Frequently Asked Questions about thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail

What direction did I hike?

Northbound

Did I do the approach trail?

Yes. You are about to hike 2,170+ miles....hike the other eight. You won't regret it.

When did I start?

March 2, 2009. I had intended on starting on March 1st, but a bad snow storm blew through on the first. I waited the storm out at Amicalola Fall Lodge.

How much did I carry?

The weight of my pack varied. The most I every carried was around 36 lbs. coming out of Damascus, VA, but the average weight was somewhere around 30 lbs. You can find more information about what I carried here.

What Guidebook/Maps did I use?

I used AWOL's AT  Guide. I loved the daily mileage breakdown and the profile views of the trail section I was hiking. I also really loved the perforated pages that I could tear out. I would tear out the pages I was hiking that day and carry them in my side pocket for easy access. It did a good job at covering town resupplies and overnight stays (hotels, hostels) as well. The trail is so well marked that I personally don't see a need to carry additional maps. 

What did I eat?

In short, a lot of freeze dried foods and protein bars. I'm vegetarian and I had no problem eating along the trail. Below are a list of some of the foods I would eat for a given meal. The amount of food I ate changed along the way. Surprisingly, I had no appetite at the beginning of my hike and I had to force myself to eat, however, this didn't last long (thank goodness!). I went from being able to eat only half a Lipton rice meal or box of Velveta mac and cheese to devouring the entire portion and still being hungry. By the time I reached Maine, I was dipping everything in peanut butter because I was hungry all the time and I was hoping the fat in the peanut butter would help slow digestion and keep me fuller longer.

Breakfast
Pop Tarts mostly, but I also ate cereal, honey buns, and bagels. Lots of hikers also drank carnation instant breakfasts and added protein mix to them. I tried this but the carnation mix didn't agree with my stomach.

Lunch
Bagels or wraps with peanut butter and jelly; refried beans and cheese on a wrap, cheese and crackers

Dinner
Pasta (angel hair or vermicelli if available - think cook time and fuel usage!) with pasta sauce; Lipton rice meals; Mac and Cheese

Snacks
Protein Bars (Cliff Bars mostly); granola bars, trail mix; dried fruit
One of my favorite things to do was pack out an apple or two along with a Coke and save it until I had been back on trail for 2 or 3 days. Eating this in between town stops was such a treat!

Desserts
Candy bars; Jelly beans; Sour Patch Kids
I'd also pack out wine occasionally (after pouring in into a Gatorade bottle of course!)

Resupply: Town or Mail Drops?

I did both, but recommend resupplying in town over mail drops with a few exceptions. I had originally planned on doing all mail drops but quickly learned that my tastes changed dramatically on the trail. What I thought I would want along the trail was not really what I wanted to eat after a long day of hiking. If you are planning on mail drops, I highly recommend trying out your food ahead of time. Go for a long hike or go exercise and come home at eat a meal.

Places I would mail drop to:

Atkins, VA. I resupplied at a gas station here. Although I made it work it was an experience I would choose not to repeat. At the time of this post, hikers are able to send mail drops to the Relax Inn, which was right next to the convenient store but double check this with the current years data book.

In Rangely, ME there is an IGA to resupply at. Here I bought enough food to put together a mail drop for myself and sent it to the Northern Outdoor Center in Caratunk. ME. Honestly, there are plenty of other places along the trail that I should have done this, unfortunately those places are eluding me at the moment. What I recommend is looking ahead when you're in a town with a good resupply point. What does your next resupply point look like? Is it a grocery store? A convenient store? Hostel? If it's not a grocery store I would recommend buying enough food at the good resupply point and doing a mail drop to yourself. This way you know you're getting a decent resupply.

When did I trade out winter/summer gear?

I sent home a pair of long johns, a long sleeve shirt, and my light weight fleece in Damascus, VA but I kept my winter bag (Western Mountainer Versalite 10 degree bag). I actually never switched out my winter bag for my summer bag because I had such a mild summer and I tend to sleep very cold. There was about 2-3 weeks that I was sticky and hot at night, but over all I was very happy with my decision. I do recommend hanging on to at least your winter bag until Pearisburg, VA. I remember the nights still getting pretty cold, even the night out of Pearisburg was chilly. I also carried my MontBell Thermwrap jacket the entire way. This came in handy on those chilly nights. Since I kept my bag and my jacket I didn't need to get a mail drop of winter gear sent back to me, but if I had needed it I would have gotten it sent to Glenncliff, NH before entering the Whites.

How many pairs of shoes did you go through?

Four (Keens, Montrail Hardrocks, and Vasque Trail Runners). only buy the pair you are starting with
and be sure to buy them big enough. Expect your feet to swell when you hike. You'll want your shoes to have enough room to accommodate swelling and you'll want enough room in the toes of your shoes that your toes aren't jamming into the foot of the shoe while walking down hill.

I bought my shoes at outfitters along/near the trail as I hiked. This is an approach that I highly recommend if this is your first time thru-hiking. I went from wearing a size 9.5 to a size 11.0. My feet flattened out and swelled a lot.

Did you have any issues with bears? 

I did not have any issues with bears, although I had one heart-stopping encounter in Shenandoah National Park. In Georgia and North Carolina there were signs posted about high bear activity near some of the shelters. Take these signs seriously! Don't cook in your tent, and hang your food. Although I did not have any issues a few people did get there packs stolen by bears. Be bear smart.


What was the most surprising wildlife encounter?

I saw a HUGE coyote in Vermont one morning. Scared the snot out of me.


Did I hitch-hike?

Yes (Sorry mom and dad). I hitch hiked a lot, but always in the bed of someones truck.

Did you have any creepy encounters with people on the trail?

No, but I also used a lot of common sense while I was hiking. The biggest rule of thumb was not to camp within a mile of ANY road; go further when at all possible.  After being out on the trail for awhile you will have no problems picking out thru-hikers from day-hikers and hikers from weird people. If something doesn't feel right trust your gut and move on.


How much did you spend?

I spent approximately $6,000. The break down essentially covered approximately $2500 in gear and  $500/month on the trail (it took me 6.5 months). You'll want some extra money left over to travel back home. If you are not on a hard deadline I recommend trying to save an additional month of expenses. Unexpected events will happen all the time; your gear will break, the weather will be awful, you may get sick. All of these things may cause your hike to expend for a longer period of time then you originally planned. Its better to have to much money saved then having to end your hike short of your goal because you ran out of money.

Did you train for the hike?

A little, but not enough. Thru-hiking is tough on your body and while many argue that the only way to prepare your body for a thru-hike is to thru-hike, I disagree. The fitter and healthier you are before starting your hike the easier time you will have adjusting to trail life. I highly recommend getting in the gym to strength train 2-3 times a week and work on your endurance. If you are lucky enough to already live in the mountains, take your pack out on as many day hikes as you can. You'll be thankful you did later.