Hey guys! I’m currently hiking the northern half of the Appalachian Trail, and I wanted to share some of my experiences here. I started in Pine Grove Furnace at the pavilion, and I’ve been walking north to Maine. I’m a day out from hiking Greylock, where I’m told the real climbing begins!

Here are some pics of my experience thus far. If you want to check my Instagram (@Huemmblebee) there are some more pics there.













Hammocking has been swell so far. I don’t have a pad to sleep in shelters, and have only had to do so once (Eckville shelter near the Pinnacle). Otherwise I love having my own space, free of snoring hikers and mice. The 20* UQ is a little overkill, I’d love to be using a 30* one, but I appreciate the warmth now that I’m in New England and the nights are chilly.

I’ve only come across a handful of other hammockers so far- way fewer than last year on the long trail. The trail is also more male-dominated this year, according to hikers, and the thru-hikers I’ve met have some crazy stories of the extreme and late winter we’ve had.

Most hammockers or hammock-curious hikers I’ve met have complaints about hammocks consistent with mine before I discovered the cottage industry. One can walk into an REI and leave with a passable tent setup for a thru-hike, but the same isn’t true for hammocks- I think you really MUST go with cottage vendors (Dutchware and Hammock Gear in my case) to get a comfortable and lightweight system. It’s not polite to give unwarranted gear advice out here, so I’ve had to bite my tongue plenty when I hear of “uncomfortably short” hammocks, lack of underquilt, hanging tarps from hammock suspensions, the whole 9 yards of things I didn’t know better than to do before I joined this forum.

My base weight has been dropping and is now around 11lbs, which has been very comfortable, and lets me do large food resupplies when my dad crosses the trail and meets me. The other day I took on 13lbs of food- I doubled my pack weight that day!

The hiking has been fun, and the toughest days have been the hottest ones in New York when some of my friends gave up on the trail. I’m happy to have friends and family on this northern half to support me and keep me company.

Thanks for all the guidance that got me here! I’ll update when I reach wifi hotspots!

-Hum