What To Wear Hiking

You're going to need some durable clothes for your hike.  Clothes designed for athletics tend to be more pricey than normal clothes, but you'll be wearing the same stuff everyday.  Consider good clothes to be an investment.  Synthetic materials are the best because they're lightweight, and they dry quickly.  Cotton is the worst.  If it gets wet, it will be cold and take a long time to dry.  Also, remember to layer your clothes if it's cold.

Keep in mind that the first month or two will be colder than the rest of your hike.  It's likely that you'll run into snow in the Smokies.  Some of your clothes can be mailed home or ditched in a hiker box once the weather warms up for good.  These are just suggestions.  You'll probably have your own preferences.

-synthetic t-shirt: this is pretty much a staple, and you'll probably wear it everyday.
-rain jacket: this is great to have because it not only keeps you dry, but you can wear it when you're cold too.
-convertible pants: they zip off above the knee, so they can be shorts or pants.
-long-sleeved shirt: good for nighttime or cold weather.
-synthetic shorts: something loose and breathable.
-wool socks: bring 2 or 3 pairs; you'll probably have to replace them a few times during your hike.
-sports bra (if necessary)

Other options:
-running skirt: these are getting pretty popular on the trail because they're super comfortable and they look cute.
-hiking kilt (for men): most guys think these are for wussies, until they give them a try and see how comfortable they are; I thought they were nerdy until I ran into one hiker that looked like a Gladiator in his kilt.

Cold weather clothes (send home when weather warms up):
-beanie/cap: keep your ears warm.
-gloves: you can probably get by without them if you don't want to carry them, but they're nice to have.
-yoga pants/ long underwear
-fleece/ flannel/ long-sleeve shirt

Of course you'll need a comfortable pair of hiking boots or shoes.  A lot of hikers like to have a pair of sandals to wear around camp, as well.

What to Eat on the Trail

Food is probably the most important thing you'll need to sustain yourself on the trail.  You'll be eating anywhere from 3000 to 6000 calories a day, and you don't want to get bored with your diet.  I'll list the basics that are easy to prepare, and then we'll talk about more creative food ideas.

The Basics:
-oatmeal packets
-Clif bars/ other energy bars
-Ramen noodles
-instant mashed potatoes
-peanut butter
-Nutella
-granola/ oat bars
-pasta sides
-dried fruit and vegetables
-beans and rice
-string cheese
-bagels/ English muffins
-trail mix
-jerky
-Crystal Light
-tea/ hot cocoa
-box mac & cheese
-Pop-Tarts

Trail Meals:
-Easy Pad Thai
Cook oriental flavored Ramen noodles.  Add a spoonful of peanut butter and a spoonful of Nutella.
-Burritos
Cook some beans and rice or used dehydrated refried beans.  Add string cheese.  Use sauce packets (stock up on them when you go to Taco Bell).
-Spaghetti
Cook pasta.  Pour in powered pasta sauce and add a little extra water.
-Pizza bagel
Add sauce to a bagel half.  Put cheese on top.  Set on a rock by the fire to toast.
-Noodles and potatos
Cook Ramen noodles.  Pour in instant mashed potatoes to soak up extra water.
-Cinnamon Rolls
Buy a tube of cinnamon rolls.  Find a stick in the woods.  Wrap a roll around the end of the stick and cook over the fire.  Add frosting.
-Holiday Dinner
(Best done with a group.  Most hikers will spend Easter on the trail, so this is an idea.)
Cook a box of instant mashed potatoes and instant stuffing.  Pass around some jerky.  Roast croissants over the fire.  Do cinnamon rolls for dessert.

You should stock up on sauces because that will add a lot of flavor to your meals.  There are also lots of powered sauces available like pasta sauce, alfredo sauce, and Mexican seasoning.  Be sure that your food has a high calorie to weight content.  Let junk food become your best friend, but sure to get a healthy dose of fruit and veggies while you're in towns.

Really, you can and should eat whatever you want on the trail.  Nothing will put you in a funk faster than not getting enough to eat.  You should keep a variety in your diet, so you don't get bored.

2 Weeks and Counting

OK, so I've decided to start a personal blog section.  I'll be leaving for the trail in about 16 days.  I'm riding to Georgia with a few friends that will be on spring break from Ohio State.  We'll start at Springer Mountain, and they'll be hiking with me for about a week.

Trey and Foreman (or Monk and Thumper) did Georgia with me last year, but two of the other girls in the group haven't done it yet.  Anyway, I need to hike that section again to technically consider it a thru-hike.  I'm pretty excited that I get to spend my first week on the trail with friends from college.  I'm also happy that we decided not to hike the Approach Trail again.  We did it last year, and it was brutal.  I do have to stop at Amicolola Falls State Park though to register as a thru-hiker.

As far as my gear goes, I'm pretty prepared.  I have my base weight around 20 pounds, which is good considering my tent alone weighs 5 pounds.  I'm using a 2-person Marmot tent that I love.  I do have a 1-person tent that isn't very sturdy, and I didn't feel like forking over the money for a new tent.  I think after the first part of the trail, when the crowd starts thinning out, I'll just mail my tent home and get a tarp.  I prefer sleeping in shelters anyway.

