Gear List from an Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker

Other hiker gear lists 

You never can have too many to compare! Sharing this post from our files of an alternate gear list for an Appalachian Trail thru hike.

This hiker's start was in February, but keep in mind that winter conditions can persist on the trail all throughout the spring. So far its been wet out there for 2019, so prepare mentally as well.

A couple of people have asked for a gear list from my Thru Hike Feb 1^st.  The first couple of weeks were very pleasant. Then we had several days of snow and ice with temperatures below zero long

Triumphant finish.

about the Smokies.

Here is a summary:

I am using a well worn ULA Catalyst back pack. When I no longer need winter cloths I would switch to the smaller ULA Circuit pack. I bought a new ULA Catalyst when I got to Damascus. The old one served me well for thousands of miles. I never did use it this hike since I switched to my ULA Circuit pack for the rest of the trip to Katahdin

Western Mountaineering 20* ultra light down bag less than two pounds

Xped Neo Air regular sleep pad 16 oz - this pad worked out great. At twice the insulation value of a Z Rest. In the past I have carried a Neo and a Z Rest in winter or a Ridgerest and a z rest. This pad did the job at half the weight. A generous seat pad offers some backup protection.

Ready to go for the 2105 thru hike

Mont Bell bivi 9 oz
Jet Boil titanium SOL stove, I think its’ about 11 oz long handled Sea to Summit aluminum spoon
Flash hoody down jacket
Flash down pants
Mont bell 6 oz down jacket
Fleece jacket 200 weight
Golight tights
Patagonia silk weight top and bottom
EMS zippered v neck top
2 pair Darn Tough socks I will be wearing one pair of these socks and some other items depending on daytime weather
Running shorts, worn over tights or capilene as needed...rain pants are the only pants I carry
2 stocking hats one much thicker than the other
wind bloc pro balaclava
a couple of buff hats
touch screen light gloves, fingerless army wool gloves, thick thinsulate gloves
Rain wear: Marmot Super Mica jacket, REI elements rain pants, Rocky Goretex socks, Mountain Laurel rain mittens
Water: Sawyer filter, a couple of Gatorade bottles and a couple of Smart Water bottles, one pint size Nalgene serves as coffee cup or emergency hot water bottle. I did not use my Sawyer filter until the Smokies at a shelter with mostly ground water and no privy. Next time I plan to use Aquamaira during weather where the Sawyer filter might freeze and ruin. It’s a pain to try and keep the Sawyer from freezing so it just makes since to carry Aquamira until the weather warms up then switch to a Sawyer original not the mini.

Leki hiking poles, three folds of a Zrest pad for a generous sit pad. 
Suunto altimeter watch, whistle.

ELECTRONICS

Galaxy S5 phone amazing battery life in black and white mode, Anker 16000 mah E5 brick battery at 10 oz its as heavy as a brick but this is a luxury cruise, 5.5 volt 2 amp charger, headlight. I sent the Anker battery brick home with its fast charger. Instead I just carried 3 extra batteries for my phone @ about 1 ounce each. I found that I didn't care to play with my phone as much as I expected as it distracted from my immersion in nature. The spare batteries were more than enough for pictures, Guthook trail maps and an occasional movie the day before town.

Guthooks AT Hiker apps, I love electronic gadgets, 2015 Data Book this is what I hike with when I take a break I jot the time down next to my position in the Data Book this makes it easy to judge location, travel time/miles. For town planning and additional water spots I use both AWOL and ALDHA Companion and I have both in pdf format also. 

FOOD

I have packed 6.5 ‪#‎s food for 4 days the last day being mostly Ramen. Mostly I am eating Mountain House freeze dried food and Lipton sides that has been repackaged into ziplock freezer bags. I do not care for the Liptons by themselves without doctoring them up. Last year I got to liking 1/2 a freeze dried meal and 1/2 a lipton noodle and rice side mixed together. Boiling water is poured into the ziplock bag with the food after about 15 min I eat from the bag, no cleanup and little trash and no food smell in my stove. No stirring while cooking KISS keep it simple stupid makes for a happy Thru hiker.

