Date: 2018-01-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Needless to say, it is difficult to prepare physically for walking 8-22 miles daily, over rugged and steep terrain, in harsh weather conditions, carrying 20-30 pounds of gear, food and water on your back, and doing this for consecutive days on end for over five months. Many accomplished thru-hikers even say that the effort is futile. Still, there are a few things we did that give us confidence to begin our thru-hike. A snippet of how we prepared, for what it¢s worth...Homework : There are hundreds of backpacking and AT books, forums, videos, and on-line journals (like this one) available to aspiring thru-hikers. Together, these sources offer a wealth of information about the AT, hiking gear, back country camping, trail food, first-aid, safety, etc. I recommend starting with an entertaining read about the AT. When the idea of hiking the AT took hold in me, I picked up a few books written about the trail. Like most people who have read books about the AT, my first read was A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Ironically, it ended up being my least favorite of dozens of books I have read. In case you were wondering, my favorite AT read is Walk¢n On The Happy Side Of Misery by J.R. Tate. After reading several ¢my AT experience¢ books, I graduated to more technical books about hiking and backpacking. A few years back, I started reading AT Thru-hiker Journals. By then, I knew that I would be hiking with my wife and that we would likely be starting a Northbound (NOBO) hike in February. Therefore, I would troll trailjournals.com looking for ¢mature¢ couples starting their hike early in the season. Pick several hikers to follow, as some will not complete their hike. Trail journals should give you a good feel for what to expect on the trail. Simulated Hike:This is probably overkill for most, but I did a ¢simulated hike¢ the year before the real thing. Here¢s how it worked. Using the 2017 A.T. Guide and the AT Weather App, I started the simulated hike exactly one year before our actual hike. Just like I suspect we will do on the trail, I would make a tentative plan each week (highlighting shelters, hostels, groceries, etc in the guidebook), then check the weather and record data daily on a spreadsheet (i.e. day #, start/finish location, daily AT miles hiked, distance to/from Mt. K/Springer, elevation gain, weather data, lodging/re-supply/landmark data, etc.). I started the simulated hike doing 8-10 miles a day, ramping up to 14-20 miles, depending on the elevation and conditions. Overall, it proved to be a worthwhile exercise and it helped to keep me sane for six months. Basically, I could no longer bear reading about other hiker¢s adventures.Walk, Hike, Backpack: While we could not possibly replicate the type of conditions we will endure on the AT, we at least tried to get outdoors and log miles at least 5-6 days a week. Sometimes this was as simple as walking 4-8 miles around in our community. Fortunately, we live within 30 minutes of some decent hiking and 90 minutes from the Shenandoah National Park. We tried to get out for an 8-14 mile day hike every week or two. Finally, we were able to work in a dozen 2-3 day backpacking trips over the past two years. These mini-trips provided an opportunity to learn what worked. Bonus, backpacking is fun, even when it¢s not!¢The Gear Between the Ears:¢ While it is certainly desirable to start the hike with the right gear and in good physical condition, shortcomings in these two areas can be overcome while on the trail. However, knowing what you are getting into, possessing intestinal fortitude, and simply expecting the unexpected seem to be imperative elements to a successful thru-hike. Zack Davis¢s Appalachian Trials explores these concepts in detail and provides practical recommendations for preparing mentally for an AT thru-hike. We have tried to put many of these concepts into practice.