Monday, February 28, 2022

Hiking Videos

At some point in the distant past I posted about the hiking videos I watch.  My watching has expanded considerably since then, so I thought I'd give you an update.

My evening caregivers usually arrive by 8.30, so I'm into bed by 9 -  but I don't usually nod off until 11, in time to get my 8 hours.  So I've got an hour and a half or more to keep occupied while lying flat on my back and I've got into the habit of watching hiking videos on my phone.  That works better for me than trying to read.

Camp among the pines

I've never hiked a huge long distance trail like these backpackers; most of my memorable trips were canoeing trips.  So I'm going to illustrate this post, which would otherwise have no pictures, with pix from a canoe trip in 2010 on the French River in northern Ontario, going east from Hwy. 69.

Sunrise

I believe the last time I wrote about this I referred you to Abbie Barnes, in the UK.  She's posted a lot of videos of trails in England.  All of the people I mention below can be found simply by searching under YouTube,  I'll refer to them by their UTube handle to make it easy to search for them.

Time for morning coffee!

So over the past few months I have followed five long-distance hikers, three on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and two on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).  Here they are:

Kelly Hays Hikes - Kelly has just finished posting the videos of her AT hike, generally one/per day for 183 videos.   That can keep me watching for a long time!  Kelly is planning to hike the PCT this year, starting soon.

MeanderingMeganB also just posted her final video, though both of these young women finished their actual AT hikes back in October.  Megan took 231 days to finish.

Taylor the Nahamsha Hiker was considerably faster, starting earlier and finishing last May in only 121 days.  She kept up posting videos daily as she hiked, unlike Kelly and Megan who finished off posting videos after they got home.  She's from New Hampshire - get it?

Yep, that's me, day pack open in front of me and big pack waiting for the next portage.

Becca Little Skittle posted 33 videos covering her hike of the PCT in 2019, often covering several days hiking in one video.  Because she posted those videos in 2019 I didn't have to wait for any videos to appear.  She is proposing to hike the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) this year.  The AT, PCT and CDT make up the 'Triple Crown' of long distance hiking in the USA.

Mary Mansfield, a UK hiker who flew to the States to hike the PCT in 2019 has posted 190 videos documenting that hike.  I'm still watching those and hoping she'll finish before it gets too cold (she finished in October 2019), but of course I know she will, since the videos are all up there already for me to watch whenever I like.  I like her style, so those are a favourite of mine, and she's still posting walking videos back in the UK.

Time to portage

I'm now moving on to choose a new group of hikers to follow during 2022.  Hikers start on the AT as early as January, though the bulk start in March or April.  Since a hiker who goes by 'Dixie' posted her videos on her UTube channel 'Homemade Wanderlust' several years ago, posting videos has apparently become the thing to do.  So I have well over a dozen hikers to choose from and it's still only February.  It still gets pretty cold in the mountains of western Georgia in late February!  A Texas group were amazed at the sight of icicles!

A little whitewater

There are several things I look for in choosing a hiker to follow.  I do like to follow 2 or 3 hikers for the whole trail rather than sampling 10 or 20 for little bits of the trail.  I first look for varied camera views, some selfie style, featuring the hiker talking to the camera. some views of the trail ahead as you hike,  and the valleys below, and some close-ups of interesting things like bugs, frogs  fungi and plants.

I also look for good audio quality (which requires a good wind-dampening microphone), and some info about where along the trail the video was taken (videos are often posted a week or two late once hikers get to a town where they can find wifi).  The best might actually have a map or elevation diagram - there's a lot of up and down on the trail.  And I guess I look for a friendly enthusiastic attitude.

A consultation - after lunch?

So based on that, here's a list of hikers I'm currently sampling to pick a few I'll probably follow this year.

Em's Outdoors is posted by a Canadian hiker, short videos but good style.

KNA Outdoors is an older mom with a quiet style, but she's well on her way already.

Crunch hikes is a young couple who are hiking together and sound enthusiastic.

The Gallivanting Hikers are an older couple hiking the trail together.

Travelling with Tonya is a single woman who is hiking with her small dog.

Trekking along is a family of 3 girls and their mom, posting a video once a week.

Hiking with Nat is a mom and daughter hiking together.

Reflections

And that's probably enough for now.  I'll be following Kelly Hays on the PCT and Becca Little Skittle on the CDT as well.  And there's one other UK hiker I'd like to mention.  Athena Mellor lived in the Peak district and actually wrote a guidebook for hiking there, then moved up close to the Lake District.  She and her partner have recently had a baby, Aife, but they're determined to keep up the hiking.  Their style and content has changed a little, but excellent photography and commentary.  I really enjoy Athena's videos.

That's all for now!



20 comments:

  1. Thanks for the information on the hikers -- and the photos of your canoe excursions. I've hiked bits and pieces of the AT, but just tiny segments and have never had a desire to walk the whole trail. The 229- mile section here in Pennsylvania is infamous for its rocky footing and lack of spectacular views.

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  2. I am following a blogger at http://myqualityday.blogspot.com/ who is walking through the U.S. starting in Michigan and going east. She is finishing in Ohio now, a woman in her seventies who can cover 18 miles a day if conditions allow it. She has a companion with her now and often hikers join them. She posts every day but doesn’t do videos.

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  3. I admire these hikers. Too extreme for me.

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  4. I love to follow back country adventures in Algonquin Park. My attention span isn't long enough to follow someone on the AT for any length, though I have enjoyed them.

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  5. I never did any canoe trips. To be more accurate, I have done very little canoeing. Looks like you had a great time.

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  6. I've followed some of the PCT thru-hikers blogs in the past. It's always difficult for me to find hiking blogs like these.

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  7. Social media gets a lot of bad press because of some horrible people but there are loads of fantastic things out there: sewing and chickens and sheep on Instagram. Also (obviously) talking cats! I didn’t know about the hiking but it sounds a lot more entertaining than unboxing which I just don’t get.

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  8. What a lovely post! This is a great idea. Good for you!

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  9. Such a great idea, to follow these hikers like you are doing. I'll check some of them out, so thanks for the names! :-)

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  10. Wait! An elderly man actually gets 8 hours of sleep? Wow!

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  11. There are so many good things to watch, thanks for sharing these.

    All the best Jan

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  12. In a former relationship, 3 couples, me included, took a Canoe trip down the Saugeen River. My partner and I were newbies and boy did we learn a lot.
    This is an interesting post and i live the photo of you in the canoe.

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  13. Quite a lot of that material out there to be found.

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  14. I should check them out as we like to watch a bit of TV before going to sleep:)

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  15. I can hike a little but not more than a mile. I have to be careful where I walk as I'm uneasy with walking on uneven ground and hills due to an incident in my life. I like to watch people out and about online, utube, roku shows. Thanks for sharing what you like to watch!

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  16. I must admit that all my 'hiking' takes place in the city but I sure enjoy seeing pics of other people's adventures.

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  17. I too liked that photo of you in the canoe, red suspenders and all.

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  18. it's good to have a regular routine and probably just a good for mrs. fg to have help in the evening. my hiking days are over but/so i really enjoyed what you shared. i love vlogs, i watch many knitters and a few who are into crafts and organizing!!

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