Comments on Evan's Backpacking video

The following is cross-posted from comments I made on a YouTube video by Evan of Evan's Backpacking.  The video can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8sU_JyWa2c

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The dinner conversation is the linchpin that holds this video together and makes it worth commenting on.  In no particular order, I'll impose on your comments section and do just that.
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The observation you made that the first quarter of your thru-hike was fun, but by the halfway point it was beginning to wear on you - I wonder if that's somewhat a function of age? At our age, as you point out, we know who we are and what we like.  We're not trying to find ourselves, more test ourselves. I'm your same age, I believe, and despite watching hours and hours of hiking videos, have no real desire to thru-hike the AT.  But I wonder if doing the AT as a several year project of long (400-600 mile) section hikes might not be better?  Stretching a thru into several years seems like it would be enjoyable both physically and mentally.  The planning each year would be similar but different enough for novelty and learning.  The months long breaks would allow time to recuperate, but also allow time for the fun of anticipation.  You'd get the fun of the AT experience but come off trail before your body completely wore down, something that us 50-somethings can probably appreciate. 
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The other part of the dinner talk that struck a chord with me was Liz's (and your) commentary about how social media tends to be only the highlights and presents a distorted view of day to day experiences.  It reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend about someone who was complaining bitterly about some family matter.  Before I could help myself I snapped out a sarcastic, "Tell her to live her FaceBook life," which was a nasty thing to say, but I was sick of hearing about the disconnect between what was posted and what was actually happening.  Honesty on social media, like the honesty in this video, would be more welcome.  I'll mention that on my own Instagram page I'll sometimes include the mundane or the uncomfortable.  There's a photo on there of me working on my dishwasher when it broke down, and there's at least two photos of medical procedures I underwent.  I like how you managed to make the mundane interesting in this video and I'll take it as a challenge to do the same in my own much more modest social media presence.

Book review: Pat Sanders, "I left my voice on the dining room table"

5 stars

Sanders has written an invaluable resource for cancer patients and those who support them. Her ordeal with two different cancers, one of which took her powers of speech in the early to mid 1990s, is dealt with in a clear eyed conversational way. Yet the sometimes horrific details are not glossed over. The bulk of the story and the most valuable part concerns her ongoing recovery with all the fierce struggles and unexpected help of newly formed online support groups in which she becomes very active. Cancer patients and caregivers should read this story and take hope from it. I certainly have.