Doing our last minute packing and preparations…

If you’d like you can follow our progress on Twitter.

Happy hiking!

By far one of the most common questions I get about this adventure seems to be: “But what will you eat?”

When hiking the Appalachian Trail, you generally need to eat more than your fair share of food. One of the dubious luxuries of long-distance hiking is that you can’t possibly overindulge. When you need to be eating 6000 calories just to maintain your weight, anything is fair game. Chasing breakfast, lunch, and dinner with three candy bars? Most hikers won’t even look at you twice — it’s par for the course.

But with the need to fill up on so many calories, it’s hard to imagine just how to go about doing so. In today’s modern society, when almost everything is non-perishable and says “Refrigerate after opening” on the package, how exactly do you manage to find enough nutritionally-acceptable food to eat — and, once you’ve accomplished that, how do you carry it all on your back?

Instantly, things like raw meat and milk are out — even if you could carry a refrigerator on your back, there’d be nowhere to plug it in. Out also are canned foods — while you can cook them easily, the water content makes them incredibly heavy.

As a result, hiker staples tend to be lightweight, calorie-dense, and non-perishable — three qualities that are often difficult to find in one food item these days.

Meal plans include heavy amounts of dehydrated foods, peanut butter, trail mix (affectionately known by hikers as GORP — “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts” — though trail mixes have evolved past this limiting moniker), and jerky. With adequate planning, it is indeed possible to not starve on the trail. Giving a complete explanation of all possible ways to plan your food intake would be a book in itself, but here are a few options to give you an idea:

Breakfasts:

Eggs — yes, surprisingly, these can survive about a week without refrigeration, if you can carry them without crushing them
Precooked bacon
Instant oatmeal
Hot chocolate

Snack:

Trail mix
Power bars
Candy
Jerky
Dried fruits
Crackers with preserves

Lunch:

Tortillas –  pre-squished, so you don’t have to!
Cured meats — summer sausage, cured salami, pepperoni, jerky, etc.
Hard cheese
Bagels
A package of tuna with mayo and/or relish

Dinner:

There are lots of paths to take here. Some hikers choose to use hiker-specific dehydrated foods, which are easy and tasty. With meals like “Salisbury steak”, “Chicken piccata”, and “Beef Stew”, you do feel like you’re eating at home. Unfortunately, these do tend to be rather expensive — about 5 to 8 dollars per meal.

I’m a poor college student, though, so I can’t afford to be spending that much each night. As a hiker, you’ll learn to make pretty decent one-pot-meals out of the following:

Easy to carry veggies: carrots, onions, garlic, etc.
Spices
Sausage
Grocery-store packaged dehydrated foods. Stuff like
- Knorr Sides
- Packaged mashed potatoes
- Stove top stuffing
- Pastas and rice mixes

It’s definitely possible to eat tasty and (relatively) healthy on the trail without too much work. Make sure you get adequate nutrition, too. Load up on your citrus fruits in town to avoid scurvy (I’m only partially kidding), and hit the salad bar first to make sure you’ve got plenty of greens, since it’s hard to get enough veggies in your trail meals.

So. It has come to my attention that most Appalachian Trail hikers nowadays don’t carry maps.

That’s right, folks. No maps, just the guidebook.

Are they crazy??

I get it. Maps are expensive: it costs over a hundred dollars to buy all the maps for the entire trail. Maps add a few extra ounces to your pack weight. And, of course, the trail is extremely well-marked. Theoretically you can have an excellent thru-hike with no maps, just following the white blazes and the AT hiker’s companion guide.

Theoretically.

The guidebook is excellent if you are doing a classic hike — it tells you distances between shelters, towns, and a few nearby water sources. Sounds perfect, right? Tells you just about everything you need to know…if you want to hike by numbers just like the rest of the pack.

A map will save your ass.

If you hike the trail and nothing ever goes wrong during your hike, then yes, you can absolutely hike by the numbers as long as you stay on the trail and only get off it where the guidebooks show you places to get off.

But I wouldn’t risk it. 2009 is, by all accounts, probably going to be a drought year. Many of the guidebook-listed water sources will be dried up. You can hike to the next listed water source, often miles away, you can hike backwards to the last one (and trust me, you’ll never meet a hiker who wants to do that), or you can check out your map to see if there is something else nearby — usually only a few tenths of a mile out of your way. Flash floods are another example — if you can’t ford a river that’s on the trail, you have no choice but to wait for it to pass if you don’t have a map. There are plenty of examples like this. Having a map will save you plenty of unnecessary hiking and waiting.

Not convinced? A map’s not just for emergencies.

