AT ‘17 #1—How to prepare for the Appalachian Trail…???
4/15/2021—This post was originally published in February 2017 on my previous blog. I was finishing up my last college internship at the time (my last requirement before completing my degree) and living with two of my best friends in a little duplex on Valley Avenue in downtown Winchester, VA. Those last few months in Winchester were some of my favorite; I had no more college classes to take and had managed to save $2k (a big deal for a 22 year-old getting a degree in theatre, haha) and had developed a vague, and misguided, hope that I could thru-hike the whole Appalachian Trail on $2,000.
I do not have the impulse control for that thrifty of a hike, let’s be real. So what you’re about to read is from the perspective of a younger me, fresh out of college, full of hope that I might just attempt a thru-hike, and not the grizzled section hiker you know today. Hahaha…
How to Prepare for the Appalachian Trail…???
February 2017
Well, I can tell you I have no idea what I’m doing.
Years of weekend backpacking excursions have taught me a lot: how to avoid blisters, how to ignore the blisters you can’t avoid, what gear I’ll actually use and what I’m better off leaving at home, the importance of my third and fourth legs (my trekking poles), how to pop up a tent in 2 minutes in the pouring rain/snow, how to ensure that my toes don’t fall off in the cold, how to navigate the trail when ice and snow have covered my glasses…
But nothing can prepare me for 5 to 6 months in the woods. NOTHING.
I’ve read books, guides, blogs, and forums. I’ve chatted with thru-hikers I’ve met on the trail. I’ve listened to the recommendations of friends. Will I really need a sleeping bag liner? Should I buy a second pair of shoes? Why do I need three different bandanas again? (In my opinion, you can never have too many bandanas). I still don’t know! I suppose we’re going to do this the old fashioned way: Trial and error… or should I say trail and error. Ha!
Here’s what I’ve figured out…
My pack, with food and my cold weather gear, is a little below 25 lbs. I’m sure this will fluctuate ever so slightly over the next few weeks as I come to terms with the fact that I don’t need two pairs of pants, but I DO need lip balm and et cetera. With water I’ll be around 30 lbs. I’ll carry more water in the summer; I know from experience and simple common knowledge that I drink almost double the water in the summer months compared to the spring. For a weekend, my pack is usually around 20-25 lbs with water and food, so this will be a bit of a change, but I’ve been trying to get used to it on day hikes. I’m a little college gal, so I am trying to stay light without dropping thousands of dollars. (I don’t have thousands of dollars and if I did, I wouldn’t drop them).
Brian (a.k.a. Satchel) and I went to Walmart the other night and bought a week’s worth of food. I’m pretty sure I over-planned, but it ended up being about $50 bucks per person, so not as much as I had been expecting. We are aiming around 3,000 calories a day. I’m a little lady and I don’t want to lose weight; I’d probably die. With that in mind, we planned out meals: pasta sides (every college kid knows the ones I’m talking about), tuna, chicken (like tuna, in a pouch), oatmeal, peanut butter, the dreaded Idahoan instant potatoes, jerky, textured vegetable protein (to mix in with pasta and rice), and mounds of calorie filled snacks, nuts, protein bars, and trail mix.
We also restocked our first aid kits. I keep mine tucked into an old pill bottle. In all honesty, the only first aid I’ve used on the trail is Advil, tape, Neosporin, and decongestants. But, I decided I ought to be a little more prepared for 6 months. If I get the shits on a mountain, I better not have the shits for long. I could die of dehydration… or worse! I could ruin both of my only pair of pants! My trail name will end of up being Shit Stain or Poops-A-Lot!
In my little pill bottle I have: Advil, Cold medication, Decongestants, Benadryl, Imodium, vitamins, tweezers, some steroids from the last time I got poison ivy on 70% of my body (I promise I know what poison ivy looks like; I just have a habit of not caring until I’ve broken out in the rash), a tube of cortisone cream, Neosporin, and some zinc-oxide cream. I also am carrying some heavy duty transpore tape (because I will never, ever, EVER, like putting duct tape on my skin. Maybe I’m not real hiker trash. Maybe I’ll change my mind. But, duct tape makes my skin literally cry and transpore tape has always been able to handle my nastiest blisters and cuts) and hand sanitizer. I’m keeping those in an easier to access spot on my pack. I’m not carrying gauze or bandages. I was girl scout; we know the many uses of a bandana.
I’ve had ONLY two breakdowns so far! I joke… Kind of. It’s a little stressful. I’ve dreamed of hiking the AT since I first learned about the AT and I’m so blessed and privileged to have this opportunity. I still have moments where I wonder if I’m actually capable of doing this… And I have to move out of the house I’ve lived in for the past two years first! And I need to have some sort of job when I return in September! And I’d love to be pursuing something in theatre. And it’s six months of hiking. And good lord, what do I do if I run out of tampons in the woods????? (If this is too much information for you, go home. This is a real concern!).
I would be lying through my TEETH if I said I was 100% confident in myself and my choices. To put it simply, HELL NO. I’m scared! I’m frightened to death! And it’s not the bears, I’ve run into bears before! The sheer mental willpower it takes to wake up every morning and WALK FOR SIX MONTHS is intimidating! I spend my days at the desk at work day-dreaming about hiking; will I spend my days on the trail day-dreaming about sitting at the desk at work? Will I quit? Will Brian hate me? Will I realize that Brian really doesn’t look that great with a beard? (Don’t worry babe, I’m 97.6% confident you’ll look great with a beard).
