• Thru-hikers Devin and Di know what they wished they'd had on the trail: a tasty, protein-packed, energy-boosting, light-weight snack. So, they're making their dream a reality for this year's long-distance hikers by introducing "Double D's DIRT," a shredded pork jerky. Double D's DIRT joins us at our A.T. Festival as a sponsor and vendor. We asked them about their A.T. experience and their new business.

​What inspired you two to thru-hike the A.T.?
We both grew up in the Carolinas, and the Appalachian Trail was on each of our bucket lists for a long time. Devin is an Eagle Scout who grew up hiking sections of the A.T. with scouts and friends. While attending school in NY he hiked the PA, NJ and NY sections of the Trail and vowed to thru-hike one-day. Di hiked sections of NC/TN as a student and parts of NY when she was living in the city. The opportunity to thru-hike presented itself in 2022, and we jumped on the adventure!

Trail names?
Our joint trail name is "Double Ds." It was given to us by a shuttle driver and retired Amicalola ranger, Ron, who saved us from a snow storm the first week of our hike.

A trail story to share?
We were the beneficiaries of trail magic in the middle of Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness—TWICE!

We were really low on food about five days into the wilderness. We weren’t sure how we were going to make it to the other side. As we were walking, really hungry and trying to ration what little food we had left, we crossed paths with a ridge runner who was out for her last hike of the season. We told her about our situation and admitted we should have known better by this point in our hike. She was super understanding and just happened to have her truck parked a mile down the road full of food! She hooked us up with a big lunch and sent us on our way with a couple days' worth of food.

The next day we walked into a shelter for a lunch break. Two older couples sitting there immediately perked up and asked if we were thru-hikers. When we said yes, they were overjoyed. They had recently watched an A.T. documentary  and wanted to become "trail angels." They’d been waiting at the shelter all day, and we were the first hikers they’d seen! It was early October and they had decked out the shelter with jack-o’-lanterns full of candy. When we pointed out that the critters in the 100-Mile Wildness might be attracted by the candy, they decided we needed to pack it all out with us. So, we walked out of there with about ten pounds of candy, snacks, beer and TP. We forced all the hikers we saw to take all the candy they could carry!

In two days we went from almost no food to more than we could eat! Just more evidence that the Trail really does provide.

How has your time on the A.T. impacted your life in the two years since you hiked?
This experience will change you in ways you cannot prepare for. Post-trail depression is real, and our experience with it was severe. We found we're really over society. All we want to do is spend time outside with other folks who want to spend time outside. It feels great to return to the Trail and the community surrounding it. We’re weaving ourselves into the A.T. tapestry again this year, and it’s an incredible feeling.

What inspired you to start up Nomadd Life, your company behind Double Ds DIRT?
Nomadd Life actually started a couple years before our thru-hike when we were adventuring across the US and Mexico in our van, Lady.

Why is your product called DIRT? Will you be adding new products?
When you see it, you’ll get it! It looks a bit like dirt. But, we can guarantee that it’s the best DIRT you’ll find anywhere on Trail!

We didn’t officially introduce DIRT until mid-April this year. We hope to add new products next year including dried mushrooms, shrimp and a veggie blend. We're thinking about calling the veggie medley "Wabbit Food." 
​
How are you getting DIRT in the hands of this year's hikers?
We’ve been doing trail magic up and down the trail, giving hikers “DIRTy” quesadillas. We’re also partnering with trail town restaurants to add a limited-time special on their menu, and we're working on getting into outfitters and hostels so hikers can pick up DIRT in their resupplies.

"Dig" some DIRT at the festival, and find more info on their new website: https://eatdddirt.com/.

Here's a guest blog from Rick Oxner, friend of the fest and owner of Warm Peet—both a sponsor and a vendor at this year's event:

Warm Peet will be back for its fourth year at the Loudoun A.T. Festival. After all, this festival is where we launched our company in 2021, and it feels like home to us! Some things have stayed the same: we still make great socks and we still donate 100% of our profits to mental health organizations and nature conservation.

In other ways, 2023 was a year of transition for us with personnel changes, departure from social media and a move to the Boston, MA, area. Moving forward in new directions is always exciting. We have a robust festival schedule this year, kicking off on May 18th in Boston at the NAMIWalks event where all profits will go to NAMI Massachusetts to support their work promoting mental health awareness. Find our complete festival calendar here: www.warmpeet.com/events.

New sock designs and weights are in the works, and we anticipate launching new product lines by the end of the year—but, in the meantime, we have the same great OGs and no-shows available. We are also working on a retail presence in the northeast; details to come!
 
Besides the Loudoun A.T. Festival, one of our local recipients of Warm Peet donations has been Rock Recovery located in Arlington, VA. This year, Rock Recovery will be supporting Warm Peet at the A.T. Festival and manning our vendor tent. I can’t say enough about the work they do and how much I appreciate their support. 
 
Rock Recovery bridges mental health treatment gaps by providing access to services including therapist-led groups, mentorship and community-based empowerment programs—regardless of financial position. The nonprofit specializes in treating eating disorders, one of the most destructive and deadliest of mental health conditions about which there is still much stigma and misunderstanding. Many people are surprised to learn that one in 10 individuals will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetime, and that those suffering range from very young to very old and include all genders and ethnic groups. 

All Warm Peet profits from the A.T. festival will support Rock Recovery—and, through the end of 2024, you can use the code “recovery20” for online orders, and all profits tied to that code will go to them as well.

Do you live in Loudoun County? Then, we hope you'll stop by Mod Pizza in Purcellville on Thursday, November 7, and tell them that the Round Hill Appalachian Trail Festival sent you. When you purchase your meal, mention the festival and Mod Pizza will donate 20% of your meal's price to our festival.

If you see this before November 4, please RSVP to guarantee that our fundraiser gets off the ground.