. however I do believe if early settlers and americans didnt kill off megafauna they would have a chance of still roaming the wild. sorry for long random comment. love the vids btw
It’s not that they are avoiding my detection. I rarely saw animal prints in the snow or mud. The PCT and CDT have been filled with animal encounters and tracks. It’s not like the animals on the east coast are successfully avoiding me, while the animals on the west coast and in the Rockies are failing to do so.
There are animals, trust me! Plenty! East coast is full of animals. Don’t knock the East Coast. Beautiful country!
Don't forget the season you are in. It's April 4 when you posted this. Not everyone is using that app. I'm sorry you are in such bad headspace this week. Hopefully some sunshine will come and surprise your spirit.
Please please come back to the AT in September or October!!!
My my my you are pulling at my mama's heart, I think the world of you and your journey. Get out of your head and enjoy the journey yourself. Caution jumping to conclusions.
YCTC, that's your goal. 🎉
You have such a brilliant mind!! And what an amazing journey.
Think for a moment how much beauty you miss because you hike in the dark and can only see 6 feet in front of you. Some hikers cicadia rhythms are such that they wake before dawn and crawl in the sack at sundown. Others are night owls and do their best on a graveyard shift. Some hikers are narcissists who don’t care about others, listen to music or audiobooks, others listen to their surroundings and connect to life around them. Some people muse about things but keep their thoughts mostly to themselves, others go off on tangents and verbally vomit every thought. I wonder how different your experience would be if you hiked with someone and socialized in the moment instead of hearing feedback 3 weeks later. Try to relax and enjoy the trail. The snow ❄️ is still at it in northeast. Mud season too. Most trails in Vermont are closed. You hike too fast, the continuous foot path will become a flop between trails to finish.
The animals are there, they're just more human-averse in the forest. I see so many animals every day in my (overly) developed New Jersey town 15 miles from NYC. Here are some I filmed in my backyard on my trail camera. Happy trails! ua-cam.com/video/VD6iHK3LT0Q/v-deo.htmlsi=whBIgTPYGj7L2R_j
I just passed thru nj. Saw a lot more wildlife up here, including beaver and turkey.
You are better than this 😮 no hiker is really there just to update an app their there fpr peace of mind and the Beauty of the Trail .
Get over yourself and hike
Speed of hiking has nothing to do with appreciation of nature. I know both speedy and slow hikers who see nothing. The nature is to them, as you put it, only the treadmill they perfirm their walk/ run on.
I am a very slow hiker. In reality I can't hike at all ( due to illness) but I just do it anyway. I would love to be able to do big miles when ever I wanted to so I could see the wildest and remotest areas.
I have been caught watching your videos because you DO appreciate the nature and the experience of hiking.
I will never understand the American attitude to carrying water. Yes it is heavy. Ideally you want to carry less. In my opinion AT and PCT hikers carry a lot less than is safe. In my favourite hiking area people regularly go and die of thirst because they carry the water they think they need. They carry what they know they will drink. Then they have a minor problem which immobilises them for what would have been a short while if they had had extra water. But it won't be a short while for them because they die if thirst. They die 1h or even 30 min from water and safety because they didn't want a heavy pack. You must always carry water fir small and big emergencies. It is pointless to die of thirst while waiting an hour for rescue. I almost always carry 1.5 litres more water than I will use.
But I can agree that on such well trodden and culture enveloped trails as the AT it is quite bizarre that people do not update on the trail situation. They themselves use the notes and comments but do not pass it on, which is wrong. Some might have been unable to update but that can't be true for all passers by.
I suspect one does not really see the value of SNP on the skyline drive or on the AT. It's more off the beaten path. You have the right to rant and feel angry but you also can take some time to tell us more about how excited you are to be doing this.
There are days and there are weeks on trail where you are not excited to be there. When your favorite UA-camr takes a “week off trail”, that’s what’s happening. I’m just showing you it when it’s happening. My only commitment out here is to attempt to show you exactly what I’m experiencing.
So there's a lot to unpick here.
Yes you are right, people do project much of what they want/admire/like/dislike/enjoy/hate onto other people and it can be summerised by "YOU are not doing it right according to ME".
But that's not just concerning hiking, it's about everything.
What I would add though is that the American attitude(?) culture(?) that almost fetishizes "rugged individualism" doesn't help in that regard.
The country is so big and undeveloped there's every reason to have lots of National Parks. And have to say the idea that they are in some kind of competition, one deserves the status another doesn't, is unnecessarily competitive. And if they cost a bit to maintain, is that so bad considering what else the government wastes so much money on? I'm following quite a few through hikers, the mountains all look pretty much the same as far as I can see, so who gets to judge?
The trail runs through very similar terrain so you aren't going to get much diversity of wildlife. Plus it's early in the year, you are mainly at higher elevations and the areas you are walking through don't show much in the way of available food at the moment as far as I can see. And there doesn't seem to be much in the way of managing the woodland to provide a variety of resources (which encourages a variety of animals/birds).
I live in the far south of the UK, overpopulation is a real issue. But what the conservation people know is that you have to manage what areas are still for wildlife otherwise you end up with very little variety. So they graze the uplands, they clear the brush/scrub, they manage the forests by removing invasive trees and selective clearing, they plant food providing trees, they create wetlands, ponds and drain others, they encourage (and subsidize) farmers to leave wildlife corridors, harvest later. use crop rotations and fallow land ect.
Anyway, it's interesting listening to your observations. More entertaining than "oh look a (another) mountain summit and a sunrise/set" (it's not like they don't happen everyday!!! I mean even if you can't see them they are always bloody there, lol).
On the other hand I do get that if you are outdoors all day, everyday, seeing the sun come up must always be welcome and celebrated. So all the long trail hikers should get a pass on that.
You seem to be getting some long miles under your belt now so that's good and just to finish,
Well done and keep going.
What rant over water, just think what it would look like if its not protected SNP
What would grandma gate wood do? 30 years ago you would have to rely without an app. Chill dude. Pretend the app doesn’t exist. Stop complaining. Go look for water without technology. How self absorbed do you have to be to expect an app to find you water. Unsubscribing.
What a hater. The whole vlog is a gallon of haterade