I also got a new pack.  I upgraded to the Osprey Aura 65 in Eggplant Purple.  It's really comfortable, it has a mesh back, and the hip belt and back panel adjust.  It is a little small though.  I pack light, so it's not a big issue.  My only thing is that I like to keep all my gear, including my sleeping pad, on the inside of my pack.  Sadly, I have to strap my sleeping pad to the outside of my pack now.  I also switched to a Platypus hydration reservoir, instead of just using water bottles.  I'm hoping that I'll drink more water when I don't have to get my water bottle out every time I want a drink.

Now all I really have to do is buy food for the first few days of the trip and mentally prepare myself.  I think the mental preparation will be the most difficult.  I've been living with my parents for the past few months, and I'm a substitute teacher and a freelance writer.  So I don't have to worry about quitting my job or moving out of my apartment or anything.  I just have to adjust to living in the woods for 5 months at a time.  I think it will be one of those things that doesn't really hit me until I'm on the trail.  I'm mostly excited though.

My Hike

Pre-Hike: 2 Weeks and Counting

Ten Reasons to Hike the Appalachian Trail

I've made a list of ten reasons to hike the AT for those of you that need a little extra coercion into quitting your jobs, leaving your friends and family, and living in the woods for months at a time.

1.  The hiker community on the AT is amazing.  It's so tight-knit that you'll feel right at home.  Hikers look out for each other.  When you're on the trail, everybody you pass will say hi and chat with you.  It doesn't matter what your age, demographic, or income bracket is in regular life; on the trail, people look at who you are as a person.  The people in towns are great too.  You might just start chatting with a random person and before you know it, you're at their house and they're cooking you dinner.

2.  You get to go on an actual adventure.  How often in your daily life do you actually get your blood pumping out of excitement?  Walking over 2,000 miles through the woods with the goal of reaching Katahdin sounds like the kind of thing you would read about in a children's fantasy novel.  Well, guess what.  It's your life now.

3.  Simplify your life.  No emails, texts, deadlines, clients, professors, or bosses.  You don't have to call anyone back.  You don't have to fill up your gas tank or shave your beard.  Heck, you don't even have to shower if you don't want to.  Your biggest concern of the day is where you're going to find water next or where you're going to sleep tonight.

4.  Your ass is going to look good in your skinny jeans when you're done.  Or you'll lose all that extra weight you've been packing on for the past few years.  Even if you don't care about skinny jeans, your muscles will still be rock hard when it's time to go home.

5.  (For the ladies) There's tons of guys everywhere.  (For men) Women will swoon at your manliness when you get home.  OK, so the guys kind of get the short end of the stick when it comes to dating on the trail.  These numbers aren't exact, but I've noticed about 1 girl to every 4 guys on the AT.  That's right, tons of of rugged, manly men everywhere and hardly any girls at all.  But don't worry guys, there will be plenty of women when you get home.  You'll be in top physical shape and have an arsenal of stories to woo the ladies with.  Just watch out for trail goggles.

6.  Do something physically and mentally challenging.  Nobody's going to tell you that hiking the AT is easy.  You probably will hear that anyone is physically capable of doing it.  You're essentially just putting one foot in front of the other.  Yes, anyone can do it if they really want to.  It's the mental part that will be the hardest.  You have to make yourself keep hiking even when it's been raining for two days, the weather is scorching hot, or there's a cloud of bugs following you.

7.  You have a chunk of free time in your life.  Maybe you just retired, graduated college or high school, came back from Iraq or Afghanistan, or got laid off from your job.  Now is a great time to go hiking.  Why not have a little adventure before you go back to the real world?  I once met a guy in Georgia that told me he quit his job of 8 years to hit the trail.  I met a couple that didn't get into the grad school they wanted, so they went hiking instead.  Even if you have to quit your stable job, so what?  At least you can make your day dreams a reality.  


8.  See the beautiful mountain scenery.  The Appalachian Trail offers some amazing views that are difficult to find elsewhere.  While it's true that most of the trail just offers views of trees and dirt, there is something rewarding about hiking to the top of a mountain and being able to see for miles.  Some of the largest mountains do have roads that will take tourists to the top, but you get the satisfaction of knowing you walked up.  And that makes the mountains you can't drive up even better.

9.  Everything you need you can carry in your backpack.  There's a sense of freedom that comes with being able to go where you please and only have a responsibility to yourself.  Your car, cell phone, iPad, and Facebook just seem like extras when you survive with only a backpack of possessions for months at a time.

10.  It's the cheapest 4-6 month long vacation you'll ever go on.  Hiking is an extremely inexpensive activity.  The initial gear purchases can get pricey, but once you have your gear you don't have to worry about it.  As far as the actual hike goes, your main expense will be food.  Occasionally you get to stay in a hostel, but those normally only run $10-15 a night.  Sometimes you can even do work-for-stay.  You can definitely get by on your hike for about $1,500.  However, if you have money to spend, you can stay in hotels and have big meals while you're in towns.

