excellent video bro., the first time I did the Appalachian Trail I was 17 years old, and the only thing I knew about the Appalachian trail was the name, I took on the full length of the trail and did a turn around a total nine-month Adventure! when I returned I was 18 years old and actually had intentions restocking my gear and living the rest of my life on a trail somewhere, instead however I got married😁, Then followed by children and my thru-hiking experiences quickly dwindled down to day trips and day hikes. Now that my children are grown I am back on the trail again! keep up the great work and maybe we'll meet on the trail👍
There is a lot of good advice in the film. Especially when you said about lighting your load up by carefully choosing the big three wisely. 1....The Shelter 2....The Pack 3....The Sleeping Gear. I learned the hard way with all of them being heavy and over the years as I wised up they got lighter , now my pack minus the consumables ( Food , Water and Alcohol for the stove ) weighs 15.50 and 13.43 pounds.
Thanks for letting us follow you on your epic thru hike! You did a great job! I hope you can give us some more post-hike videos. I'm glad you find my efforts worthwhile and thanks a million for being a viewer!
Thank you for the informative video. My 8 yr old daughter and I are setting out in April to thru hike and I am absolutely trying to lighten the load that I will obviously be carrying the bulk of.
Thanks for the excellent video! You give a lot of great information that any starting backpacker should keep in mind for the Appalachian Trail, and provide warnings while not discouraging hiking. The factoid on the elevation encountered on the trail adding up to ~500,000 feet is really interesting - it certainly feels that way while hiking sometimes on places like the Roller Coaster.
Fantastic advice. Your points sound really obvious when you hear them, but many (including myself, in parts) just don't consider them at first glance. Thanks for posting the tips!
Thanks for the direct approach to the subject. These lessons are nothing new, but there are always new hikers/backpackers who need to learn them. And going light is not something that originated with 21st century high tech fibers and titanium sporks. Back in the 80s on Isle Royale, I watched even experienced folks with 50/60 lb packs wear themselves out, while I managed to keep my pack around 33# with a full week of food. To get it to 25# or less with today's available gear is easy. Getting your head in the right place to make those choices, and to actually prepare, that's the hard part. Thanks again for such a straightforward presentation. Nicely done.
The Adirondacks is where i cut my teeth backpacking, The very steep rocky terrain gave me a big advantage for the AT ! I would highly recommend that park if you are close enough to do some training! Beautiful peaks aswell.
I hiked 54 miles in 3 1/2 days on the southern part of the AT I finished up at the NOC . You need to prepare with your strength training - great comfortable boots make sure you break them in . My pack weighed 63 pounds I did not go alone with me was an Uncle and his son which was 10 yrs old at the time . It's all in training to be prepared that way you hike the trail not it hiking you . You need to do everything with your pack loaded and I mean everything . If you follow my directions you succeed . I seen alot of baby rattlers and a couple of copperheads , this you must watch for . Ok I hope that I helped .
+Ronald Roach WOW, that IS impressive. Ron, can you tell me where the rocks start in Penn? I'm thinking about heavier boot mailed to me for this part. Thoughts?
thnx, flatbroke I have a pak and have been doing some 3 mile hikes but down here there is all flat land unless I go 2 a bridge and get some incline walking.ur vids are great
I'm a "new" hiker. I have been taking easy trails here in Florida but will soon, next year, hike a part of Appalachian Trail. I was shocked to learn my biggest challenge was water. I had it in plastic container and that was a mistake or I ran out...I was floored that I was failing on my few hikes and it was water...so for me, I am shocked people would hike this trail with no experience. ..for me, I am training to pack light.. so good to know you feel the same
Some folks announce proudly they never backpacked before and they finish a thru hike. Others plan carefully and take training hikes and abandon a thru hike attempt before going 200 miles. I endorse your desire to be as prepared as possible - this has been my motto and it has helped keep me moving on the AT. I hope you have a great AT hike and thanks for watching!
Thank you for this Awesome information! Me and my camping/hiking buddy are planning our FIRST A.T trip this year, mid June 2016. We are both 29 years old, tall guys about 6'3 and 180-190lbs and we are avid camping guys. We both are from the Northern Panhandle of WV, Wheeling area. We plan on hopping on the A.T. in the Harper's Ferry area of WV. Our plan is to drive down to Harper's, leave our car in a secure area, whether we can park and pay, or figure something out lol. Then hop on the A.T. and make our way out of Harper's Ferry, so that we can setup camp. We both plan out using our Hennessy hammocks, with no more then 30lbs packs on our back, mostly consisting of water/food and my medical kit. I'm a bit of an over-prep person when it comes to my own personal med-kit. We are planning to hike for 3 full days, then turn around and head back to Harper's. We will both have about 8 days off from work, so we can take it easy and take everything in. Any advice would be Greatly appreciated! Thanks for your insight and the video sir!
+Michael Fabian In Maryland just across the river from Harper's Ferry is a side trail to HI-Harpers Ferry Hostel. I left my parked car there once so I suppose they still allow it, if you stay a night. Maryland is pretty easy hiking. It gets more hilly to the south, if you go far enough. In Maryland, camping is allowed only at designated sites. www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/explore-by-state/Maryland Have a great hike and thanks for watching!
I did the AT SoBo in 2014. I did one or two 4-5 mile day hikes with my gear. I got robbed of $260.00 within the first 2 miles. I lost my bivy the next day. My boots got too tight so I wore my Teva's from the 100 mile to Hanover. I had never done more than a 3-day overnight backpacking trip in my life. I learned a lot of stuff from watching youtube.I bought another bivy, and slept 80% of the time in shelters. I did the four state challenge with about 30 lb pack. That day, I hiked about 48 miles in 24 hours. After the AT, I did the PCT, Caminho Santiago, Annapurna Circuit, Kailash Yatra and Vermont Long Trail. If there is anything you would rather be doing while on a thru hike, you will go do that and quit the hike
Thank you. Even though we've never met you made this video just for me. I'm the guy with little or no hiking experience and I got this Burning Desire inside me to give this AT' a shot. I'm trying to be realistic. I turned 66 last June and last year was the first year of my life I've done any real camping. I rode my motorcycle from South Central Florida to the northern tip of Maine to Key West and back. 7000 miles in 1 month camping most of the way and I absolutely fell in love with camping. Several times along the way camp sites were full and I had to hike out into the wilderness and I absolutely loved it! I stumbled across your videos this evening and I've watched several of them and I'll be watching a whole lot more. You are very good and I like your style. Thanks again, Ray PS. I've also subscribed to your ch.
It is so great to see the views on your videos keep climbing :D I have said it before on your channel and other's that I have seen you comment on as well, thank you for the advice and great vids.. Keep it up :D
I'm 14 and I've planned to hike all of the Eastern Continental Trail this year with my family of 4 and 2 dogs. Before we started our hike this year we have already accomplished 1000 miles on the AT. In case you didn't know, the ECT aka the eastern continental trail, is a trail made of trails. It starts on the Florida National Schenic Trail, then the Alabama road walk, then the AT, and than the international apalalchian trail. Its a total of 5400 miles. We didn't finish but we got 1400 miles in. We did 996 miles in florida than we decided to flip flop starting in maine and going southbound until we got back down to where we left off at but we ended up quitting. We had fun but we decided to stop. Anyways just thought I would share our story. You can look us up on face book, "sunbutter and the moutain mutts".