This year I did not care much for the Liptons mixed with Mountain House. They are so so if you have a can of meat to add and maybe a handful of raisins. I gradually moved to not having a hot breakfast, just coffee and a honey bun or something similar. Just in the last month I finally started liking oatmeal, well Quaker super grains blend with at least a quarter cup of nuts and berries. So I expect I’ll eat that some for breakfast next trip.

I do not like Starbucks very much but I often use the Via's on trail for a good dose of caffeine. Lunch is about a pound of candy bars, peanut butter crackers, nuts, beef sticks, cheese, cookies that sort of stuff. Mostly I eat one of those items every hour and sit down for a few minutes. This trip I abandoned my Jardean method of eating every hour with a 5 min break. Instead we did a more conventional longer break every couple of hours.

WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS

While in town I evaluate expected weather etc for the next section hike to the next town. At NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)  with -10* below zero weather approaching, I purchased a second pint Nalgene and an extra 7 oz can of fuel beyond what I expected to use. The extra Nalgene and fuel where great luxury items and I enjoyed many hot beverages and hot water bottles.

My brother and I held up at Fontana Resort a few days for the worst of the below zero weather and precipitation. The Smokies was officially closed, all trails and roads. Luckily they lifted the ban on hiking trails and we were able to cautiously continue our hike. Sure its only 35 miles to Newfound Gap and I have made that in two days of good weather. But if Newfound Gap road is still closed then its another 15 miles to Gatlinburg for resupply. On my 2012 SOBO I narrowly missed 6 foot of snow around Newfound/ Cingmans Dome from a predicted major storm, sometimes referred to as the Sandy Hook storm. There were lots of unprepared sobo hikers with no gloves, warm clothes or rain gear braving windy temperatures in the teens. They foolishly listened to Thru hikers from 2011 a very warm dry year. Luckily I have never had one of those years where there is a cold rain for six weeks straight but it happens. So we headed into the Smokies with a few days extra supplies and about twice the fuel that we expected to need. Moving shelter to shelter with additional snow each day. Yea Newfound Gap road was open.

Weather can be expected to be anywhere form 65* to - 10* day or night, rain, snow, ice, packed snow can all happen. Oh yea I have a pair of Yaktrax Pro for additional traction if needed. The Yaktrak Pro's have served me ok in the past and are definitely better than nothing. With hard ice (daytime highs in single digits) and off camber trail they offered only a little grip. We switched to Hillsounds brand light crampon and wore them for 90 miles including the Smokies. They worked great. You can pretty much count on the Smoky mountains to be a sheet of ice until spring. April before last it warmed up to 4* before I reached Newfound gap it was awesomely beautiful. I walked the road down from Clingmans Dome because the road was closed and I knew the views were much better than from the trail.

All that and 20 oz of water leaves me with a 30# pack.

Remember take all advice with a grain of salt or maybe a shot of whiskey 

Chase Davidson is a long time distance hiker starting in 1982 with over 19,000 lifetime miles including: IMT-87, AT-99, GG-99, ALT-00, HATT-00, LT-01, TT-01, ART-02, BMT-04, AT-06, JMT-11,
AT-12, FHT-13, Big-O-13. FT-14, AT-2015.

Related Blogs:

Top 5 Worries About Thru Hiking

Thru Hiking the AT on a Budget

Letter of a $1000 Thru Hiker

That All Important Gear List for a Spring Backpacking Trip

Ah, it's that time of year. Time when we are considering our hiking plans and what we need in the realm of gear to have a safe and enjoyable trip. Here is a typical gear list for a spring start of a long distance hike on the Appalachian Trail. Use it to help construct or modify your gear list. At the end are links to small business outfitters and other retailers.

