I started counting other hikers' boots at shelters and it fixed my whole packing problem

Iris Sullivan · 2026-10-02T15:30:08.743946+00:00

I was getting wrecked on long days, like dead legs by mile 12 while people older than me cruised past, and I couldn't figure out why. Last month on a section of the Appalachian Trail near Damascus I started a dumb game: every time I hit a shelter I'd glance at what shoes people wore and how much junk hung off their packs. By the fourth night a pattern showed up. The folks gliding along had light trail runners and packs that sat tight and small. The folks grinding like me had big boots and a pack that swung around like a bell on a cow. So I did an experiment. I pulled 6 pounds of stuff out of my bag at a hostel in Hot Springs, mostly a camp chair, a second stove, and a book I never opened, and mailed it home for $14. Next day I did 18 miles and my legs still felt fine at camp. I'm not saying boots are evil, but watching 40 pairs of feet taught me more than any gear list online. Anyone else ever learned something useful just from creeping on strangers at a shelter?

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I started counting other hikers' boots at shelters and it fixed my whole packing problem | Backpacking Routes - Opinions Matter