Live in West Virginia and its not to hard to find steep hills and big rocks to help get use to trail and have been testing out gear but just for section hikes
Excellent information - thank you for passing on what you have learnt. I know you said you have done approx 650miles on the AT.... would you even consider doing the whole thru hike? I am from New Zealand and we have beautiful mountains and scenery - don't get me wrong - but we have nothing like the AT or the PCT!!!! Thanks again
Sezzy Says I often have dreamed of thru hiking but the large amount of spare time required has kept it from happening. (If I had enough time and money, I'd probably visit New Zealand, too!) And thanks for watching!
I did a day hike in Tn. As i was doing it i said i never wanted to do it again. A couple of days later (after my legs recovered from the stepping upward i had to do) i want to do it again, but will stick to day hikes for now. I cant imagine carrying a heavy pack.
Some people hike this trail with massive packs full of useless stuff. Some go so light that they barely even have the essentials. Most of these these people learn to change so that they can hike more comfortably and/or faster. Almost nobody who starts the trail gets very far without learning and changing as they go. Most hikers learn their lessons the hard way. Even the "experienced" hikers have challenges when it comes to thousands of miles on the trail. Guides, websites and advice from people that have actually done it can make these lessons easier. Nearly anyone everyone who wants to hike this trail can do it given enough time and budget. That being said, 20% quit at Neels Gap. Most of these people quit because the trail wasn't what they expected. About 1 in 10 finish the trail on the first attempt. Others finish after more attempts or just string the whole thing together over several years. It doesn't matter how you do it as long as you get out and experience it. A wise hiker once said, "It's not about the miles. It's about the smiles."
I would not consider myself a backpacking novice, but learned a great deal during my thru-hike attempt back in 2014. I lasted a week. But what a week, and what a crowd. That trail will be the last bastion of hippie culture in this country. I'll second the advice to go as light as you can, but do not sacrifice insulation. The cold nights played a big part in what did me in. Had I to do it over again, I would include a much thicker base layer, and a rubber water bottle for those cold nights.
Thanks for sharing your experience here. When was your start date in 2014? Any chance you know what the overnight temperatures were during that hike? Did you find the hippie culture easy to get along with? And thanks for watching!
OK, so take the rest of 2016 and all of 2017 to save enough money to do it all and start training for it now and do the whole thing in 2018. That's what I'm going to do..................in 2018.....................when I'm 54.
I did 345.6 miles this spring with the intention of doing a flipflop thru hike. The things that got to me were the rocks, made much worse by rain. Hills are hard but I never could get the rock hopping thing down. The heat and humidity, (in spring, up north!) it was worse in PA and NJ then it was in Tx at that time! Then it didn't cool down at night and sleep deprivation was a problem. I did have a light pack, ~25 with food and water. But I had a constant mental struggle with feeling like I needed to go faster and do more miles and being worn out and only doing ~10 miles a day. I just couldn't seem to balance that. Part of me is heartbroken over leaving the trail, but the other part was so miserable there was nothing else to be done. In the future I plan on doing more manageable sections. I read and read and watched videos, but obviously I was not mentally prepared.
I appreciate you sharing your experience here. I can vouch for much of what you say - compared to an uphill climb with smooth footing, mile after mile of large rocks seems to double the effort required. The humidity on the AT can be exceptionally high. It is very disheartening if we find ourselves unable to move as quickly as we like - I have experienced this myself and found it overwhelming. I thought I was ready for my first section hike but was shocked at how much physical effort was really required. I wish you the best on your future hikes! The AT Conservancy website says no more than 30% of would-be northbound thru hikers completed the entire trail in a given year since 2008. Yet it also says that for 2014, 57% of those saying they planned a non-contiguous hike of the entire trail in 12 months succeeded. I plan to give this a closer look in a future video. Thanks a million for watching!
How long would I last? I figure 1-2 weeks max. lol. I like backpacking, but I can't imagine pounding it out every day for six months. You have to really want it or you're not going to last out there. I admire those who can do it.
While you video was interesting, I didn't find it helpful. What kinds of food, how to resupply, how many miles a day, what kinds of shoes, what kind of water purification, etc.? I would think one of the most important decisions to make was to decide in advance the number of miles per day to hike. There is something to be said for have a predetermined number of miles (and I'm never sure what that should be) and sticking to it. Given a Spring to Fall hike that could be daily sunlight from 7 AM to 7 PM with an hour out for lunch; rise at 6 AM, bed by 10 PM. My understanding is that every 8 miles or so, there is shelter, so that could help any decision for 16 miles/day broken into two sections of 8 miles AM & PM. (At 16 miles/day, for a 2,200 mile trail--that makes about 138 days for about 5 months. Keeping in mind the Mount Katahdin closes by October 15, that leaves a starting time of March or April in Georgia, to make it, giving time for days off from hiking, etc.) Talking through my hat, of course, considering bouts of rainy weather, bitter cold weather, extremely rocky terrain, extremely steep & rocky terrain... But still, that decision/commitment re miles per day could be the most crucial in completing such an arduous hike.
You raise good questions. Keep in mind this video is labeled "Hiking tips Pt. 1" and in order to deal with these questions this channel has since added 49 more videos in the 'hiking tips' series and a variety of other unnumbered videos on related topics. Shoes, food, resupply and water treatment - as it turns out - are often highly personalized choices and those who follow blanket recommendations can be dissatisfied with those choices once they get started. Your reasoning on 16 miles a day is sound, but the question is can we as individuals work our way up to that? Many do not, or find they cannot. On the other hand, some have thru hiked the AT with a 10 mile a day average, but that requires more than six months to accomplish. I suggest you browse the many other videos I have posted on these topics - th-cam.com/channels/yIjwGmnVJooAUEpfe5bwpA.htmlvideos.
Thanks. Somehow, to me setting a goal of a certain number of miles per day would go a long way to completing the trail Now following Sarah Williams 100 day hike (at about 22 miles a day) and that seems intriguing, Wishing her best of luck.
While Sarah's videos keep coming, her instagram account shows she finished the trail in her 100-day window. It was an exceptional accomplishment. I believe she is a marathon runner at home. If you look at her channel page, you will find other videos in which she interviews women who have accomplished other impressive athletic and physical feats.
Very good advice for beginners! I live in Northeast Georgia, close to the AT. This year I met a couple of people on the AT attempting to thru-hike with little or no backpacking experience and full of romantic notions about the Trail. I feel they have no business being on the AT attempting a long trip. My first impulse was to tell them to turn around and go home. I have heard of beginners lying by the side of the Approach Trail sobbing before they reach Springer Mtn. Instead I say to do a pack shakedown and get some advice as soon as they reach Mountain Crossings hostel and outfitter at Neels Gap if they can make it and to pace themselves slowly with plenty of rest stops. The staff at Mountain Crossings are all former AT thru-hikers. No, I do not work there. Yes, I buy my gear there. :) Thanks for posting. Subbed.
