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Occasionally I will get up earlier than is probably healthy in order to plan my day around a town or post office. Today was one of those days. I walked out of the Kincora hostel and into the forests under the power of my headlamp. The trail was rugged and slippery from the rain for the first couple miles and even had a section cut into a sheer rock face. It was not the best section to be traveling in the dark. After 8 miles I made it to highway 321 and made my way into Hampton Tennessee for my resupply box. This box was especially important because it has new shoes as well as a functioning watch. Yes my shoes failed in less than 20 days. This pair may have had a defect due to a chunk falling off the side of them somewhere in the smokey mountains. By planning and how the resupply worked out I walked 150 miles with a hole in the side of my shoe. Once my pack was packed with new food and gear and after I sent home a few items I was back on the trail. The sun was out and I was moving well. I have almost hit the magical 3 week mark where your body has adjusted to walking every day. The first signs of bad weather showed as I cleared Vandevelter shelter on top of the ridge as I felt the strong wind coming on. This is when I prepared for the worst and readied my rain/storm gear. This planning proved essential as a massive black cloud closed in and finally engulfed the ridges I was walking on. With the cloud came sheets of rain. I kept what I could dry and just kept pushing on. In its true fashion, the clouds broke after an hour of rain and the sun shown again. Another wardrobe change and I had all my wet clothes drying off the back of my pack. This period of sunshine actually felt extremely warm and probably hit the 60s. I took a break, ate a snickers and rehydrated beans to eat with a handful of chips. I would need to stay full to reach my goal of 32 miles on top of a town day. Once back walking again, as suddenly as it came, the good weather disappeared and I was left scrambling to prepare for the heavy winds and rain later followed by hail. With only 1 mile left to my final destination for the day the temperature dropped, the fog rolled in and the snow started. It is going to be a cold night. I didn’t buy fuel in town as I didn’t like what they were selling so I am eating cold food tonight. I should hit Damascus Virginia for lunch tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn’t snow too much tonight #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

When you are doing lots of miles every day, efficiency is the name of the game. You want to be taking full advantage of the daylight hours for hiking and trying to get everything else done during the darker hours of the day. Hampton is the next town I will be hitting and with the right luck I will get there right when the post office opens, repack my new supplies and food and then keep going. Today around 5pm I arrived at Dennis Creek Rd and decided to head to a local hostel where I could get one of my least favorite chores done in order to ease the burden of things that I have to do while in Hampton, TN. Now I should be able to get in and out of town in a couple hours and on my way north. I am 50 miles from Virginia and very ready to leave both North Carolina and Tennessee behind. Today was filled with a continual up and down at relatively low elevation. About 10 miles in I was greeted by both some real wildlife as well a Mountaineer Falls. Which is the first real waterfall of the trip. It threatened to rain all day with the gloomy looking clouds but it held off until the late evening for the most part. I am staying at Kincora Hostel which is run by Bob People’s and operates on donations only. It was a perfect place to escape the rain, get a shower and get my laundry done. Hopefully I will be out of here extremely early to make up the 8 miles to Hampton and get to the post office just as it opens. #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 woke up barely avoiding the many puddles the leaking roof of the shelter caused and I finally got to introduce myself to the others staying at the shelter. I was up early and flying through the rest of my snacks while not making the miles that would correlate to my eating. Even so, I made it over Roan mountain and to the overmountain trail intersection. Many if the fields and trails have history going with them that goes back to the revolutionary war. It’s pretty amazing walking through the history. The snow is gone for the most part and taken over by the slickest ice I have ever walked on. I spent a few miles ice skating the short ups and downs until I began to drop to a road. As I flew down the mountain I realized just how tired, worn out and soaked I was. I knew there was a hostel just off the trail and the visions of a shower overtook my will to put in a few more miles. I ended up at the very clean, nice hostel for the night and getting a ride down in to town for a great burger and a resupply on snacks. I also saw of scale in the bathroom and made use of it. As expected I have lost weight, but also more weight than I had hoped to lose nearly 3 weeks in. Time to eat more junk food. I should make Hampton, TN in a day or two and follow the trail into Damascas, VA shortly thereafter. #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

