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I have never been known as one to jump out of bed in the morning and this morning was especially that way. When you are comfy, warm and content it is extremely difficult to get up no matter if you are in a tent or a mansion. After the sun lit up the camp I finally started making moves. Once on the trail I began the first of many climbs for the day. I headed towards the aviation tower atop Apple Orchard mountain while eating a breakfast of nuts, dried fruit, a snickers and a Tram bar from Kate’s Real Food. This usually holds me over for a couple hours. I can usually tell right away how my day is going to be. The first uphill I can gauge my energy level and today I was feeling very average. Not bad but not up to a 40 mile day I have been thinking about doing for a while. After Apple Orchard mountain the trail slowly descended over the next few miles to the giant James River. At the river I took the largest foot bridge of the trail across then crossed the highway and began the long arduous climb up Bluff mountain over 2000 feet above. I do not love these climbs to end the day, but all I can do is hike the trail that is in front of me. Luckily the sunset was beautiful and I was inspired by the surrounding peaks that I slowly ascended above. The Appalachian trail is different than many of the other trails I have hiked in the way that the views are spectacular but also clouded by trees. Most mountains and hikes I have done climb above the tree line for less obstructed views. Since the Appalachian mountains are one of the oldest ranges in the world they have been eroded much more than the Rockies, Sierras, and Cascades where I have spent much of my hiking career. At the top of Bluff mountain I snapped a couple photos then finished out the 30 mile day with about 1.5 miles down hill. I came to a camp spot and was surprised to see two backpackers there as well. Usually I have the whole wilderness to myself during the week. Not today though. We chatted for a while then I cooked up some homemade Mexican Minute Rice and readied my bed where I am ready to fall asleep much before hiker midnight (9pm). #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

My setup worked perfectly overnight and I stayed dry along with all my gear. In the efficient manner I have come to exhibit, I had my stuff packed up very quickly and enjoyed a snickers and some nuts and dried fruit for breakfast while hiking. My method is to eat breakfast while while walking in order to keep my multitasking ability polished. The day warmed up very quickly and soon it was a day in the mid 60s where the sun owned the sky. It was quite a sight after coming from temperatures that plunged to the negatives barely 2 weeks ago. It is amazing how fast the trail and the landscape change over time. It is especially rewarding to see many different climates, ecosystems and views each day due to the large miles I have been doing. The day was wonderful and I had a couple very interesting conversations with locals who were out enjoying the last of their weekends. After being in a state of such solitude most the time it is wonderful to be able to have quality conversations with many different types of people. As with the rest of the AT today was filled with pointless ups and downs but I’m glad I didn’t miss any of the views. Much of the trail today followed the Blue Ridge Parkway. Which is a winding scenic road perfect for a drive on a nice day like today. So since the trail is within earshot of the road for quite a ways I probably saw and heard more cars today than the past month combined. My body is feeling really good and hopefully I should be able to get some big miles in with the nice weather the next few days before changing out even more of my gear in Waynesboro. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

Today I got the best trail magic of the trip so far. I was on the trail early with the intent of making the Daleville post office before it closed at 12. I didn’t waste any time on the down hill climb to town and was at the post office by 930. The next step was to get a good town meal and possibly a shower and laundry done. I found a coffee shop and took care of everything I had been putting off til town. By the time I was going to leave I decided to go to the brewery next door for a beer before heading back to the trail. There I met Kyle (I can’t remember his trail name) and he was a past thru hiker. We talked for a while and I found out he is hiking the PNT this summer which is lesser known 1200 mile trail I hiked in the past. He then offered me a place I could do laundry and shower and even gave me some food and a meal. It was pretty awesome. From there I left town and walked just a few miles before deciding to camp in the rain under my tarp. It should be a true test of the setup. I’m really hoping not to wake up in the middle of the night in a soaking wet sleeping bag. Today turned out to be the perfect short, productive, mostly restful day. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

