Appalachian Trail - Nicholson Hollow to Little Stony Man

A quick unplanned hike

Harpers Ferry, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 2026 AT hiker tag...

It was a beautiful day for a short walk on the AT (still nearly 5 miles of walking!) while waiting to meet a friend for lunch. I stopped by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to pick up the 2026 AT hiker tag (going back at the end of April to get my number and picture in the book).

They gave me a gold star 🌟 because not only did I know the 7 Leave No Trace tenets, I knew them in order!!! 😆

Hydeation Overkill

This is hydration overkill! I'm trying out every water bottle until I figure out which one(s) I like the best. The Nalgene bottles are bomb proof plus in cold weather you can load them up with boiling water to make a "heater" for your sleeping bag. I have three 32oz bottles and two 16oz bottles. I recently added the Cnoc ThruBottle which I really like, but it is a little on the rigid side. Today I got the Mazama M!GO and the Igneous NoBo Bottle. Both of these are made from a more pliable plastic. The goal in all three of these is to permanently replace the typical SmartWater bottles I carried for years. The reason for the switch is the microplastics that are leeching from them and into me... nope.

White Blaze. White Trail.

It was an awesome day to break out of the cabin fever funk! I did some hiking around the Compton Gap area along the Appalachian Trail. The temps were in the mid 30's.

Yes, those are bear tracks!

Out and About on trail

Seriously Silly

2026 Pack Out

Here's my basic kit for hiking/camping in 2026. All said and done my base weight is 14.5 pounds.

Included in my kit is: Osprey Exos 58 backpack, Paria Arches 1 tent, Ozark Trail 50° quilt/mummy bag, Paria Recharge S sleeping pad, Nemo Switchback ground pad, Nemo Fillow Pillow, Toaks Titanium Cook Pot 750ml (inside MSR Pocket Rocket 2 and MSR piezo lighter), Outdoor Research Rain Jacket, 3oz Windbreaker, Poop Kit, Miscellaneous Kit (knife, sewing kit, repair patches, Nitecore NU20 headlamp), Water Kit (Cnoc 2L Vecto collection bag, Sawyer Squeeze Filter), Electronics Kit (Anker 10K mah power bank, Anker 65w wall charger, miscellaneous USB A/C/mini cables), REI Camp towel, Hillsound BTR14 camping stool, Small First Aid Kit * weather depending I can switch out my sleeping bag/quilt with my Big Agnes Anthracite 30° bag or Hang Tight 20° quilt. I can also switch out the tent with an ENO DoubleNest hammock with BearButt Tarp leaving out the sleeping pad and ground pad.