Hello! I’m Papa Smurf. I earned my moniker “Papa Smurf” while I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail for 70 days. Since then, I have carried that nickname to other areas in my life, including trucking and gaming.
In February of 2021, I set out to thru-hike the 2200 mile Appalachian Trail, that runs from Georgia to Maine. Starting at Amicalola Falls in GA, at over 330 lbs, and carrying a 50+lb pack, I hiked much shorter each day than I had anticipated. Many days, were only 2-3 miles, the entire day. It took two months before I was starting to get a few 10 mile days in. By then my money for the trip was running low, and at only the 300 mile mark, in Erwin Tennessee, I ended my hike and retrated to Texas, to the family farm. I will, Lord willing, definitely return one day and complete the entire trail, as well as hopefully the PCT, CDT, ECT, and paddle the Mississippi, from source to sea. Until then, I will have to be satisfied with day hikes, short overnight trips, and a little bit of Ultra running.
…
After moving to Texas, I sought a career traveling the country as an Over The Road truck driver. I started my journey acquiring my CDL through the Houston program of Stevens Transport. I did YouTube videos of my journey of orientation and training, and have continued to put out videos based around my life as a Trucker. In September of 2023 I started the lease purchase here at Stevens Transport of my 2024 Kenworth T680. As of September 24, I have 114,000 Mike’s on it and will have it paid and mine by 2027.
…
An avid gamer since 1994, with Madden 91 on PC, my appreciation for games persists. For competitive gaming, Call of Duty, PUBG, and other FPS games are my jam. For a more chill session, Civilization. Minecraft or American Trucker are my go-to games. I enjoy streaming and don’t have time for nearly as much as I would like. Having gotten to attend Call of Duty Champs this pasrmt summer, and be in attendance when my favorite team OpTic won, was probably the highlight of my life as a gamer.
…
In February of 2021, I set out to thru-hike the 2200 mile Appalachian Trail, that runs from Georgia to Maine. Starting at Amicalola Falls in GA, at over 330 lbs, and carrying a 50+lb pack, I hiked much shorter each day than I had anticipated. Many days, were only 2-3 miles, the entire day. It took two months before I was starting to get a few 10 mile days in. By then my money for the trip was running low, and at only the 300 mile mark, in Erwin Tennessee, I ended my hike and retrated to Texas, to the family farm. I will, Lord willing, definitely return one day and complete the entire trail, as well as hopefully the PCT, CDT, ECT, and paddle the Mississippi, from source to sea. Until then, I will have to be satisfied with day hikes, short overnight trips, and a little bit of Ultra running.
