Today we’d like to introduce you to McLin Sanders
Hi McLin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My dad raised me to be self-sufficient but as a young boy, I never knew the true meaning of that. I grew up in Cub Scouts, going on camping trips every now and then. Albeit they were average campouts in the woods, I always loved being in nature. Given this love for the outdoors, you’d think I had big grandiose plans to do all of these hikes that I have gone on, but that is not the case. I was a casual enjoyer of the outdoors, scared of the thought of overnight backpacking. I liked the easy access of car camping.
For high school, I graduated from an all-boys military boarding school called Riverside Military Academy in north Georgia. The experience at this school absolutely gave me the mental fortitude I needed to be successful on my first big adventure. Had I not gone to that school, I do not think I could have been successful on the Appalachian Trail (AT). That was my first big hike, the Appalachian Trail.
Five days before graduation at Riverside and six days before I started on the AT, my father asked me if I wanted to take a gap year. I never thought he would say this in a million years, so I immediately said yes. He said we could discuss some ideas of things to do and I told him no. I told him that I wanted to hike the AT. Six days later, I was in Georgia walking north, 2,193 miles to Maine.
While on the AT for the first two weeks, I had some doubts about myself and my decision but I knew that quitting was not an option. I came to the epiphany that if someone else can do something, so can I. This was the most simple revelation of all time, but it is deeply rooted in the core of who I am now. It makes so much sense to me. If another human being can accomplish a certain feat, I can also accomplish that feat. So there I was, 18 years old, in Georgia, on my walk to Maine, thinking to myself, well….if someone else can thru-hike this trail…..so can I. And I did.
For more information, my website is: https://mclindukesanders.wixsite.com/website
Since completing the AT, I have hiked just shy of 4,000 miles in total. My life goal is to hike 10,000 miles in 10 years. I started in 2020, so I am almost on pace to complete my goal. One of the highlights of my hiking career was the 86-mile-long Uinta Highline Trail just east of SLC & Park City. It was such a remote hike, I did it alone in the summer of 2023, and saw no other hikers out there. I saw no humans and 4 moose! Hiking through the Uintas was incredible.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In the summer of 2024 I hiked to the base camp of mount everest and I got altitude sickness (HACE) that got so bad, the day after I made it to the base camp at 17,700 feet, that I had to call a helicopter to come get me and take me down the mountain. i am very self sufficient and independent, so for me to call this chopper was a huge deal.
I made it to the base camp of mount everest and I thought I was dying. My brain was swelling. Insane migraine. And I don’t even get headaches. I had bad altitude sickness. High Altitude Cerebral Edema. I used my Garmin inreach to call a chopper out of there. 95% of all symptoms went away as soon as I got off the mountain in the helicopter. I had a lingering cough/weakened immune system after the fact. But i survived thanks to Garmin saving me. within 4 hours of calling the helicopter I was in a hospital in Kathmandu nepal. The doctor at the hospital said if I had stayed on the mountain any longer my brain could have swelled so much that it cut off oxygen to my spinal cord and I would have been paralyzed. Really thankful that I stayed safe and was able to get off the mountain. Also thankful that the altitude sickness didn’t stop me from getting to the base camp. I was feeling bad for about 18 hours prior to making it to the base camp. The adrenaline rush that I got after physically seeing the base camp in the distance was all I needed to finish that hike even though I was dizzy & had a migraine. I also couldn’t sleep or eat anything. Adrenaline is huge and helped me finish. Thanks God that I stayed safe and had no permanent injuries or ailments.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do real estate media, drone cinematography, and aerial photography. I help create media content packages to showcase listings & to potential buyers. In addition to real estate, I also do traditional photography such as product placement and portraits.
Along with that, I also specialize in thru-hike planning, logistics, preparations, and gear shakedowns. This is quite a niche topic, but if you are planning to set out on a long-distance hike, I have a system in place that streamlines the process for a potential thru-hiker to become successful.
I am known for my drone cinematography / photography skills as well as my knowledge of what it takes to successfully and safely complete a thru-hike.
What sets me apart from others is my tenacious work ethic and my attention to detail.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Tenacity and attention to detail.
My mentor once told me that these two qualities are paramount to success, and I have never forgotten that. He told me this many years ago, and I have continued to notice it to be true in my day-to-day happenings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mclindukesanders.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mclinduke/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mclinsanders5899/videos
