OmPi's Adventures

Ten years worth of desire, two years of saving, and months of planning and preparing lead me to where I am right now, gate B2 of Regional Southwest Airport. I have checked my 25 lb pack that contains every bit of my housing, clothing, and gear necessary to get me on foot 2189.2 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine on the Appalachian Trail.

I've just said my goodbyes to my partner who will be holding down the fort back home and supporting me with all that I need in the form of maildrops, financial and most importantly emotional support along the way. Without him and the support of many friends, family and sponsors this trip would not be possible, so as I begin let me start with gratitude for each and everyone of you!

This morning I donned my Hiker Trash uniform of a Elkomando Hiking Kilt, Woolly Clothing Co. T-Shirt, Darn Tough Socks, Oboz Trail Runners and my trademark Sacred Geometry Buff. This transformation into these new clothes, these 'different' clothes made reflect what else will change and become different over the next 6 months. I am putting on a new man and my Type A planning, controlling, constantly seeking to understand, "Pi" side is going to be taking a backseat to this new free spirited, go with the flow, just being, "Om" side.

In many ways it is a return to childhood where we need very little, find joy at every new experience and are full of trust that everything is going to be ok. With the elimination of the distractions of the world and my "job description" being to simply walk, I have to wonder what will I learn, who will I meet and what adventures await me. And yet as I type this I look down and see my Mantra Band and it reminds me, "This Too Shall Pass" and so I must remember to live in this moment and take in all that it has to offer.

- OmPi (ॐ π)

Over the last 3 months I have been working to add sponsors to my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. It has been one of my most favorite parts of preparing for the trail yet, right up there with gear shopping. To read how to guarantee yourself sponsors for your own hike check out my 3 tips to getting sponsors for your thru-hike. Here are some of my sponsors that helped make my preparations so much easier and my journey that much better.

Gear Sponsors

Oboz Footwear

My first "sponsor" while not official, makes my personal favorite Trail Runners and if you ask me Oboz Footwear makes the best shoe for a Thru-Hike. This company coming from my home state of Montana makes some of the most comfortable trail runners I've worn. On the recommendation of one of my dear friends and mentors, 2015 AT Thru Hiker Psych, I went out of my way to find and try on these shoes. Let me just say from that point forward I could never wear another shoe again. With Oboz you can leave your SuperFeet in the dust (though in full disclosure I own a pair of SuperFeet and LOVE them!) because every pair of Oboz comes outfitted with a supportive, quality insole—on par with premium aftermarket insoles, but engineered just for Oboz shoes. Better yet, this is a company that loves Thru-Hikers and stands behind their product. In an email from Steve Lowry one of Oboz 11 person team he informed me of one of the best Shoe Warranty's for Thru-Hiker's I've yet to discover. He said:


Are you even kidding me right now? Rather than buying 4-5 pairs of shoes for a Thru your company is going to hook me up with fresh shoes anytime I wear out a pair of yours??? Um Yes! While I said they are not an official sponsor I consider any company that will support me with such an amazing warranty of their product to be one of my team! Guys and gals at Oboz, thank you for your product and being freakin awesome!

Woolly Clothing Co

Merino Wool is a dream for hikers, outdoor athletes, desk jockeys and well basically everyone! It is super comfy, non-itchy, helps regulate body temperature, it's naturally anti-microbial, moisture wicking, odor-resistant (especially good for hiker trash), and unlike cotton it retains warmth even when wet. Now the downside! Merino generally costs an arm and a leg. Don't fret, Woolly Clothing Co. deliver top quality 100% merino wool at a price point that goes head on with synthetics. When I started researching what shirt I wanted to wear for 6 months I stumbled upon Woolly and from the moment I got my Ultralight T-Shirt I knew I had to get more of their stuff.

For those who are interested in the sustainability and earth friendliness of the products they wear and support you can rest assured that Woolly garments are made from Woolmark certified Australian Merino, which is inherently natural, biodegradable and renewable, the result of 200 years of sustainable farming on Australia’s grassland terrain.

 Let me say that Woolly is a small company based in Seattle that provides outstanding service and a super easy shopping experience using the Amazon platform and BONUS! if you are a Prime Member you will get free shipping on all their products. And as you will find all my sponsors stand behind their products else I wouldn't stand behind them. Woolly's guarantee is as simple as can be.