Trail Literature

If you're thinking about hiking the Appalachian Trail, it might be helpful to read up on it.  There are a lot of books available, but these are the ones I find most helpful and interesting.

Memoirs:

Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis is an awesome read.  A 21-year-old girl tells her story of antics, stalkers, and friendship while she hikes from Georgia to Maine.  I liked this book because most trail memoirs are written by older men.  This might be the only book out right now by a young, female thru-hiker.

Hiking Through by Paul Stutzman is another good read.  It has a more religious tone to it.  We follow the author on his journey to Maine, while he recovers from his wife's death to cancer.  His message is to live life right now because you never know when your plans are going to fall through.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is another interesting memoir.  He doesn't actually hike the entire trail and many people will argue that he's not a good hiker.  However, this book is really, really funny!  You do get an idea of what trail life is like, and it demonstrates the hiker belief to "hike your own hike."

How-To Books:

Allen and Mike's Really Cool Backpackin' Book is an awesome instructional read.  It's not geared specifically toward the Appalachian Trail, but it's still incredibly helpful.  It's entertaining too.  They have tons of illustrations that demonstrate the correct way to do things.

Try How To Hike the A.T. by Michelle Ray for a book that's geared toward the AT and covers probably everything you were ever wondering about thru-hiking.

Data Books:
You want a good data book to bring on your trip with you.  They show landmarks, water sources, shelters, towns, elevations, and many other things.  Which data book you choose is all about personal preference, but none of them will leave you lost in the middle of the woods.  Get a current version because they update them every year.

The Appalachian Trail Data Book is a no frills, basic information guide.  It's significantly lighter than other books because it only gives you need to know information.  At the same time, it still marks shelters, landmarks, water sources, road crossings to towns and other things.  It doesn't map out the actual towns or elevations.

The A.T. Guide will give you everything that's in the Data Book, plus more.  It draws out the mountains with elevations and where everything is at in relation.  It also has helpful information about the towns, like prices of hostels and where you can find shuttles.

The Thru-Hiker's Companion will give you basically everything that's in the A.T. Guide, minus the drawings of elevations.  The elevations are written in.

Choosing a Tent

Hiking the Appalachian Trail takes anywhere from 4 to 6 months, and since you can't go home every night, you'll need somewhere to sleep.  There's countless types of tents to choose from along with other options.

Everyone has different preferences, so here's a few things to keep in mind while shopping for tents:


How easy is it to set up?
How much does it weigh?
How many people are going to be sleeping in it?
How much space does it have?
What's the price?
Is it ventilated well?

Keep those things in mind while you consider all the options for shelter on the Appalachian Trail.

Shelters, Huts, and Lean-Tos:
There are hundreds of shelters, huts, and lean-tos along the trail.  They're basically the same thing, but with different names.  These are usually placed in areas that have a water sources close by, and there is usually an outhouse too.  Even if you're not staying in the shelter, there's always somewhere to tent.  Many hikers prefer to get a spot in the shelter, and not set up their tents.  However, you can't rely on getting a spot in the shelters every night during the first few hundred miles of the trail.  There's too many other people on the trail attempting thru-hikes, but eventually they will start to drop off.

Tarps:
If you can learn to tie a few knots and don't mind laying your sleeping pad on the ground, you can use a tarp as your shelter.  You'll be using cord to string the tarp up between trees.  Tarps are great because they're extremely light to carry and they don't take up very much valuable pack space.  Combine tarp carrying with sleeping in shelters, and you'll lower your pack weight but remain comfortable.

Free-Standing Tents:
Free-standing tents are just tents that stay up by themselves once you put the poles in.  You still have to stake them to the ground, so they won't blow away.  You can pay a lot of money for super lightweight tents, but in general this is the heaviest option.  On the plus side, they're easy to set up and are roomy.  You can set them up anywhere; you don't need trees.  They're very sturdy too; they don't blow around as much in the wind and harsh weather.  I've used a tent that was only partially free-standing, and it would always be caving in by morning and wasn't very sturdy.  Tying guy lines will help with this problem, but I really don't like the extra hassle and carrying extra stakes.  Some people don't mind though.  Prices vary anywhere from $100-$600.
REI is a good place to start looking for a tent.  They have a wide variety of brands and types of tents. 

Other Types of Tents:
There's a variety of semi-freestanding tents available.  You usually have to secure them with guy lines.  They weigh less because they require fewer (if any) poles for set up.  If you hike with trekking poles, there are tents that are designed to be set up with the trekking poles instead of carrying poles that only function for the tent.  Check out Tarptent for lightweight tents that start around $200.
Hammocks are also becoming pretty popular on the trail.  They have a rainfly that protects the netted hammock part.  You don't have to worry about finding a level area of ground or sleeping on a hard surface.  No poles, means less weight.  You wouldn't necessarily need a sleeping pad either.
As far as hammocks go, Hennessy Hammock is the way to go.  Prices start at $100.