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If you’ve spent any time in YouTube’s ultralight corner, chances are you’ve run into a hiker who goes by that name. jupiter hikingIn the online world of clickbait titles, exhaustive gear reviews, and loud personalities, James “Jupiter” Hoher is an understatement. From Puck’s shakedown to documentary his style journey, his videos are quietly inspiring. Spend just a few minutes on his virtual hike with Jupiter and you’ll be tempted to forget about his 9 to 5 job and follow in his footsteps.
Hoher, 31, who has over 6.5 million views on YouTube, is now a full-time hiker and filmmaker. I wanted to know what many thru-hikers dream of, what it takes to turn an ultralight hobby into a career. What about Hoare? Start with about 7,000 miles of hiking before you pick up your camera.
Hoher’s foray into backpacking began with a few missteps during an attempted hike. Appalachian TrailIn 2012, a few years after graduating from high school, he chose trailheads in Georgia and set off.
“I didn’t start on Springer Mountain because I didn’t know that was where you started,” he says. “I didn’t know where the next trail town was, so I was carrying as much food as I could.” His kit includes an 80-liter pack, two pairs of jeans, and a It included camping gear.
Hoare estimated the luggage weighed 70 pounds, and by the time they reached Hot Springs, North Carolina, the AT hike was over due to heavy luggage injuries. “It wasn’t overdone, but it got me far enough to have a great time and make me want to go back and do more.” I was shown the zero gravity lifestyle.
Over the next few years, he heavily reworked the contents of his backpack and did a number of short hikes on the Florida trails. “I was a little carried away and was spending all my free time hiking.”
Eventually, with a frameless 40-liter pack on my back and camping under a tarp, I completed the familiar 60-mile stretch in two days.
Next was his return to AT in 2016.This time as one section of 5,000 miles Eastern Continental Divide Trail, the Quebec International AT, the full length of the AT, the Pinoti Trail and the Florida Trail. He averaged 24 miles a day of hiking, which he completed in seven months, setting his Florida trail FKT in the process. Since then, long hikes have piled up, including the Pacific Hen Crest Trail, Long Trail, Arizona Trail, and Tahoe Hen Rim Trail.
Hoher debuted on YouTube in 2019. His extensive hiking experience is evident in his videos. His Gear His reviews focus on ultralight standbys, most of which are titled like “His 5,000 Mile Review of Frogg Toggs Rain His Jacket.” Usually he falls in the 6 to 7 lb range and his thru hike his gear his list is also popular. But Hoher’s true passion lies in creating his thru-hike documentary, an account of his style. He shoots trails with live commentary and narration. He seems relentlessly feisty even during his forty miles (40 miles) of continuous days, addressing his shortcomings with humor and philosophical musings rather than frustration.
When he first decided to make a video, he jumped right in with the same obsession that motivated him as a hiker. He spent his 2018 winter recovering from a broken leg from a fall during his thru-hike on the PCT and taught himself the basics of filmmaking by watching episodes of his documentaries and films on Nature. survivor manA lifelong painter, Hoher works on his videos with an artist’s eye.
“I want videos to express my feelings, even if it’s not always realistic,” he says. “I don’t talk every second or record everything that happens. I may have been swept up in the river the day before and videotaped it, but if it doesn’t fit, I won’t include it.
That doesn’t mean he avoids the realities of trail life in his videos. One of his recent videos opens with a handheld shot of Hoher walking along the PCT. As the camera pans to a beautiful waterfall scene, he describes his shop for overcrowded state park gifts that caused claustrophobia.
Hoher attributes his success (63,000 subscribers and numbers) to one main principle: consistency. He doesn’t come up with a single video that exploded or went viral. Instead, in the four years since his channel has existed, he has seen a slow and steady increase in viewers and subscribers. “A lot of people get burned out after doing his first year or even five videos. I make it so you can see it.”
That consistency also means he has to keep hiking. In between thru-hikes, he lives in a Ford E-150 van and embraces simplicity to make his lifestyle work economically.
“I think a lot of people misunderstand how much money I make from this,” he says. “They may think I’m rich, but they’re wrong.” Though he supplements his YouTube income patron account There’s also a merch shop selling t-shirts and original landscape paintings, no sponsors, and the videos are ad-free. He makes a concerted effort to maintain accessibility and credibility. He’s trying to make small films as well as publish his content. ”
With nearly 14,000 miles of hiking, Hoher’s goals as a thru-hiker have changed over time. This year we plan to focus on lesser-known but accessible trails. One of his upcoming trips for 2023 is Urban His Hike on the San Diego Trans-County Trail.
“For some people, a 150-mile hike like this is the adventure of a lifetime,” says Hoher. “I almost don’t want gatekeeping. I just want people to have the same great experience that I had.”
