Gravity (Jim Smith)
@hikewithgravity.com
Triple Crown thru-hiker: AT 2017, PCT 2019, CDT 2021. Also: Benton MacKaye Trail, Art Loeb Trail, Pinhoti Trail, Foothills Trail, Bartram Trail, Appalachian High Route, and Arizona Trail
hikewithgravity.com
hikewithgravity.com
It took me all day on Day 3 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike to figure out why I was feeling sick. The reason should have been obvious.
What made me to wonder if I could continue my hike? Find out in my next post at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20....
What made me to wonder if I could continue my hike? Find out in my next post at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20....
AZT 2024: Day 3, Jacob Lake to Stealth Site at Mile 41.7
My health is failin' me, and I'm goin' down slow
hikewithgravity.com
December 7, 2025 at 6:51 PM
It took me all day on Day 3 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike to figure out why I was feeling sick. The reason should have been obvious.
What made me to wonder if I could continue my hike? Find out in my next post at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20....
What made me to wonder if I could continue my hike? Find out in my next post at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20....
A trouble lurking in the desert can sneak up on you and cause serious harm before you know it.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
AZT 2024: Day 2, Old Arizona Road to Jacob Lake
Well, you walk into a restaurant all strung out from the road
hikewithgravity.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:07 PM
A trouble lurking in the desert can sneak up on you and cause serious harm before you know it.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
And I've got such a long way to go to make it to the border of Mexico.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
AZT 2024: Day 1, Northern Terminus to Old Arizona Road
And I've got such a long way to go to make it to the border of Mexico
hikewithgravity.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:37 PM
And I've got such a long way to go to make it to the border of Mexico.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
A funny thing happened when I failed to complete a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail in 2023. It gave me confidence to hike the Arizona Trail in 2024. An explanation can be found in the first of my blog posts about the AZT: hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
AZT 2024: Prologue
When I get to Why Arizona, maybe I'll know where to go from there
hikewithgravity.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:07 PM
A funny thing happened when I failed to complete a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail in 2023. It gave me confidence to hike the Arizona Trail in 2024. An explanation can be found in the first of my blog posts about the AZT: hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
I knew Day 27 on the Appalachian High Route would be a strenuous hike. The trail followed an exceptionally steep, rugged, and sometimes technical path that traversed the top of a narrow ridge.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Days 27-28, Commissary Hill to Burnsville
Come on, baby, finish what you started
hikewithgravity.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:54 AM
I knew Day 27 on the Appalachian High Route would be a strenuous hike. The trail followed an exceptionally steep, rugged, and sometimes technical path that traversed the top of a narrow ridge.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
My hike of the Appalachian High Route took many unexpected turns. Unsurprisingly, I was met with another change in plans on Day 26.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 26, near CCC Pavilion to Commissary Hill
Every day is a winding road
hikewithgravity.com
October 31, 2025 at 11:52 PM
My hike of the Appalachian High Route took many unexpected turns. Unsurprisingly, I was met with another change in plans on Day 26.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
After an unplanned zero day, I was back on the Appalachian High Route and hoping to finish in a couple more days. Unexpectedly, the trail was not going to make that easy.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Days 24-25, Zero Day and Folk Art Center to near CCC Pavilion
I got a brand new house on the roadside made from rattlesnake hide
hikewithgravity.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:39 PM
After an unplanned zero day, I was back on the Appalachian High Route and hoping to finish in a couple more days. Unexpectedly, the trail was not going to make that easy.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Sometimes, I have to rely on my instincts. Experience and gut feelings are needed to make decisions.
Sometimes, the decision comes easily.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Sometimes, the decision comes easily.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 23, above Walnut Cove Overlook to Folk Art Center
Trust your hunch, you know you can do fine
hikewithgravity.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Sometimes, I have to rely on my instincts. Experience and gut feelings are needed to make decisions.