Appalachian Snapshot Telling them to go straight home would have been extremely rude and would instead result in newcomers giving us seasoned hikers a shitty reputation and disregard any further outdoor exploits. Thank God you did not say that. (We need more people outdoors, not less) Telling them what they were up against and helping them understand the gravity of the decision they were making would be much better. Let them make the final decision.
I have seen trail magic on only one of my section hikes. Did you see any of it north of Harper's Ferry? I talk about it more in my 'Social aspect' video. And thanks again for watching!
flatbrokeoutside Trail Magic can be found all over the trail and I could spend hours bending your ear with stories, I can say this maybe if they were section hikes you didn't encounter Any Trail Magic or angels as we referred to them because you weren't in need😁
In backpacking less is truly more. I am older and back in the day I would carry 40 plus, now its more like high teens low 20a and the trail is just much more enjoyable. I could not agree more with you, the gear you find in retail stores, REI and such are just to heavy. take care
At last, some info I can use. Most likely I'll be a section hiker due to a number of things. I have hiked in the past, last century, up to 15 miles at a time. Not all of it flat. I was thinking of hiking part of the BMT next year. If I cannot do that, then no AT for me.
chris morgan Three things to watch for. ONE - The AT has hundreds, if not thousands, of side trails. They are marked with blue blazes. Some of these blue blazes are so faint that I have had to examine them up close to tell if they were blue or white. (The AT blazes are white.) I once wandered nearly three miles off the AT before I realized I made a wrong turn and was following blue blazes. TWO - The AT crosses many roads and highways. Usually it's easy to spot the trail on the other side of the road. Sometimes not so easy. These crossings won't necessarily get you lost, but a couple of times it took me 5 minutes to figure out exactly where the trail went. THREE - Many wooden shelters and lean-tos are on side trails. More than once I walked back to the main trail in the morning and couldn't quite remember if I was supposed to go left or right. So I would check my compass. I never made a wrong turn after checking the compass. OTHERWISE - The white blazes appear on the AT very frequently. On trees, rocks, sidewalks, bridge abutments, etc. Barring side trails and highways, I never had a problem spotting the white blazes. Thanks for watching!
I'm looking at doing ME To GA sometime in July or August 2016. Depending on when I finish school. If I can't do it then I'll likely do GA to ME at the end of march or beginning of April.
Can you provide a list things you will absolutely need? And maybe an estimate for the total amount of money needed for a thru-hike? This information would be greatly appreciated.
+flatbrokeoutside Thank you! It's a great thing that someone has taken the time to compile their knowledge of the AT so that it could be shared with others.
+flatbrokeoutside ahh. I was wondering because the information you're giving out seems to come from a lot of experience. So I was checking for quality assurance, because I plan on watching all your videos and taking notes. I'm from Kentucky though, but unfortunately I was born on the wrong side of the state for all the hill climbing you described. Thanks for responding!
how long u been hiking the at? I new a guy in goodland fl that went every year and started were he stopped the last year, I remember him saying he thought he was in good shape until he meet the AT.
j k I once met a guy who had been hiking the AT for 40 years and he only had a couple of hundred miles to go and he would have hiked the whole thing. I haven't been at it that long, but I started a while ago.
Nothing wrong with being nervous. How about starting close to home? A number of trails have a decent campground only a couple of miles, or less, from a parking lot. You could walk in, spend the night, home the next day. Check out my video 'Backpacking tactics for beginners' -- th-cam.com/video/W8aVkbvK57M/w-d-xo.html -- and all of my other videos. And thanks for watching.
+Rod Moore For an easy section, I'd do the Shenandoah National Park. Plenty of parking and scenic overlooks. The hills are not huge and it's mostly easy footing. Trail runs roughly 90 or so miles through the park. For a rough section, The White Mountains - way up in the air with plenty to see. Big climbs and often pretty windy. There are plenty of other scenic places, of course, but I don't know of any others packed with quite so much panorama per 100 miles. And have a great hike!
Cell phone reception is spotty and unpredictable because of all the hills and low elevations between the hills. Check this out, scroll down to 'Emergencies' - www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/hiking-basics/safety ---- Also check out my 'Calling for help' video. And thanks for watching!
I want 2 hike this trail I live in bonita springs fl would like 2 no when the best time 2 start from the s. end and go till........ I'm not xperiendz in hiking 59 years old fare shape, I have 65l pack all camping stuff,tent,pad, sleeping bag stove,etc. give me sum advice thanx.
j k Most northbound thru hikers leave in the first 2 weeks of March, roughly, and some leave as early as mid-February. I would recommend you watch my video "Hiking crash course on the Appalachian Trail." You say you are not experienced in hiking - I would recommend you starting doing some hiking - even if only an hour or so at a time - immediately and wherever you can. After the first couple of hikes, I would start carrying that pack with at least 30 pounds of your stuff in it. Feel free to report back on how it went, or message me if you have questions. I wish you good luck and thanks for watching!
what kind of idiot would not do a few days, or a few weeks, before leaving for 6 months? what percentage of hikers leaving Springer do we think do this?
Well, I can recall a few people who pretty much said that on their channels. A couple I can think of finished the whole thing. And thanks for watching!
+allen wingate In some places volunteers with trail clubs have placed short sections of logs that help form steps. In a place or two, especially up north, hikers might encounter a ladder. In other places, hand and foot holds of reinforcing steel (rebar) have been installed. A few foot bridges have steps leading up to them. Along the great majority of the trail, however, hikers are left to their own devices when it comes to scrambling over rocks. And thanks for watching!
While they probably can't overcome a debilitating injury or sickness, they certainly do mean a great deal. See ya on the trail and thanks for watching!
This is good but when it comes to any long hike the mental part can not be over emphasized enough. Grandma Gatewood is looking down and laughing at all of us.
liked and shared on all my accounts. as a fellow seasoned hiker i appreciate you being the guy for these newbs that i couldn't find when i started out. (newbs not being derogatory) .great info and layed out very nicely. what's your trail name? peace out,snakefinder
sportnimportfrank I never had a proper trail name - on most AT hikes I was by myself. If anybody asked I said "Flat Broke" and pretended I was serious. Well, I was serious, but not about the trail name part. :) Thanks for watching!
If you mean private residences, there are none I know of on the public land and/or right of way that constitutes the trail itself. There are, however, hundreds of shelters, lean to's, huts, etc. which hikers can sleep in and these are very close to the trail if not on it. The trail passes through a number of towns and near many private residences, but they are private property and if we are on that property without an invitation, we would be trespassing. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
If I had to buy $400 worth of equipment the last week of September 2016 and take a few months to prepare..................a few weeks. If I take 2 whole years to prepare I could live on it for a few years.
Moss Walker I read at www.outdoors.org/conservation/trails/appalachian-trail/at-faq.cfm -- "The average cost of an Appalachian Trail thru-hike is approximately $3,000 (about $1.50 per mile), not including gear." The ATC website says figure on $1,000 per month. Staying in motels near the trail has to be something that can send costs skyrocketing if done a lot. And thanks for watching!
