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Backpacker Magazine – November 2008
American Classic: Hiking the Appalachian Trail
In this ultimate guide to the country's favorite footpath, you'll find our picks for the best hiking and camping, and a complete plan for thru-hikers. Plus, meet a man who has made it his job to help AT hikers.
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Tags:
- AT |
- Appalachian Trail |
- Virginia |
- Pennsylvania |
HIKE SMART
Here's how to master the big–and little–details of life on the Appalachian Trail.
SUPPLIES
Compared to the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails, the AT offers easy access to towns and stores along the way. So skip the complicated (and expensive) mail drops. Shopping as you go allows more flexibility (eat what you crave instead of whatever you boxed up months before) and lets you adjust amounts more precisely as you learn real-world needs. In fact, there's just one mail drop we suggest using: the post office at Fontana Village, North Carolina, where laundry and lodging are available. The village caters to thru-hikers, and the alternatives for resupply are inconvenient. Some hikers also recommend a mail drop at Kincora Hostel, in Dennis Cove, Tennessee; alternatively, Kincora's owner often drives hikers to the grocery store.
Navigation
Forget the map and compass. The AT is so well-marked and obvious for its entire length, you won't need them. In fact, if your footpath ever grows faint or overgrown, you've taken a wrong turn; double back. The only conditions where navigating can be difficult are after a fresh snowfall or above treeline in heavy fog. It's better to wait out bad weather than to risk getting far off track.
Shelters
There are more than 250 backcountry shelters along the AT, but veteran thru-hikers recommend tenting over bunking in a crowded or loud shelter. However, even if you're not spending the night, they're useful places to stop for trail beta and hiker news (read the shelter's log), mooch food from short-term hikers (who are often happy to unload extra weight), and minimize impact by using the outhouse. Find a list of AT shelters at cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/.
Pace
NOBO thru-hikers who begin in mid-April must average 12 to 13 miles per day of hiking (while taking a rest day every week) to reach Katahdin before Baxter State Park closes on October 15. But remember, that's an average. In some sections you should aim for more miles, in others, less. Here's a guide.
Start at a comfortable pace This is an ultramarathon, not a sprint; hikers who blast out of the gate often suffer overuse injuries like knee, foot, or iliotibial (IT) band problems, exhaustion, and mental burnout that can end a trip prematurely. But you need to steadily increase your daily mileage to build fitness and prepare your body to crank out the big days when you need them.
The first 40 days Hit the trail at Springer in reasonable shape and plan to hike no more than 10 miles per day for the first two weeks. Start ramping up to 12 miles per day in week three. Set a goal of ticking off some 15-mile days by the end of your first month and reaching Damascus, Virginia, within about 40 days. By then, you'll have your trail legs and be on pace for reaching Katahdin in September.
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I can't help but notice it says not to bring a map and compass. I've done a few sections of the AT in New England and I would have been lost a few times if I didn't have a compass on me. I think a compass and a basic map are lightweight enough to bring out with you.
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To ERICS post about baxter state park. ERIC, you need to check your facts. Baxter may be open, but most of the time, Katahdin trails are closed until around June 1st. The parks director makes the decision after hearing from the rangers. Some years it is earlier than others. Always call first before making plans. The fine for hiking closed Katahdin trails is $200 per person. Just thought you should know.
Another place to plan an A.T. hike and read a 1989 Backpacker article on hiking the A.T., P.C.T and C.D.T is http://thetrailhead.ning.com. We got back on last summer in Pennsylvania. Port Clinton Hotel to Bear Mountain Summit. The trail is perfect for section hikes too!
WRONG INFORMATION:
This is a comment to the statement "Baxter Opens June 1". WRONG!
I don't even understand how you could make this mistake. Considering the reader following of Backpacker, many people just got really really bad information. Actually the park is open year round. However, they only allow overnight camping from May 15th to October 15th (for the summer season), and December 1st - March 31st (for the winter season), the other times you can get in and do what you want, but can't spend the night. If the author performed a simple Baxter State Park website check then the correct information would have been known.
Thanks,
Eric
Which foods are the most recommended and how much per day?
Section Hiker here. Don't have time yet to do a full thru hike but catch a week to a month every summer, while hiking locally on weekends. I agree with some of the comments on food. My sisters and I undertake a different section of the AT every summer. Our packs have lightened as we learned our needs and wants on the trail. We are down to 30# packs without restocking. We dehydrate veggies and shredded meat. Evening comes and we cook rice and add the veggies and meat and eat very well compared to the poptarts and protein bars and hiker meals we've seen. Dried fruit livens up the oatmeal without added sugar. When we come off the trail we are in awesome shape. I have lost 7 pant sizes since the first time we took to the trail and feel better than I ever have in my life. I am proof you don't have to be in tip top shape to hike as long as you enjoy your hike and stick to it for the time you have allotted. Measure your hike by pleasure gained, not miles. The trail is beautiful and the company is grand.
I thru hiked in 2009. I found this article very helpful. I even bought some of the gear recommended. It all held up well. Maine was my favorite state. The rocks in Pennsylvania suck, but it is only a relatively short area in the north. Don't worry about the bears, they are a treat to see, but carrying guns, pepper spray, or knives is the sign of a rookie, who is carrying extra weight for nothing.