Sample Gear List for Long Distance Appalachian Trail Hike

 (early spring in the South)

Compiled By “Blissful”  

Hiking

Backpack (be sure its the right size for you! Do NOT go by your height but by torso length), pack cover, pack liner (I swear by Zpacks liner, bombproof), hiking poles, cuben fiber stuff sacks are light and waterproof (Z packs has a nice variety to double bag your sleeping bag and clothes as they MUST stay dry)

Sleep

Sleeping bag (15-20 degree rating), silk liner (good for the cold sleeper like me, adds around 9 degrees), sleeping pad (watch the R value which determines how well it functions in cold weather), Tyvek ground sheet to protect the tent floor from mud, snow (necessary imo), tent – poles and stakes (or complete hammock set-up), air pillow (optional)

Cooking and Drinking

Stove, fuel and fuel container, lighter,  -windscreen (optional), titanium pot, pot cozy (all this is incl if you get a Jetboil system), spork (I use a titanium one after breaking three Light My Fire ones), cup (useful for stream dipping), container for getting water from springs and streams, personal water drinking containers (such as liter plastic bottles - Smartwater bottle is good, etc), water purification (Aqua mira, Sawyer Mini, etc), bear bag hanging system (50 feet of nylon cord), food, waterproof food bag (I actually take two bags to split up my lunch and snack for the day so the  heavier, main food bag goes deeper inside my backpack)

Clothing (can vary depending on your likes and the season)

Hiking clothes ( merino wool long sleeve top, one t-shirt top, convertible pants, fleece top) Insulated jacket (down is good to start), windshirt, hat, gloves, midweight merino wool or fleece top and bottom for camp and sleep (a must if your hiking clothes get wet), rain jacket (pants optional, but I believe needed for early start to help against hypothermia), rain hat (good if you wear glasses), underwear, sports bra (women), good socks (at least three pair), crocs for camp, trail shoes or hiking boots

Personal

Headlamp, First aid kit, medicines (Vit I, doxycycline for ticks, Tylenol, etc), tooth brush and paste, dental floss, earplugs, prescription (esp. if you wear glasses or contacts), hiker wallet with ID, cash, a few personal checks, credit card, debit card (have an extra on the homefront), toilet paper, a few baby wipes, hand sanitizer, whistle, DEET (later on), sunscreen, body glide (if prone to chafing, can take it out of its container), small jackknife with scissors, bandana, pack towel

Other

Maps and guidebook pages, small journal and pen, cell phone and charger, Yaktrax (optional), stuff sacks and Ziploc bags, compass (optional)

Places to Buy Gear or Change out Gear En Route

Some Outfitters near the Trail 

Mountain Crossings (GA)
Three Eagle Outfitters, Franklin NC
Bluff Mtn Outfitters, NC

Mt Rogers Outfitters (VA, TN)
Rockfish Gap Outfitters  (VA)  
Appalachian Outdoor Adventures, Luray VA

The Outfitter at Harper's Ferry (VA, MD, lower PA)

The Mountain Goat (VT)

Other Retail and Online Outfitters (ones I have also personally dealt with)

Great Outdoor Provisions, Inc

REI

Backcountry.com

Campmor

Sierra Trading Post

Altrec
Z packs
ULA

Related Blog:

Gear List of a 2015 Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker   

West Virginia’s Long Trail – Thru Hiking the Allegheny Trail (ALT)

For my big hike this fall, I tackled the 300 plus mile long Allegheny Trail that spans the

Monongahela National Forest of West Virginia, starting at the PA border and stretching southwest until it reaches its southernmost terminus with the Appalachian Trail not far from Pearisburg, VA. It winds its way through some interesting and beautiful scenery – such as Blackwater Falls State Park and giant hemlocks, old coal towns, canyons, and ridgelines. It has a shelter system also of eight shelters. There are resupply points and friendly townsfolk (who may not understand WHAT you are doing but who want to help anyway!!)

It is important to note though this trail is NOT the Appalachian Trail with a well-trodden trail and white blazes heralding from tree trunks every 100 yards. Few people traverse this trail. There are places where you can hardly even find a trail. Some of the tread work on the hillsides is very narrow. In some areas the blazing too is very faint. It is a much more primitive trail in many aspects and thus one needs to be prepared for a primitive experience. There are blowdowns to amble over or under. 

