Appalachian Trail - A Walk in the Woods

[smokingman]

pm sent

So you resupply and leave town(say 1 month into your through hike) 6 days later....

It has been raining on and off for the last 6 days,but today it really is cutting loose and a bit colder at around 65 degrees. Your calves are coated with mud and your trekking poles have managed to keep you from falling at least 10 times today.
You keep pressing forward and managed 16 miles ascending and descending over 9000 ft today, but it felt like 40+ miles in the mud(your boots weigh an extra 2lbs from the mud but at least the dirty girls kept the mud out of the inside https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/ worth their weight in gold) . It is almost dark as you set up your tent. It is still raining. Everything is wet(the shelter is full of weekend hikers). Your headlamp is dim because your battery bank is dead from keeping your phone alive(USB rechargeable battery pack in the headlamp, and Guthooks app used for trail navigation on your phone).

You get your tent up and your pack into it. Noticing the amount of water running off your pack(even with the rain cover your shoulder straps and waist belt are wet) is filling up the low corner.

About this time you need to start some water for supper and realize you only have half a liter left. So you need to hike the .3 miles to filter some water(muddy water in a puddle you learned clogs filters way to quickly).


You take a moment to use a handkerchief to clean some mud off. After filtering and drinking a full liter and filtering another you make it back to your tent in the dark with your dim headlamp slipping and sliding up the hill back to your tent.

You can fill up your air mattress now(I switched to foam half way through) and start some water boiling just outside your tent(still raining).

You can take your boots off and put them in your vestibule now. You dig into your pack and get the dirty camp towel to dry off some. It is a good thing it wrings out well and you manage to get some what dry,even the corner of the tent.

Your water is boiling now so you shut down your stove and pour in the almost perfect amount into your mountain house pouch.

Sigh. Would have been nice if I realized I needed to go number 2 before I took my boots off and got dry. You dig your tp out of your pack(whole hygiene kit) and head to the privy.Cold wet boots back on, but you do not bother with the wet socks. Wow it is a nice one(privy). You are not even getting wet and can stand up. It really stinks from over use,but it is better than walking out in the rain and digging a hole 100+ yards from your tent(any closer and you may just dig up someone else's mess). You do a tick check while you can stand up and use your "clean" hanky to do a quick wipe down. No ticks today.

You head back to the tent and pass a familiar tent. In passing you say hello and a do wellness check for a fellow through hiker you meet over a month ago.Both of you seem to be in good shape.

Back to your tent boots off. Supper is ready. You eat but do not fell full. Serves 2 meh. You eat the last of your snacks knowing tomorrow you will hit town and a hostel so you can resupply and do laundry...and a shower. Wow you really could use a shower it stinks in your tent but at least it is not leaking you set it up well.

Almost ready to get some rest....but the bear/food hang still needs done. Wet now really cold boots back on. You get your line up after only 2 tries and pull your food bag and trash bags up.

Back in your tent. Boots off and you strip down to nothing. That camp towel is proving its worth. You get dry and pull out your clothing bag and sleeping bag. You put on the only dry clothing you have left and climb into your bag. Those weekend campers are noisy, but you are tired enough it does not matter. A few strong gusts through the night wake you and you hear the occasional large limb or tree fall...but barely notice anymore.

Dawn and you are ready to go. It is only 9 miles to town,hot unlimited food,shower and clean laundry.

Just another day on the AT.

 

[ditcherman]

Good stuff Smokingman!!!

 

[ditcherman]

That was a posed pic, with half of us overjoyed and half depressed. Over the top drama.
Some places along the trail allow camping anywhere near the trail. Others prohibit camping anywhere except designated areas. On the North Country Trail we found designated areas were sometimes full, and there were not a few campers that didn't know how to use a cat hole. Just outside the camp area were patches of toilet paper in too many places. Not so much on the AT. We found some "interesting" people camping in the more communal areas. The AT seems to attract folks who are on the edge of normal. The segments we usually hike on allow camping about anywhere, and we had a guidebook that listed available water sources, which is often the main limitation.

Thanks, I was under the impression that the whole AT was designated areas, many of them designated shelters.

 

[jbombelli]

No. But I section hiked a lot of the PCT when I lived out west.

 

[gregkl]

pm sent

So you resupply and leave town(say 1 month into your through hike) 6 days later....

