Preparing for my Thru-Hike #3: 80 Miles on the Sheltowee Trace

Solo backpacking: 80 miles on the Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky.

This is the third in a series of videos about my preparations for hiking the 300-mile Benton MacKaye Trail in April 2016.

This video includes my 6-day, 80-mile shakedown hike on the Sheltowee Trace in Tennessee and Kentucky. I began at the old southern terminus and hiked north for 40 miles, then turned around and came back to my car.

Warning: graphic images of my foot problems! If you don't like looking at sore feet, don't watch the last fifteen seconds of the video!

Errors in the video: When I say "IT band," I meant "IT band straps."

Stuff about blisters: I have hiked hundreds of miles without blisters, so I'm not sure why I was struck down on this trip. I don't think it was pack weight, as I said in the video. I'm not even sure it was my new Merrell Ventilator shoes. Now I'm putting the blame on (1) feet that I didn't keep dry enough after many water crossings, (2) the wrong socks (thin polyester rather than slightly thicker wool), and (3) mileage. About treatment, I think I did the right thing by popping the blisters with a sterilized needle and applying Neosporin. Later, I used duct tape, but only to hold moleskin bandages in place. I don't recommend duct tape for blisters because the duct tape itself can make a cut in your foot. This time, it worked. But note that I wrapped the duct tape loosely -- you never want to wrap any part of your body so tight that it cuts off or hinders your blood circulation.

Finally, don't take anything I say here or in the video about blisters as gospel truth: I'm not an expert on blisters!

Hope you like the video!

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****RELATED VIDEOS ON MY CHANNEL****

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****CAMERA EQUIPMENT AND EDITING SOFTWARE*****

Filmed on an iPhone 6S using the app Filmic Pro; edited on an iPhone 6S using the app Pinnacle Studio Pro.

****MUSIC****

"Stuck" by Canopy Climbers and "My Sweet Annette" by The Drive-By Truckers.

**** MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: MY DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS (SOME FROM THE TRAIL) ****

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Видео Preparing for my Thru-Hike #3: 80 Miles on the Sheltowee Trace канала Evan's Backpacking Videos