Blowdowns are par for the course on a primitive trail

Heavy vegetation. Thorns. It is like the AT once was some 40 years ago with road walks, and friendly townspeople letting you stay places and trying to navigate a trail using maps and common sense. It takes determination, patience, and the ability to reason things out.

The website for the Allegheny Trail (see link below) provides the would-be hiker with a guidebook (yes it's over 12 yrs. old) and maps (fairly accurate). There are also multiple pages you must download and print up the updates (of which there are many). Hopefully soon they will actually update the guidebook as a while, but until then, you must download all the available info offered so you know where you are going (there are several reroutes in place that the guidebook and maps do not cover.

As I mentioned on this trail you need to use your common sense. Section One is mostly road walking and yes the blazes can sometimes be few,

View from Middle Mtn

but follow the map and guidebook to help you. Section Three probably has the worst blazing on the ridgelines, and there you must look for faint traces of blazes and faint trail traces, along with using a map. Real pioneer stuff. I did not happen to bring a compass, but it’s probably not a bad idea to carry one. With the water sources, most streams were going (even though it had been pretty dry out.) I had a hard time finding most of the piped springs listed in the guidebook. Not to say they aren’t there, but I didn’t really see them but for two. So I would count them as unreliable in case you miss them like I did.

Most of the shelters are in fairly good shape. Over half of them don’t have reliable water sources (the two at Rowelsburg, Canaan Mtn, Waddel, Marlin Mtn) but you can walk water in from other sources (except for Marlin, it would be a LONG walk as that is a dry section).  If you are interested in a resupply sheet for the ALT, email me at

Graham Shelter. 

blissfulhiking(at)gmail(dot)com and I will be glad to send it on to you. The towns were pretty good, the people quite friendly.

All in all, the ALT was an interesting look into the world of thru hiking long ago where a trail is actually a journey in the wilderness, and for that I have much admiration for the pioneers of long distance hiking.

West Virginia Trails Association (for maps, guidebook, and other info)

My Allegheny Trail Journal

Beaver Creek

Several one room schoolhouses along the road walk

Top Five Worries About Thru-Hiking the AT

Blissful Hiking is republishing this excellent guest blog by thru hiker "Datto" with some good commentary on the worries hikers have concerning a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail and applicable in many ways to any long distance trail or hike.
 

Okay, so you're looking to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and have some worries and concerns. Let's go through the Top Five Worries About Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail -- if others want to contribute and add their list of AT thru-hiking worries and remedies, by all means jump right in:

Worry Five: My [girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, parents, friends, resident alien, mother-in-law] think the idea of leaving work and your good life back home just to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail is nuts.

It's unsafe. It's irresponsible. It's useless. It's impossible. I could go on and on describing all the reasons I've heard before, during and after my AT thru-hike. The best one was the utterance said right to my face when I had been thinking of thru-hiking the AT: "Why would you ever want to doing something like that?" and I'd responded, "Why did they climb Everest?" and the response back to me was, "That was almost as crazy!" It's still makes me smile to think about that day. Look, the vast majority of people don't like change and society doesn't like things off the curve. But you'll find those experiences are the specific things that make life memorable, that make life worth living, that allow you to live life fully. Taking on great challenges -- and succeeding. I honestly can't thing of many things more enlightening, enjoyable, just-plain-fun, exciting, frustrating or memorable that I've done in my short life than my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. For extra credit, look at the link to view my listing of the Top Ten Likely Benefits From Completing Your AT Thru-hike that I'd composed previously. And you'd want to give up the things on that list of likely benefits just so you could go to work every day and come home at night to watch Wheel Of Fortune? Maybe your mother-in-law was right about you. Wapner. Wapner at 4:30.

Worry Four: I'll run out of money.

