Alexandra

Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail

Do you like thru-hiking and camping? Then you should thru-hike the Appalachian Trail!   Before you do all of that, you have to learn more of what to expect and how to make it through. There are a bunch of challenges on the Appalachian Trail, and you need to be prepared. Did you know the Appalachian Trail is 2,100 miles long? That’s a long way to walk! Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is difficult, so you need to know how to plan your shelter, what food is needed, what supplies to bring, and how to make your strategy.

 

One of the most important things thru-hikers need to know is how to plan a shelter. There are many options, so pick the one that works the best for you! There are 250 shelters along the way that are close to rivers or creeks. The shelters are also a day's walk away from each other! The shelters are mostly 8 miles away from each other, but can range 5-30 miles apart. They are 30 miles apart if there is a hotel or resort in between that you might stay in! If you would rather stay/sleep somewhere else, there are many other options. There are always resorts, motels, and hotels nearby to stay at. It is always a great idea to bring at least a tent or hammock in case there are no rooms left in the place you want to stay. You do not want to have to walk another 8 miles to get to the next shelter!!

Another very important thing you need to know as a thru-hiker is what food you need to bring. As a thru-hiker, you need to make sure you eat enough because you burn off so many calories hiking. Some good foods to bring on your trip are snacks such as energy bars, nuts, dried fruit, raisins, chocolate pieces, and crackers. Also, some other good ideas are packets of food. It is good to eat snacks along the way because it gives you more energy. For breakfast, you may eat oatmeal, powdered milk, cereals, and toaster foods. You might want to bring a portable stove. For lunch and dinner some good foods to bring are pasta, tuna and chicken in foil, cheese, pita bread, bagels, and peanut butter. There are also restaurants along the way if you run out of food. A good way to pack all this food without carrying a big cooler with you is a thru-hiking technique called a bounce box. A bounce box is a box that hikers send themselves with new supplies in it. You use a bounce box by getting about ten boxes before you start your trip and fill them with new clothes, supplies, and food. You then make a goal for yourself. For example: Walk 8 miles a day. Then send your first bounce box to wherever you will approximately be in 4 weeks. Keep doing this until you finish your trip! That way you don’t have to bring everything in one backpack.

Another very important thing you need to know as a thru-hiker is what supplies to bring. You want to make sure you don’t pack too much because it will weigh you down when you are hiking up-hill. It is best to pack light and use the bounce box technique to get new supplies. To thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, you need a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, clothing, footwear, water, waterproof sacks, guide book, tent or hammock, and a first aid kit. Optional items are electronics, headlamp, portable stove, cookware, and hiking poles. The hardest thing to pack on your trip is clothes. The main things you need for clothes are two pairs of underwear, two pairs of socks, five bottoms and five tops. Every four weeks or so you can send yourself a bounce box with new clothes in it to stay clean. One main thing that thru-hikers try to avoid when packing is packing cotton clothes! Cotton absorbs sweat very easily and will start to weigh you down throughout your trip. Cotton also makes you smell very bad! Another hard thing to find before you go on your hike is a sleeping bag. Hikers on the Appalachian Trail typically get a 15-20 degree sleeping bag. For a tent, it is best to get a waterproof tent that will keep you and your sleeping bag dry. You also might want a sleeping pad to make your sleeping more comfortable. You will want a foam or an inflatable sleeping pad to protect you from the rocks, twigs, or hardwood floor. Footwear is also another major thing that hikers have trouble picking out. Hikers usually wear thick, leather boots, but now hikers have found out that trail runners work better. They cause less blisters and dry quicker that boots. They are also lighter on the foot which makes hiking easier. When you are getting your trail runners, it is best to get a .5-1.5 size bigger than your normal sized shoe to not put pressure on your toes and toenails when you are walking downhill. Water is one of the main things that hikers need to survive the trail. You want to bring a reusable water bottle that can be filled up and dumped out very easily.You also want to get a water bottle that can stay cold for at least a day. That way if you can't find cold water, your water is still cold. You can also use a reservoir.

One last very important thing you need to know as a thru-hiker is strategy. You have to be able to pace yourself and have a goal set for every day. You do not want to overdue what you are capable of, because you might hurt yourself or tire yourself out.  At the same time throughout your hike, you will gain strength and be able to walk for a longer period of time,  which will get you to the end. Go with what you body tells you to do, don’t overdo it or underdue it. Do what is best for you. It is also a good skill to be able to persevere through. You might want to stop, but you keep pushing because you know how good you will feel when you finish. This doesn't mean hiking when you are injured or feel sick, but it just means to try to reach your goal every day. A good way to do that is think of it as a game; put a special treat in each of your bounce boxes, so you want to get there as quick as you can to get the prize. That will give you a fun way of making sure you persevere. It is also a good way of making sure you get to your bounce box on time. It is very important to get to your bounce box on time because you don’t want to run out of food, supplies, or clothes.

Now you are ready to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail! When you go hiking, remember to use the tips from this book to help you get through. Remember to persevere through it, and when you finish, you will you feel so proud of yourself and what you can do. Once you do it, you will also be one of only a small number of people who actually finished the whole trail. Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is difficult, so you need to know how to plan your shelter,  know what food is needed, what supplies to bring, and what your strategy will be!