Weekends are hit or miss on the Appalachian trail. There are many backpackers just out for the weekend and they bring with them many opportunities as well as issues. On this weekend evening I am in a shelter with a half dozen middle aged men that are all snoring in rhythm. It is like a comedy sketch. I would have chosen the tent over the shelter except I am hoping to be up early and at the post office before it closes at noon. After another 4 days of trail food, dehydrated spaghetti and beans, I could not be more excited for a hot meal. I crossed the 700 mile mark today and should cross the 1/3 point of the AT sometime tomorrow. As for the walking today, it felt like fall. The weather had the cold/chilly fall feel and I was walking through/over a 6 inch layer of dry leaves. The day was mild in the elevation department but still gave some incredible views. I spent nearly an hour on McAfee knob both enjoying the views and taking pictures. This set my day back a bit as I tried for the perfect photo. When I finally moved on darkness had set in and I walked the surrounding cliffs in the darkness before arriving at my shelter full of snoring. The two things I hope to get done in town tomorrow, and others hope I can get done, are a shower and laundry. I have a unique smell going lately. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

If you bet it would snow today you win. Either way I lost with the weather today. The temperature hovered around freezing the entire day. I began the day scarfing down a quick breakfast before venturing out and back onto the trail that has become my home. Even as I walked the first few miles I felt something working against me. I didn’t know what it was yet though. It was especially obvious something was going on as I climbed the first of many hills for the day. As I am known to do, I pushed the feeling off once again. I trekked along and during the second long hill of the day I met Rosy Eagle who is a section hiker that is just finishing up his last couple sections of the AT. After I passed him the snow began to fall along with my drive and motivation. For a good 15 minutes I just sat on the ground completely exhausted. It’s not that I didn’t want to go on, it’s that my energy had left me after only 16 miles. I am not one to give in or give up so I worked with what I had. Oreos, chips and a second lunch would have to do. Between the long miles I have been doing for a good two weeks at this point I think the sudden failure is attributable to not sleeping well or for long enough recently along with continually running a calorie deficit in my diet. Hopefully I can sleep a little better and longer moving forward to address one of these issues. Luckily the sugar and salt did the trick and I was able to use the mind over matter tactic and get moving again. I made it to VA 42 and was dreading the final climb of the day. It was snowing and waiting at the top of the climb were some slick slabs I would have to walk for at least a mile. I began the slog up Bruisers Knob and took many more breaks than would normally be the case over the few miles to the top. Today was just a day I didn’t feel it. Once at the top I walked the spine of the mountain range and wished it was clear so I could see the views on all sides that I was sure were amazing. I walked about 30 minutes after dark and almost missed the shelter I was going to stay at due to the snow. That would have either been a ten mile mistake or a cold night of snow camping. Hopefully summer weather comes back soon #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

The night was cold and the wind howled all night. It seemed my two days of summer weather had come and gone. When I felt sufficiently warm to pull my head out of my sleeping bag I truly saw the damage of overnight. The ground was soaked from the rain, then froze and finally had a dusting of snow on top. Per the usual I was on the trail by first light and as I climbed to the crest of the first mountain the wind came at me in full force. It was so strong I would have to lean into it as I walked across the long exposed areas. This coupled with the sub freezing temperatures made it a chilling morning. I completed the 9 miles to the road crossing and walked the extra mile to a fast food restaurant where I ordered a coffee to stay warm as well as got some charge back in my phone. From here the day began to turn. It wasn’t a nice day, but it wasn’t too bad either. I doubt the temperature ever rose above freezing but the sun did show itself a few times as I skirted the Virginia/West Virginia state line. The views were great as I followed the line down the tallest peaks in the range. I saw multiple deer with their brilliant white tails. In the last couple miles the temperature began to drop and while moving through a patch of thorny bushes I managed to put a hole in my rain pants. Looks like I will be duct taping it closed for the next 7000 miles. 73 miles to my next resupply and I have to make it there before noon on the third day. It could be challenging. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

Today was an eventful day. I was on the trail by the first light and began meandering along the ridges and knobs of east Virginia. It looked like the perfect day, and for the majority of the day it was. The views were amazing with clear sights of evergreen tree laden rolling mountains on all sides with the occasional farm placed in the valleys. I’m sure the sights would have been similar 200 years ago as well. The day was going so well and the miles were flying by so I decided to walk the extra mile off the trail to a grocery store where I would get a cold drink. The temperature was at least in the mid 60s and it felt like on the first day of March summer had arrived. At least momentarily. Cold drink in hand, I took the long arduous climb from the valley floor back to the ridge. At the top I was once again rewarded with views galore. I passed a series of cell phone antennae, radio towers and a fire lookout and felt the first rain drops. I quickly pulled out my rain jacket and put my pack cover on to try to mitigate the risk of having everything sopping wet. I half hoped the weather would pass quickly, but being from the Pacific Northwest, I know the difference between an ongoing rain and a quick shower. This would be sticking around all night. I made it to docs knob shelter and was greeted with trail magic in the way of a couple beers floating in the spring. I had dehydrated spaghetti and a cold Miller high life for dinner as I continued to watch the rain come down. I hung my damp items around the shelter and they should be good for the morning, but with the forecast not looking good, snow is definitely a possibility over the next couple days. I may travel to Pearlsburg for a quick coffee and a charge up of my phone so I can keep these posts coming. It all depends on if I wake up to a white wonderland or just a wet ground. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