And then there is my impending entry into adulthood. We all know I’m just trying to avoid that for a few more months. What if I don’t get a job? How will I eat? I don’t want to ask my parents for money! Will I end up stuck in a dead-end job? Just because I hiked the AT doesn’t mean I’m not a failure! I worry a lot. I think it’s natural. So I remind myself that I am privileged enough to take the 6 months AFTER COLLEGE to go on this adventure. I was able to save money for this trip while I was in college. How many kids have that opportunity? Very few. So I’ll be fine.
But, when I’m not hyperventilating, which, Mom, I promise is 97% of the time, I’m glowing with excitement for my biggest adventure yet! This Little Bug loves the woods, the mountains, and the trail! No one will stop her! Only snow will make her grumpy!
In short, I don’t know of a way to prepare for a thru-hike other than hiking.
So here’s a vague outline…
Last day of work at Winchester Parks and Rec: Friday, 3/17
Last day in Winchester/at Shenandoah: Tuesday, 3/21
Hit the road and arrive at Amicalola State Park: Wednesday, 3/22
Official start day: Thursday 3/23
Wonder if I have frostbite: When it inevitably snows while we’re in the Smokies in April
Realize I have my trail legs: May 1st
Contemplate quitting: May 2nd, Brian convinces me not to.
Brian contemplates quitting: May 3rd, I convince him not to.
Have my mind blown by the sheer beauty of nature: Sometime between March and September
Return to Winchester for Graduation and a much needed shower: Thursday, 5/11
Walk across a stage, shake Tracy Fitzsimmons’ hand, and receive a piece of paper: Saturday, 5/13
Return to the trail: Some time later that week. TBD.
Get the Virginia Blues: End of May, Beginning of June
Wonder how happy my dog, Daisy, would be if she got to go on a walk this long: Middle of June
Cry when I see Harpers Ferry, the Shenandoah, and in the distance, MARYLAND: Middle to end of June
In a moment of pure manic joy, jump into the Potomac and exclaim “MMM TASTES LIKE HOME”: Same day
Sleep in a bed for a few days: While trekking through NoVA, WVA, and MD in June
Get overly excited about blooming rhododendron resulting in several photos: Middle to end of June
Brian and I get into a fight because I’ve explained what mountain laurel is for the 78th time: Middle to end of June
Really miss my bed: Beginning of July
Write an ode to my bed: Beginning of July
Ask my mom to send me pictures of my one true love, my bed: Mid-July
Have a breakdown about black flies and mosquitos: Mid-July
Tell Brian that I could die happy: Mid-July/every day
Eat 17 hamburgers: Late July
Day dream about 17 hamburgers: Every day
Wonder if I’ll die by being hit by a falling tree in the thunderstorm: Early August
Go into a hangry rage in search of a cheeseburger; results in Sasquatch sightings among the locals, turns out Sasquatch is only 5’3″: Mid August
Realize how blessed and how beautiful this country is: Every day
Take that iconic photo in front of the Katahdin sign: Ehh…. we’ll see.
Here’s to hoping that if I can’t read Donald Trump’s tweets in the woods, they don’t exist!!!
Edit: Sorry for joking about dying so much, Mom! I promise I am not going to die!
4/15/2021 Reflections—
I truly didn’t know what I was doing, but that was okay. How could anyone know what hiking for 3 months would be like until they did it?
I did indeed appreciate having a sleeping bag liner. It really helped keep my sleeping bag fresh and clean. It’s still in great condition to this day. I also did have a 2nd pair of Merrell Moab’s at home just in case I needed my parent’s to mail me a new pair, but those shoes ended up being hardier than expected and my first pair didn’t start to really fall apart until we got to Harper’s Ferry and by that point, I was home. For future hikers, I would say you don’t need a back-up pair at home unless you’ve done some lengthy backpacking and already know what you want to hike in for months on end. You’ll learn new things about your feet as you go and there’s plenty of well-stocked outfitters along the way. And no, I did not carry three bandanas, I started with one (to blow my nose into) and added a 2nd one when I switched from toilet paper to a pee rag.
My pack weight ended up being fine, but as my “hiker hunger” developed, I started eating more and carrying more food than in the beginning. I also never did really carry more water in the summer, unless I was hiking through a dry area; I just stopped more often to filter water. As for food, I got really creative. Knorr Pastasides, peanut butter, and oatmeal are still some of my go-to’s, but they get spiced up a bit. And I cannot STAND instant potatoes anymore. The thought of eating them makes me sick.
I also did NOT end up with the trail name Poops-A-Lot, thank GOD. I never pooped my pants on the trail, so I guess I’m not a real hiker.
My first aid kit looks very different now. I warmed-up to duct-tape, but rarely use it for blisters. I added gauze and bandages back, but leave out a lot of the various ointments (other than neosporin.) I’ll have to make a whole separate post about that.
As for all of those other worries?
“Will I spend my days on the trail day-dreaming about sitting at the desk at work?” Nope, never once.
“Will I quit?” Sort of; I decided not to thru-hike, primarily for financial reasons, but I didn’t quit the trail. I’m still trying to hike this whole thing, just not all at once.
“Will Brian hate me?” No, in fact, we decided to get married.
“Will I realize that Brian really doesn’t look that great with a beard?” Impossible. Brian always looks good.
“What if I don’t get a job?” I got several, haha.
“Will I end up stuck in a dead-end job?” Nah, girl, you’ll just work until you save up enough money to quit and go hike for months again.
And I did end up summiting Katahdin that year, just not as a thru hiker, but I got to see Brian finish his thru hike. I didn’t take that iconic picture with the sign. I’m saving it for when I finish.