Ask a Hiker #1 (Questions Answered!)

Description

This is the follow up Video to my "Ask a Hiker Q&A" video. Thanks everyone for your great questions!

Ask a Hiker Q&A Video Link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2YMqzTABHE

Music By: Thunder/Dreamer

facebook.com/thunderdreamerband

Tags: Hiking (Sport),Thru-hiking,Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Protected Site),Backpacking (Sport),Gear,Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (Protected Site),q&a

Video Transcription

what's up guys it's Darwin so last week I made a video asking you to send me some questions for me to answer here on the channel so today I am back in the van back at the trailhead to the Sandia Mountains it's a little chilly this morning but I figured today would be a good day to make a video answering some of the questions I tried to get to most of them there are a handful of them that I didn't

so I'm gonna try to consolidate a few of them so first off Jaclyn on YouTube down in the comments section asked what is required on the 84 bear bagging and or what does snuggles and I use essentially she was asking do you need a bear canister a sack or just a bear hanging system the whole time I was out on the trail last year and then whenever we go back on this trail this year we just used a basic bear bagging system so my food bag was a Z packs blast food sack a roll-top waterproof food sack that we just rolled up snuggles had one as well and then we just threw a line and hung them from a tree just your basic bear bagging system on the 80 there is no bear canisters required they do suggest that you use one and some sections of Georgia but even in the Smokies they have a cable system at each shelter but they don't require you to use a canister not yet anyways on the PCT there is a section that you are required to use a canister but on the 80 you're still good so that work for us and Jaclyn hopefully that helped answer your question JT zrl asked when did I start hiking and what is my dream hike I actually started hiking whenever I was a kid my mom was really into the outdoors in nature so we went on a lot of weekend hikes a lot of weekend camping trips and then obviously like everyone else our like a lot of other people I was a boy scout so spent a lot of I'm in the woods and then kind of didn't do a lot of hiking for a while and then whenever snows and I got married nine years ago I really got her into it and she fell in love with the outdoors too so that's where my love and past of hiking comes from as far as my dream hike I have always wanted to go down to South America and hike the Patagonia Mountains that is probably my biggest dream hike there's a lot of stuff that I really want to do the 80 was a really big one for me the PCT is gonna be a big one for me but I've always wanted to go see the Patagonia Mountains and just be really lost in South America and hiking in the Amazon anything down there so eventually snuggles and I are gonna try to get down to South America we'll see what happens Mountain Cat ate asked do I believe that wearing a waterproof ventilated shoe is a great option if it's gonna rain and yeah yeah I do I wear the Meryl Moab ventilator it is 100% not a waterproof or gore-tex boot totally vented if you step in water your foot does get wet but realistically guys out on the 80 it rains a lot it's very damp it doesn't matter if you're wearing a waterproof boot or a gore-tex boot your feet are going to get wet so you might as well have something that's gonna dry out quickly like the ventilator or a non waterproof sheep so yes I do very very much believe in a non waterproof shoe in s daffy asked hiking in the rain what do I do good follow up to the last one we hike if it is really really really bad like a storm and it's freezing cold we might stay in a shelter for a little bit or hang out in a tent until it dies then break camp but pretty much you hike again you're gonna get wet it's gonna happen you're in the outdoors you're at the mercy of Mother Nature and weather so you might as well make the best of it and hike and dry out later typically if it's really chilly I'll wear a rain jacket if not I just wear my shirt

and eventually the rains gonna stop and I'll dry out and then I always have a pair of dry clothes inside my pack for me waiting for me at camp so Michel from Facebook asked do I ever shave my beard no sir I don't two years ago I decided to become a bearded man and it was kind of a commitment so she's here to stay so I got an email from Dawn asking about stretches we were he was talking about knee problems um I also have knee problems I've torn my meniscus in my right knee and then asking if I do any particular stretches while hiking to make sure I stay Lin lumber and I do a lot of the running stretches that I came from being a runner and a triathlete I do a lot of those so a lot of those classic running stretches and then you know before I sit down before I start hiking just making sure that I kind of stretch everything out to get limber and feel good so yes Don I do many stretches while out hiking to make sure I don't stiffen up alright guys and then the last question that I'm gonna answer today actually came from a handful of people both Tara and old Pete want to know how snuggles and I find time for our adventures what do we do for money what do we do for jobs that's an excellent question

so snuggles and I decided at the beginning of 2015 that the best thing for us was to sell our house quit our jobs and take off on adventures because it was the only way that we were ever gonna do what we really wanted to do so in the beginning the way we found time for it was we we made time it's the way we still find time to do things what makes us the most happy is being in the outdoors playing with gear camping backpacking hiking talking to people like you guys about what we enjoy it's our passion it's what we love so the answer is very simple we find time because it's what's important to us and it's what makes us happy and we always find time for what makes us happy as far as jobs we live a very very simple life I'm kind of gonna weave another question into it we were also asked whenever we're not on the trail and traveling where do we live you're looking at it we actually live in our van when we're traveling I've converted the back of it to a sleeping space of a full-size bed so we live in here when we're traveling and when we're not traveling we've been in Albuquerque for nine months we have a little bitty apartment about 200 square feet not much at all but again we live very simply so we are able to consume less and save more so we work we save money and then we go and take time to be happy and do what we want to do so i really suggest that everyone do the same thing if there's something that you want to do that you want to make yourself happy don't let anything stand in your way do everything you possibly can to do it I'm also very lucky to work for a local Outfitters here in Albuquerque called sport systems which is a bike shop on an outdoor shop and they are really awesome about I told them that we were gonna be leaving in four weeks for the 80 and they offered me a job whenever I get back so they're just giving me time off I also do gear testing and reviews for the gear Institute at gear Institute comm so that also helps so whatever you have to do to alter your life to make it more simple to do the things that you want to do that's what snuggles and I are all about so hopefully I hope to answer as many of your questions as I could I couldn't get to all of them but I tried to answer some of the most asked ones I guess if you will so again we have four weeks till snuggles and I head back to the east coast to jump back on the trail in Massachusetts and we'll be headed domain so gonna be making videos while we're out there hopefully you guys will tune in and watch our weekly vlogs from the trail we really really enjoy making videos for you guys and I really enjoy all the support you guys have been giving me so again go over and check out Darwin on the trail comm later this week I'll be making a video where I'll be collaborating with some other youtubers here on YouTube on talking about our three favorite pieces of gear so make sure you check that out too like or dislike my video subscribe to my channel if you haven't already and thanks for watching