That's a big concern since running out of money is in the top five reasons AT thru-hikes end prematurely. It's pretty simple -- if you haven't saved $5,000 cash to spend on your AT thru-hike, it's likely you'll run out of money or may go into considerable debt just to complete your AT thru-hike. That $5,000 cash includes the money you spend from the time you get on the plane/train/bus in your home town to when you arrive back in your home town after you complete your AT thru-hike. It includes gear you would replenish or replace on the Trail but not gear you start the Trail with at Springer Mountain for northbounders or Katahdin for southbounders. Even if you have $5,000 saved up, here's an important part of the utilization of that $5,000 -- if you're a northbounder you need to have one-half of that amount still available to you when you reach the southern Connecticut border. Reason: the New England states are very eye-opening expensive and you've been spoiled by the cheaper costs of the southern Appalachian Trail states.

Worry Three: I don't know if I'm physically capable of carrying a backpack 2,186 miles.

You would not believe the number of people I know who had started their AT thru-hikes in the absolutely worst physical shape you can imagine. Way overweight, all kinds of medications they had to take that made them [choose your side-effect here], all kinds of physical disabilities. I know people who were seventy pounds overweight who made it from Springer Mountain, GA to Katahdin in Maine. Heck, a blind guy started his AT thru-hike with his white cane and went over all those rocks in North Carolina moving the cane back and forth. Earl Shaffer was just ahead of me on his third AT thru-hike when I was on my AT thru-hike -- and he was 80 years old. That's right -- 80 years old. So, are you telling me you can't do what an 80 year old guy could do, a blind guy could do and someone who starts their AT thru-hike being 70 lbs overweight could do? As some sage thru-hikers before me have said, "It's just walkin'". You get used to it, relish it, begin to enjoy it, begin to enjoy the life on the Trail. And you know what? When you have completed your thru-hike you'll likely think it was the best time of your life.

Worry Two: What if I get bored -- I've never been in the woods for that long of a period of time and I've never been away from my family for that long of a time -- maybe I should arrange to start my AT thru-hike with someone?

Ha, if you're a northbounder you have no worries at all. The Trail will be crawling with people who are starting their own AT thru-hikes. You don't need to find someone to start an AT thru-hike with -- there will be loads of people hiking along with you. Interesting people from all walks of life -- hairdressers, history teachers, recent college graduates, retirees, Army generals, furniture salespeople, people just back from the Peace Corps or similar, computer professionals, divorcees, happily married folks, rich executives, people who've been out of work for a long time, foreigners, domestics, conservatives, liberals, people with alternative lifestyles back in "society", FBI agents, journalists and cab drivers. Those are just some of the individuals who I'd hiked with during my AT thru-hike. On the Trail it's a microcosm of the world. It's not just crazy outdoorsy people -- in fact, outdoorsy people are pretty much few and far between. I would say it's more about people from all walks of life wanting an adventure, wanting a challenge, wanting to do something interesting with themselves. The outdoorsy part you learn on the Trail if you don't already have it when you start. You'll probably meet people for the first time right on the top of Springer Mountain, who've also climbed up the side of the mountain to start their AT thru-hike just like you, that you'll also go up Katahdin with when you finish your thru-hike in Maine. I know it is hard to believe -- I was told that it would be that way by past thru-hikers when I was preparing for my AT thru-hike and I'd been skeptical of it. But you know what? I met up with several of the people I'd first met on Springer Mountain, GA when I went up Katahdin six months later. You develop friendships along the Trail -- sometimes life-long friends, sometimes romances, most of the time it's people you'd never met before you'd started your AT thru-hike. Some of those people are not going to be at all like you -- but you'll still enjoy each others company. I can tell you I met up with introverts, extraverts, groups of hikers, people who liked to hike and camp alone, devoutly religious folks and atheists, Moms and Dads. It's takes all kinds to show up one day by chance and start north from Springer Mountain or south from Katahdin. There isn't necessarily a "type" per se but since you are reading this I can expressly say that you are the type and you'll meet up with many of your type right on the Trail during the first few weeks of your AT thru-hike. So don't worry about it at all.

Worry One: What will I do afterwards?