The AT is for foot travel only and is labeled as such on signs I have seen frequently. Also, because of the endless millions of rocks all along the trail, hikers must climb with their hands at many spots. At the northern end of the trail, steel handholds have been installed in some of the bigger rocks.
flatbrokeoutside Whoa! Ok, so that answers that. I’ve heard some guys say they rode parts of it, but never said if it was “allowed”. Also, didn’t know if it was rideable the entire way if allowed. I’m an avid rider that’s why I was asking.
Why not backpack or day hike close to home? If you live in any of the eastern states you won't be that far from the AT. For example, after being injured in a car wreck, I took a dayhiking trip to the Shenandoah National Park. Even for a thru hiker often surrounded by other hikers, there will be many, many, MANY hours of simply walking through the woods. We don't have to walk the entire trail to enjoy that. And thanks for watching!
Unless you have physical or health prohibitions, if you can't do it at 63 why not try to do it at 64 and/or 65? You can be a 2,000 miler before you know it. :-)
I call it "Backpacking Racing Gear": Super-light-weight tents, packs, stoves and bags can cost a lot, but for a once in a lifetime event, It's the way to go. As more backpackers buy this type of gear, more builders will jump into the market with cheaper, lighter, innovative products...Also known as Capitalism!
Not trying to rain on your parade but it's not that simple. It's a fact of life that the majority of people drop out from the approach trail at Amicalola Falls to Neel Gap, a distance of about 39 miles. Another large mass are gone by Damascus, VA. I'm NOBO March 2018 and am still working on the details and planning.
Lookout for Brian Laundrie when any viewers are out there (warrant for his arrest- reward around $30,000) previously lived on the Appalachian Trail for 3 months!
The problem with "food holding out" is that it is impossible to caarry more calories than you burn. You will be hungry . This is why people who finish look as if they just finnished a marathon. It's a heck of a marathon.
It has been proven that the human body needs 3000 to 5000 calories a day when when hiking. The Army and the ATC have both confirmed this. And yes you can carry that much food if you have a big enough pack, and you practice with your pack and carrying a load. As for the rocks, if you have the right Hiking Boots, and not some flimsy Trail runner shoe you will do just find. I hike a lot in Rocky Mountain National Park and some of those trails are pretty rocky. As for the trail being a life style, your right. You have to live by the rhythm of the trail and come too terms with yourself on what you have to do each day. I am planning a half hike of the AT in 2020, So I will be getting my pack and boots this coming fall and getting them broken in and tested. Remember its 25 percent physical and 75 percent mental, if you want to do it, you will.
If you wanna read something about the AT scarier than anything I said in this video, read this book "Appalachian Trials" - www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Trials-Psychological-Emotional-Thru-Hike/dp/0985090103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474936919&sr=8-1&keywords=appalachian+trials
excellent video bro., the first time I did the Appalachian Trail I was 17 years old, and the only thing I knew about the Appalachian trail was the name, I took on the full length of the trail and did a turn around a total nine-month Adventure! when I returned I was 18 years old and actually had intentions restocking my gear and living the rest of my life on a trail somewhere, instead however I got married😁, Then followed by children and my thru-hiking experiences quickly dwindled down to day trips and day hikes. Now that my children are grown I am back on the trail again! keep up the great work and maybe we'll meet on the trail👍
Sounds like you had an epic hike! Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!
That's awesome man...seriously
i love your videos. ive been preparing and watching videos now for about 6months for a 2018 trip. your videos are the most details of any iv seen
Glad you like the videos and I hope you have a great thru hike. And thanks for watching!
There is a lot of good advice in the film. Especially when you said about lighting your load up by carefully choosing the big three wisely.
1....The Shelter
2....The Pack
3....The Sleeping Gear.
I learned the hard way with all of them being heavy and over the years as I wised up they got lighter , now my pack minus the consumables ( Food , Water and Alcohol for the stove ) weighs 15.50 and 13.43 pounds.
+Chuck Littleton Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks again for watching!
Great video. This was the insight I was looking for, direct and no sugar coating.
***** Glad it helped and thanks for watching!
I watched this video a year before my 2017 thru hike. Now three years after I'm so glad I watched your videos, flatbrokeoutside! Helped me a lot!
Anyone here prepping for a thru hike as well... I recommend watching Loner2012AT too. He is great and has a great book!
Good job on the thru hike! Glad to hear the video helped and thanks for being a viewer!
Always enjoy hearing your passion about the A.T. Many thanks for all you are sharing here.
And thanks to you for being a viewer!
You did a great job producing this video! I enjoy watching your videos; they are well structured, informative and pertinent! Thank you!
Rich
Thanks for letting us follow you on your epic thru hike! You did a great job! I hope you can give us some more post-hike videos. I'm glad you find my efforts worthwhile and thanks a million for being a viewer!
Thanks! I am planning to do a post hike wrap up video sometime soon.
Thank you for the informative video. My 8 yr old daughter and I are setting out in April to thru hike and I am absolutely trying to lighten the load that I will obviously be carrying the bulk of.
+mrskelligurl Check out my channel. I have more than 35 videos about backpacking and the AT. And thanks for watching!
Thanks for the excellent video! You give a lot of great information that any starting backpacker should keep in mind for the Appalachian Trail, and provide warnings while not discouraging hiking. The factoid on the elevation encountered on the trail adding up to ~500,000 feet is really interesting - it certainly feels that way while hiking sometimes on places like the Roller Coaster.
+fishypressfilms Agreed. And the big rocks and bad footing make many of those climbs even more tiring. And thanks for watching!
: cghb
Fantastic advice. Your points sound really obvious when you hear them, but many (including myself, in parts) just don't consider them at first glance. Thanks for posting the tips!
+Rachel Jackson Thanks for watching and please check out my other AT videos!
Thanks for the direct approach to the subject. These lessons are nothing new, but there are always new hikers/backpackers who need to learn them. And going light is not something that originated with 21st century high tech fibers and titanium sporks. Back in the 80s on Isle Royale, I watched even experienced folks with 50/60 lb packs wear themselves out, while I managed to keep my pack around 33# with a full week of food. To get it to 25# or less with today's available gear is easy. Getting your head in the right place to make those choices, and to actually prepare, that's the hard part.
Thanks again for such a straightforward presentation. Nicely done.
Random Button Pusher Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!
***** Thanks sir, and thanks for watching!
The Adirondacks is where i cut my teeth backpacking, The very steep rocky terrain gave me a big advantage for the AT ! I would highly recommend that park if you are close enough to do some training! Beautiful peaks aswell.
That's a good recommendation, and thanks a million for watching!
I hiked 54 miles in 3 1/2 days on the southern part of the AT I finished up at the NOC . You need to prepare with your strength training - great comfortable boots make sure you break them in . My pack weighed 63 pounds I did not go alone with me was an Uncle and his son which was 10 yrs old at the time . It's all in training to be prepared that way you hike the trail not it hiking you . You need to do everything with your pack loaded and I mean everything . If you follow my directions you succeed . I seen alot of baby rattlers and a couple of copperheads , this you must watch for . Ok I hope that I helped .
Made it 230 miles without resupply, Waynesboro,PA, to Rockfish Gap, VA.