Last night my headlamp got progressively dimmer as I neared the No Business Knob shelter. This is alarming as it is one of my most useful and important pieces of gear. I was 7 miles out of Erwin Tennessee so I decided it was worth getting up early and heading in to town to pick up new batteries and see if those fix my headlamp. I just changed the batteries in it, so unless it was a bad batch I put in, the only logical explanation for a poor performing headlamp is the actual headlamp. Even so I wanted to make one last attempt at reviving it. To get to town early I got up before most people in the world do and started the long climb down to the road in to Erwin. It went by relatively fast and as I do when night hiking I put my headphones and and let the music push me through the miles. Before I knew it I hit the road and was walking along it into town and was suddenly surprised by the section hiker I stayed in the shelter just out of Hot Springs, North Carolina. It was good to see him and his dog. He was in his car and gave me a ride the three miles to town where I could get some food and batteries and of course a few more snacks. I told him not to wait for me since he was headed back out to the trail as well. Getting a ride back proved very difficult but I eventually got one with a guy who works and helps veterans get out on the trail to get over PTSD. Another seemingly stand up guy. I got a ride back to the trail and began the climb back up into the mountains. After 3 miles the rain came and slowly picked up. By the time I hit the shelter that was 4.5 miles in it was a torrential downpour. There were sheets of rain coming down. I cut my losses and spent time in the shelter catching up on some writing and waiting for the worst of the storm to pass. After over an hour I decided it was time to get moving again. The cinched up my rain rain gear and ventured on. As I neared 5000 feet between the melting snow and the intense rain, the trail had turned into a foot deep stream. I tried as best I could to work on my rock hopping and avoid the brunt of the water but it was no use. My feet were soaked and so was I. As I descended I finally came to a shelter and met Indiana Jones and Yoda. They were all settled in to the shelter and I would have called it a day but it was only 23 miles in and I still felt like walking. As I walked in and the darkness came the eerie clouds also rolled in. I was once again walking in a horror story like fog. It was especially haunting when I turned all lights off and let the scene and fog consume me. I ended up at a shelter after about 32 miles where the only spot left to sleep is where the roof is leaking. Time to be innovative once again. #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

#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 had every intention of getting up early and getting 30 miles in before dark. That all changed when some weekend hikers showed up at the shelter at 1am. This wouldn’t have been an issue but the older of the two kept asking me question about hiking and how to backpack for over an hour. At this point I shut my alarm off and considered it a lost cause. I naturally awoke and was on the trail by 715, but it was not the early wakeup that i had been hoping for. I crossed some smaller local roads and began the climb up to nearly 5000 feet where I would once again spend most of the day in the snow. My feet were soon cold and wet and the rain followed shortly after. I rushed to put on my rain gear then with a slightly lowered demeanor I trudged through deep mud, snow, and fog. There was a constant mist that encapsulated the mountains all day and had the eerie horror film feel. Imagine seeing a rugged log cabin (shelter) slowly appear from the mist as you got closer. Once again there were no views to be had although I could easily spot where they would have been. After I crossed Allen gap and began my trekking in Tennessee another long slow climb took place. Between the mud and the snow each step forward caused an almost equal slide backwards. It was tough going. Luckily about half way up the hill I met David who was a day hiker heading back down. He asked me if I needed/wanted any food. Obviously the answer was yes, whether it be Brussels sprouts and kale or candy and chocolate, the answer is always yes! He ended up giving me apples, carrots and three home laid hard boiled eggs. All the food was gone in the next mile. This act is called Yogi-ing after yogi the bear. It is an act that causes you the obtain food from another non long distance hiker involving putting on your best puppy dog eyes or accentuating your diminished body. Many techniques can work well and once the end goal of extra food is achieved there is no remorse or guilt. Anyways I didn’t have to work hard with David because he said his said he was a thru hiker. I pushed on after consuming all the extra calories (my mom would be proud I even ate the carrots). The rain grew heavier and put on my Mountainsmith pack cover and decided to make an evening out of hiking the trail. I walked until about 8 and arrived at my destination: No Business Knob Shelter. I have very limited food and about 3 days to go until Hampton Tennessee. On a side note my hip feels good unless I stop for too long. #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

