2013 Appalachain Trail Through Hike

Miles hiked: 2185.9 (not including spur trails to water, shelter, and views, or distance walked while resupplying in town)
Number of days in the journey: 177, or roughly 25 weeks, from February 24 – August 19. (Includes 5 visits from my wife, Amicola State Park, Georgia, Damascus Virginia, Harpers Ferry Virginia, New York City, Mt. Katahdin, Maine and my son traveled with me 7 days.)
Number of vertical miles climbed: 91 (according to this guy: bucktrack.com/Thru-hiking_the_Appalachian_Trail.html) or climbing Mt. Everest 15 times.
Approximate number of footsteps: 5 million
Pairs of shoes: 5
Highest point: Clingmans Dome, Smoky Mountains, 6643′ Lowest point: Hudson River, NY, 124′
Largest vertical climb: Mount Katahdin, 4188 feet in 5.2 miles
Resupply in town every 7-10 days.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The precise length of the trail changes over time as trails are modified or added. The total length is approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 km)[a]. The trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The path is maintained by 30 trail clubs and multiple partnerships,[2] and managed by the National Park Service and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The majority of the trail is in wilderness, although some portions traverse towns, roads and cross rivers.

The Appalachian Trail is famous for its many hikers, some of whom, called thru-hikers, attempt to hike it in its entirety in a single season. Many books, memoirs, web sites and fan organizations are dedicated to this pursuit. Many attempt while only about 10 percent succeed.

Is a Thru-hike for You?`
bucktrack.com/Thru-hiking_the_Appalachian_Trail.html
Before you tell off your boss, sell your home, and kiss your girlfriend and old life goodbye, you should know as much as you can about the trail, and yourself and motivations. There’s a saying I like along the lines of “A lot of people want to be authors, but not many people want to write.” Ultimately, on the AT there’s a lot more people who want to be thru-hikers than there are folks who want to actually wake up each morning and head for Maine (or Georgia.) When people talk or write about the trail, they like to talk of the splendid sunsets, the beauty of the wilderness, the friendships and spectacular views. You hear less of the aching knees, the fatigue, the insects, putting on cold, wet shoes and clothes morning after morning, and the sometimes suffocating humidity of the Appalachians in summer. You hurt a lot, you’re tired a lot and to be frank you spend a whole lot of time simply enduring.

People who enjoy the experience as a whole are the ones who notice the magic more than the discomfort and boredom. Which type of person will you be? One thing to consider is how much backpacking and camping experience you have. The more time you’ve spent outdoors under arduous conditions, the better of an idea you’ll have of how you’ll react to the realities of the trail. Here’s a question I like to ask people: “What do you really enjoy doing? Golfing? OK, how would you feel about golfing all summer, rain or shine, every day, all day?”

If you think I’m overstating the negatives, consider that 25% or less of the people who commit to a thru-hike, actually finish. I think it’s fair to say that most people who don’t finish have the ability to finish the trail if they truly had to, but they find it isn’t worth the cost in physical or mental discomfort. Vast numbers of hikers find they get too homesick, discouraged or disillusioned. Many have the mental drive but suffer injuries that preclude their finishing. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 25% drop out by Neal’s Gap, only 30 miles from the start of the trail. There’s nothing shameful about not finishing the trail, of course, but it’s wise to look at the endeavor realistically before you begin. Remember, it’s not primarily a CAMPING trip, it’s primarily a HIKING trip.

No Rain, No Pain, No Maine. If you never hike thru the rain and the pain, you’re not going to see Maine. That said, hike through discomfort, but don’t continue to push when you’re doing damage to your body!
◾It was a lot STEEPER that I thought it would be. According to Wingfoot, there are about 91 vertical MILES of climbing and descents on the AT. I’m sure it’s that much, at least! 91 vertical miles of climbing is 480,480 vertical feet. If you finish your hike in 5 months, or lets call it 150 days, that’s 3,203 feet of climbing and descent EVERY day. The trail was so steep and slippery in some places in New England that it was hard for me to believe that it was the AT. Of course, there were hundreds of miles of mellow trail too, and it doesn’t take a mountain climber to do the AT.

Common Characteristics of Successful Thru-hikers

◾The greatest is an unshakable dedication to completing a thru-hike
◾Confidence in, and knowledge of, themselves,
◾The ability to maintain good morale in tough conditions,
◾Decent physical condition, no major problems with knees, ankles, backs, feet or hips,
◾Good judgment: knowing when to push and when to rest, etc.
◾Outdoor experience

Bill Wasser
OnlybyGrace