The Muddy Compass – The Trek

Hello how are you? The gods have ordained me that I must publish at least three blogs before my departure. I will gladly and without hesitation accommodate your request. May the words that follow appease your noble souls. (wait, gods have souls? Note for self-research later…haha). As many of you know, I leave for the AT on April 4th, to be exact. I joined the group chats and asked my fellow hikers, and the dates presented are all over the place, with a strong focus on next month as a gun for the 2026 season. Did I miss the point? Should I have started earlier? I’ll tell you this… no. Everything happens for a reason. I will stay my course like any good ship captain and pray that this ship makes its journey. The Muddy Compass is ready to set sail on its voyage to Maine. Have a good trip.

Some of you are probably wondering why the name is The Muddy Compass. Well, I asked my roommate to ask Chat Gpt to come up with a boat name that encompasses hiking, but also has a boat name. I came up with several, and I thought this was the funniest because I have a very strong feeling that when spring comes to melt the cold snow, mud will soon form, and as one raised in Maine… I am very familiar with mud season. I’m pretty sure I’ll fall, stumble, and be covered in spiritual and proverbial mud.

In my last post, I mentioned some of the items I had received. Now, I’ll add to that list. I received a new pair of sneakers (for Dad to mail to me upon request). A pillow, trekking poles, a bear container (because you have to protect their food). I replaced my ultralight bag (I have nothing against the ultralight community, and I think they have wisdom) with the Gregory Paragon 60. Yes, it’s heavy, but I wanted a little more space, and when I tested this pack a week ago, I felt right at home. I also bought some alligators to protect these amazing ankles. A rain cover for my epic bag. A hat to keep warm, a flashlight to see in the dark (Jesus, show me the way). Really nice Smartwool socks to keep these dogs dry (referring to my feet…in case you didn’t know). A first aid kit because you have to be prepared. I still have to get some clothes, a sleeping pad, a sleeping bag liner, a flight, a train ticket and bags of stuff (x5). Guide book (AWOL Guide). Shell Jacket (Frogg Toggs) and last but not least, food (for 4 days). I think that’s all. I just realized that when I list these items this way, I think of the movie Rango when he is the sheriff and provides the thieves (whom he doesn’t know about) with the necessary tools they need. I firmly believe that by the end of this month I will have gathered everything I need, but I will leave the flight, train and hotel for March. Slow and steady, Captain. Slow and steady as you go.

I’ve gone back and forth on whether to release this to the world THROUGH Instagram. I continue to lean toward no because of what this path and this experience mean to me. I will continue to pray for it. I even went so far as to delete all my social networks, but would that be wise? I met some interesting people on Instagram, TheTrek AT Messaging, and even became friends with some of them. There has been a lot of knowledge shared in the community and for that I am very grateful. It’s a gift. Lihat juga pdf view. So I leave you at the end of this blog in anticipation of what I will write about next. My goal is to write at least one more this month and then possibly (keyword) write two more next month. There’s a lot more planning to do, but now I’ll focus on the important things.

yours on the journey,

sentay

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.