+Ronald Roach Glad to see another Waynesboro local here! When the time is right I will start here as well!
+Ronald Roach
WOW, that IS impressive. Ron, can you tell me where the rocks start in Penn? I'm thinking about heavier boot mailed to me for this part. Thoughts?
thnx, flatbroke I have a pak and have been doing some 3 mile hikes but down here there is all flat land unless I go 2 a bridge and get some incline walking.ur vids are great
I'm a "new" hiker. I have been taking easy trails here in Florida but will soon, next year, hike a part of Appalachian Trail. I was shocked to learn my biggest challenge was water. I had it in plastic container and that was a mistake or I ran out...I was floored that I was failing on my few hikes and it was water...so for me, I am shocked people would hike this trail with no experience. ..for me, I am training to pack light.. so good to know you feel the same
Some folks announce proudly they never backpacked before and they finish a thru hike. Others plan carefully and take training hikes and abandon a thru hike attempt before going 200 miles. I endorse your desire to be as prepared as possible - this has been my motto and it has helped keep me moving on the AT. I hope you have a great AT hike and thanks for watching!
Thank you for this Awesome information! Me and my camping/hiking buddy are planning our FIRST A.T trip this year, mid June 2016. We are both 29 years old, tall guys about 6'3 and 180-190lbs and we are avid camping guys. We both are from the Northern Panhandle of WV, Wheeling area. We plan on hopping on the A.T. in the Harper's Ferry area of WV. Our plan is to drive down to Harper's, leave our car in a secure area, whether we can park and pay, or figure something out lol. Then hop on the A.T. and make our way out of Harper's Ferry, so that we can setup camp. We both plan out using our Hennessy hammocks, with no more then 30lbs packs on our back, mostly consisting of water/food and my medical kit. I'm a bit of an over-prep person when it comes to my own personal med-kit. We are planning to hike for 3 full days, then turn around and head back to Harper's. We will both have about 8 days off from work, so we can take it easy and take everything in. Any advice would be Greatly appreciated! Thanks for your insight and the video sir!
+Michael Fabian In Maryland just across the river from Harper's Ferry is a side trail to HI-Harpers Ferry Hostel. I left my parked car there once so I suppose they still allow it, if you stay a night. Maryland is pretty easy hiking. It gets more hilly to the south, if you go far enough. In Maryland, camping is allowed only at designated sites. www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/explore-by-state/Maryland Have a great hike and thanks for watching!
So Michael, how did your hike go? Did you finish? Was a hammock adequate during rain storms? How many miles a day did you travel?
Done some section hikes on trail and its not easy but fun by the way maryland is nice in fall with fall colers
Maryland's nice! I hiked it both NB and SB. And thanks again for watching!
Excellent narrative!
Larry Vickery Thanks for watching!
I did the AT SoBo in 2014. I did one or two 4-5 mile day hikes with my gear. I got robbed of $260.00 within the first 2 miles. I lost my bivy the next day. My boots got too tight so I wore my Teva's from the 100 mile to Hanover. I had never done more than a 3-day overnight backpacking trip in my life.
I learned a lot of stuff from watching youtube.I bought another bivy, and slept 80% of the time in shelters.
I did the four state challenge with about 30 lb pack. That day, I hiked about 48 miles in 24 hours.
After the AT, I did the PCT, Caminho Santiago, Annapurna Circuit, Kailash Yatra and Vermont Long Trail. If there is anything you would rather be doing while on a thru hike, you will go do that and quit the hike
Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!
Thank you. Even though we've never met you made this video just for me. I'm the guy with little or no hiking experience and I got this Burning Desire inside me to give this AT' a shot. I'm trying to be realistic. I turned 66 last June and last year was the first year of my life I've done any real camping. I rode my motorcycle from South Central Florida to the northern tip of Maine to Key West and back. 7000 miles in 1 month camping most of the way and I absolutely fell in love with camping. Several times along the way camp sites were full and I had to hike out into the wilderness and I absolutely loved it! I stumbled across your videos this evening and I've watched several of them and I'll be watching a whole lot more. You are very good and I like your style. Thanks again, Ray
PS. I've also subscribed to your ch.
Wow, that sounds like a great motorcycle trip. Your sense of adventure will serve you well on the AT. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Thanks for sharing your experience, I have watched several of your videos all are very well done.
Richard Dombrowski Thank you and thanks for watching!
Great realistic perspective. Thanks.
I'm hiking it next year!
wddbmm Thanks for watching and have a great hike next year!
It is so great to see the views on your videos keep climbing :D I have said it before on your channel and other's that I have seen you comment on as well, thank you for the advice and great vids.. Keep it up :D
I'm glad folks keep watching! Thanks for being a viewer!
Hoping to hike this in the future. (year or two) Thank you for the information
Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!
I'm 14 and I've planned to hike all of the Eastern Continental Trail this year with my family of 4 and 2 dogs. Before we started our hike this year we have already accomplished 1000 miles on the AT. In case you didn't know, the ECT aka the eastern continental trail, is a trail made of trails. It starts on the Florida National Schenic Trail, then the Alabama road walk, then the AT, and than the international apalalchian trail. Its a total of 5400 miles. We didn't finish but we got 1400 miles in. We did 996 miles in florida than we decided to flip flop starting in maine and going southbound until we got back down to where we left off at but we ended up quitting. We had fun but we decided to stop. Anyways just thought I would share our story. You can look us up on face book, "sunbutter and the moutain mutts".
1400 miles is epic! Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!
Keep these coming please!
annkaren74 There will be many. The next will be up in a week or so. Thanks for watching!
Live in West Virginia and its not to hard to find steep hills and big rocks to help get use to trail and have been testing out gear but just for section hikes
Good plan. Wish I lived in West Virginia or Virginia, where I could be on big hills all the time. And thanks for watching!
thanks for a great informative advice. this hike is on my bucket list. ☺
+Richard Thomas That's the spirit we like around here! Thanks for watching!
Excellent information - thank you for passing on what you have learnt. I know you said you have done approx 650miles on the AT.... would you even consider doing the whole thru hike? I am from New Zealand and we have beautiful mountains and scenery - don't get me wrong - but we have nothing like the AT or the PCT!!!! Thanks again
Sezzy Says I often have dreamed of thru hiking but the large amount of spare time required has kept it from happening. (If I had enough time and money, I'd probably visit New Zealand, too!) And thanks for watching!
Great video for the new hiker thinking about doing the AT. Thank you flatbrokeoutside. :)
+Doug Gray You're welcome and thanks a million for watching!
I did a day hike in Tn. As i was doing it i said i never wanted to do it again. A couple of days later (after my legs recovered from the stepping upward i had to do) i want to do it again, but will stick to day hikes for now. I cant imagine carrying a heavy pack.
sunangel3 Day hiking is a great way to enjoy the AT! And thanks for watching!
How long would I last? 2000 miles and end to end in '86! One of the best things I ever did.
+Exiles800 Good job!
+Exiles800 awesome!!!!
+Red Kap T'were...T'were...indeed...
Some people hike this trail with massive packs full of useless stuff. Some go so light that they barely even have the essentials. Most of these these people learn to change so that they can hike more comfortably and/or faster. Almost nobody who starts the trail gets very far without learning and changing as they go.