It has been raining on and off for the last 6 days,but today it really is cutting loose and a bit colder at around 65 degrees. Your calves are coated with mud and your trekking poles have managed to keep you from falling at least 10 times today.
You keep pressing forward and managed 16 miles ascending and descending over 9000 ft today, but it felt like 40+ miles in the mud(your boots weigh an extra 2lbs from the mud but at least the dirty girls kept the mud out of the inside https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/ worth their weight in gold) . It is almost dark as you set up your tent. It is still raining. Everything is wet(the shelter is full of weekend hikers). Your headlamp is dim because your battery bank is dead from keeping your phone alive(USB rechargeable battery pack in the headlamp, and Guthooks app used for trail navigation on your phone).

You get your tent up and your pack into it. Noticing the amount of water running off your pack(even with the rain cover your shoulder straps and waist belt are wet) is filling up the low corner.

About this time you need to start some water for supper and realize you only have half a liter left. So you need to hike the .3 miles to filter some water(muddy water in a puddle you learned clogs filters way to quickly).


You take a moment to use a handkerchief to clean some mud off. After filtering and drinking a full liter and filtering another you make it back to your tent in the dark with your dim headlamp slipping and sliding up the hill back to your tent.

You can fill up your air mattress now(I switched to foam half way through) and start some water boiling just outside your tent(still raining).

You can take your boots off and put them in your vestibule now. You dig into your pack and get the dirty camp towel to dry off some. It is a good thing it wrings out well and you manage to get some what dry,even the corner of the tent.

Your water is boiling now so you shut down your stove and pour in the almost perfect amount into your mountain house pouch.

Sigh. Would have been nice if I realized I needed to go number 2 before I took my boots off and got dry. You dig your tp out of your pack(whole hygiene kit) and head to the privy.Cold wet boots back on, but you do not bother with the wet socks. Wow it is a nice one(privy). You are not even getting wet and can stand up. It really stinks from over use,but it is better than walking out in the rain and digging a hole 100+ yards from your tent(any closer and you may just dig up someone else's mess). You do a tick check while you can stand up and use your "clean" hanky to do a quick wipe down. No ticks today.

You head back to the tent and pass a familiar tent. In passing you say hello and a do wellness check for a fellow through hiker you meet over a month ago.Both of you seem to be in good shape.

Back to your tent boots off. Supper is ready. You eat but do not fell full. Serves 2 meh. You eat the last of your snacks knowing tomorrow you will hit town and a hostel so you can resupply and do laundry...and a shower. Wow you really could use a shower it stinks in your tent but at least it is not leaking you set it up well.

Almost ready to get some rest....but the bear/food hang still needs done. Wet now really cold boots back on. You get your line up after only 2 tries and pull your food bag and trash bags up.

Back in your tent. Boots off and you strip down to nothing. That camp towel is proving its worth. You get dry and pull out your clothing bag and sleeping bag. You put on the only dry clothing you have left and climb into your bag. Those weekend campers are noisy, but you are tired enough it does not matter. A few strong gusts through the night wake you and you hear the occasional large limb or tree fall...but barely notice anymore.

Dawn and you are ready to go. It is only 9 miles to town,hot unlimited food,shower and clean laundry.

Just another day on the AT.

Great chapter! I have experienced similar during Boundary Water trips. Only instead of hiking we were canoeing which as I understand, hikers say we have it made because of all the extra gear we carry.

We do carry more, that's for sure, buy my son and I try to be as minimal as we can. We can't resupply but we are rarely out for more than a week. It's nice as the week goes on, the food pack gets lighter! We pack so we can make a portage in one trip.

Key to rain is to keep it out of the tent as much as possible. We have never made a trip there without at least some rain. Last trip the ground was still frozen and even with pads under our sleeping bags, the cold still came through.

 

[smokingman]

The further north you get this is true. I know of through hikers fined $150 in CT. They did have some of the nicest shelters and privies though. The further north you get the less hikers on the trail,so it is not usually an issue. Plan to tent. Shelters are for when the weather is really bad,but never count on staying in one.


They do also attract many weekend hikers. Apps like guthooks are great for many reasons, but reading comments on guthooks can let you know about "stealth" or non designated camping areas near official ones in areas you can camp off trail. Not to mention are very up to date on the reliability of water sources.

Guthook's Guides The app works for navigation by using your phones GPS not cell signal. It got myself and many others back on trail a few times. Not all of the AT is clearly marked and the further from a road the more likely it is to be poorly marked. It is maintained by many groups,but a person going out on a weekend to clear or put up blazes does not have time to hit an area that is 3 days from any road. You need some navigation skill...or an app like guthooks to stay on trail. I had both a physical book from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and guthooks. I used guthooks more,but the book was useful to have for sure.

