Hi! I am Chuck, also known as Orange Man. Welcome to The Retired Hiker, a blog about my life in retirement focusing on hiking, long-distance backpacking, and the adventures of Dana (a.k.a. Pitcrew) and Chuck in our Travel Trailer.
I retired after my wife died in 2021 and jumped into hiking and long-distance backpacking as a way deal with what I call “Life Part II”. I have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and have a multi-year plan for the Pacific Crest Trail, the Colorado Trail, and numerous other long-distance trails.
As a reward to myself for completing the Appalachian Trail, we purchased a Travel Trailer in late 2024. I base out of the trailer on short multi-day hiking trips. Dana and I take the trailer on long weekends and week-long regional trips. Our plan is to tour the country in the trailer once Dana retires in a few more years.
Until a that time, I plan to do as many long-distance hikes as I can manage while not completely abandoning Dana for the trail! Hence our blog’s tagline “Side Trials of Retirement Bliss”.
Recent Trail Journals
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Today’s Miles: 22 Trip Miles: 817.5 Up at 5:00. Had blueberry pancakes for breakfast courtesy of the hostel. We headed to the trailhead at US 60 at 6:05. Should be about a 40-minute drive. Clear, hot, going up to 98. We were on the trail at 6:45. We need to be done before 6:00, which means we have less than 11 hours to do 22 miles. More like 9-10 hours. We have one big 5-mile climb midday. Overall, we need to move quickly today…3 miles per hour where possible. Got to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter at mile 1.9 at 7:20.…
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Today’s Miles: 14.7 Trip Miles: 795.5 Up at 5:00. On trail at 6:20. Nice overlook at mile 774.2 Stopped for snack and water at 8:00. So-so water. Had to scoop it. Started to see the evidence of the wildfire from last fall. NOT a controlled burn. Stopped for food and to fill water at mile 7.1 for today. We made reservations for bunks at Stanimals hostel in Glasgow. Shuttle should get us around 3:00 at the James River bridge. This little girl wanted to join us for lunch. Walked through several miles of last fall’s wildfire. Very desolate. Here is…
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Today’s Miles: 17.3 Trip Miles: 780.8 Up at 5:00. Out of camp at 6:15. Mid-70s, clear, no wind, going up to mid-80s. Stopped at Jennings Creek at 7:30 for water. Back on trail at 7:55. This is a fun way to start the day. Summited at 9:10. Headed to a shelter in 2.5 miles for water and food. Made it to Bryant Ridge Shelter at 9:55. This is one of the largest shelters on the Appalachian Trail. It is a towering, double-decker with space for around 20 people. And now for a 4.2-mile 2500-foot ascent. Happy, happy joy, joy. Headed…
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Today’s Miles: 20 Trip Miles: 763.5 Up at 5:00. Out of camp by 6:05. Didn’t sleep well last night. Big ants in the shelter crawling on me kept waking me up. Got to Wilson Creek Shelter at 9:16 and 6.2 miles. Not bad time so far. Took a good break and had a second breakfast. It’s windy, clear, and in the upper 70s going up into the mid-90s. Ran into an owl while refilling water. Stopped by Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) at 11:15 for a snack. 4.8 more miles to the next shelter. We will rest there till early evening.…
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Today’s Miles: 5 Trip Miles: 743.5 I just looked at some past mileage and thought I would list them: Up at 8:00. Ate mini-donuts I bought at the market last night. Worked on blogs till 10:30. Got all videos and photos uploaded and all the blogs written. Just need to upload the text and insert the photo links sometime soon. Overkill walked to the post office and Kroger. Got her new shoes and supply box. She picked up ramen, pop-tarts, and Propel for me. I got all my food and gear packed and was ready to check out by 11:10.…