Sometimes, the decision comes easily.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Sometimes, the decision comes easily.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
My trail guide said there would be no legal campsites for the next 35 miles. Somehow, I managed to find one in that distance, and that wasn't the only nice discovery on Day 22 of my Appalachian High Route hike.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 22, Fryingpan Mountain to above Walnut Cove Overlook
That's where I'm gonna make my happy home
hikewithgravity.com
September 15, 2025 at 3:18 PM
My trail guide said there would be no legal campsites for the next 35 miles. Somehow, I managed to find one in that distance, and that wasn't the only nice discovery on Day 22 of my Appalachian High Route hike.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
With 85 miles to go, I set out on Day 21 to finish the Appalachian High Route. It had already been a hike that strayed from what I thought it would be when I started. Now it would be much different.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 21, Pigeon Gap to Fryingpan Mountain
Don't be scared to walk alone, don't be scared to like it
hikewithgravity.com
August 28, 2025 at 1:28 AM
With 85 miles to go, I set out on Day 21 to finish the Appalachian High Route. It had already been a hike that strayed from what I thought it would be when I started. Now it would be much different.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Day 20 of my Appalachian High Route hike was more than just the completion of a 28-mile gap in the Smokies. It resolved a lingering question I had about myself.
Read about the day at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20....
Read about the day at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20....
AHR 2023 2024: Day 19, Icewater Spring Shelter to Tricorner Knob Shelter
A cold November wind can cut right through your soul
hikewithgravity.com
August 17, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Day 20 of my Appalachian High Route hike was more than just the completion of a 28-mile gap in the Smokies. It resolved a lingering question I had about myself.
Read about the day at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20....
Read about the day at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20....
Polecat talked for several months about wanting to hike in the Smokies in the winter. I'm unsure exactly why that appealed to him, but he got his chance on Day 19 of our Appalachian High Route hike.
AHR 2023 2024: Day 19, Icewater Spring Shelter to Tricorner Knob Shelter
A cold November wind can cut right through your soul
hikewithgravity.com
August 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Polecat talked for several months about wanting to hike in the Smokies in the winter. I'm unsure exactly why that appealed to him, but he got his chance on Day 19 of our Appalachian High Route hike.
I've hiked enough long-distance trails to know making a schedule with too many details never works. Still, that didn't stop me from planning for a section of the Appalachian High Route.
My plan fell apart before it started.
My plan fell apart before it started.
AHR 2023 2024: Day 18, Fork Ridge Trail to Icewater Spring Shelter
If the summer change to winter, yours is no disgrace
hikewithgravity.com
July 5, 2025 at 11:10 PM
I've hiked enough long-distance trails to know making a schedule with too many details never works. Still, that didn't stop me from planning for a section of the Appalachian High Route.
My plan fell apart before it started.
My plan fell apart before it started.
I had mixed feelings when I left the Appalachian High Route on Day 17. Thankfully, one of those wasn't defeat. I knew I would be back to finish it.
AHR 2023 2024: Day 17, Yellowstone Prong to Pigeon Gap
Think I'll come back here again
hikewithgravity.com
July 1, 2025 at 1:51 AM
I had mixed feelings when I left the Appalachian High Route on Day 17. Thankfully, one of those wasn't defeat. I knew I would be back to finish it.
I did something today I couldn't have done three weeks ago. I walked 5.5 miles with a 25-lbs. pack on my back. This may not sound like much of a hike, but it was a big deal for me.
That's because I injured myself on June 3 while hiking in a nearby state park.
(continued in comments)
That's because I injured myself on June 3 while hiking in a nearby state park.
(continued in comments)
June 28, 2025 at 10:42 PM
I did something today I couldn't have done three weeks ago. I walked 5.5 miles with a 25-lbs. pack on my back. This may not sound like much of a hike, but it was a big deal for me.
That's because I injured myself on June 3 while hiking in a nearby state park.
(continued in comments)
That's because I injured myself on June 3 while hiking in a nearby state park.
(continued in comments)
Day 16 on the Appalachian High Route was a reminder for me that hikers out for just a few days haven't built up an attitude adjustment for misery. This is not something to brag about; it's just true. Besides, their time outdoors is limited, and it's right for them to want to enjoy the whole hike.
AHR 2023 2024: Day 16, Fork Ridge to Yellowstone Prong
Well, it's all right, doing the best you can
hikewithgravity.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Day 16 on the Appalachian High Route was a reminder for me that hikers out for just a few days haven't built up an attitude adjustment for misery. This is not something to brag about; it's just true. Besides, their time outdoors is limited, and it's right for them to want to enjoy the whole hike.
Walking through a forest, I often wonder what it would be like to be at that spot decades or centuries ago. Sometimes, I notice how the land had been altered many years ago by humans. I try to picture what the trees and terrain looked like then.
AHR 2023 2024: Day 15, Lone Bald to Fork Ridge
Reflections of the way life used to be
hikewithgravity.com
June 5, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Walking through a forest, I often wonder what it would be like to be at that spot decades or centuries ago. Sometimes, I notice how the land had been altered many years ago by humans. I try to picture what the trees and terrain looked like then.