I know few people will likely see this comment, so I am going to put this in all caps. NO MATTER HOW ULTRA-LIGHT YOU WANT TO BE, IF YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF BOWEL PROBLEMS YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU HAD MORE TOILET PAPER. I pulled out the cardboard tube and just took a portion of a roll. I was stupid. Fortunately, I came upon a park-maintained visitor center with a facility from which I took a small portion of toilet paper. Had this not been available, I would have had some of the worst rear-end problems. On a similar note, chaffing is oftentimes helped by applying neosporin. Just a few tips from a section hiker.
I don't fear the bears getting at my food as much as I do the mice. I bought a Grubpack mouse proof food bag specifically for my treks on the Appalachian Trail. It's a lightweight, rodent proof backpacking food container. I hang it like a usual food bag. It's not a bear bag, but mice and squirrels can't chew through it. They are sold online. A yahoo/google search will find it.
Hey Eric, don't think so much about bears. My experience has been the only way I see them is if they didn't see me first. Hang your food bag though. I use two pieces of kernmantle 3mm line 30 feet long and hang the food bag between two trees. Nothing has ever gotten it. I eat a lot of Mountain House, Ramen Noodles, Nutrigrain bars, some GORP. Get to a trail town and it's burgers, pizza, anything. Cook on an Etowah Outfitters alcohol stove with Heet in the yellow bottle as fuel. My pack with one to two weeks worth of food will weigh 30 to 35 pounds. I could get it down even lower than that because there are some wants in there along with the needs.
@Old Dog Dave
Hey I grew up hiking the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and am also a weekend warrior myself. The area has a lot to offer in terms of trails, and other places of interest. 7 miles south is Kirkridge shelter, super nice and clean. Heading north you will go through Delaware Water Gap. Stop by Edge of the Woods Outfitters if you need any supplies or information, they are located in town. The AT will cross the Delaware River via Rt. 80. From the Dunfield Creek parking area you can take the red trail hiking up the relatively steep Indian Head. That will loop back to the trailhead and the AT. Water Gap to Culvers Gap is a nice weekend hike, about 30 miles. North of Water Gap is Worthington State Forest. They have a designated backpackers site about 3 miles north of the trailhead @ Dunfield Creek, plenty of grassy tent sites, bear boxes, and an outhouse. Head north and you will see a sign for Mohican Outdoor Center which is run by the AMC, they offer a lodge and rooms to stay. The next shelter is Brink Road shelter about 24 miles north of Water Gap. New Jersey is full of Black Bears so watch your food. I also believe open fires are prohibited along the AT in New Jersey.
@Old Dog Dave
Hey I grew up hiking the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and am also a weekend warrior myself. The area has a lot to offer in terms of trails, and other places of interest. 7 miles south is Kirkridge shelter, super nice and clean. Heading north you will go through Delaware Water Gap. Stop by Edge of the Woods Outfitters if you need any supplies or information, they are located in town. The AT will cross the Delaware River via Rt. 80. From the Dunfield Creek parking area you can take the red trail hiking up the relatively steep Indian Head. That will loop back to the trailhead and the AT. Water Gap to Culvers Gap is a nice weekend hike, about 30 miles. North of Water Gap is Worthington State Forest. They have a designated backpackers site about 3 miles north of the trailhead @ Dunfield Creek, plenty of grassy tent sites, bear boxes, and an outhouse. Head north and you will see a sign for Mohican Outdoor Center which is run by the AMC, they offer a lodge and rooms to stay. The next shelter is Brink Road shelter about 24 miles north of Water Gap. New Jersey is full of Black Bears so watch your food. I also believe open fires are prohibited along the AT in New Jersey.
Is there anyone out there who is a weekend warrior like me? I only get Fri-Sun for Backpacking trips. Harriamen State Park is the closest AT connection for me. I have no desire to do the whole AT. But I Love 5 to 7 mile days with a nice secluded campsite. Does anyone have an opion about visiting the Deleware Water Gap area? What is the camping overnight in this area like? I love the outdoors, I just don't like focusing on getting from point A to point B before sundown. I like to experience nature not break the land speed record to get to the next shelter. Is this real Backpacking or should I keep my day job? I'm 60 years young.
Hello All;
I could use some advice. I'd like to go on one last camping trip with day hikes. My wife is due in July with our first child so I feel the need to get this out of my system before it's too close to be able to leave for any length of time when she's near her due date. I live near Madison, Wisconsin and would like some advice on a great camping area with awesome views and hiking. I'm leaning towards the Appalachian Trail at this point. I don't have anywhere near the time for hiking it all, but if someone could recommend a few breathtaking areas where me and a buddy or two could camp and hike for a week to ten days I'd be grateful. Thanks!
Start slow 10miles/day for 30 days.
Wear lightweight knee braces, til you lose weight.
Eat cold food on trail. No need for cookware.
Just carry a spoon & Titanium cup.
Treat water as needed with ultraviolet treatment.
Carry chemical water treatment as backup.
Nylon shorts,UnderArmour tank top, one set long underwear and Montbell light down jacket with best lightweight rain gear you can afford is all the clothes you need. If pack weight is over 20# you're carrying too much.
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