Now there is something to think about while you're hiking. Not every day, just occasionally -- once a month or so. There's a chance when you get to about, oh, mile 2,000, you're going to think to yourself, "I can't go back to how it was before. Not after having experienced this." The "this" meaning your life on the Trail. One suggestion I can give you -- if you have the ability, plan ahead of time to take 30 days after you complete your AT thru-hike to put a plan together before you start moving in any direction with your life. It will give you time for perspective as well as time to get yourself back to experiencing that amazing colossal spigot in the kitchen that has clean flowing water coming out of it that doesn't need to be treated. Take a walk through your local Wal-mart after your thru-hike and gaze upon the people who never had the chance, nor will have the chance, to experience what you've had over the course of several recent months. Watch how other people lead their lives. What you currently think is normal, before your AT thru-hike, may seem so odd when you return from completing your AT thru-hike. When you first watch the Nightly News upon return from the AT, remember about all the kindness that you'd experienced on the Trail, about the happiness you saw first-hand for yourself. That is how the world truly is -- not the way it is presented on a nineteen inch diagonal view of the world. Whatever you decide to do with yourself after you return from your AT thru-hike, I know you are going to be thankful.

Best of adventures to you!

Datto

Guest Blog: Letter of a $1000 AT Thru Hike

Enjoy this guest blog from "Sleepwalker" on how he did his AT (Appalachian Trail) thru hike for $1000!

Greetings from the ether. 

My trail name is Sleepwalker, for obvious reasons. I’m a trail Legacy as my father thru hiked also.

This also means I grew up knowing about the AT and backpacking in general. I didn’t like it much as a kid, but I think that was because I was being forced, because as soon as I went out a few times on my own or with friends, I discovered a thorough joy for it. I was getting bored of college or maybe I was just lazy. Either way, I decided I wanted a reason my parents could appreciate to take time off and hiking sounded reasonable to me. Since I had money saved up, I was fortunate enough to be able to decide to do a thru hike the December before I left. I’m 20 at this point in time so money saved up means I had around $1000 to spare. Now most people would say this isn’t enough, but I did a lot of math (which I’m not horrible at) and I kept coming up with the same answer: this IS possible.

I already had a lot of the gear I needed from growing up in a hiking family so my expenses pre-trail were low. In fact the only things I had to get were a sawyer squeeze ($50), a tent ($100) and a cook kit ($10). Living in Pennsylvania, having family in Harrisburg, and going to school at Shippensburg (yeah, you missed it if you thru hiked) gave me great confidence that even if I didn’t finish, I’d at least be able to hike home and be alright. Of course this is a hilarious joke, because I wasn’t going to fail. I’m not the type of person who could tell all their friends and family that I was going to do something epic and then fall short. 

When I got dropped of at Springer Mountain I was super confident. When I reached the NOC, I started to get worried. I was eating too much money and my mile-droppings weren’t large enough. Financially and temporally (oh, yeah I started on May 15th) I was not going to succeed. Well, for better or for worse, my hiking partners dwindled to none by Fontana Dam. I decided the day Gandalf left me there that I was just going to blast up that damn hill and run to Katahdin and make it anyway. Turns out that’s a mighty climb and for someone who had only slept in a bed once since starting, my 20 year old bod got pretty worn out. Luckily there were two more things that kept me going: Ramen noodles and Argo. Since I only had $1000 to do the hike on, Ramen was pretty much what I ate, day in and day out. I must say, going in for a resupply and having to budget really isn’t easy. I wish I could lay out a solid plan as to what you can really afford to eat with that little money, but that solid plan will come out the other end anything but solid. 

Ramen, pepperoni, mashed potatoes, raisins, granola bars, oatmeal, crackers, cheese, tortillas, knock off pop tarts, the occasional live chicken and before you do the shopping, take a half gallon of chocolate milk to pound town. Now even with that you must be wondering how to make the rounds. Well I may or may not have shoplifted two whole pizzas from a pizza buffet in Pearisburg, Virginia after eating my fill. Some other less than elegant things I had to do include: raiding the hiker boxes for hopefully not so expired food, working for stay… everywhere, carrying someone else’s pack on top of mine in exchange for food, and smiling a lot. I’m a food whore, I admit it. Naturally you have the startup energy that just living uses up so ideally you also need to make a thru hike take less time because you’ll need to eat more the longer you take. This is where Argo comes into play! It turns out when you’re a 20 year old, rarely seeing women, and you’re horny as hell, the promise of a “fine lookin’ thru hiker lady up ahead” can really get you moving. Who would have known? I eventually caught up to her and some other May starters who were also moving fast and I must admit, their companionship was a great motivator for me. I never felt like quitting but my fast pace was certainly not easy, even for me and great hikers were what kept me trucking. If I were to summarize the keys to doing a thru hike cheap, they would be:

