Category: Sherpa’s AT Thru-hike

What does it mean to “thru-hike” the Appalachian Trail?

It means I am going to walk approximately (it’s always changing ever so slightly) 2180 miles from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.  I’ll be a Southbounder, which is significantly less common than starting in Georgia as a Northbounder (1500 annual Northbound vs a couple hundred Southbound). I just read that fewer than 1000 Southbounders have ever finished, so that’d be pretty cool to join such a small club. Some fun facts from the AT website are that the total elevation gain is equivalent to hiking Mt Everest 16 times, 1 in 4 thru-hikers that attempt the trail actually completes it, and it passes through 14 states (Maine and NH are the hardest–I am in for a rude awakening).

How long will it take you?

Obviously it varies and it’s hard to predict how fast I’ll end up hiking, but the average is 4-6 months. My goal is to be done by Thanksgiving, and starting on July 1^st, that puts me at just under 5 months.

Why are you going alone?

Part of it is by choice and part of it is out of convenience.

 First, the easy part to describe: With work not ending until June, I was unable to join my friend Brenna on her Northbound hike in April. I thought about asking other friends if they were interested, but few can get or are willing to take time off of work to walk 2000 miles. Fair. And probably smarter than I am.

Now onto the more complicated-to-describe part: I ultimately made the choice to go solo because it’s what I desired. Although it is probably safer and less lonely or scary starting with friends, these are also the reasons that made me decide to go it alone. If I am going to challenge myself to walk 2000 miles, why seek out a safety net in asking friends? I’m not saying that going with others is a cowardly decision. Yet I know myself and for me, I know I would rely on the other person or people to make decisions or show me how to do things. By going alone, I’m refusing to take the easy way out (again, for me).  If I get lost or don’t know if I should push myself or need to fix my gear, I am going to have to learn what to do. And I like that. Going by myself also allows me to truly hike my own hike, or HYOH as thru-hikers abbreviate. I won’t be obligated to hike at someone else’s pace or go into towns (or get back on the trail) when I’m not ready. I can decide to stop for three hours for lunch or push myself for a really long day or sleep in one day. Going alone can be intimidating, yes, but it’s also exhilarating knowing I can control pretty much every aspect of my hike (okay maybe not weather or the number of uphills, as much as I’d like). 

At the same time, I know I will meet many people along the way that I will become close with. So I guess I won’t get a truly solitary experience, but at least beginning alone gives me an added challenge.  There is a sort of thrill that comes from attempting something entirely on your own and an even greater thrill and sense of accomplishment after achieving such a task. My hope is that I will be able to experience this.

What are you going to do about food?

There are two ways that thru-hikers get food on the AT, through maildrops and through resupplies in towns along the way. While I may do some maildrops, I am planning on relying nearly entirely on resupplying in towns.

Maildrops are when a hiker prepares meals ahead of time (or has someone at home doing it for them) and mails them to post offices along the trail. The advantages are obvious—less planning/thinking required on the trail and the ability to have more variety or food that may not be available at local stores. While this is appealing, I ultimately get stressed out just imagining trying to plan out so many meals so far in advance and then having to coordinate going into towns with post office hours.

I may later regret it, but I plan on going to local grocery stores, shops, etc. to get my food. The options in some places may be sparse, and in those cases I may do some mail drops, but to me the easier option seems to be figuring it out as I go. That’s not to say you can’t ship me cookies along the way…

Where are you going to sleep?

I have a tent so that gives me the freedom to sleep pretty much anywhere (minus a few exceptions like the White Mountains). However, there are also over 200 shelters along the trail at an average of something like 14 miles apart. These often are basic three walled wooden shelters, but some of them are fancier, with bunks or even fireplaces. Each morning (or the previous night) I’ll decide how far I plan to hike often based on these shelters. Right now I plan to set up my tent near shelters so I can have the camaraderie and company of others found at the shelters, but be free of loud snorers and mice in my solo tent. This may change completely as I go.  Who knows.

Can I join you?

YES! I’d love company for any length of time at any point on my trip. Yes, I wrote all that BS about hiking my own hike and the exhilaration of going solo, but I want to hike with you! Seriously. Just imagining seeing familiar faces along the trail makes me excited and grin sitting at my computer typing, so imagine how excited I’d be to have you join me! I will be updating my blog so you can probably have a general sense of where I am from that, but if you are genuinely interested, text me (I’ll have my phone) and we can work something out.

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world.

The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world.

The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man’s attention. The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t time just then to explain the secret of happiness.

He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours. “Meanwhile I want to ask you do do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. ‘As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. “Well,” asked the wise man, “did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?”

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

“Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,” said the wise man.

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the tasted with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

“But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you.” said the wisest of wise men. “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon”

I start my AT thru-hike in 34 days. I am scared to death. But I also can’t wait. It is this combination of feelings that has made me decide to do it.

Why hike the AT? Why submit myself to 5 months of walking up and down hills and mountains in all types of weather, submit myself to aches and pains and blisters and loneliness and monotony? Why, you ask? Well, why not?

To me, thru-hiking the AT is a personal challenge.  It is doing something I love—hiking, being outdoors—while also challenging myself to push through things I do not like. It is rare that one is faced with such a clear-cut challenge and I think that is part of the appeal to me. Either walk the 2000+ miles, or give up and stop. Sure, there a lot of other factors that play into it, but that is what it boils down to. And I want to see if I can do it. 

Testing myself isn’t the only reason for hiking the AT. It would be kind of silly if it were—I can test myself in many ways so why go out to the woods to do that. I also want to get away. Not that it is bad to be connected, but I find myself so wrapped up in the repetitive nature of daily life, concerned with what others are doing and how I compare. Always connected through email, text, internet, etc. I find myself worrying about trivial things and lose sight of what really matters and what I really value. Not that the AT will change me in a way that will make me forever alter this mindset. However, the break from my comfort zone and daily life appeals to me. Concerns about meeting basic needs–what to eat, where to sleep–will replace these trivial worries. I’m hoping to be freed from these petty worries and to live in the moment, day-to-day. And hopefully in the process come away with some type of lasting appreciation and understanding of what really matters.

Also, it’s pretty badass to hike the AT. I want to embark on an adventure, to have crazy experiences. When deciding whether or not to hike the AT, I found myself making excuses why I couldn’t or shouldn’t do it. No, I need to find a job, find an apartment, start a career. But why do I need to do those things now? These are obviously important, but when I really considered my reasons for looking for a job right after tutoring, for instance, it was more because I felt expected to rather than because I really desired one or immediately needed one. I will always have excuses NOT to hike the AT and if I let them deter me, I will never hike it. I at least have to try. And what better time than now? If I really think about it, now is the ideal time—a break in my job, my living situation, I’m young, fit, and healthy.

This has been my thought process. There are other reasons that factored into it, but overall this is why I’m doing it. I realize I am extremely lucky to even have the option of doing a crazy thing like hike for five months. I am so grateful to have this opportunity and also have the support of my friends and family.  I know it will not be easy. I don’t think I’ve even come to understand how difficult it will be at times. But I’m as ready as I can be.

It is going to be awesome. 34 days.