For those that may not know, my name is not actually Nickels. Nickels is my Trail Name, a name hikers choose or acquire while on the AT. The nicknames you’ll hear on Trail could be literally anything, such as Captain America, Dead Legs, NoBreaks, or The Crazy One; anything and Read more…
I called the Amicalola State Park Visitors Center this afternoon, just to confirm that they hold mail for hikers. I was greeted with the first southern accent of my journey, and it made me smile.😊
On the Appalachian Trail, gear is always a popular topic of conversation between hikers. “Which sleep system do you use?” or “What’s your baseweight?” are common questions you’ll hear. Hikers will ask these questions to learn what gear is the best, and look for places to upgrade their gear to Read more…
With my start date approaching fast, I figured I share how my training has looked for the Trail this year. I’ve stayed pretty consistent so far, mixing in some average mileage days of 10-14 with larger 15+ mile days. Running has been tapering, and I don’t think I’ll be out Read more…
Thru hikers carry close to the bare minimum to survive outdoors and stay comfortable. Since backpackers could talk about their gear for LITRALLY (Traeger, haha) days, I wrote down everything I’m taking with me, and added it to a website called LighterPack. It’s a great resource to analyze a gear Read more…