I always scoffed at people using trekking poles.  I hiked almost my entire life without the use of poles or walking sticks.  I didn't want the extra weight and I didn't need to look like a grandpa walking around the mountain.  It wasn't until around 2010 that I was passed by some AT through hikers much younger than me with poles did I reconsider my stance.

I did some research in the usage of them, considered my typical knee pains when traversing downhills and decided I wanted to give them a shot.  I didn't want to spend yet another 100+ dollars on something that I didn't even know if I would use so I waited until I found a sale online (my usual game) and I picked some up.

This is another book that I have gifted quite a bit to get some friends and family started on a better diet. It Starts with Food is based on the Whole30 protocol from the Whole9 website. The guidelines are very strict if following the Whole30 program but it is useful in given you a good basis for how to eat more so than exactly what to eat. It's also less of a recipe book although there are some base recipes in the back to help things along but they're fairly free form cooking in that you're given base ingredients and it's up to you to spice as needed.

There's not a whole lot to say about a hammock per se but if you're into swinging from the trees, not having to worry about a flat spot to sleep on the trail, and looking for a fairly cheap solution then this might be something for you.

ENO's Double Nest Hammock was my selection to get into hammock camping. I've always enjoyed heading to the beach and relaxing in a hammock so I thought it would be a fun idea to try it on the trail. I could leave the bivy sack at home and enjoy a relaxing swing to put me to sleep at night. The idea was to continue with a lightweight solution that added comfort to end a long day of hiking. There were pros and cons to this though.

This book is highly recommended when approaching the Paleo diet. It's less of a recipe book and more of a dynamic instruction manual for eating and maintaining a Paleo lifestyle. The first half is loaded with information regarding how to get started with things and some of the reasoning behind Paleo. It goes over what you should eat, what you should avoid, and why. This is an all encompassing book/manual/guide and well worth the money even if you're not pursuing the Paleo diet.

I've been backpacking for most of my life. I took about 10 years off trying to reinvent myself and figuring out what I wanted to do in life before I finally got back into hiking. For the majority of my backpacking trips, prior to my hiatus, I had always used an external frame pack. I got along quite well with my Peak 1 frame pack through New Mexico, New Hampshire, and a good portion of the AT in Virginia. Two years ago I decided to try out something new as I was tired of the big boxy external and I picked up the Osprey Atmos 50 after considerable time researching products. Plus I couldn't pass up on a massive deal I found online.