 

[gregkl]

I use a map and compass in the Boundary Waters, but this last trip, my son brought his cell phone with a GPS navigator app installed. I can't remember the name of the app, but it worked pretty good.

I'm just old enough that I would never consider going to such a place relying only on technology to get me around. Up there with 1,000,000 acres and a 1000 lakes, you can get lost fairly easily, lol.

 

[MinuteManMike]

I also recommend reading the book. In a few ways it's better than the movie, although Bryson's "facts" regarding USFS and other government entities should be taken with a giant grain of salt.

I was going to post that myself. Even if he was only sharing correct facts, he was/is a fool. But if they made me movie out of his book, he's a richer fool now.

 

[MinuteManMike]

My brother bought it as a gift because I want to start camping. But it's not really a camping book. Walking on the trail for months, it didn't seem as though they did much if any camping. It's just a different thing and that's not bad but it's not what I'd hoped for.

The two hikers never seemed to really want to even do it. I was disappointed by the book, esp. how they kept wussing out and not caring. Then acting like it was a compulsion. Seemed awfully schizo to me. And I don't think I'd want to be hike with either of them.

 

[IUKalash429]

Former NC resident here, before moving to IN in 2019. I've hiked some decent sections in NC, VA, TN, and WV. I've also read Bill Bryson's book a couple times and carry it in my pack on some hikes. It's a wonderful read and pretty much a requirement for anyone who appreciates the great outdoors.

A southbound thru-hike is on my brother's and my combined bucket list. He's an ultramarathoner and I'm stubborn as a pack mule, and we're convinced we could knock it out in three months and celebrate after with a literal crawl to a couple bars near the base of Mount Springer. The majority of folks who complete the trail go northbound due to more favorable weather, but he and I want the added challenge. Well, the added challenge in addition to convincing our families and employers to let us steal away for a few months to try it. That part might be tougher than hiking the full trail on one's hands.

 

[92FSTech]

I've never done a through-hike, but I've done some shorter trips, including a day hike in VA, a couple of days starting at Springer Mountain in GA, and most recently my brothers and I did the Virginia Triple Crown loop this fall (Dragon's Tooth, McAffee's Knob, and Tinker Cliffs). I prefer backpacking out west...I like the solitude of actual wilderness, the drier climate, the rugged scenery, and the fishing. It's a farther drive, though, and my brother (my usual hiking partner) is kind of a wuss when it comes to that.

The AT is nice for a developed trail, but it is rather crowded. This wasn't a huge problem as most of the folks we met were really great, but there were some notable exceptions. Also, parking at trailheads and congestion at shelter sites can be an issue, especially on weekends. We were fine when we got there in Thursday, but Saturday when we left people were parking out on the road.

When we did the triple crown this fall, the first night was spent on the AT at a shelter (We were in tents, and I'd plan on using one. When we did Springer Mountain a few years ago we didn't bring a tent and all the shelters were full. It was raining and we had to sleep underneath the shelter with the bugs and the mice...not a good time.). There were 4 or 5 other groups sharing our site that night, and they were all pretty cool, but there were some jerks that were camping about 200 yards outside the shelter area that were up playing music, drinking, and whooping and hollering until after 2am. Add to that traffic noises and sirens from the fire station down in the valley, and I didn't get much sleep. The second night we camped on the return loop off the AT and had the place to ourselves, which was far nicer IMO. No privy, but I'll happily poop in a hole to not have to listen to drunken frat boys partying it up all night.

The AT is what it is. If you're looking for a well-marked, well-developed trail that you don't have to worry about getting lost on, and established infrastructure, it's a good one. It's also a great challenge if you have the time to dedicate to a through hike and want to commit to something like that. Some folks do it in sections over a period of several years, which is kind of a cool idea for most folks who can't take that much time off of work. It's also a relatively easy drive to get there from Indiana, at least compared to most of the trails out west. I go because I like to hike with my brothers (one of which lives in VA), it's close enough to be do-able for us as a long-weekend trip, and it beats much of the scenery that we have locally. But given the time to dedicate to a longer trip, I'd rather spend it in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, or Utah....just my personal preference.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I hiked the trail in 2019 in 6 months 12 days. Not the fastest to be sure,but I was not in great shape at the start. I also did things like hop a train into Washington DC.

I have hiked sections. I’ve hiked 7-8 days straight numerous times all over the country, but the long distance hikes have never appealed to me. My best friend through hiked in the mid 90s and everything you write is in-line with what he said. He came back looking like a concentration camp survivor but it became a defining moment in his life. And this was someone who was a reactor operator on a nuke sub in Vietnam...

The book is way better than the movie.