I appreciated the Nat Geo program on the AT last night. I watched it twice. A BIGGGGGGG thank you goes out to all the volunteers and professionals that assure the day to day operations and maintenance of this wonderful wilderness trail. I hope to enjoy some of the wild places this coming Spring. Thank you again for your tireless care and love that will surely insure the Trail for many generations to come.
little hiker
wish it had been longer…after focusing on Georgia for 20 mins, I’m thinking they were going to do that for all 13 states…guess not! Still, great photography and, for newbies, a stellar intro.
Still, wish it had been longer…they focus on Blood Mtn Shelter, but make no mention of Rainbow Stream Shelter, which is equally scenic (and even more remote). And why can’t anybody get a film crew down into Mahoosuc Notch? Or Stratton, which more than any other mountian has a major history with the AT (and LT).
Still, nice to see footage of Georgia with leaves on the trees…don’t get that very often 
And footage of Katahdin was beyond anything…
Kineo Kid
Yes, it was quite spectacular, and I would have liked to see more of the Trail, too. It’s going to be repeated here (SE PA) Tues. 11/17 at 16:00. Just FYI. :tongue
Lady Di
How come they never show anybody busting their tail or taking 20 throws to hang a bear bag with it coming close to hitting them or someone else in the head. Or packing up everything and throwing their pack on and then see something they forgot to pack. That’s what I want to see.
Hokey Pokey
For newbies and the general public, it was very well done. For those of us with broken in shoes and stained tents and packs, it wasn’t trekking without rain, mud, mice, bear bags, wet clothes, etc.
Kineo Kid should call Ken Burns, he could do an hour on each state (2 minutes, 30 seconds on Maryland)and show it year round.
Thanks Nat Geo, ggod program.
Ankle Express
Shhh Hokey Pokey and Ankle Express don’t give away all the secrets of having fun on the AT. If everyone knew how great it is to be out there you’d have 3 or 4 million people using the trail each year.
The show was a good overview for the general public but definitely not enough for the hard core hiker.
Old Goat
I did get a chuckle with that guy maintaining the trail…anybody notice he was wearing shorts?
Glad I’m not the only one 
ATC officials must’ve ran out of Pepto-Bismo after that segment…:x
Kineo Kid
It was as good as an hour-long show could be. Obviously, they COULD (and I would love it if somebody WOULD) give it the Ken Burns’ treatment and easily create something that would be substantially longer and more compelling. Of course, such a show would also have much narrower audience since many newbies, novices and vicarious hikers really wouldn’t hang in there for more than an hour or two, and, Jay Leno’s new show aside, the general intent is to maximize viewers not minimize them.
Ken G
I really enjoyed watching the show. Where are all the lightweight backpackers? The lightest packer on the show looked to have a 40lb.+ pack. I hope this didn’t deter any aspiring thru-hikers that think you need to lug a huge pack the whole way. When are the PCT,CDT shows coming out?
fenstem
Yeah, I had the same question when I hiked the AT in '08. I had a typical PCT/CDT pack, fairly light, and I had “culture shock” on the AT when I saw the preponderance of huge packs, still. It’s a cultural difference in the East. A few of the hikers who wanted to talk about it didn’t even know how much their stuff weighed. They simply don’t care, and that’s OK.
It’s a whole different hiking style, with shelters, hostels, a blazed trail, organized trail magic and daily shuttles for slackpackers, long “deli-a-day” sections, plenty of groceries and water, and many decades of culture that will not change quickly. I went out there with a different style (lighter, faster, fewer town stops). It worked fine for me, and that’s OK, too.
Garlic
A lot of AT thruhikers have almost no experience before they start the trail. It makes a difference.
Also, because the AT is such a wet trail (one day in three on average with precipitation) and many hikers start early, when snow is still a possibility, the packs, especially in the south, tend to be fairly heavy. By the time they get to Virginia, generally the packs have gotten much lighter. Through the midAtlantic, a lot of thruhikers are very lightweight. However, traditionally the packs get heavier again in New England, where again you have snow and severe weather as a likely possibility. On the PCT the packs usually get heavier in the Sierras and Washington for the same reason. And if you’re on the CDT on a six month schedule, your pack is likely to get heavier in mid-September when the weather starts to get iffy.
Ginny
ginny
just wondering if you and grey eagle are going to make it to the soruck this MLK day in january. would love to see
you’all there. i admire you and eagle the life style you
two lead. what is your latest adventure:? inquiring minds
want to know about their heroes!
cutty still hanging on to the gatherings and rucks when he
can!
cutty
ginny
just wondering if you and grey eagle are going to make it to the soruck this MLK day in january. would love to see
you’all there. i admire you and eagle the life style you
two lead. what is your latest adventure:? inquiring minds
want to know about their heroes!
cutty still hanging on to the gatherings and rucks when he
can!
cutty
We will probably be at both Rucks this year. As to next year, we’re hoping to get back to the PCT next year and finish what we started this year. Depends on feet and knees, and those are always uncertain. After Jim’s arthoscopic surgery in late June (torn meniscus forced us off the PCT), we headed north, wandering through New England and the Canadian Maritimes as far as Newfoundland. It was a good year, though not the thruhike we had intended.
Ginny
During the show, I cried when they showed the footage from the airplane over Katahdin. I miss the trail, but I cry because I know how much the thruhike experience changed me and I feel I can never repay the debt.
windex