All night the wind howled by Chestnut Knob Shelter where I was trying to sleep. The problem was the shelter is at the very top of the mountain and is actually the old cabin used by he fire lookout personnel. They sealed off the fireplace and called it an Appalachian shelter. It was nice that it was completely enclosed but frustrating in that the ripping wind would blow the door open only to have the spring on it slam it closed. It was like having your front door slam every half hour all night long. Eventually around 2am I got up and used a string hanging from the ceiling and the bloom handle to tie the door shut. I worked for the most part and I finally got a little quality sleep. I woke up and put my breakfast in my pockets to eat while hiking that morning and discovered my least favorite problem. Worse than even running out of food. I found that all I had left to walk the 20 miles to my resupply was 6 bars. They are dark chocolate granola bars from Costco that I ate while climbing all the Colorado 14ers this summer and am so sick of them I have to spend half a mile preparing to eat them before I can take a bite. It would be enough to eat, but it would not be fun to eat. On the trail, eating is one of the best times of the day and these bars ruined that for me today. I hiked hard through the morning and about 11 miles in I met the White Walkers. They are brother who are walking with two white dogs who are sisters. Hence the name. I made it into town, resupplied and am back out on the trail with an incredibly heavy pack. I didn’t get a full charge in my phone in town but I figured since I use it so little (basically only to write these posts) it shouldn’t be an issue. I made it back to the trail and made it to the first shelter where I had a good evening hanging out with the white walkers. These may be some of the last true thru hikers that I meet on this trail so I decided to cut my day a little short and enjoy telling stories and having a fire. Tomorrow I need to eat real well in order to try to lighten my load. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

I was on the trail by 615 with no where to go but North. Sometimes there is something special about seeing the day begin, watching the sun rise and watching the birds and the bees begin their busy days. The morning was clear and the day began with the wonderful sight of the sun. The temperature was comfortable and the walking felt easy. Very quickly I made it to a highway intersection and decided to treat myself to a nice breakfast as well as pick up some more snacks for the next 45 miles (day and a half). These are the times in town I realize how much I miss coffee. It never ceases to amaze me the I can go from not having coffee for two weeks to have 4 cups at breakfast. It is one of the small trade off I have come to accept in exchange for doing something this amazing. Through the first two weeks of this trip I realized I was losing weight WAY too quickly. It was time for a big change in strategy to keep my body strong for this 9 month attempt. I dropped a few comfort items and fill that extra space with more snacks. When it convenient I also try to replenish my snack stash as I walk through towns. The strategy is working well and I have been able to keep on some semblance of a winter coat. After breakfast and picking up a large number of snacks I climbed back into the spine of Appalachia. It was a beautiful day and I had almost as much urge to sit on the side of the mountain and look back at how far I had come as I had to hike on. The trail was well maintained with leafless deciduous trees the entire way. I came to a shelter about 20 miles in where I met Einstein. A fellow thru hiker who was spending the night there. I pushed on and climbed up to the Chestnut knob shelter for a respectable 29 mile day. This shelter is perched right atop a mountain with the most incredible view of the surrounding hills and mountains. It was amazing to watch the sunset from up here. Tomorrow will be another early morning since I need to be at the Bland, VA post office before it closes. At that point I can see who won the Oscars as well. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

