Never a fail when you're helping out your best friend....Glad to hear Timber is feeling better. Tom

Glad to hear that Timber has recovered (I suppose the same goes for Dan and Travis 😉). I enjoyed the collaboration and looking forward to Travis' video, too.

Everyone can rest easy, Timber has made a full recovery! It's too bad we had to cut this one short, we cut out right before the good stuff! It just means that a redemption trip is in order! Thank you again for everything that you did for Timber and I! I had a really great time hiking with you and I really hope we get to do it again!

Great effort guys!...so glad Timber is doing well...My red heeler Ding can't do the longer treks anymore...rear hip problems, so these days I shut him down at about 6 miles...just not the same bagging peaks without ol Ding along...I greatly enjoyed watching you and Travis hiking together...hope to see more!...MTwoods

Enjoyed seeing the two of you together! Disappointing that y'all had to split up and cut the trip short but it was for all the right reasons. I'm as big a fan of Timber as I am MW, but don't tell Travis I said that. Nice scenery from the lookout towers and hope to see you two together soon. Maybe packrafting if Travis is willing😉

Glad to see Timber doing better. His breed may have issues with carrying a pack.

Btw hate the peak pocket. But anything more then a headlamp it not very good.

I love everything about pitch, size, weight..I love that I can have my dog on one side and gear in the other. But the mesh in my face when laying down might make me buy something else. I am not sure the pro might solve this angle of the saggy mesh of the xmid1 design? Or maybe I should have just bought 2 or stuck with maybe a UL freestanding with steep uniform walls.

Many animals piss and shit in streams to cover their tracks as well

That was worth it - thank you. I just picked up a pair of CAD$40 poles off Amazon, to try things out before I commit to "better" poles. So I've been studying up on advice and technique, yours has been great. As a newbie to trekking poles, it's weird how much extra 'boost' you get that pushes you forward. I'm also hoping use of poles will lead to a less sore back, and reduce the swelling in my hands since they'll be at chest level instead of pocket level all day.

Hi Im considering getting the xmid 1. Just curious you know how tall you are

thanks so much!

This was certainly an "off script" adventure for you for sure. Kudos for your off trail navigating! Guessing though there were a few times you were wishing this had been a float rafting adventure with all the heat and sparse water sources endured on this trek. I'm hoping that in 50 years or so some backpackers will be hiking that same area and marveling at all the new forest that's sprung up to replace the burned out trees. At least that's been my thoughts when cruising the trails of the southern Appalachians that were clearcut in the early 1900s. Loved the reward, always been a fan of Igloo since my days on the farm with my dad.

I wish they had a DCF version that is double walled

Hi Dan, great video! Thanks for sharing. I'm subscribing for more. I just completed a solo backpacking trip over Gunsight Pass; starting at St. Mary's entrance and ending at Lake MacDonald. I covered this section of the trail on my fourth (and best) day. Nice to see the familiar footage. And wow, you made it all the way to Florence Falls too! I tried but turned back when the trail became much overgrown and riddled with bear scat.

This rings true! I swapped out my nalgene for gatorade bottles a while back and when they finally wore out I never replaced them and just went back to my nalgene. The only plus of that is that the nalgene can handle hot water, but honestly, I rarely do that. I better swap that out before our trip! My biggest savings though was in my shoes. Too many people think you need boots out there. I heard a saying that one pound on your feet is like 5 pounds on your back. That was the case for me. Hiking was so much easier with lighter shoes!

Thanks for taking us along sir!

Love those majestic cedars! Your bushwack reminded me of a trip I did in the Selway Crags a few years ago. 😬

I read somewhere that the struts can be removed on the Stratospire when packing away and this would allow it to fold up smaller and go inside your pack.

great video. you sure had to adapt to trail conditions and vague mapped trails. i enjoy your practical narration of your hiking videos. no loud music just plain natural beauty and straight forward description as it happens to you. thanks for these quality films.

