How To Hike The Appalachian Trail A Comprehensive Guide To Plan And Prepare For A Successful Thru Hike

Everything you need to know to complete your thru-hike. The AT is a life changing experience and an amazing accomplishment. Half of the battle is proper preparation. This book is everything I wish I would have known before setting off on my thru-hike. Complete with personal tips and experiences. Learn how to budget wisely, save money and not waste cash. Know how to allocate 6 months of your time and plan your exit. Master your gear with a massive guide on everything from your spork to your tent. Understand clothing, layering and materials. Hear about what life is really like on the trail. Know which direction to go, when and why. Familiarize yourself with a state by state breakdown of the trail. Learn how to mentally prepare an optimistic framework for the "I-wanna-quit-days". Understand the physical demands and methods to prevent injury. Prepare yourself for the nutritional needs with food ideas and favorite meal plans. Know the REAL dangers on the AT. "Female Needs" section from AT record-holder Heather 'Anish' Anderson. And a whole lot more...

"I really loved it...Appalachian Trials is full of specific tactical tips for mental preparation, which is key well beyond the AT." - Tim Ferriss, author of New York Times Best Selling The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body Each year, it is estimated that more than 2,000 people set out to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, yet seven in ten ultimately fall short of their goal. Given the countless number of how-to books and websites offering information about logistics, gear, and endurance training, one would think that more people would finish this 2,200 mile trek. Why then, do so many hikers quit prematurely? After successfully thru-hiking the AT in five months with zero prior backpacking experience, author, Zach Davis, is convinced he's discovered the answer. Aspiring thru-hikers, Davis tells readers, are preparing the wrong way- sweating on the StairMaster, meticulously plotting each re-supply box, or obsessing over the a synthetic or down sleeping bag or perfect pair of socks. While the AT undoubtedly presents extraordinary physical challenges, it is the psychological and emotional struggles that drive people off the trail. Conquering these mental obstacles is the key to success. This groundbreaking book focuses on the most important and overlooked piece of equipment of all- the gear between one's ears. Filled with first-hand, touching yet humorous vignettes and down-to-earth advice that both instructs and inspires, Appalachian Trials gives readers the mental road map they'll need to hike from Springer Mountain to Mt.Katahdin. In Appalachian Trials readers will learn: Goal setting techniques that will assure hikers reach Mt. Katahdin The common early stage pitfalls and how to avoid them How to beat "the Virginia Blues" The importance of and meaning behind "hiking your own hike" 5 strategies for unwavering mental endurance The most common mistake made in the final stretch of the trail Tips for enjoying rather than enduring each of the five million steps along the journey Strategies for avoiding post-trail depression and weight gain In addition, the Bonus Section of Appalachian Trials includes: A thorough chapter on gear written by thru-hiker of the AT and Pacific Crest Trail, and professional backpack gear reviewer Information about the trail's greatest and most unknown risk and how to guard against it 9 tips for saving money before and during your thru-hike A thorough FAQ section including information ranging from how to obtain sponsorship, to the best stove for the trail, to avoiding chafing, and much more

The Appalachian Trail, Step by Step provides valuable information you will need to plan and prepare for a Thru or long distance section hike on the AT. Whether you have questions about gear, food, transportation, trail guides, et cetera, this book will help paint a clearer picture of what it takes to set out on a long distance backpacking trip.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people attempt a thru-hiking trip of the Appalachian Trail. However, only about 10% of these people complete the trip; about 90% just give up and go home after hiking a few miles. If you can complete the trip successfully, you are definitely a rare breed.The key to completing the trip lies in proper preparation. It has little to do with strength or energy; and everything to do with mental, physical, and financial preparation. Further, the best way to ensure you complete the hike is to seek advice from people who have actually been there and done that. In this book, I lay out some practical advice and tips drawn from my personal experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail. These tips will help you plan adequately so that you can successfully thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

Accounts by thru-hikers, organized by topic. Foreword by hiker Maurice Forrester and stunning color photos by Mike Warren.

