Hiking The Appalachian Trail is a popular recreational activity for adventurous souls that seek to challenge themselves in the outdoors, with nearly 3million people setting foot on the famous 2,000-mile stretch of land across the East Coast of the US every year. Yet, the quiet of nature also harbours certain dangers. Tara Dower, better known as Candy Mama or Tara Treks on her YouTube page with 23,000 subscribers, detailed her experience sleeping in the shelters of the Appalachian Trail.
Tara’s main concern is not only the natural conditions of the trail, such as crazy weather, but also strange and unpredictable people that may have ventured onto the path along with her. Tara highlighted meeting one hiker, James Jordan, two weeks before he killed a fellow camper, Ronald S. Anderson Jr. She attested to Jordan’s “mentally unstable” state and was adamant in urging people not to stay in shelters with people they do not know. When it comes to animals, hikers must also be aware of their surroundings while on the Appalachian Trail. Threats of bears, spiders, snakes and rodents are a common theme in Tara’s stories, including a particularly daunting experience when a bear snooped around their campsite in search of food. Rats and mice were also a nuisance, with one unfortunate incident involving a mouse chewing on a fellow hiker’s lip after they applied chapstick. Rats and mice also spread illness in the shelters, with Tara’s party experiencing norovirus in a crowded shelter. After all these horrific experiences, Tara emphasises the importance of screening anyone you do not know sleep in a shelter with and to look out for the common signs of pests and viral illnesses.
The person mentioned in this article is Tara Dower, also known as Candy Mama or Tara Treks. She is a YouTube influencer, with 23,000 subscribers, where she uploads videos about hiking, camping, backpacking and all things outdoorsy. She has recently released a video with over 2million views of her own experiences sleeping on The Appalachian Trail, urging her subscribers to be mindful of their surrounds and the people, and pests, they share the trail with.
The company mentioned in this article is YouTube, where Tara Treks uploads her trip vlogs to her 23,000 subscribers and shares her tips on being mindful on The Appalachian Trail. YouTube, created in 2005 by Jawed Karim, Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, allows users to upload videos and share them with billions of potential viewers around the world, ensuring that the collective outdoor experience continues to be shared.