I got up early from the Wise shelter and was ready to face the world. I was on the ice covered trail just as it was light and skated along to the next shelter. I knew I was making good time when those in the shelter were still sleeping. From here the sun started to come out and the weather took a dramatic change from the snow blowing, ice causing cold spell I have had in Eastern Tennessee and Virginia. It was a lot of walking down the spine of old eroded mountains that now only stand a fraction of their previous height. The Appalachian mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. The views were incredible and it makes me a bit disappointed about how many of the views along the trail I have missed out on since I am hiking this in the winter. It was amazing hiking on clear, snowless ground for most of the day with the sun shining down. It sounds like this weather might stay around for another day or two. In order to take advantage of the weather I tried to eat mostly out of my pockets to eliminate down time and to continue walking. I wasn’t worried about eating all my snacks since I will be crossing a highway with some gas stations tomorrow morning where I also hope to get a hot breakfast. I passed the partnership shelter near the Mt Rogers visitors shelter shortly before 6pm and decided I felt good enough and the night was nice enough to put in 7 more miles. This last 7 miles was trying and included some ups and downs on already tired legs with some snow walking mixed in. Luckily I did make it to the chatfield shelter before too terribly late only to find 3 other hikers sleeping. The only one of their names that I caught was Froglegs. It was about 9pm by the time I had my dinner of dehydrated spaghetti and was able to crawl in bed after a 37 mile day! #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

Per the usual, it froze overnight and the morning was uninviting. Luckily I had enough snacks and motivation to finally get up around 7. I thought it would be just another day of walking on ground dusted with snow: I was wrong. The snow was very manageable for the first few miles and then suddenly everything began to change. The wind picked up, the snow grew thicker and ice began to appear. I was soon trudging through six inches of snow with my Stabilicers on while slowly winding up Mt. Rogers. As I crossed the final exposed area at the top I knew I was overmatched And ducked under the cover of some rocks to add layers. My finger were so cold the couldn’t use a zipper. I stuck them in my armpits under my warm jacket and slowly felt them returning to life. I finally made the summit and in the shelter at the peak were Bonnie and Clyde, slipknot, and sundown. Then just as I was leaving a group of over 10 guys showed up. I was glad I moved on. It was supposed to be 5 miles downhill to the shelter. Maybe 5 miles straight down but it was closer to mountaineering and bouldering than hiking. The rocks had a 1 inch thick sheet of ice on them and it made walking down giant rock formations tricky. It was a long five miles. After I finally dropped back into the trees I was astonished to see wild ponys. They didn’t have a care in the world and would just stand blocking the middle of the trail. I’m not the biggest fan of horses so at least they were ponys. I made it to the shelter around 6 and did not feel the motivation to go on. It was only a 24 mile day, but it felt like a big day. Bonnie and Clyde are also staying at the shelter tonight. They are a couple getting married on top of Mt Katahdin when they finish the trail. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking

Three weeks in and I am blessed with some more interesting weather. Before I get in to my day of waking let me explain the weather with a couple stories. Yesterday afternoon a winter storm came in and overnight 5 hikers were staying in a shelter (3 sided rugged building) as I do most night and between the snow and wind, a tree was knocked over and fell through their shelter. They called 911 and were all ok. The second story involves checking the news when i arrived in Damascus only to see that every local new story involved power outages or fallen trees. With this in mind, as you would expect, my day involved wind snow and rain. I woke up with 18 miles to make it to Damascus and was greeted with 3 inches of snow on the ground and a very cold and uninviting morning temperature. For this reason I got up a lot later than normal and didn’t start walking for a while either. 18 miles is not a great number to start at. It is too many to do before lunch but also not enough to feel good about making it your entire day. With this in mind I put my head down, filled my pockets with snacks and just kept walking until I made it into town. The wind was brutal and blew the falling snow sideways into my face. There were countless large branches and fallen trees across the trail and for being easy terrain and a simple grade, there was nothing simple about it. It is ironic that I got a new set of traction devices (Stabilicers) the day before it snowed. What great timing. I made it into Damascus and walked the AT along its path right through the middle of town. I purchased stove fuel and some snacks then had an average meal and recharged my phone before putting in 8 more miles to round out a solid day considering it was a town day. Unfortunately this shelter is pretty infested with mice. #thruhikingtriplecrown #hikingtriplecrown #howtogothruhiking #calendaryeartriplecrown #backpacking #pacificcresttrail #whatisthetriplecrownofbackpacking #Appalachiantrailinthewinter #thruhikingtheat #whentohikethatAppalachiantrail #appalachiantrail #backpackingcalendaryeartriplecrown #continentaldividetrail #whohasthruhikedtheAppalachiantrailinthewinter #backpackingtriplecrown #thruhikingtheCDT #jeffgarmire #freeoutside #howmanytriplecrownersarethere #thruhikingthepct #hikingtheatinthewinter #whatisthehikingtriplecrown #whatisthecalendaryeartriplecrown #triplecrown #hiking #thruhiking #triplecrowninoneyear #whatisthruhiking