Pete, Thank you for such a warm and wonderful well wish! Hope to chat w/ you while I'm on the trail. Peace 😎👍✌

Brothers from different mothers my friend!! 🤣

Hello CHAOSNCHECK T ! CONGRATS on your thru-hike!! I hope you're very proud of completing it!! Thanks for viewing my vlog and the suggestions. I'm always open to a good suggestion. I did look seriously at the new mini pumps out there, but having the lung capacity of a long distance swimmer (I swim 1 mile a day 3 days a week) I decide to just use the blowup time as a relaxing moment. I also figured out the exact amount of breaths to make my mattress the precise firmness that I like. I also have no clue w/ the inflation bag is because I tossed it 2 years ago. My eating spoon was only hanging from my pack because I had recently washed it and wanted to display it for the vlog. When I'm out on the trail it stays wrapped in my home-made Kozy w/ my food. My food gets stored in 3 separate freezer bags, 1 for each day planned. The individual bags also act as a trash holder until I get to a proper trash can, so I leave no trash. I have heard a lot of good about the Hoka shoes! I tried my first pair of Altras hikers 2 years ago when I started my planning for the 2024 thru-hike. I fell in love w/ the large toe box (readas... I've lost toe-nails before and don't want to ever do that again!!) The zero drop was another big hit for me as well. The fact that they are the absolute favorites of the 2022 and the new 2023 Trek.com surveys says a lot and alos means they may be difficult to replace at the outfitters along the train. If that happens I might just get a pair of the HOKA Speed Goats. Your pack weight point is very well taken, something that has driven my gear selections and inclusions for over 2 years now. My latest weight w/ food, fuel and water was just 22 lbs. I have since added a pair of sleep booties (less than 1oz.) and have customized my Sawyer water system w/ a 2 liter "Vector Water Container" I found on the GGG site, and an bottle top adapter for the Smart Water bottle, that I picked up on Amazon that converts the Sawyer Filter to a gravity feed system. Same weight as the parts I replaced, so no weight gain. I'm planning to do a clothing vlog shortly and then will get an exact "base weight" and then a "full weight" vlog out on the results. I may "feel" like a younger man daily, but the reality is that the knees, wrist and back are still a "bit older"...lololol!! Stay tuned for the new vlogs and again, THANK YOU for following and caring enough to write such a great email!! Peace 😎👍✌

Hi Bigwallayman!! At this point I'm overwhelmed with the amazing response I'm getting with encouragement and advise. I do appreciate your offer and may take you up on it before I depart. What did surprise me was the number of NY people responding to my announcement, and a few from my hometown!! That was totally unexpected. Hope to chat with you while I'm on the trail. I'll be vlogging daily and answering all messages Peace! 😎👍✌

Hi Paul, Actually I just found the sleep booties, that have been out of stock all month, and ordered a pair from GGG. They have some great deals this time of year!! 😎👍✌️

I actually already replaced it..lolol! The original Jet Boil sits in my office unused. The Jet Boil you see in the vlog is the Minimo version which has the simmer feature due to the new jetting on the Jet Boils. I've already simmered up a great meal to test it before hitting the trail. Loved how it worked! AND....thank you for watching my channel. I'll be headed out to the trail in about 7 weeks! Peace 😎👍✌

Thanks!!! 😎👍✌️

Thank you!! 😎👍✌️

So far...So good!! Thanks for watching!!

Thank you Gregor!!! 👍😎✌️

@isuckathiking Hi!! My entire backpack, minus my Garmin, is going into an Ikea bag for shipping in the hold under the jet. My fuel is being picked up at an REI store that is actual by the expressway heading to Amicalola Falls, if my call to the visitors center finds they are not yet restocked. I have the tel# at the visitors center to call and confirm if they are restocked before I arrive. Thank you for the tips and following my journey!! I hope we get to meet up for coffee or Fresh Ground food on the trail!! Peace! 😎👍✌️

Thanks Robert!!! Very much appreciated! Peace 😎👍✌

@theycallmegoc Hi, I will be posting about my gear during and after the hike. Part of that last vid that didn't get included was the fact that if anything fails during the hike, I will have no problems w/ bringing it to the very next vlog. I want all the fact and data to be available to future hikers about all my gear, including the success and failure of any of it. Stay tuned my friend!! Peace 😎👍✌

That's a very king offer Dave!! I'm still 10 weeks out, so lets see how it looks beginning in Feb!! Peace my friend 😎👍✌️

@@frankdotyjr sure thing. There’s also a list of shuttle providers. Have no idea what people will charge but it’s about a two hour trip from the airport to Amicalola, depending on the time of day. I’m sure you know they do have a lodge there that you can stay in. Nothing fancy but has a nice view. Also, I’m sure you’ve done your research, but it seems like a lot of people are surprised at the weather in the Appalachian mountains that time of the year. It can get very cold even snow. You could have multiple days of rain or thunderstorms. Can be very nasty. I watched a lot of these through videos, and it looks like some of them were just not prepared for that.

Hi Edwin! Like Alan Shepard once famously said, "Lets light this candle" is running through my head every day now!! But seriously, for just a moment, Yes is the short answer. Last minute logistics at work, home, family and with friends has kicked into high gear. The holidays only served to highlight how important family is in all my plans. Emotions are running quite high as expected, and as I presume are for all of the early 2024 thru-hikers making final prep plans. I'm actually rather jealous of the 2 guys who launched 4 days ago! So yes, and THANK YOU my friend for checking in on me. I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone during my journey. Peace!! 😎👍✌️

Jack and Bob Ross by any chance? I will be watching you, a fellow by the name of Dave Abbet, and you young girl that popped up on my Radar about a week or so ago, Rissa Roams. I usually only pick on one person to follow. But I'll be watching and Praying for all three of you folks, so , Good luck Frank, and Good Bless. @@frankdotyjr

Dave Abbet is the name of the other fellow that I will be following, my brain was thinking one thing, my fingers were doing something else. ttyl @@frankdotyjr

​@@edwinklaverYou are correct on Jack & Bob Ross. Jack has a valiant struggle ahead and I felt like being a positive following with him and encouraging him and Bob when possible. I'm also following the girl named Rissa. I'm also keeping up communication with a girl named Erin M, who the neice of my best friend since high school. She's launching NOBO on the PCT in April. It's going to be a busy year upcoming and I'll really looking forward to it!! Happy New Year my friend!! Peace!! 👍😎✌️

Hi...that last link suddenly failed at the Amazon site. Here is the long full link I use. www.amazon.com/Ikea-Frakta-Storage-Extra-Large/dp/B00L77191E/ref=asc_df_B00L77191E/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193147589203&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4582440158332480321&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005666&hvtargid=pla-308370737400&mcid=6b7ff785293730d3980338c0857b7dfa&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr6S9t4b-ggMVwOTjBx0BNwuREAQYBSABEgLV4fD_BwE&th=1

@germotlp - I hope you get the NEW longer link I just updated in my description section. The 1st link I sent started failing so I updated it to the longer link. In short, I got it on Amazon and yes it is zippered. I just searched "IKEA Storage Bag" and found several of them. Good luck and let me know if you have ANY problems finding them. Peace 😎👍✌

Hi Keith! I'm roughly 6 weeks from my planned launch date. Are you following my journey? Peace 😎👍✌

@@frankdotyjr yes

Hi Andy and thanks for that update on that weight. Peace 😎👍✌️