Hiker Trash Vagabonds

[Lady AT Tramp]

HELLOOOOOOOO

My name is Madie, trail name Lady, and I am relatively new to van/RV life!

My partner, Dylan (trail name The Tramp), and I bought and did a quick rebuild on a 1989 Ford E150 conversion van in early 2018. We lived out of that with our two dogs for 6 months while we attempted another LASH* of the AT** in the fall of 2018 I came into ownership of a 1990 Dodge Chinook.

Currently Dylan works at an AT hostel in Virginia and both vans are parked there (effectively creating a 2 bedroom apartment, haha!) and I have spent the last year working as a rotational pastry chef for a small, expedition cruiseline (on for ~8wks, off for ~4wks). we love and poured our hearts into Bonnie (Ford) and so are not looking to get rid of her anytime soon, but are discussing finishing some small (but likely time consuming and expensive) things in Dream (Dodge) and living in that full time.

Dylan is a locksmith/jack-of-all-trades
I am a banquets cook/restaurant manager/pastry chef/basically anything hospitality
Bandit is a 9 year old, intact catahoula cur/black lab mix
Charlie is a 4 1/2 year old, neutered beagle

sooooo uhhhh we're happy to be here and trying to figure it all out while we go! Thanks in advance to everyone for your kindness, help, and information! I'm certain we will be needing quite a bit of it as we go along! ;D

*Lash: Long Ass Section Hike (we did 850 miles in 2017, 350 miles in 2018)
**AT: Appalachian Trail (2200 mile trail from GA to ME)

(also turns out I have no real pictures of Bonnie on my laptop but she cute, I swear)

 

[darsben]

Having hiked small parts of the Appalachian Trail in 3 states I admire your fortitude.

 

[SeilerBird]

Welcome. I love Charlie. He is sooo cool. I am also a hiker. *RSNH hiker and I have been on most all of the major trails in the US National Parks. Have you hiked Angel's Landing in Zion National Park? If not then check out this video. It is my favorite.

https://youtu.be/igI1OFitYFk

 

[SpencerPJ]

Looks like life is good  ).  My nephew was a pastry chef in NYC, now owns his own a successful restaurant in Vermont.  Use to live in a shack in the wilderness, with outhouse. You might want to find decent shelter for the winter temps, not sure how you are heating.

Edit: your other post looking for a propane tank.  You might be better off calling and driving to a local propane facility, do you have one that is bad, or completely missing?

 

[Lady AT Tramp]

Looks like life is good  ).  My nephew was a pastry chef in NYC, now owns his own a successful restaurant in Vermont.  Use to live in a shack in the wilderness, with outhouse. You might want to find decent shelter for the winter temps, not sure how you are heating.

Edit: your other post looking for a propane tank.  You might be better off calling and driving to a local propane facility, do you have one that is bad, or completely missing?

The original mounted ASME tank is still installed, the one time we tried to have it filled we were turned away for rust. Propane isn?t big where we?ve been posted up in FL for the pandemic so we have really struggled to find someone who is even willing to look at this kind of tank. We?ve decided to drop it/wire wheel it/paint it and then we should be able to find more places willing to test it and fill it.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There is no meaningful test a local LP gas fill place can perform - they either reject it for visible damage (excessive rust is a common example) or they fill it.  There is no periodic re-certification requirement for ASME tanks.  Clean it up and paint and there should be no questions.