Make sure you familiarize yourself with Leave No Trace principles before your first thru-hike at https://lnt.org/ !! Happy trails!

My personal system for Blister Prevention:  Altra Lonepeaks (nice big toe box and a size larger than your usual shoes;  remove the stock  liner, replace with Spenco liners; Injingi toe sox with Smart Wool Sox on top; re-think how you lace up your shoes:  Leave some looser space on the top of your foot, more snug at the ankle. I’ve never had one blister with this setup.

Blister prevention: size your trail runners 1 to 1.5 larger that your normal shoe size. Extra room for your toes to spread and no worry about stubbing them on rocks with extra rubber in front. I rotate my 2 pairs of midweight Darn Tough socks. The pair that I hiked in that day gets a through rinse, no soap, at camp to remove the dirt and grit out of the sock fabric. I then tie them to the back of my pack to air dry while I hike. This is the only thing hanging off the back of my pack. Each morning I have a dry pair of socks to hike in. As I am rinsing the socks at camp each night, I also rinse the dirt off my feet before going to bed. Dirty feet and socks cause friction and then blisters. I only carry Leukotape for blister care. I rarely need to tape my feet unless my feet have not had a chance to dry out because of wet trail. After a few hundred miles of trail your feet will toughen up and not get blisters. It's only at the beginning of a thruhike that blisters are common. Toes socks help with blisters, but are not needed after your feet toughen up.

I'm never going to do a thru-hike, but I really enjoy and appreciate you sharing all that you have learned. Merry Christmas 🎄and Happy New Year 🥂to you and your family!

This is such a great detailed video on thru-hiking preparations! I am not sure if I will do one of these or not, but of course you can never say never! I definitely would need to get a lot of practice in first. Great video!

My first thruhike was the Colorado Trail in 2021. I bought the CT guidebook before I started. Never used it. Absolutely LOVE the FarOut app!!!! It's all I used for navigation on the Appalachian Trail in 2022 and Pacific Crest Trail last year. I carry an Anker 10000 30 watt battery bank and have never had my phone die on trail. My phone lives in airplane mode while on trail.

Loved the tips for blister prevention and taking breaks while on trail!

Great tips. I’d add that almost all thru hikers go solo. Then you truly hike your own hike. If you need to go slower or faster, you can. And if someone fails, it means you can keep going. Same for them. You can’t depend on others on a thru hike.

Try beef sticks from Cosco for protein!

Congrats for your adventure and video. One thing you did not mention, is the importance of getting acclimated to the altitude. Altitude sickness is real and have seen several hikers/backpackers hauled off in ambulances. This is especially important for flat landers coming to Colorado.

Dude you’re amazing. On the cdt was that the 40l hyperlite?

This is really good.  I’ve done tons of ultras and the CT (west) in 2024, but your video is a great place for new folks to start.  Forwarding to my daughter right now.  Many thanks!

Thanks to you, planning my first Section Hike through the Appalachian Trail in 2028 with a few friends.   Planning in the Colorado Trail at some point.

Excellent video, thanks.

Thank you for all the tips! I've never done this but the more I watch the more i want to. I know you spoke about the power bank and all but I'm curious as to how you photo/video document a trip. Did you have an additional camera or smartphone only? Any other equipment you recommend? Thanks again.

So helpful, thank you. And random, but what running vest is your friend wearing?😊

I think you took the CT “databook” (8:02). There’s also a “guidebook”. Both are great but the databook is best to take along on the thruhike. It’s much lighter and smaller.

It's a little over board, by I ruck with a 40 lb bag with 10 liters of water (20ish lbs). My standard pack is around 22-25 lbs. I than water dump (20 lbs lighter) after some miles, and jog back. My leg can now fly up hill. This not for everyone but it sure does work.

This was REALLY well done: practical, thorough and at the perfect pace!  Thanks for putting it together! 🥾
"Advil and music." - 😅

Thank you for your content your very clear and easy to understand very valuable information as I plan on hiking this trail 2026