The fact that Dan is updating his tents and backpacks according to feedback is just so cool imo

A very dynamic approach combining counseling and philosophy with backpacking advice. I have learned so many lessons about life from lugging a pack into the mountains.

Great video. this is why I always have my wood saws and pruners etc with me, so when i come across places like that I trim up some dead fall and brush, add some flagging tape and the theory is . is that if everyone does a luttle bit the trails stay good. some great mountains there for sure.

I would have hated that bushwhack. You definitely took the road less traveled. Do you think there's an app that could have been more effective for you for navigation?

Looks like some good Type 2 fun!!

Did you see any Elk?

Great video! You definitely took the hard way! If you don't have it. There is an extremely accurate map of The Great Burn made by Cairn Catographics. You can even download it to your phone. It's got that rough trail you took on it marked as secondary trail, low maintenance. You definitely verified it. Beautiful scenery shots you got even with the smoke. Thanks for sharing. Hike on!

Oh man, I spent the last couple day climbing over, crawling under and around blowdown, sucking in smoke in 99' temps...whooped my butt for sure!...Did I have fun?...maybe, ask me later!...LOL...30:15 looks to be Buckbrush an evergreen ...your one tough hombre amigo...woods

Awesome hike! Thanks for taking us along.

Thank you for your advice. My family use steripen classic with eneloop rechargeable batteries in all our travels on hotel tap water minimizing our purchase of bottled water.

Bubba the CNOC vecto bag is a necessity for the squeeze. Easier fill and way faster filtering

I use my Arktis wind shirt n it’s a great lightweight addition that adds warmth, keeps the wind off me n has a nice hood as well. Hoodies are Goodies.

It’s been a lot of fun over the years dialing in my gear. I’m at a 9lb. base weight during the warmer months and a few pounds more for shoulder season and leading into winter season. It took me 12 years to get there and still learning.

Great review thanks

Ok if i do a long distance hike then i have to take all the eventual bad conditions into the account specialy if you are outside of your homecountry without a place where u can store the extra gear you don't need at the moment...........life lessons about packing your fears? Nope just practical logical thinking without any expertise from "psychologists"

I prefer to hike without poles but bring them for steep downhills. I have allergies and blow my nose constantly. They definitely help with balance. I also prefer using one pole vs 2 and do like to change hands along with my grip so I don’t use the straps either. Great video!

Great video. Another tip is to review the next day’s route each evening, to avoid wrong turns or wasting time on trail to review the route. Also lends more confidence and optimism for the next day. A very minor idea but it helps me.

The good thing is that gear has improved over time. I just invested in a new sleep pad, pillow and sleeping bag. Thinking about getting an ultralight backpack but concerned about the durability and comfort hiking long miles. I’ll experiment and see what works best.

I knew absolutely nothing about training and only ran 5 miles a day everyday for a month straight but that alone made all the difference. You are right, consistency is key.

I found that I need the baskets in most parts of Western North Carolina as the soil is like a big sponge

i did the border to Blankenship over nighter. camped on an island. great float. did dozens of N Fork day floats. love floating the N Fork and stopping for bear claws in Polebridge

Durston tents

I am interested in the selfie stick tripod. Do you know how much it weighs?

One thing to add, is that the X-Mid 1 weighs around 40% more than the X-Mid Pro 2+ - So you can get a much bigger tent that still weighs less.

Always enjoy the advice and the philosophizing!

From hiking boots, to hiking shoes, to trail shoes, for me, trail shoes have made a great improvement to my hiking experience.

I bring my rosary with me every hike and say as many rosaries as possible! Our blessed mother Mary takes care of me everyday

Love the videos. This is probably contrary to lightening the load. I use the nylon version of the Durston 1 man tent and it works great. To me personally it just isn't worth the much higher cost for the UL version for the weight savings so the smalls are where I look to lighten the pack a little Keep up the great work, much appreciated.

I enjoy your videos and the thoughts you include.

Isn t it anoying that the white color turn fast into dirty color? What can we do against it? It is misfortunately the only deal breaker at the moment