1.    Hike fast

2.    Eat cheap food aka hiker box food

3.    Make friends

4.    Work for stay everywhere

5.    Become someones trail slave

6.    Become a breatharian

I hope this can help someone who doesn’t think they have the funds for the funs on the AT change their mind. I ended up paying for some hostels and I used some money on gear that broke. Your gear might not. I could see someone totaling $700. It’s also crucial to keep your mind in the right place. The beginning is very discouraging, but trust me, if you really want Katahdin, you will get there!

Much love,

Sleepwalker

Related Bog:

Thru Hiking the Appalachian Trail on a Budget 

Pick Your Five Must-Haves for the Trail

This was a recent topic of conversation in a thread post on the Facebook group Appalachian Trail Section Hikers. What would be your top 5 must-haves for the trail? Like 99% of the posters, I thought of my top five. A good sleep system. Adequate water

protection. Navigation. Warm clothing. A light. Good shoes on my feet. It was very natural to pick the obvious.

But then a hiker came out with another take on must-haves for a hike. And after reading it, I believe it was the most valuable of all -   

(These Top Five Must-haves courtesy of Craig H)

1.     A  love for the outdoors

2.     Realistic expectations

3.     The ability to push through the present for the goal ahead

4.     The ability to enjoy the moment and not worry about what is ahead

5.     A respect for the trail and the realization that all our gear is a tool set, enabling us to enjoy it

He went on - “Yes, I have my gear favorites….but I feel that the gear is not as important as the experience. The gear is a tool…the knowledge on how to use that gear (or more importantly, how to get by without it) is the best thing that we can take with us.”

Wow. I was stopped in my tracks, as much as you can be sitting down reading this on a smart phone, pad, or laptop. And you know, he is absolutely right. We get so hung up on gear. Where we are going. The incidentals. Sweating what we think is the big stuff but will come forth naturally when the main priorities are put into place. And I believe this hiker named the top priorities for a successful hike. If you have the drive, a love to be

outdoors, a respect for the trail and hikers, the ability to enjoy whatever comes your way, it follows that you will prepare for the experience. And that means the secondary things like trip planning, gear, etc. 

So as we delve into this year, full of hiking expectations, spend time pondering your top must-haves for a successful venture. You may find they actually parallel Craig’s when it comes right down to it!

Observations on Thru Hiking the Foothills Trail

I have just come off an interesting adventure thru hiking the Foothills Trail. This unique 77 mile long trail straddles the North Carolina / South Carolina border in what could be called the foothills of mountains that extend into the Nantahala region and the Smokies. The trail runs from Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park, both in South Carolina, with other spur trails off this trail. It also

traverses the highest peak in South Carolina – Sassafras Mountain. And for those looking for an even greater adventure, you could begin at Table Rock on this trail, hike to the Chatooga Trail and from there to the Bartram Trail all the way to the AT just north of NOC.

First off, in planning, etc., I highly recommend the guidebook put out by the Foothills Trail Conference. They also have a map, but I found it hard to read and rather useless. The guidebook, however is a handy piece to have while you’re hiking. It is very thorough, contains maps and mini maps of each section, and will guide you from point A to point B (though it is only written in one direction – Table Rock to Oconee. I saw no advantage one way or the other with starting at either point. But I liked starting at Table Rock as I got the uphill climbs on bare rock out of the way and did not have to read the guidebook backwards, which to me is bothersome). I carried the guidebook the whole way and referred to it many times.

