sohikes

Trail name on the AT was 0311 (my MOS in the Marines). No trail name on the PCT.

People weirded me out more. There will be a bigger threat of bears on the CDT. Not looking forward to that

I was in the infantry. Being a grunt definitely helped. I got used to walking long distances with heavy thick clothing as well as over 100lbs of gear on my body.

Going from that to hiking with thin and moister wicking clothes on, shoes instead of boots and a pack that weighs less than half of that was amazing.

Also zero chance of stepping on a bomb

lol my baseweight for the AT was almost 30lbs, my baseweight for the PCT was less than 15lbs. I had no clue what I was doing when I hopped on the AT. I carried everything.

I can do without all the extra clothing I brought on the AT. I can do without heavy boots and just use trail runners. I can do without a stove and just rehydrate food. I can do without my huge SOG knife I kept on my backpack strap. I can do without a gun (inb4 debate)

Met a couple weird people on the AT, that's it. I started the AT very early so I didn't run into many people. And I was going to fast on the PCT that I just didn't see and speak with many people. Once I got past the bubble I was pretty much alone most of the day.

If you're hiking during prime time season then you're more likely to have a strange encounter, especially if you're close to town or a road. On the long trails you can go days without being near civilization depending on your pace. So the only people you'll see are other thru hikers who are pretty much no threat.

I've been to the Adirondack's a couple times. Did Marcy in Feb a couple years ago. Cold as hell

I saved a lot when I was in the Marines. The hikes don't cost as much as you think. It's around 1000/month. I just worked shitty odd jobs to save up