Have you dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail, but been unsure of how to make it happen? Step By Step Guide for Section Hiking the Appalachian Trail Plus Bonus Planning Tips, Do & Don'ts, and a Packing Checklist Bob Olson always had a love for anything to do with being outdoors and had enjoyed many hiking and camping excursions, but he was ready for more! After signing up and completing an Outward Bound trip, he decided he was ready to tackle the over 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. How was he going to tackle the trail with a job and family at home in South Carolina that he could not leave for five to six months? The answer was to section hike it over the course of 158 days spread out over 13 years! In This Appalachian Trail Hiking Guide, "Big Bob" Provides: Step by step descriptions of many AT landmarks Valuable planning tips Dos and Don'ts Suggestions on how to divide your hike into sections A valuable backpacking packing checklist

The Thru-Hikers Secret is a compilation of knowledge with a singular goal: to help you achieve a joyful thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. The journey can provide new perspectives, renewal for life and even reorder one's priorities. A thru-hike is to live large, to live simply and step beyond the timid existence of suburbia. Backpacking for months from Georgia to Maine, however, can be far from a smooth journey. To understand all that a thru-hike entails before it is hiked is practically impossible, and yet many hikers set out on this grand adventure without a lick of experience. Of the couple of thousand who begin their journey on the AT each season, only a few hundred will find the rhythm of trail life and complete the 2000 miles of mountain forests. To put it simply: not making it is normal. The greater their transition from "cityness" to the hiking wilderness, the better the odds of succeeding favor them. The tangible events - rain, cold, heat, elevation gains, insects, sunshine, cool breezes, fresh air and mileage will be joined in lock step with the intangible ones - joy, elation, melancholy and despair. It is these intangible, emotional dynamics that tend to unravel many hikers' resolve of becoming a Thru-Hiker. My past career in advertising and having a knack for simplifying the complicated provided me with a unique perspective to turn the enormity of an AT hike into simple strategies: Secrets. Hikers will be armed not just with information, but a go-to resource of answers before most will even know the questions. As the Secrets are revealed, hikers will learn what will happen and how to manage the vast texture that is an AT thru-hike. Joining the Secrets are more than 130 images to add richness to the communication. I am "Postcard" after all. This journey of discovery starts on the first page, continues 'til tread touches trail and travels with you to the ending terminus. From the first hour, first day, week and month, you'll move forward with greater confidence knowing you have a proven mentor. The Thru-hikers Secret grew out of my first thru-hiking book, We're Off To See The Wilderness, The Wonderful Wilderness of Awes. In it, joining my personal day-to-day account of life on the trail was a how-to section named "Have more smiles in your miles". Many had told me they'd read this time and again before they'd head out on an adventure. After my second thru-hike, my knowledge grew and so another, more comprehensive book idea emerged, one dedicated solely to AT preparation - The Thru-Hikers Secret. Where hiking two days may result in adversity, a thru-hike absolutely, positively will deliver it at a level of ten. Wonderfully though, decisions before and during your hike found in these pages may help to avoid "come off the trail" moments while helping you find more smiles in your miles.

Second Edition (2023): More advice and tips; Paperback finally available. You may have read that only 25% successfully finish a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. There is no foolproof way to make sure you will succeed where others fail but this book can help improve the odds. Author Jeff Blum was new to long-distance hiking before he successfully thru-hiked the A.T. in 2019 (he also successfully hiked the PCT in 2022). This book is his attempt to give back to the hiking community that he loves so much by organizing and presenting all of the useful things learned as part of his research for those hikes. You'll also find tips and advice from his and fellow hikers' personal experiences. Blogs, forums, Facebook groups, and YouTube can be fun, informative, and inspirational sources for your pre-hike preparation, but the information you glean will be spotty at best and wrong or even dangerous at worst. This book, in contrast, can serve as your one-source, complete guide for hiking the Appalachian Trail or any other long-distance hike. Topics covered include: Details of the trail (history, overview and stats, weather, direction and timing, navigation, permits, trail towns, and hiker terminology)Pre-hike preparation (at-home support, budget, motivation and other mental considerations, transportation, fitness and training, mobile and satellite service, and a full pre-hike checklist)An objective guide to all the gear you may or may not need, including weight considerations, how to choose between so many available options, and everything you need to know about keeping your electronics charged on trailHow to pack, protect, and fly with all that gear you are bringingEverything you need to know about food (how much you need, how to resupply, how to organize, recipes, and nutrition basics)On-trail tips and advice, including: planning and conditions assessment, how to choose a good campsite, how to protect your food, common trail hazards and safety advice, Leave No Trace (LNT) principles, hiking etiquette, hitchhiking, making fires, social considerations, and popular townsHealth and hygiene tips (including for female hikers)A detailed look at the importance of layering your clothingAdvice for after your hike is overTips for international hikersA detailed look at the author's 2019 hike, including hiking statistics and budget breakdownSpreadsheets to help track your own hiking stats, resupply with good nutritional balance, improve your daily planningOther useful online resources, including a long list of popular YouTube videos and trail-related books And much more. Even experienced long-distance hikers will find some new and helpful information in this book! Thru-Hiking The Appalachian Trail is a great place to start your preparation for an epic long-distance hike.