Most hikers learn their lessons the hard way. Even the "experienced" hikers have challenges when it comes to thousands of miles on the trail.
Guides, websites and advice from people that have actually done it can make these lessons easier.
Nearly anyone everyone who wants to hike this trail can do it given enough time and budget.
That being said,
20% quit at Neels Gap. Most of these people quit because the trail wasn't what they expected. About 1 in 10 finish the trail on the first attempt. Others finish after more attempts or just string the whole thing together over several years.
It doesn't matter how you do it as long as you get out and experience it.
A wise hiker once said,
"It's not about the miles. It's about the smiles."
Blisterbill I certainly learned every one of my lessons the hard way! Thanks for watching!
Blisterbill Well said.
I used everything in my pack. I brought an ipad.
Good video. One problem' It just makes me want to start the trail sooner. Thanks for the video.
Have fun on the trail and thanks for watching!
Thanks for all the great info, very helpful in planning a trip.
+RehoKevin Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!
I would not consider myself a backpacking novice, but learned a great deal during my thru-hike attempt back in 2014. I lasted a week. But what a week, and what a crowd. That trail will be the last bastion of hippie culture in this country. I'll second the advice to go as light as you can, but do not sacrifice insulation. The cold nights played a big part in what did me in. Had I to do it over again, I would include a much thicker base layer, and a rubber water bottle for those cold nights.
Thanks for sharing your experience here. When was your start date in 2014? Any chance you know what the overnight temperatures were during that hike? Did you find the hippie culture easy to get along with? And thanks for watching!
OK, so take the rest of 2016 and all of 2017 to save enough money to do it all and start training for it now and do the whole thing in 2018.
That's what I'm going to do..................in 2018.....................when I'm 54.
heading out on Apr 11 for 4 days. great video!
+Rivarokband Have a great hike and thanks for watching!
I did 345.6 miles this spring with the intention of doing a flipflop thru hike. The things that got to me were the rocks, made much worse by rain. Hills are hard but I never could get the rock hopping thing down. The heat and humidity, (in spring, up north!) it was worse in PA and NJ then it was in Tx at that time! Then it didn't cool down at night and sleep deprivation was a problem. I did have a light pack, ~25 with food and water. But I had a constant mental struggle with feeling like I needed to go faster and do more miles and being worn out and only doing ~10 miles a day. I just couldn't seem to balance that. Part of me is heartbroken over leaving the trail, but the other part was so miserable there was nothing else to be done. In the future I plan on doing more manageable sections. I read and read and watched videos, but obviously I was not mentally prepared.
I appreciate you sharing your experience here. I can vouch for much of what you say - compared to an uphill climb with smooth footing, mile after mile of large rocks seems to double the effort required. The humidity on the AT can be exceptionally high. It is very disheartening if we find ourselves unable to move as quickly as we like - I have experienced this myself and found it overwhelming. I thought I was ready for my first section hike but was shocked at how much physical effort was really required. I wish you the best on your future hikes! The AT Conservancy website says no more than 30% of would-be northbound thru hikers completed the entire trail in a given year since 2008. Yet it also says that for 2014, 57% of those saying they planned a non-contiguous hike of the entire trail in 12 months succeeded. I plan to give this a closer look in a future video. Thanks a million for watching!
+flatbrokeoutside Thanks for doing these videos! I really enjoy them!
How long would I last? I figure 1-2 weeks max. lol. I like backpacking, but I can't imagine pounding it out every day for six months. You have to really want it or you're not going to last out there. I admire those who can do it.
I also admire them. And thanks for watching!
While you video was interesting, I didn't find it helpful. What kinds of food, how to resupply, how many miles a day, what kinds of shoes, what kind of water purification, etc.?
I would think one of the most important decisions to make was to decide in advance the number of miles per day to hike. There is something to be said for have a predetermined number of miles (and I'm never sure what that should be) and sticking to it. Given a Spring to Fall hike that could be daily sunlight from 7 AM to 7 PM with an hour out for lunch; rise at 6 AM, bed by 10 PM. My understanding is that every 8 miles or so, there is shelter, so that could help any decision for 16 miles/day broken into two sections of 8 miles AM & PM. (At 16 miles/day, for a 2,200 mile trail--that makes about 138 days for about 5 months. Keeping in mind the Mount Katahdin closes by October 15, that leaves a starting time of March or April in Georgia, to make it, giving time for days off from hiking, etc.) Talking through my hat, of course, considering bouts of rainy weather, bitter cold weather, extremely rocky terrain, extremely steep & rocky terrain... But still, that decision/commitment re miles per day could be the most crucial in completing such an arduous hike.
You raise good questions. Keep in mind this video is labeled "Hiking tips Pt. 1" and in order to deal with these questions this channel has since added 49 more videos in the 'hiking tips' series and a variety of other unnumbered videos on related topics. Shoes, food, resupply and water treatment - as it turns out - are often highly personalized choices and those who follow blanket recommendations can be dissatisfied with those choices once they get started. Your reasoning on 16 miles a day is sound, but the question is can we as individuals work our way up to that? Many do not, or find they cannot. On the other hand, some have thru hiked the AT with a 10 mile a day average, but that requires more than six months to accomplish. I suggest you browse the many other videos I have posted on these topics - th-cam.com/channels/yIjwGmnVJooAUEpfe5bwpA.htmlvideos.
Thanks. Somehow, to me setting a goal of a certain number of miles per day would go a long way to completing the trail Now following Sarah Williams 100 day hike (at about 22 miles a day) and that seems intriguing, Wishing her best of luck.
While Sarah's videos keep coming, her instagram account shows she finished the trail in her 100-day window. It was an exceptional accomplishment. I believe she is a marathon runner at home. If you look at her channel page, you will find other videos in which she interviews women who have accomplished other impressive athletic and physical feats.
Here we go - her summit photo on Katahdin - instagram.com/p/BY5DBuiHPx4/?taken-by=toughgirlchallenges
Thanks,
Great Job...Thanks for posting !
Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!
Very good advice for beginners! I live in Northeast Georgia, close to the AT. This year I met a couple of people on the AT attempting to thru-hike with little or no backpacking experience and full of romantic notions about the Trail. I feel they have no business being on the AT attempting a long trip. My first impulse was to tell them to turn around and go home. I have heard of beginners lying by the side of the Approach Trail sobbing before they reach Springer Mtn. Instead I say to do a pack shakedown and get some advice as soon as they reach Mountain Crossings hostel and outfitter at Neels Gap if they can make it and to pace themselves slowly with plenty of rest stops. The staff at Mountain Crossings are all former AT thru-hikers. No, I do not work there. Yes, I buy my gear there. :) Thanks for posting. Subbed.
Appalachian Swede You give very sound advice for aspiring thru-hikers. Thanks for watching and subbing!
Appalachian Snapshot Telling them to go straight home would have been extremely rude and would instead result in newcomers giving us seasoned hikers a shitty reputation and disregard any further outdoor exploits. Thank God you did not say that. (We need more people outdoors, not less) Telling them what they were up against and helping them understand the gravity of the decision they were making would be much better. Let them make the final decision.
love this video thanks for the information. im going to start training.i want to do the at by sections
george melendez That's the spirit we like around here! Good hiking and thanks for watching!
