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: 19.4 Trip Miles: 520.2 “It’s the end of the world as we know it It’s the end of the world as we know it It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine” – REM Up at 7:00. Very windy and cool today with a 60% chance of rain all day. Fell back asleep till 8:00. Literally woke up in a cloud! On the trail at 9:10. My sleeping pad deflated every hour last night. I obviously put a small hole in it. I have a patch kit assuming I can find the…
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Today’s Miles: 21.7 Trip Miles: 500.8 “Well, I never thought I’d find a place where I could be Just happy as a jaybird in a cherry tree, So I stayed down in Virginia, ’cause that’s the very best, So bless the day that brought me here, And bless the folks I love so dear.” – Frank Sinatra Up at 7:15. Clear and 68 degrees. Forecast calls for rain this afternoon and tonight. Got moving slowly, did not sleep well. Had two nice cups of coffee at the dining room tabu with my pop-tarts. Chatted with Larry again for a bit.…
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Today’s Miles: 10.3 Trip Miles: 479.1 “Carry me back yeah to old Virginia That’s where the cotton and corn and taters grow That’s where the birds yeah warble sweet in the spring-time That’s where this heart of mine, yeah longs to go” – Ray Charles Up at 7:00. Sunny, breezy, mid-60s. Out of camp at 8:00. It’s getting very humid and the green tunnel isn’t helping. 10:55 crossed the Virginia / Tennessee state line. Today should be easier than this. Left Achilles is hurting as well as both feet. I got past this a few weeks ago and it’s all…
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Today’s Miles: 16 Trip Miles: 468.8 “Cow pasture pool; learning all the rules;The red stakes are hazards; white stakes– out of bounds;I’m hitting five, hollering fore; writing three down for my score;Lord I really love this game of golf.” – Thomas Michael Riley Patchy fog before 7 a.m., then patchy fog and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible. Up at 7:00. Rained hard and a lot last night. Tent got a little…
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Today’s Miles: 16 Trip Miles: 452.8 “Don’t be fallin’ in love as she’s walking away When your heart won’t tell your mind to tell your mouth what it should say May have lost this battle, live to fight another day Don’t be fallin’, fallin’, and fallin’ in love as she’s walking away” – Zac Brown Mid-70s, overcast, humid, and threat of rain all day. Something funny I forgot to mention in my zero-day blog. I actually used the Yelp reviews to help pick which of the Sunoco or Exxon I will resupply at in about 7 days. That’s a first…