As it always is nearly everywhere in the US, it was a cold morning. I moved quickly and had everything packed and was moving. Just like back in the “real” world (although this world may be more real) I could just feel that today was not going to be my day. My legs didn’t have it, and mentally I did not have the same mindset I do most days. Nothing to worry about at all, just knew it wouldn’t be a 50 mile day or something to brag about. The luxury of being only a day out of town is I have lots of food to eat and my pick of what I want! When you are on a trail it’s one of the better things that can happen. As I climbed over 4000 feet elevation the snow returned. I know everyone was concerned that I wouldn’t be at home on a trail without snow so to those people I would say, “do not worry”. I was comfortable back to my usual state of wet feet, clear eyes and a full heart. Unfortunately even though the weather was sunny, it was not all sunshine and rainbows. As I took the high (official route) over Firescald knob I slipped on some snow covered ice and tumbled down a steep section. My trekking poles went flying and my heart skipped at least 2 beats. Luckily having a pack on allowed me the ability to fall back and let my granite gear pack take the brunt of the fall but not before straining a muscle in my hip. I was good to go overall and got in another 8 miles but if anyone has some good hip muscles stretches email me as I am all ears. Especially after lying down to write this I can already feel it tightening up. Fall and small injuries aside, I made it 22 miles to flint gap shelter and had a nice little fire in the dark to raise my spirits. Then out of nowhere I walked in the shelter and saw someone had performed some trail magic. Sitting in the shelter was a nice IPA beer. No matter what could have happened today, this turned it all around! Tomorrow I may start picking up my mileage depending on the snow and how I feel. I am at about mile 306. Feel free to send me an email (contact tab) if there is anything you would like included in these posts and I can do my best. Thanks for following along on this great adventure so far! #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

Once again I could not realize the full potential of a bed in the Laughing Heart Hostel. So after laying there all morning I finally made the move to get up and begin getting my town chores done at 6. No one else was up and I had free reign of the computer for a couple hours. I showered again and did laundry then said my goodbyes and was off and into town in order to pick up my mail drop, shop and get a hearty meal. The problem with town days is I always end up with a really heavy pack walking out of the town, I always overeat with the town food and it is usually an uphill climb immediately after the town. Today all of these things happen. Thankfully it was a beautiful 60 degree day and the 11 miles I did to get out of the town flew by. It was nice to see that the sun does still exist and it is possible to hike without gloves. All complaining aside, my pack is heavier than normal so the bright side is I will get to eat better than normal with extra snacks and meals. The weather should hold for another day and be nice to walk in before the bitter cold comes back. I am camped in a shelter with Tin Man, Icebreaker and a section hiker. For those that do not know, thru hikers get trail names along the way and often have an entertaining and comical story attached to their trail name. My trail name is Legend and related to hitchhiking to get a group of hikers steak and pizza. I will post the full story another time. It’s a tiny shelter tonight and with a low of in the 20s it should be cozy with 4 people and a dog. I can already hear the mice running around. Where is Sylvester the cat when you really need him. #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

It wasn’t necessarily a good night sleep in the Standing Bear Hostel. But I was protected by Sylvester the cat who was protecting me from the mice in the hostel. Multiple times he jumped down on my bunk and chased a mouse around the cabin until he successfully caught him. After the sleepless night I arose around 7 with having a warm cup of coffee on my mind. It is amazing the things that you miss. I was hoping to head out early from the hostel and get on the trail but the people were too nice and entertaining to leave. finally at 930 I was able to get on the trail and began my trek through a misty and overcasts day. I climbed up and down all day and was soon soaked. As I neared the top of the first mountain, Snowbird Mountain, I realized I would once again be dealing with snow all day. I dropped down to a rhododendron forest and soon had snow falling from the low hanging leaves falling on my face and down my back. I began to get very cold. I came to Brown gap and there was a tent set up with the great trail angel, Apple, who gave me coffee, cookies, and a soda. I spent quite a while there and had a great conversation with him before it was time to move on. from here the trail began to climb up towards 5,000 feet and the snow became a foot deep. I reached Walnut Mountain Shelter at 440 and decided to go all the way to Hot Springs, North Carolina to make it a 33 mile day. I had one more climb left, soaked feet and the a headlamp that was out of batteries. Even so, it was a challenge that I wanted to accomplish. I raced up over Bluff Mountain and began the fast decent to try to find bare trail before it was too dark to see. At about 630 I finally found enough bare trail that I decided it was safe to put on some dry clothes in order to make the last 7 miles more comfortable into Hot Springs. Using my iPhone flashlight I walked the last two hours and arrived at Laughing Heart Hostel at 9 pm which is considered hiker midnight. I could not have been more surprised when Tie told me that someone had called in and paid for my room, laundry as well as the next five hikers that came through. The random act of kindness could not have come at a better time. All in all I got a 33 mile day in, I feel great and will spend most of tomorrow around town taking care of all the issues that arose over the past 5 days in subzero temperatures! NOTE: I will begin posting in the morning as it is easier for me to schedule them that way, so do not be alarmed when there is no post tomorrow evening, I will post pictures tomorrow evening for you though! #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

