Ask Darwin Q&A #44 (Answers)

Description

** Stuff/Gear I Mention in this Video **

Wheeler Peak Winter Attempt - https://youtu.be/y5FQ16clX0A

Cumbres Pass, CO Snowshoeing - https://youtu.be/yfzwipu9pXY

R2R2R Grand Canyon Hike with Neemor - https://youtu.be/y1HUOWZZUPU

R2R2R Winter Gear List - https://darwinonthetrail.com/2017/12/11/darwins-2017-rim2rim2rim-winter-gear-list/

Red Beard's Duplex Video - https://youtu.be/NXvz2xCb3Do

AZT Section Gear List - https://darwinonthetrail.com/2017/09/22/darwins-2017-azt-section-hike/

AT Gear List - https://darwinonthetrail.com/2016/05/03/darwins-2016-at-gear-list/

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*** Gear Used to Shoot this Video! ***

- Camera -

Canon EOS 77D - http://amzn.to/2zf5OQ9

- Lense -

Canon EF 24mm IS USM - http://amzn.to/2zeJuWU

- Sound -

TakStar Shotgun Mic - http://amzn.to/2kMsAnM

- TriPod -

Targus 360 Trigger Tripod - http://amzn.to/2kMsU5Y

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https://blackstrapmedia.com

------- Music By: Mike Boren --------

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Tags: Appalachian Trail,AT,AT Thru Hike,Thru Hike,PCT,Pacific Crest Trail,PCT Thru Hike,Backpacking,UL Hiking,UL Backpacking,UL Gear,Hiking,Hiker Trash,Camping,Adventure,Arizona Trail,AZT,CDT,Long Distance Trail

Video Transcription

hey guys it's Darwin here with my weekly Q&A to answer more of your questions if you want to ask a question for next week's Q&A you can either leave it in the comment box below or send me a video question over to Darwin on the trail at yahoo.com

and then next week I'll answer as many as I possibly can I hope everyone is having a really awesome holiday season let's go ahead and get into this week's first question I'd like to see some videos about backpacking in winter ie with snow or is that not your thing in particular how does your gear setup change and how do you deal with shorter days in the coat so I've actually done some past videos of backpacking in the winter just last year a friend and I actually tried to climb Mount wheeler which is the highest peak in New Mexico there was like 6 foot of snow we had to do a lot of snowshoeing do you want to check that video out I'll leave a link in the description box below plus I'll put a link up here two years ago snuggles and I did a snowshoeing trip at Cumbres pass in Colorado again like 6 foot of snow we stayed in a yurt overnight I'll put that video down here as well and then technically just like three weeks ago that trip that knew more and I did in the Grand Canyon which was a rim to rim to rim was a winter trip that was in December and it got down to like 9 degrees on the North Rim so I did carry some winter gear on that hike as well I'll also put a gear list in the description box so you can see all of the gear that I carried for that trip and see how it differs from my other types of gear setups now as far as doing some sort of a winter trip on like the 80 or the PCT or something like that no I've never done that yet but who knows maybe I will do a trip like that sometime soon I really do like backpacking in the winter even though I'm not a giant fan of the snow I rather you know be out in the desert I'm not a big fan of being super cold but it is on my list to do some more winter backpacking and until then check those videos out what is your reasoning for not using hiking boots do you not like hiking boots any specific reason you would recommend them or is it something you've never seen a need for so the reason that I personally don't wear knocking boots is because I don't really need hiking boots I typically carry a pretty light pack so I don't need that extra support around my ankle and stuff to carry that extra weight on my back hiking boots are really good if you're carrying a really heavy pack so if you have like a full pack loaded down and you're carrying like 40 or 50 pounds that's really where hiking boots give you a lot of help and what I recommend hiking boots to people yeah absolutely if you're doing a trip where you're carrying extra gear like maybe you're doing a mountaineering trip or a snowshoeing trip in the winter or something like that yeah there's a lot of advantages of having a hiking boot just because it gives you more support when you have more weight on your back but typically I don't wear a hiking boot I just wear a trail runner now that I have a lighter pack there's no need for them I'm working on a healthier lifestyle so I can start tackling long distance through hikes what did you do to get in shape for your triathlon days can you make any recommendations for heavy out of shape couch potatoes starting their fitness journey so good question Lieutenant Dan and how I got in shape and how I lost all the weight that I lost was I started riding a bike and I started riding a bike everywhere at my biggest I weighed 275 pounds I was super unhappy and I bought a bike at first I just kind of rode my bike every morning then I started writing it every morning and every night and then it got to the point to where if I just wanted to go down the street to the store to like get a snack or get a Coke or something that was really unhealthy for me I would just ride my bike there instead of driving eventually I started commuting every day back and forth on my bike and I hardcore started losing weight and feeling better so a bike is really how my fitness journey started now as far as training for a long-distance trail in specific like I've said a million times the best way to train is just get out on the trail and hike I know a lot of hikers that will take a pack and they'll put a full load in it food water and everything and they'll just go hike up and down mountains and that is a great way to lose weight and get in shape as well so my recommendations would be getting a bike riding it everywhere and doing a bunch of hiking that should get you in pretty good shape and get you ready to start hiking some long-distance trails

