Final Preparations
My hike starts in a few days, on March 18. After wanting to do this for 40 years, contemplating it seriously for about five years, and actively planning for a year, I think I am ready. I have my “base weight” about as dialed in as it’s going to get (that’s my pack weight without food or water). I read that the art of hiking is knowing what not to bring, which is turning out to be surprisingly difficult.
(The train case isn’t part of my gear.)
My wife and I are going through our checklist of everything we want/need to do before I leave, and it looks like we will get all the essentials done, so I just need to be methodical about everything, and we’ll be flying down to Atlanta in no time.
During my last few days at work, one of my co-workers asked me how I felt. Before I could answer, another co-worker chimed in and said, “Probably a mixture of freedom and terror.” That sounds about right. Maybe not terror, but I’m definitely a bit nervous… I am confident that once I am on the trail, my nerves will settle out; however, the anticipation and unknowns are eating at me a bit. I check the weather down there approximately 25 times a day. So far, so good... I will experience rain and be soaked to the bone more than once, but it’s nice to have clear skies to start.
Since I announced my hike, the most common questions I’ve been getting are around food and contact with civilization. The Appalachian Trail is never too far from a town, gas station, or some kind of hiker resource. Hikers really only have to carry about four days’ worth of food before resupply. My guess is that I will hit a resupply point every three or four days and then spend a night in a hostel or motel every other resupply. I will need to shower, wash clothes, GET BEER, and make sure everything gets dried out and charged up. Some kind soul mapped out all the resupply points on the trail. I copied it into a document that is now handy on my phone.
Resupply: A Complete List of Appalachian Trail Resupply Points - The Trek
As far as my diet goes, I need to ensure that I get enough protein every day. Protein and carbs are my focus. I’ll worry about vegetables when I eat in town. I’ll probably eat a high-protein bagel with peanut butter or make some oatmeal for breakfast. Lunch is hard. It needs to be low maintenance, light, and quick. Most hikers swear by tortillas; they’re high in calories, fat, and carbs, and virtually indestructible. I don’t know what the over/under is when I will get sick of tortillas. Lunch also includes some kind of random protein that won’t spoil. At the start of my hike, dinner is going to be a snap. I bought several freeze-dried meals that just require boiling water. They are stupidly expensive, so after my first few days, those will be luxury items. Normal dinners will be some kind of starch (ramen, instant mashed potatoes, a packaged noodle dish) and a protein. Packs of tuna are popular, as are packs of refried beans and other preserved meats. Protein bars, beef jerky, nuts, candy bars, etc. fill the void in between meals. Freshness and health play second (if not third) fiddle in this situation.
Another question I get is about safety. I have no plans to bring a firearm, and very few people do. Bears are around, but it is fairly common for a thru-hiker to make it to Maine with zero bear sightings. A lot of campsites have a rig to hang food bags so bears can’t get them. A lot of state parks prefer campers to use bear canisters, but they are heavy and bulky, and if people are disciplined about hanging their food out of reach, bears shouldn’t (cough, cough) be an issue. I am far more concerned about ticks and, in certain areas, snakes. There is an old adage about hiking and snakes. You never want to be third in line. The first hiker wakes up the snake. The second hiker pisses it off. The third hiker gets bitten. I plan to hike on my own during the day, so maybe snakes won’t be an issue.
Speaking of being on my own, that’s not a concern whatsoever. In fact, the opposite is my concern. A lot of people hike on their own during the day, but campsites tend to be fairly crowded to very crowded at night. I will sleep in a tent, so I don’t have to worry about getting to a site early enough to procure space in a shelter; however, tent sites are limited.
Lastly, people ask about mileage. In the beginning, I plan to hike about ten miles per day, plus or minus a bit. As I ease into things, I will gradually increase mileage and probably hover around 15 or so miles per day. If I can manage about 90 miles per week, that puts me at Katahdin (the AT’s northern terminus) during the first week of September.
Let’s see how accurate this post turns out to be. I hope I’m not too far off the mark. This will probably be my final missive before I hit the trail. Once out there, I will send reports back to my wife, and she will post them on the site. Thanks, S!