Trust me it's not hiked the trail from springer mt to blue ridge Nc and would never do it again lol
I was shocked you did not mention Trail angels they were a lifesaver for me👍
I have seen trail magic on only one of my section hikes. Did you see any of it north of Harper's Ferry? I talk about it more in my 'Social aspect' video. And thanks again for watching!
flatbrokeoutside Trail Magic can be found all over the trail and I could spend hours bending your ear with stories, I can say this maybe if they were section hikes you didn't encounter Any Trail Magic or angels as we referred to them because you weren't in need😁
Haha - good answer. But when I DID see it, I wasn't in need then, either!
flatbrokeoutside but maybe the guy right behind you was and you didn't see him😁
Hiked Delaware water to wind gap . hardest thing i ever did..
In backpacking less is truly more. I am older and back in the day I would carry 40 plus, now its more like high teens low 20a and the trail is just much more enjoyable. I could not agree more with you, the gear you find in retail stores, REI and such are just to heavy. take care
Thanks again for watching!
At last, some info I can use. Most likely I'll be a section hiker due to a number of things. I have hiked in the past, last century, up to 15 miles at a time. Not all of it flat. I was thinking of hiking part of the BMT next year. If I cannot do that, then no AT for me.
rutabagasteu I wish you the best on the BMT, and thanks for watching!
flatbrokeoutside you're welcome. I have most of my gear, breaking in my boots by wearing them almost everyday. Walking and building my strength up.
This video just gets me excited to do it lol
Paul Martinez Hell yeah! :) And thanks for watching!
I'm more concerned with getting lost. Is the trail really well marked?
chris morgan Three things to watch for. ONE - The AT has hundreds, if not thousands, of side trails. They are marked with blue blazes. Some of these blue blazes are so faint that I have had to examine them up close to tell if they were blue or white. (The AT blazes are white.) I once wandered nearly three miles off the AT before I realized I made a wrong turn and was following blue blazes. TWO - The AT crosses many roads and highways. Usually it's easy to spot the trail on the other side of the road. Sometimes not so easy. These crossings won't necessarily get you lost, but a couple of times it took me 5 minutes to figure out exactly where the trail went. THREE - Many wooden shelters and lean-tos are on side trails. More than once I walked back to the main trail in the morning and couldn't quite remember if I was supposed to go left or right. So I would check my compass. I never made a wrong turn after checking the compass. OTHERWISE - The white blazes appear on the AT very frequently. On trees, rocks, sidewalks, bridge abutments, etc. Barring side trails and highways, I never had a problem spotting the white blazes. Thanks for watching!
Awesome. Thanks for the advice!
Chris, when are you hitting the trail?
I'm looking at doing ME To GA sometime in July or August 2016. Depending on when I finish school. If I can't do it then I'll likely do GA to ME at the end of march or beginning of April.
chris morgan Damn, I'm going sole but only have two weeks. Starting near Roanoke, Va going northbound.
Can you provide a list things you will absolutely need? And maybe an estimate for the total amount of money needed for a thru-hike? This information would be greatly appreciated.
+Indienoise This will be the topic of my next video. And thanks for watching!
+flatbrokeoutside Thank you! It's a great thing that someone has taken the time to compile their knowledge of the AT so that it could be shared with others.
+flatbrokeoutside also if it isn't too intrusive to ask, are you a southerner by any chance? Have you grown up around the terrain you tend to hike?
+Indienoise I'm from Ohio. I've done hiking in the Midwest but it would have been nice if I lived closer to the AT.
+flatbrokeoutside ahh. I was wondering because the information you're giving out seems to come from a lot of experience. So I was checking for quality assurance, because I plan on watching all your videos and taking notes.
I'm from Kentucky though, but unfortunately I was born on the wrong side of the state for all the hill climbing you described.
Thanks for responding!
I ain't doing no AT cuz Bigfoot or Dogman might be lurking about. Yosemite is infested with BF, btw
Great video!
+Big Terrapin Outdoors Thanks for watching!
all people who start the at are beginners at the end time tells if they are different
how long u been hiking the at? I new a guy in goodland fl that went every year and started were he stopped the last year, I remember him saying he thought he was in good shape until he meet the AT.
j k I once met a guy who had been hiking the AT for 40 years and he only had a couple of hundred miles to go and he would have hiked the whole thing. I haven't been at it that long, but I started a while ago.
I've heard that hikers who have high end, expensive gear are often targeted and robbed, and sometimes assaulted. Any comments, anyone?
I am nervous, Ive never backpacked before.
Nothing wrong with being nervous. How about starting close to home? A number of trails have a decent campground only a couple of miles, or less, from a parking lot. You could walk in, spend the night, home the next day. Check out my video 'Backpacking tactics for beginners' -- th-cam.com/video/W8aVkbvK57M/w-d-xo.html -- and all of my other videos. And thanks for watching.
I want to hike 100 miles of the trail as i can not fit more in my schedule. Do you recommend any stretch for the most scenic 100 miles we could do?
+Rod Moore For an easy section, I'd do the Shenandoah National Park. Plenty of parking and scenic overlooks. The hills are not huge and it's mostly easy footing. Trail runs roughly 90 or so miles through the park. For a rough section, The White Mountains - way up in the air with plenty to see. Big climbs and often pretty windy. There are plenty of other scenic places, of course, but I don't know of any others packed with quite so much panorama per 100 miles. And have a great hike!
i don't want it too easy. I want to feel like i accomplished something. lol But i am hoping to catch some beautiful scenery.
You have a perfect voice for making youtube videos. Excellent video.
Wyrd Blogging Thanks and thanks for watching!
Are there cell phone reception while on the trail? I'd hate to go at it alone and break a leg.
Cell phone reception is spotty and unpredictable because of all the hills and low elevations between the hills. Check this out, scroll down to 'Emergencies' - www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/hiking-basics/safety ---- Also check out my 'Calling for help' video. And thanks for watching!
I plan to thru hike this trail in 2020 and I will go through rigorous training
+Republic ofStan An excellent plan. And thanks for watching!
Awesome info someone telling us how it is straight up
Glad you like it and thanks for watching!
good info....thanks for sharing
Hike with Mike And thank you for watching!
Great Report! Very informative! I'm keeping my backpack under 35 pounds.
Good plan and thanks for watching!
Thanks for your site.
+Ronald Roach And thanks for watching!
I would last about 2-3 days 😅
Great Information. Thank you
+Jim And thank you for watching!
I want 2 hike this trail I live in bonita springs fl would like 2 no when the best time 2 start from the s. end and go till........ I'm not xperiendz in hiking 59 years old fare shape, I have 65l pack all camping stuff,tent,pad, sleeping bag stove,etc. give me sum advice thanx.
j k Most northbound thru hikers leave in the first 2 weeks of March, roughly, and some leave as early as mid-February. I would recommend you watch my video "Hiking crash course on the Appalachian Trail." You say you are not experienced in hiking - I would recommend you starting doing some hiking - even if only an hour or so at a time - immediately and wherever you can. After the first couple of hikes, I would start carrying that pack with at least 30 pounds of your stuff in it. Feel free to report back on how it went, or message me if you have questions. I wish you good luck and thanks for watching!
the book "a walk in the woods" led me here.
