• Kev McG
  • Kev McG

AT 2025 🥾🏕️

Hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine! Please pop by often to follow along and say hello! Baca lagi
  • 🌜 Stealthy Hammock Camping @521.3

    9 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Challenges today with my left shin- whatever muscle that is I’m inclined to remove it 😅

    So immediately after the marathon day I felt okay but I think that long day of downhill was stressful for particular leg muscles that were put into overdrive. There has been a little swelling on the left shin/ankle but it seems like I can manage it with ibuprofen, tiger balm, and deliberately walking slowly while properly balanced. Of course that is a tall order in this environment😂 but slow and steady seems to help- Taking breaks, hydration, etc.

    Apart from that moderate discomfort in the afternoon, there was a lot to see throughout the day.

    It was a chilly start to the day (mid 20’s) coming down out of Thomas Knob Shelter but it sure was beautiful! There are grassy pastures in every direction with wild ponies grazing. The scrub and hay give way to lush and mossy forests teeming with gurgling springs and fresh mountain streams…. All the while amazing 360° views of distant mountains (many I’ve undoubtedly travelled) stack the horizon in a gradient of purples and blues.

    I saw an F-14 fighter jet rip across the sky at one point today… the speed and sound were awesome but it made me wonder “is everything okay?”

    We hit mile 500 pretty early in the day as well!

    My pals were hiking at their own pace today and I wasn’t actually sure is we would meet up but I ultimately found them just before dusk and quickly set up a hammock for the night. Clear skies with many stars- nearly a full moon, too! Hoping to sleep well!

    21.9 slow and steady miles today to arrive @ AT mile 521.3.
    Baca lagi

  • 🌜 Chatfield Shelter

    10–11 Apr 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Hiked about 21 miles today with some rain but by far the highlight was encountering the Partnership Shelter around lunchtime. We were able to order pizza delivery using a phone attached to the wall in the wildlife interpretive center there (pictured)! Amazing! We got so much food- big lunch and packed out extras for dinner ❤️🍕🍟❤️

    Leg is feeling better but I’m still pampering it! Did some cold soaking in the chilly stream near our shelter.

    [AT mile 541.4]
    Baca lagi

  • Ambitious if not misguided

    11 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Meet “GB”! He is a SOBO section hiker and…Oh boy, where do I start? We loved meeting him but there are some remarkable things I’d like to remember : hiking on a shoestring budget is venerable but I question some choices (jeans, no map, huge cooler, no plastic bags to keep anything dry? ) They say hike your own hike but he is totally doing it the hard way and I’m not sure I could keep up with his journey TBH.

    He joined for group exercises with glee and vigor - momentarily abandoning his 4Loco but not his cigarette. This is 7:30AM
    Baca lagi

  • 🌜 Knot Maul Branch Shelter

    11–12 Apr 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    Woke up early and said “farewell” to shelter mate “GB”. He was quite a character. He was wearing his shoes on the wrong feet for over an hour and drinking a 4Loco for breakfast 😂. Give credit where due- I don’t always participate in group exercises but GB was eager and didn’t even put down his cigarette (Little Foot and Trickshot are doing sit ups and push ups 2-3 x daily- I join when I can)

    Early in the day we hit two gas stations to “snack-up”and soon realized if we linger a little bit we could also get Mexican food for lunch at 11… so that became the new plan. For me lingering meant eating 4 crème-horns with a large coffee. I bought way too much stuff and then went to the next gas station and bought way too much again. Ridiculous.

    Other highlights today- 1 room schoolhouse, hit the mile marker for 1/4 Northbound complete. Also a rainy day that played with us- no rain for hours, we would take off our gear and it would start again for 2 minutes so we would put jackets back on- then it wouldn’t rain again for hours.

    Some beautiful terrain, particularly the cow pastures (although the ladders at each fence were not my fav)… 19.3 miles of hiking.
    [AT mile 560.7]
    Baca lagi

  • Endless foggy climb

    12 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    Big steady climb 2100 ft gain in the morning seemed to go on forever since there was no visibility and continuous grade. Essentially we needed to reached the rim of an enormous limestone crater enclosing fertile farmland. The crest was Chestnut Knob Shelter at 4407 ft elevation we will be walking the ridge of a large crater for the remainder of the day (read: rocky, steep).Baca lagi

  • 🌜 Jenny Knob Shelter

    13–14 Apr 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Great weather today for hiking- highs around 65. Finished the rim of this crater and now onwards. There was one notable climb that took 5 miles to complete but the rest of the day was (for the most part) a gentle rollercoaster. It was still big miles and we are all feeling it 😅😩

    Hit mile 600 today! People say there was a marker but I didn’t catch it. 🤷

    In shelter with Trickshot, Little Foot, and new friend Humble. I also met the Six-Pack: a family hiking together with 4 kids ranging 8-16 yo. And they do 20-ish mile days usually. Can you imagine? Actually you don’t have to, you can find them on YouTube 😂They are all pretty cool They are camping here near the shelter.

