Appalachian Trail 2021 | Pre-Hike Q&A

The time has come to start updating my blog with my upcoming Appalachian Trail hike. Clayton and I did a little Q&A session a couple of days ago. You can watch the video below. We will hold another Q&A session about a week into our hike, so if you have a question feel free to comment below or you can use the contact form here on my website.

2021 Pre-Hike Questions

Alright y’all, here are the 2021 Pre Hike questions that were submitted!

Now that it is getting closer, have you nailed down your plan more?

Yes! So, I will be starting from Harpers Ferry on June 1st. I am actually flying out of Texas on May 30th to my Mom’s (she lives about 3 hours from Harpers Ferry). She and my step-dad will be delivering us to the trail on the morning of June 1st. We will have to get off the trail the 2nd week of August to take Clayton to college.

Have you changed out any gear and if so what?

I have changed out a couple of pieces of my big 3 and then a couple of smaller items. Also, since I am starting in the summer I will not be carrying winter gear or clothing which has dropped my base weight by about 5 pounds.

Tent: I switched out my tent from the Tarptent Stratospire Li for my Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2.

Quilt: I also changed out my quilt from my 0 Degree Enlightened Equipment Quilt to a 0 degree Cedar Ridge Outdoor quilt. I was not happy at all with my Enlightened Equipment quilt while on the AT last year. It had so many drafts and you tell a noticeable difference in quality between my quilt and my son’s 0 degree CRO quilt, so I ended up buying myself one and had it customized.

Will you do a new “What’s in my Pack” video and will your son do one as well?

Yes, we hope to actually film that video this upcoming weekend, so be on the lookout for that. The only thing you will not see in my pack will be my quilt as it still being finished (I was assured by CRO that it would get to me in time).

Is this your son’s first backpacking trip?

No. He has actually been on several. His very first one was for an overnight hike (that we ended up going back to the following year to hike the entire loop) at Goodwater Loop. He also did the 96-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail with me back in 2019. He, like I, has also hiked up in the mountains before, he has just never backpacked (did an overnight) in the mountains.

How can I reach you if I want to send you or your son a care package?

Since I won’t have great data service (which is what I need in order to check emails and social media) for most of the time, you can message my Nutty Hiker Adventures Facebook page. My husband will be monitoring it and can coordinate that for you. He will be able to give you the address of where to send it depending on my location on the trail as well as answer any other questions you have.

When do you plan to finish the trail?

My plan is to be done by December 1st should I decide to make this a thru-hike. That will be 6 months from the time I start. If you take in the roughly 2 weeks I will have to get off (August to take him to ASU and then in early November for parent’s weekend at ASU), that gives me about 5 1/2 months which is about average. Last time I also wanted to spend time in the towns and explore the towns, this time I am all about getting out there and getting the trail done so I can get back and start planning my Arizona Trail adventure (spoiler alert, that is the next trail I plan on doing). But, this really just all depends on how the summer goes. This trip is meant more for a mom-son bonding trip before my baby goes off to college more than anything. So, I am letting him dictate how long we stay on.

I remember you saying you were tall in the past, but your son seems to be much taller, just how tall is he?

Well at last check he was just a hair shy of 6′ 4″! Yes, he is one tall dude! For reference, I am 5′ 9″.

Do you have any concerns bringing your son with you, even though he is 18?

Of course! It doesn’t matter how old my children get, I will always feel the need to protect them and at the same time worry as well. My biggest concern is making sure he is getting enough calories. He has a super high metabolism (just like I did at his age) and is super skinny. I really do not want him to lose any weight. In normal everyday life, he needs about 3,000 calories a day just to maintain the weight he has now (and that is with no activity). Other than that, I have the usual worries for him (bear attacks, falling off a cliff, getting lost, being abducted by aliens lmao).

What is your son looking forward to the most?

According to him, he is looking forward to the new experience, while he has been in mountains before and has done a week-long backpacking trip, he has never done those together. He is also looking forward to the scenery. Oh and gaining some muscle.

What are you looking forward to the most?

Losing about 40 pounds lol! That would be me back to what my normal weight was before I started having all these health issues. But in all seriousness, I am looking forward to spending time with my son AND I am really looking forward to hiking Rockslvania (Pennsylvania)! Yes, really! I have always loved climbing and maneuvering through stuff.

What are your plans for blogging or vlogging while on the trail?

I plan to do daily videos and weekly blog posts. The videos will probably run a week behind as I will probably have to wait to upload them until I am in town just due to how much data usage that requires. So expect those to start coming out about a week after I have been on trail. Same with the blog posts, but blog posts will only be done about once a week.

Do you plan on doing any live videos from the trail?

Yes, however, it will be from my Facebook page, so make sure you have followed me there as well. I will do a short live video every now and then as data service allows. While I do have great cell coverage out there for calling and regular texts, I found that using things that required data was a different story (like Facebook, uploading videos, face time, etc…).

Video of Q & A Session

Final Thoughts

We will do another Q&A session after we have been on the trail for about a week. Feel free to comment below with any questions you have or you can also send them to me via my contact form here on the website. I will keep a list compiled and we will answer them next time!