Early Retirement Extreme Forums

It’s been fun catching up with your posts. Looking forward to more!

I was in Vietnam about a decade ago. I loved it there. If you need a break from the tropical climate there are some nice towns a bit higher in elevation. The one that comes to mind is Dalat.

Hey Animal, I returned to the trail in late November to hike the extreme southern bit, Lordsburg to Mexico. I was then ready to chill for the off season, but on a whim I decided to travel a bit. I was in central america and Yucatan for 5 weeks. I’ll return to the CDT for a northbound hike out of Raw...

10/3: We hiked 15 miles into Grants and then spent a few hours at the Asian Super Buffet. It was super delicious and we each had about six plates of food. Joel and I will split up in the morning due to some resupply logistics and various alternate paths. 10/4: Today was a 32 mile paved road walk out...

Good stuff, sounds like you had a fun family summer, one to be remembered fondly. Was great to follow along, thanks for sharing!

9/24: It was a pleasant and uneventful day. I noticed some new varieties of trees, scrubby and short oak trees and ponderosa pines. Rainbow walked by northbound in the afternoon. He’s been jumping around the trail doing little bits here and there. I first met him in Twin Lakes. Towards the end of th...

9/19: There was a lot of ice accumulated on the tent this morning. I took out the trekking pole and it mostly kept its shape! I bet I shook/peeled off at least 10 pounds of ice. I was warm overnight though, I suppose I had my own little igloo. It was an easy trail today and good weather, I hiked 25 ...

Yo WRC! So glad you’re enjoying the captain’s log. F-ing brutal weather for a while there, and I’m currently enjoying NM very very much! The desert is my happy place. Regarding the question, I’m drawing penalty free from the governmental 457b, strategically so the income is between 138% and 150% of ...

9/11: At breakfast I met a hiker and his mom. We talked a while and they gave me a lift to the hiker center, which was nice because Lake City is a looong town, maybe 4 blocks wide by 20 long. A 9 by 9 would be a lot nicer for the walkers. They offered me a ride to the trailhead but I was hoping to p...

9/5: Left the trail at Boss Lake Reservoir and invented a path into Monarch Pass. Some side trails, some forest roads, some cross country, and two short bits through what seemed like private property but lacked any signage. It was fun to think through a route instead of just following the main path....

8/26: The trail out of Grand Lake is really a treat. Mostly flat and down the banks of the Colorado river and lakes for 15 miles. There are campgrounds too, so plenty of drinking water and bathrooms. Saw another moose today and my first snake. I also lanced my first blister in the tent. The wet cond...

Yo soda! Whatever you choose it’ll be fun to follow along and hear your thoughts. I’m currently leaning heavily towards the fair weather section hikes, but others I know have done/attempted calendar year triple crowns, the great western loop, yo-yo’s, and other crazy shit and wouldn’t change a thing!

@animal I think it was 170 to 160 after 30 days on the Arizona Trail, then I lost 5 more on the PCT. I’m 6’1”. Regarding the starting point, I knew I didn’t want to hike the whole thing start to finish in one year, after last year I knew it would lose its charm after a few months. I chose SOBO out o...

I’ve been journaling on the CDT, thought it would be fun to share it here. Starting body weight 170, base weight 10.5 8/15/23: Began in Rawlins, at Carbon County Public Library, heading Southbound towards Mexico. Bounced back and forth with an aussie couple, who I saw walking out of town right befor...

Good stuff! Way to go animal fam! I was just in Oregon connecting last year’s footpath (there was a fire closure near Mt Jefferson). You’ll have beautiful trail from Timberline Lodge to Santiam Pass, with the exception of a short stretch of blowdowns just north of Three Fingered Jack. Though at your...

Exciting times ahead! Enjoy!

If any of you are looking for a ~60 mile backpacking trip in the southwest, I recommend the Arizona Highline Trail. 20 of those miles are shared with the Arizona Trail, the other 40 are not. Very well maintained and well marked. There are bailout opportunities about every 10 miles, and even a few tr...

Frita - Yeah, I feel like I dialed in my preferred form of travel. Slower and more project oriented.

Yo WRC. It’s much better on this side of the 9-5, that’s for sure. More free time and fewer distractions bring the age old questions to the forefront. What is the meaning of life? Is it silly to think there’s a meaning to any of this? I can see how people would feel more comfortable with a hectic li...

Don’t go crazy buying the latest and greatest gear.

Don’t spend much time in town. Resupply, have a huge supermarket picnic, and hit the trail. Minimize restaurants, alcohol, and hotels.

I flew back to the states from Guatemala City. I had sworn off flying, and hadn’t flown for four years, but convenience and speed won the day. Nah, never felt unsafe. People there seem to live much more of their lives outdoors (due to lack of A/C perhaps?), which dilutes the proportion of weirdo enc...