Planning an AT hike? And thanks for watching!
Same here, now wanna walk the trail, planning my hike now. Trying to get some ideas
Flat area = Boiling Springs, Pa. to Blue Mountain
what kind of idiot would not do a few days, or a few weeks, before leaving for 6 months? what percentage of hikers leaving Springer do we think do this?
Well, I can recall a few people who pretty much said that on their channels. A couple I can think of finished the whole thing. And thanks for watching!
very good video!
+David Mills Thanks for watching!
no rules apply enjoy it
don't forget about the ticks.
+DrLeperchaun You are correct. I talk about ticks in my "Don't go commando" video. And thanks for watching!
Stay away from coffee on the trail. It saps your stamina, and can end your adventure.
are there weird stairs in the middle of nowhere there?
+allen wingate In some places volunteers with trail clubs have placed short sections of logs that help form steps. In a place or two, especially up north, hikers might encounter a ladder. In other places, hand and foot holds of reinforcing steel (rebar) have been installed. A few foot bridges have steps leading up to them. Along the great majority of the trail, however, hikers are left to their own devices when it comes to scrambling over rocks. And thanks for watching!
Isn’t it more about will and determination?
While they probably can't overcome a debilitating injury or sickness, they certainly do mean a great deal. See ya on the trail and thanks for watching!
How long would I last ? Until a bear got hungry
This is good but when it comes to any long hike the mental part can not be over emphasized enough. Grandma Gatewood is looking down and laughing at all of us.
Thanks for commenting and watching.
liked and shared on all my accounts. as a fellow seasoned hiker i appreciate you being the guy for these newbs that i couldn't find when i started out. (newbs not being derogatory) .great info and layed out very nicely.
what's your trail name? peace out,snakefinder
sportnimportfrank I never had a proper trail name - on most AT hikes I was by myself. If anybody asked I said "Flat Broke" and pretended I was serious. Well, I was serious, but not about the trail name part. :) Thanks for watching!
Thruhiking is all in the head. If you want to finish it, you will.
are there any houses in the applichian trails
If you mean private residences, there are none I know of on the public land and/or right of way that constitutes the trail itself. There are, however, hundreds of shelters, lean to's, huts, etc. which hikers can sleep in and these are very close to the trail if not on it. The trail passes through a number of towns and near many private residences, but they are private property and if we are on that property without an invitation, we would be trespassing. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
What how many people have hiked the International Appalachian trail?
I can't find any definite numbers. And thanks for watching.
If I had to buy $400 worth of equipment the last week of September 2016 and take a few months to prepare..................a few weeks.
If I take 2 whole years to prepare I could live on it for a few years.
What is the average cost of Thru Hiking the AT?
Moss Walker I read at www.outdoors.org/conservation/trails/appalachian-trail/at-faq.cfm -- "The average cost of an Appalachian Trail thru-hike is approximately $3,000 (about $1.50 per mile), not including gear." The ATC website says figure on $1,000 per month. Staying in motels near the trail has to be something that can send costs skyrocketing if done a lot. And thanks for watching!
Thank you for your quick response! I'm really enjoying your videos.
Can you mountain bike the AT?
The AT is for foot travel only and is labeled as such on signs I have seen frequently. Also, because of the endless millions of rocks all along the trail, hikers must climb with their hands at many spots. At the northern end of the trail, steel handholds have been installed in some of the bigger rocks.
flatbrokeoutside
Whoa! Ok, so that answers that. I’ve heard some guys say they rode parts of it, but never said if it was “allowed”. Also, didn’t know if it was rideable the entire way if allowed. I’m an avid rider that’s why I was asking.
At many points the AT goes into towns, along roads and streets. Bikes, of course, can be ridden there.
Reports of the mothman on the katahdin section.
Be warmed.
You're fucking weird.
Be warmed.
It's something I've wanted to do my entire life. I'm 63, and I don't believe I'll make it. Love to dream about it, though.
Why not backpack or day hike close to home? If you live in any of the eastern states you won't be that far from the AT. For example, after being injured in a car wreck, I took a dayhiking trip to the Shenandoah National Park. Even for a thru hiker often surrounded by other hikers, there will be many, many, MANY hours of simply walking through the woods. We don't have to walk the entire trail to enjoy that. And thanks for watching!
Unless you have physical or health prohibitions, if you can't do it at 63 why not try to do it at 64 and/or 65? You can be a 2,000 miler before you know it. :-)
Do it
114 days in 1990
Hell yeah! And thanks for watching!
I call it "Backpacking Racing Gear": Super-light-weight tents, packs, stoves and bags can cost a lot, but for a once in a lifetime event, It's the way to go. As more backpackers buy this type of gear, more builders will jump into the market with cheaper, lighter, innovative products...Also known as Capitalism!
There are lots of such companies out there. And thanks for watching!
Light and fast
The two often go together! And thanks for watching!
👍
Thanks again for being a viewer who watches the old stuff!! :)
There's a lot of ways, bro. Many ways.
My trail name is HOBO HOOTER.
I could do it. Anyone can hike from town to town.
Not trying to rain on your parade but it's not that simple. It's a fact of life that the majority of people drop out from the approach trail at Amicalola Falls to Neel Gap, a distance of about 39 miles. Another large mass are gone by Damascus, VA. I'm NOBO March 2018 and am still working on the details and planning.
Lookout for Brian Laundrie when any viewers are out there (warrant for his arrest- reward around $30,000) previously lived on the Appalachian Trail for 3 months!
I could last as long as my food holds out . It's not just an adventure it's a life style give me a thumbs up if you feel the way I do
The problem with "food holding out" is that it is impossible to caarry more calories than you burn. You will be hungry . This is why people who finish look as if they just finnished a marathon. It's a heck of a marathon.
Yup. Lean and Mean. I was 20 lbs lighter after my thru, and I was 5'8', 165 to start.
It has been proven that the human body needs 3000 to 5000 calories a day when when hiking. The Army and the ATC have both confirmed this. And yes you can carry that much food if you have a big enough pack, and you practice with your pack and carrying a load. As for the rocks, if you have the right Hiking Boots, and not some flimsy Trail runner shoe you will do just find. I hike a lot in Rocky Mountain National Park and some of those trails are pretty rocky. As for the trail being a life style, your right. You have to live by the rhythm of the trail and come too terms with yourself on what you have to do each day. I am planning a half hike of the AT in 2020, So I will be getting my pack and boots this coming fall and getting them broken in and tested. Remember its 25 percent physical and 75 percent mental, if you want to do it, you will.
Second school of thought. Let the trail train you. Just sayin...
Nice scare the people of the trail
If you wanna read something about the AT scarier than anything I said in this video, read this book "Appalachian Trials" -
www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Trials-Psychological-Emotional-Thru-Hike/dp/0985090103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474936919&sr=8-1&keywords=appalachian+trials