re: AT Thru Hikers Jack & Bob Ross From BR

So maybe started 2020 came back and resumed in 21.

Could see that coming…. Jack thinks he’s the boss and Bob hasn’t said a whole lot the last little while. I probably would have told Jack to frick off 2 weeks ago with all his changing rules and never ending references to “in 2020…..”

On Day 30, Bob is back but very little screen time. I also get the feeling that Jack was kind of hoping Bob didn't show up.

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Side-question for the hiking experts: Have mummy bags gone out of style? Everyone seems to be using these "quilt" style sleeping bags now.

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The "quilt" style down bags are much more versatile. They also eliminalte the added weight and bulk of the bottom fill of mummy bags, which compress when your weight is on them, eliminating thermal insulation. They are used in combination with insulated inflatable sleeping pads. My Enlightened Equipment 15 degree down quilt and RapideSL pad sleep system is sub 3# and in total smaller than a gallon milk jug.

With my Durston XMid 2P tent (35oz) and Durston Kakwa 55 pack (31oz), my base weight for pack/tent/quilt/pad is under 7#.

I'm not an ultralight "gram counter", but I do count ounces, and I've dialed in my gear pretty well now that I can afford better quality stuff.

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Anybody keeping up with these two?

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Definitely!

The first thing you have to do to get any enjoyment out of their videos is to forget everything you know about an AT through hike and just enjoy a series of videos that show how 2 guys interact while they do some camping and a little bit of hiking in the outdoors. In the latest episodes, they diverted and started hiking along the Virginia Creeper Trail but I’m not sure why. They camped in a spot for a couple of nights but the guy who was supposed to meet them there was a no-show!

At the end of the last episode, they got back on the AT. The comments are pretty good. Some people are pissed because the two hikers aren’t making the same cookie cutter videos other hikers make. Other commenters say to keep doing what they’re doing and enjoy the adventure.

Capt Jack’s knees are in bad shape and can’t take more than a few days of hiking in a row. Bob’s having a blast.

Whoever took the word "2020" in the drinking game would be smashed every video. Enough of that.

Day 76 and the boys are still on the trail but Bob has “the Lymes” according to everyone who saw his tick bite except the doctor. So maybe Bob doesn’t have “the Lymes.” He got a 10 day supply of antibiotics and a “probiotic tincture” from a local witch doctor lady who all the locals trust because she uses natural ingredients in her tinctures.

I think the doctor discouraged hiking while Bob is on antibiotics but Capt Jack can’t afford to pay for a hostel for 10 days. However, Bob stayed with Capt Jack for 5 days while he let his knee heel so Capt Jack says he would feel like a “douchebag” if he bailed on Bob. I’m hoping Bob decides to get back to hiking in a day or two.

Bob appears to be independently wealthy. They showed an x-ray of his neck once and he had 3 pins and some plates or something so maybe he’s billboard lawyer rich.

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he’ll be as good as new after he gets a steroid shot and a few days’ rest, or so he says.

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That used to work for my hip. I'd get a shot, and be OK for what seemed like a long time. When it got unbearable again I'd get another shot. The last one I got that worked was about seven years ago. Two years after I got it, I went back to my rheumatologist and got another one, waiting for it to get better, but it never did. I went to a pain specialist who gave me four shots into the four quarters of the joint. Still nothing. He gave me tqo more with a long needle thru my arse cheek. It never got better.

Some of my fingers became inflamed and sore. My rheumatologist tested me for rheumatoid arthritis, and I had it. She put me on methotrexate and had me doing $16K rituxan infusions, and I wasn't feeling as much pain. I did however, develop another problem. I had pneumonia three times in a year and a half. The last time was the 1st week of DEC., when I was in the hospital for a week.

Both methotrexate, and possibly rituxan, can weaken an individual's immune system. I quit doing both, and just live with the pain, but I haven't been sick at all this year.

Hiking the AT would be impossible for this 64 year old, but it looks like it would have been a blast for me in the 80's!.

I've still been following. Good lowkey thing to watch in the dark while I'm trying to get my baby girl to sleep. Jack did 70 miles solo in 3days basically a few days back while Bob was healing from his tick bite. That's impressive as hell. Think it was around 27 miles in one day or somewhere close. That's like walking the whole Wild Azalea Trail in one day, but steeper. It can be done, but don't recommend it unless your body is prepared for it.