I knew it was coming, and it could only be put it off so long. Thankfully, a smart decision took off more than two miles at the start of Day 14's long climb on the Appalachian High Route. Read the rest of the story at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 14, Balsam Gap/Moonshine Creek Campground to Lone Bald
I'm going up the country
hikewithgravity.com
May 26, 2025 at 8:02 PM
I knew it was coming, and it could only be put it off so long. Thankfully, a smart decision took off more than two miles at the start of Day 14's long climb on the Appalachian High Route. Read the rest of the story at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
There was almost no chance someone would find Polecat and me with our tents pitched directly on the trail during our Appalachian High Route thru-hike. We learned, however, the chances weren't zero.
AHR 2023 2024: Day 13, Soco Creek to Balsam Gap/Moonshine Creek Campground
There ain't a place a man can hide
hikewithgravity.com
May 24, 2025 at 12:15 AM
There was almost no chance someone would find Polecat and me with our tents pitched directly on the trail during our Appalachian High Route thru-hike. We learned, however, the chances weren't zero.
Polecat and I knew we'd have to be creative when looking for a place to pitch our tents on parts of the Appalachian High Route. The best we could do on Day 12 was camp in the middle of the trail. It wasn't legal or even stealthy, but we were confident no one would ever know we were there.
AHR 2023 2024: Day 12, Cherokee to Soco Creek
Make my bed on a highway
hikewithgravity.com
May 15, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Polecat and I knew we'd have to be creative when looking for a place to pitch our tents on parts of the Appalachian High Route. The best we could do on Day 12 was camp in the middle of the trail. It wasn't legal or even stealthy, but we were confident no one would ever know we were there.
On Day 11 of our 2023 Appalachian High Route thru-hike, Polecat and I entered a cringe-inducing land of cultural appropriation and stereotypes. That was, of course, Cherokee, N.C. Read about a 25-foot fiberglass Indian and other kitschy sights. hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 11, Newton Bald Campsite to Cherokee
And all the beads we made by hand, are nowadays made in Japan
hikewithgravity.com
May 4, 2025 at 7:42 PM
On Day 11 of our 2023 Appalachian High Route thru-hike, Polecat and I entered a cringe-inducing land of cultural appropriation and stereotypes. That was, of course, Cherokee, N.C. Read about a 25-foot fiberglass Indian and other kitschy sights. hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Never let it be said my hiking partner, Polecat, shies from a challenge. On the other hand, if I see an easier way around a difficult section of trail, I'll take it.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 10, Poke Patch Campsite to Newton Bald Campsite
Got a good reason for taking the easy way out
hikewithgravity.com
March 18, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Never let it be said my hiking partner, Polecat, shies from a challenge. On the other hand, if I see an easier way around a difficult section of trail, I'll take it.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
When thru-hikers say someone is yellow-blazing, they usually mean it scornfully. They are accusing the hiker of skipping a section of the trail by riding in a car.
Polecat and I did that on the #AppalachianHighRoute, more or less.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Polecat and I did that on the #AppalachianHighRoute, more or less.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 9, Clingman’s Dome to Poke Patch Campsite
Distant lifes, different names, another ride, just the same
hikewithgravity.com
March 15, 2025 at 8:44 PM
When thru-hikers say someone is yellow-blazing, they usually mean it scornfully. They are accusing the hiker of skipping a section of the trail by riding in a car.
Polecat and I did that on the #AppalachianHighRoute, more or less.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Polecat and I did that on the #AppalachianHighRoute, more or less.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
I spent hours planning my thru-hike of the Appalachian High Route. I studied every mile of the trails on maps and calculated distances for each day. Until Day 8, everything was going according to the plan.
Then it all fell apart.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Then it all fell apart.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 8, Painter Branch to Cosby Knob Shelter
Well, I ain't often right, but I've never been wrong
hikewithgravity.com
March 12, 2025 at 12:05 AM
I spent hours planning my thru-hike of the Appalachian High Route. I studied every mile of the trails on maps and calculated distances for each day. Until Day 8, everything was going according to the plan.
Then it all fell apart.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Then it all fell apart.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Sometimes, an innocent comment can be taken the wrong way, resulting in an embarrassing response.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
AHR 2023 2024: Day 7, Lemon Prong to Painter Branch
Please don't let me be misunderstood
hikewithgravity.com
March 8, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Sometimes, an innocent comment can be taken the wrong way, resulting in an embarrassing response.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...