Let me start with saying my wishful thinking that it would not freeze last night was misguided and caused me multiple problems in not preparing for yet another deep freeze in the smokeys. Waking up with a rain jacket, warm jacket, rain pants, 2 shirts and 3 pairs of socks that were so frozen they could stand up on their own was not only a shock but also yet another problem to overcome. This was one of the three major problems that faced me as I awoke in my sleeping bag a day after hiking through a rain filled day. My second problem was I had 2 meals left and no snacks for three days and my final issue was that my sleeping bag had gotten wet (damp) once again. For those unaware, a damp sleeping bag with down (feather) filling loses all of its insulation power. I was least worried about this issue as it is due to warm up, but sleeping wrapped in a wet rag is not conducive to a good nights sleep. My other two issues would be solved as I started off another day of walking. I pulled on my wet clothes and last pair of dry socks and got to hiking as quickly as I could. This warmed me up enough to tolerate the wetness and then I began the problem solving phase of my food situation. According to my guidebook, which is falling apart after getting very wet) there was a hostel about 18 miles from the tri corner shelter where I had stayed. I was hoping to get in at least one more day under 20 miles that isn’t in snow (essentially rest day) before really upping my miles and today seemed like the day to do it. The first few miles were filled with walking through slush. It was heavy water logged snow that sucked my shoes in and once again had everything below my knees wet again. With only 18 miles and little to eat there was no time for breaks so I trudged on. At about the 9 mile mark the snow finally began to fade below 5000 feet and I was soon able to log the miles I had been yearning to compile for days. With nothing between me and Standing Bear Hostel except dry trail I made quick work of the miles and soon passed under I-40 and made it to my home for the night just as more rain came in. Luckily they sold just enough food at the hostel for me to buy enough to get to Hot Springs, North Carolina. I was even lucky enough to get a shower in. Sometimes there is just nothing better than hot water. #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 good news is that the temperature finally warmed up. It might not even get to freezing tonight. The bad news is the strongest wind and rainstorm took place all day. All my clothes and belongings are now soaked. The rain also made the snow slushy and even more difficult to walk through. I am 52 miles from town and very low on food. The snow in the smokeys caused it to take 2 days longer to get through. I met one hiker today who was heading southbound and said he started his hike in Maine in July. Shortly after seeing him I crossed what is usually a busy highway that had been closed due to weather. Along with my dwindling food supply goes the low amount of fuel I have left. I was happy to find hand sanitizer in the bathroom at the highway rest stop and was able to use that in my Etowah Outfitter stove to make a hot lunch. I walked the rest of the day through the downpour and felt gusts of wind that could knock a person over. I have 1 dry pair of socks left and at least 2 more days to town so I will have to get creative. I will be leaving the smokeys tomorrow so hopefully the walking gets a bit easier and dryer. #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

Things I didn’t see today: the sun, people, wildlife, the trail. What I did see was snow and a very thick cloud that hung overhead all day. It was another very cold day. I have 2 dry pairs of socks left so we will see what method I can come up with to stay warmish. The snow I walked through today seemed deeper, heavier and colder. At one point I would sink up to my waist with every step. That said, due to taking no breaks, I was able to push through for 20 grueling miles. I am going to bed a little damp but just do not have the energy to try to change in a temperature hovering at about 0. I think I have about 35 miles of brutal snow left. #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