hi there wind this is Gosha I'm originally from Poland currently Northern Ireland and you can do tons of hiking here I'm just wondering what do you think about getting the duplex tent for British condition so obviously lots of strong winds snow and winter and lots and lots of rain I'm just not sure if I want to spend so much money for something that will not hold up so I have owned the duplex now for about a year and I haven't really had it in any hardcore hardcore weather no hard rain storms or snow storms or anything I have had it in some pretty crazy wind up to 35 to 40 miles an hour and my duplex held up great now even though I love my duplex a lot it is definitely a tent that is based on tension and because it does set up with trekking poles you know it's not gonna be as sturdy as something like a freestanding tent however I do know a lot of hikers that have put the duplex through some hardcore weather and if you're familiar with another YouTube hiker named red beard he put out a video like three years ago he was out on the 80 and he got caught in a really hardcore thunderstorm where it rained and rained and rained for hours and his duplex held up great so I think it all depends on how good you pitch your duplex and what type of conditions that you were in I would have no reservation about taking my duplex out in any type of weather because I think that it can take it and I would definitely recommend that tent to you as long as you're not like going out and hurricane weather I think you should be fine on a thru-hike how much time do you actually spend hiking each day on average so it all depends on the trail it all depends if I'm doing just a section if I'm doing a full on through hike if I'm doing a weekend trip now I know you did ask about a thru-hike and in 2015 and 2016 snuggles and I were averaging about 15 to 20 miles a day and my rule of thumb has always been I hike until 5:00 p.m. now if it's a day where I know that you know I don't really have to hardcore make some miles and I'm kind of close to a town I might take some extra time in the morning

might sleep in a little bit but I always try to hike till 5 p.m. I cannot stand getting to camp really early just because typically when I get to camp after a day of hiking I'm tired so I eat and I go to bed so if I get to camp and it's like 3 o'clock I'll pass out by like 5 o'clock which means I'll wake up sometimes another night and not be able to go back to sleep so I typically like to hike til 5:00 so I can get to camp I can eat I can relax go to bed at about 8 or 9 o'clock get a really solid night of sleep get up right as the sun's coming up and hit the trail again if I wanted to vlog my thru-hike what basic gear list would I need for that any tips or advice things you would do differently um I mean everybody's gear is gonna differ and it all depends on what type of camera that you want to carry I know some hikers that carry some big DSLR cameras a lot of hikers carry a mirrorless camera some people carry a GoPro some people vlog on their phone and I don't think there's any right way or wrong way to do it it all really depends on what you plan on doing with the footage so if you plan on making some basic YouTube videos maybe just a phone or a GoPro work if you plan on really doing some cinematography some really nice beautiful shots and really capturing your hike I would suggest going with like a mirrorless DSLR or a point-and-shoot camera the camera that I use is the canon g7x mark ii and i love that thing and I'm willing to take that weight penalty of having a heavier bigger bulkier camera because I really like to put together cinematic looking hiking videos now as far as doing something different out on the 80 and the section hike that I did on the CDT I carried a GoPro and I regret carrying a GoPro I wish that I would have had my nicer camera on those hikes just because I know that the payoff in the end product when I'm editing and I get some really nice footage from that other camera is totally worth the wait and then another tip that I would definitely suggest is get a good tripod now you don't have to get some really big crazy tripod but even the little bindi Joby Gorillapod are great and they're perfect for setting up a shot so if you're willing to carry the extra weight I definitely think it's worth it to get a good camera get a good tripod and get as many good shots as you possibly can because in the end it's totally worth it when you go to edit it together have you ever thought about eating Soylent powder on your hikes so if some of you don't know what Soylent is Soylent is like a meal replacement that was created for a bunch of people in Silicon Valley a bunch of tech geeks that pretty much needed food to replace regular food why they were typing away on their computers I have tried it in the past and I'm not a fan I personally think it tastes like pancake batter which is kind of gross and I had a really hard time stomaching it I personally know a hiker named geared up that pretty much lives off that stuff when he's on the trail and he swears by it I personally haven't been able to to deal with it I had started using a new product though called Ambro night which is a little more of a plant-based Soylent type powder and I'm thinking about carrying some of that on my thru-hike of the PCT next year now eventually I'll do some sort of a review talking about it but so far I like it on doing smaller trips I'll just have to see if I can use it like every single day and pretty much have it as my main food source I don't know yet for that I kind of like cold soaking or sometimes using a stove and eating more rice sides but using just a powder based food on a hike I just can't do it yet all right guys

last question of the week if I have to resupply that day or I won't have any more food and the weather is so bad that I can't hike what do I do hike um you're out on a trail like a thru-hike or a section hike you just hike you embrace the suck and you deal with it there's days where it's gonna be raining it's gonna be hot you could be a snowstorm there's never a day that I rather stay in my tent or stay in a shelter

and ride out like rain versus just hiking in it dealing with it and then getting into a town where I can dry out I can get something hot to eat and I can resupply so my suggestion is if you're in some really bad weather just hike just deal with it it's gonna make you a stronger hiker and whenever you get to town and get hot food and get all those things that you need it's gonna be a really good morale booster and get you out of that weather embrace the suck and just hike alright guys so if you want to leave a question for next week's Q&A you can either leave it in the comment box below or send me a video question over to Darwin on the trail at yahoo.com and then next week I'll answer as many as I possibly can if you haven't had to change it go over and check me out on Instagram I've been posting a lot of new photos of some of the things that snows and I have going on throughout the week plus some pictures from some past hikes if you found any value in this video go ahead and hit that like button subscribe to my channel if you haven't already and as always guys thanks for watching [Music]