Food Sponsors

Crispy Fruit

Food sponsors are probably one of the best sponsorships to seek support from because let's face it everyone has to eat. While everyone eats I should let you know that I really love food, it is a passion of mine. I work in a casual fine dining restaurant, at WholeFoods Market, made most of my own meals for the trail and my dad calls my mother and I "foodie's" which I wear as a badge of honor. Anyway my first official sponsor who jumped on the OmPi AT Train and sent me the biggest box I've received yet packed full of freeze dried fruit, huge props to Crispy Greens.

Can you say great healthy hiker food!? Ultra lightweight, super nutritious, and most importantly "delicious." I can't tell you how amazing this company is. All of their products are Non-GMO verified and each bag of Crispy Fruit contains a single ingredient, Fruit! Crispy Green's Fruit snacks are a great option when fresh fruit isn’t convenient or readily available, it is fruit-to-go! For us hikers it is is even better because it provides all the goodness of fruit without the weight. If you are in FL and looking for their products I'd recommend swinging by The Fresh Market (shh... Don't tell Wholefoods, actually better yet, tell WholeFoods you want Crispy Greens products). Oh and not that it is going to matter because you will love these little bites of deliciousness but you should know they stand behind their product 100%.

Coco Hydro

Electrolytes and flavor enhancers are awesome to help bring life to water even if it is the pristine water of mountain streams. While on my short shakedown hike on the Florida Trail I discovered Big Tree Farm's Coco Hydro, Coconut Water on Demand. Love me some Coconut Water and nothing is more refreshing than a big glass of fresh coconut water when the body is depleted after strenuous activity.

Coco Hydro is made from pure coconut water electrolytes. These are macro-minerals made by nature, so your body and cells can easily absorb and utilize them. They also add 72 ionic trace mineral which are found in the same ratio as sea water. Their trace minerals are harvested from an ancient sea bed in North America, while most other electrolyte powders on the market claim to be high performance, but the fact of the matter is, they are generally 100% synthetic GMO ingredients. Delicious, Nutritious, and Ultralight.

Other Sponsors

Dr. Bronner's

One of the questions I most often receive when mentioning my upcoming AT Thru-Hike is "Are you hiking alone or with others?" and my answer is a confounding, "Yes!" I then share with them that I will be setting out alone but quickly share that the AT is a very active and social trail, with thousands of hikers on it, this in spite of the reality that very few complete their Thru-Hike. So yes I will be hiking alone and yes I will be hiking with others. Even if I were to find a specific hiking partner (which I really do not desire, for reasons past mentioned in my original post ), I would still not hike every step of the trail with this person by my side or even within ear shot. Hiking pace and style, nature's calling, minor injuries and setbacks would all create space.



The Badger offers A word of Caution to Aspiring Hikers and speaks to this point directly suggesting you surround yourself with people who are "intoxicated on serotonin throughout their hike, regardless of the obstacles thrown their way... their energy is infectious." He also discusses "those who struggle from day one and continue to do so until the day they quit." The rest of us are the average of these people who will have good days and bad days, who will want to quite at times and other times be in sheer awe of the glories of trail life. As for me and my hike, I will surround myself with as many positive people who are thrilled to have the experiences they are having and can see the silver lining behind every rain cloud.

-OmPi (ॐ π)

Preparations continue for the AT. I continue to read, research, talk to past hikers, train mentally and physically. As I have mentioned in a past post, Yoga has become a source of training as I know it will help me mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually on this amazing journey. I completed a 30-day yoga challenge and continued on with a 60-day yoga challenge. This has been a huge step in the right direction for me and my habit of starting and losing interest. Speaking of habits, one of the reasons people recommend 30-day challenges and one of the reasons I chose to commit to a 30-day challenge was to "form a new habit" which some say it takes 21-days to create.

-OmPi (ॐ π)

I've heard many things about this trip, mostly positive and affirming but some negative. In the time leading up to a long distance thru-hike, especially if you are sharing about your upcoming journey, someone you come across is bound to give negative feedback at some point.

-OmPi (ॐ π)

So I have to tell you my greatest fear other than not completing the trail is that of bugs on the trail. No not an irrational fear like entomophobia but a fear of being bitten, eaten and worse infected especially with diseases that can cause severe illness like Lyme Disease. While I don't know that I've mentioned it or if it has come across in my past posts, I'm somewhat of a "crunchy granola" kinda guy and have a small case of chemophobia or at least I don't like using chemicals whenever possible. This fear as well I would not qualify as irrational as the toxic risk of excessive or regular chemical use has been demonstrated well enough for my belief.