The Foothills Trail is abundant in water, waterfalls, established, campsites, bridges, and steps. I was amazed at the trail work that has gone into this. The trail leading uphill often had wooden steps built in. The intricate bridges crossing the waterways were amazing. The trail is easy to follow using the

Stairs and Railings

white blazes and signage, and coupled with the guidebook, you can’t get lost.

I hiked this trail in early September and with that, it was humid and warm. I was constantly wet. Probably the best time to hike this trail would be spring, with the abundance of rhododendron and with better temperatures. I did not see one person hiking this trail when I was out. In all I saw maybe six people. A family on Sassafras, and two kids swimming near Toxaway. Other than that, I was alone. I managed to dodge most of the thunderstorm activity though I did have one all night rain. What I could not dodge was the thousand upon thousands of spider webs, stretching even over vast logging roads (!). Since no one had likely been on the trail for weeks, the spider webs were everywhere! One cannot get squeamish then picking webs and spiders off glasses, gear, and clothes. It came with the territory. I did end up with a hornet bite on day four. It became infected when I got off, so be sure you do First Aid out there and carry an adequate kit.

Bridges galore

There is no resupply on this trail, so I carried food for six days. It was pretty heavy, but I figured out where to put the food in my pack so it worked out good. There is one place on the trail where you can dump your garbage – at Whitewater Falls area (which the falls is seen by a side trail). Since the weather was warm though I went with summer gear. Some stuff I could have left home, like any kind of jacket, and rain gear. I just let the rain cool me as I was constantly hot, sweaty, and yeah, smelly.

The great beauty and tame terrain of this trail make it a nice adventure. Yes there are some steep areas, but not too bad. The campsites are everywhere as is water. It makes for a simple but rewarding thru hike. 

Link to Foothills Trail Journal


Other Trails

BMT

Allegheny Trail

Long Trail

Tuscarora Trail

AT Section Hike - Stecoah Gap to Spivey Gap

AT Section Hike Amicalola Falls to Stecoah Gap

Book Release Party Day 2 - Hiking the Appalachian Trail as a Teenager

Day 2 of the Book Release Party features an interview with the companion on a trip of 2,000 plus miles, Joshua Bliss, who hiked the trail with his mom the author. Don't forget to enter the great contest afterward as part of the all week celebration!

Mom and son reunite on the Appalachian Trail this past summer

Tell us a bit about yourself.

"Well, I'm 23, I'm the lead assistant manager of a local gas station. I play games online and I read in my spare time."

How was it hiking the Appalachian Trail as a teenager? Thinking back on it, what were the highlights for you? 

“It was hard, but fun. Anyone who has spent more than a week or two on the trail can tell you, it ain't easy. The people I met were the biggest highlights. As you go along, you find groups of people that are going on the same adventure as you, and you can't help but feel a camaraderie with these strangers. It's like a second family.”

Taking it easy

How about the one thing that didn’t go so well on the hike?

“I know that there are several difficult moments mentioned in the book, Overmountain Shelter for example, but the one moment that stands out the most was having a tough night in Connecticut outside a close-to-trail town, and waking up to slugs in my boots and all over my tent. Talk about gross.”

What was your favorite state to hike in and why?

Sunset in Glastenbury fire tower, Vermont

Vermont, no questions asked. The woods were beautiful, the people extremely friendly, and some of the best weather the entire trip.

How about your favorite food on the trail?

“We had this strange concoction of mashed potato mix and dressing mix. It was very filling, and very good. Looked kind of like plaster, though.”

(Side note: Stayed tuned for the recipe on Wednesday’s Refreshment Day! Thanksgiving Dinner on the trail)

Ok, we know you spent six months hiking with your mom. How was it, really? And would you recommend it for a teen and parent?

“Honestly, it was fun. Not many kids that age get to have experiences like that, and the bonding time we had, I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Would I recommend it? If you have the chance, definitely. It's a life-changing journey, something you can share for years to come.”

What is some future dream you’d like to see fulfilled in your life?

“I would love to hike the trail again, but solo. I loved doing it with my mother, but i know doing it on my own, at my own pace, would be an adventure all its own.”

  

Describe yourself in one word

“Stubborn. Sad but true.”

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