    As the sun set tonight we could hear coyotes howling- and they sounded pretty close .somewhat more distant the hoot of an owl. Expecting excellent weather for sleeping outdoors tonight!

    23.2 miles of hiking….
    AT mile 604
    Baca lagi

  • Dismal Falls

    14 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    To get there required 0.6 miles of detour but ultimately the falls were an excellent backdrop for lunch. I met some nice people there, day hikers, picnicking families and even might have made a business connection for real estate 🤩 (Hi Jo! Thanks for the photos!). Had ambitions of swimming here but it felt cold after I was sitting down too long at lunch. Settled for some restorative foot soaking in the cold water!Baca lagi

  • Rhododendron Tunnels

    14 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    In this area, there are a lot of rhododendron tunnels following the trail along the mountain streams. Various side trails lead to campsites nestled in the woods with private beaches on the stream. This hike would be so interesting in the summer when the rhododendron are blooming! Nonetheless beyond enjoyable.Baca lagi

  • Quick dip to cool down

    14 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    This spring-fed pond was too tempting to resist. With the air temperature in the 80’s and a large climb ahead it seemed the perfect spot for a quick cool-down… swam a lap out to the center and back to shore before the final leg of the hike. Apparently the pond is stocked with bass, I didn’t see any. Oh and there were lots of mature tadpoles- just a few days from emerging as frogs!Baca lagi

  • 🌜 Woods Hole Hostel

    14–15 Apr 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    It was a long day of hiking to ultimately arrive at a special hiker sanctuary called Woods Hole. The owner has a lot of unique talents, including pottery, all of the place settings were handmade. Amazing group meals were farm to table, daily yoga available, etc. I loved the honor system for snacks and resupply items - hope that works for them 🤞 Staying 1 night in the bunk house.

    Other highlights of the day- rhododendron tunnels along the mountain’s streams, taking a cool-down dip in the fresh spring-fed pond, lunch at Dismal Falls.

    22.8 miles of hiking, NOBO AT mile 625.7
    Baca lagi

  • 🌮 Taco Tuesday: you ready?

    15 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

    This week our recipe is on the sweet side… a nice snack or perhaps a dessert to enjoy with friends. Easy to prepare and fun to eat on the go! Soft tortilla, nut butter, skittles… preferably a varietal pack as the original blend is rather harsh (try the tropical, or smoothie selection). I rate this a solid 4/5 🌮🌮🌮🌮Baca lagi

  • 🌜 The Plaza Motel of Pearisburg

    15–17 Apr 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    For me it was a long day. I’ve been pushing soooo many miles and my legs are fighting back so it was about 13 miles to get into town and I took it really slow. That didn’t necessarily make it easier - ibuprofen can only do so much 😩

    Slower pace meant more opportunities for observation… I saw lovely mushrooms, insects, snakes, flowers, rocks and trees with personality, mysterious graffiti, mountainous views, and much more indeed. The approach to Angel’s Rest was super windy and it was really a beautiful ridge walk!

    At the bottom of the final
    hill got a ride into town with Forest who greeted me with thoughtful enthusiasm and trail magic! (Thanks buddy! Truly appreciate it! Hope you get back in the dirt soon!)

    When I arrived at the motel Little Foot had an amazing treat for me (Ben & Jerry’s) and we went out to dinner for Mexican food with Trickshot and Joey.

    Quick resupply shopping at Food Lion and Spa treatments before bed! Look how absolutely creepy!!!

    NOBO AT mile 637.4
    Baca lagi

  • Zero Day in Pearisburg

    16 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    The last time I zeroed was over a month ago, I might be due for it. Today I zeroed in Pearisburg (no miles on trail). Thinking of getting some rest to heal but I did a short round of errands in town, including coffee and avocado toast with the crew as a send off, thrift store, marveling the town’s past, risky Chinese food, and some resupply shopping. The rest of the day was spent catching up with friends and family on the phone and relaxing.

    Taking a day off was a hard decision because I’m losing pace with my friends but it’s important to prioritize my health and wellbeing and I don’t want to hold anyone up. I will see them again soon I hope and of course we are keeping in touch.

    Let’s see how I’m feeling tomorrow.
    Baca lagi

  • 🌜 primitive camping near 650.8

    17 April 2025, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    A day of rest helped- not pretending to be healed but I’m in a lot better shape and I took it a little bit easy today with distance and pace. Solo today and missing the company of my traimily 🥲

    The ridge I’m on is bone dry and it looks like I’ll have to hike about 5 miles tomorrow morning to get to the first spring for water. I was hoping to get closer to it tonight but the sun was setting fast so I’ll just have to make do with the small amount I have overnight. Should be fine, just no oatmeal 😂

    About 14 miles of hiking to arrive at AT mile 650.8
    Baca lagi