This is a once in a lifetime experience. Oftentimes, the nicest views and the most beautiful places are off the beaten path, and a map is invaluable if you want to follow those blue-blazed paths. With the standard guidebooks there will be plenty of things out there that are not listed, that you will walk past and later be disappointed that you missed. They are not listed because you don’t need them to hike from A to B. But sometimes it is nice to know what is on those side roads or trails that could be helpful, interesting, or fun.

Guidebook hikers can’t go anywhere off-trail for fear of losing it. Why limit yourself this way?

Do yourself a favor, folks. Buy a set of maps. The weight penalty is minimal, and it’ll probably save you plenty of headaches along the way.

With upward spiraling interest rates, massive foreclosures, and the stock market fiasco, the recession has been no secret in recent months. I won’t bore you with doom and gloom; if you want to read about that, there’s plenty of great blogs to seek out. Obviously, the current economic climate is terrible, but in our case there is a silver lining…

This is the perfect time to hike the Appalachian Trail.

Maybe somewhat counterintuitively, I expect the amount of AT thru-hikers this year to increase, rather than decrease. Why, you may ask? “Let’s go on a vacation!” is probably not most people’s initial response to a recession and tightening budgets.

The Appalachian trail isn’t just a vacation, though. It’s an adventure, and as adventures go, it’s pretty damn near recession-proof.

Hiking the entire trail is a massive undertaking, taking most people 5 months or more, but it still remains a once-in-a-lifetime dream for many hikers and nature enthusiasts. This year, many have recently become unemployed, leaving them the perfect time to go on an adventure while the uncertain economic climate sorts itself out. There’s plenty of time to search for a job when you get back — after all, few companies are hiring now anyways.

As if that weren’t enough, hiking is one of the cheapest ways to spend a few months, short of moving back in with your parents. No rent, no utilities, and there’s no way you’ll be paying for cable…pretty much all you’re paying for out there is food. A few main gear items — tent, shelter, boots, and backpack, and you’re pretty much good to go. And it’s not like you’ll have Amazon.com to distract you — shopping in general is pretty much impossible on the trail, so you won’t even have to expend much willpower into being more frugal.

In fact, according to this CNN article, camping and hiking in general has gone up substantially over the past year — an 18.5% increase in overnight backpacking. With budgets tightening, camping has become popular again — probably because sleeping in a tent is a whole lot cheaper than a hotel room.

There is one small tear in the aforementioned silver lining, unfortunately. State park budgets have been slashed 10-15%, so there are fewer employees and park rangers around to help with cleanup and maintenance. On the AT specifically, maintaining clubs since last spring have warned about declining trail help — fewer people have the time or money to volunteer for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy when they’re worried about putting food on the table.

However, it’s not too terrible. Sure, there will be a few extra trees on the ground this year. So what? It’s still the perfect time to hike the trail. You DO know you’ll be roughing it, right?

I met Fish on an Appalachian Trail online community, Whiteblaze. To prove to you that I’m not entirely insane, and other people actually do this crazy thing, I asked him if he’d answer a few questions for me.

The key:
TG = Trailgirl. That’s me!
LoF = LotsOFish.

And now, the interview!

TG: What is your trail name and how did you come by it?

*Note to readers: Trail names are a pretty common part of trail tradition on most long American trails, including the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. For some reason, hikers developed the practice of using nicknames along the trail — as a result, you almost never know the “real” name of anyone you meet on the trail. You can choose your own trail name, but it’s generally frowned upon. Traditionalists maintain that a trail name is something that can be found on the trail only, and must be given to you by another hiker.

LoF: LotsOfish…mostly I go by Fish. I was doing a weeklong hike in Arkansas, and one day I made a makeshift fishing pole and decided to catch me some dinner. As the amazing manly man that I am, I caught several, and as I was heading back to my camp, one of my buddies yelled out “Damn, that’s lots o’fish!” It’s silly, but it stuck.

TG: Why did you decide to hike the Appalachian Trail?

LoF: I first heard about the trail several years ago when a friend of mine hiked it right after graduating from college. Ever since then, it’s kind of been in the back of my mind as something that I’d like to do, and now that I’m graduating, I really want to take a break completely offline. I don’t want to have to think about school or obligations, or responsibilities — I just want to be completely disconnected. The Appalachian Trail seems like the perfect way to accomplish this.

TG: I agree completely. When are you planning on starting the trail?

LoF: I’m starting two days after my graduation in May, and I’m going through the summer and early fall until I complete the trail. I should finish in late October if all goes well. Since Mt. Katahdin and the mountain passes close in the wintertime, I’ll have to make sure to finish the trail by then.

TG: Do you get people asking you if you’re crazy when you’re telling them about your plans?

LoF: All the time. If they don’t say it right out, you can definitely see it in their eyes. I just tell them they’re right — clearly I’ve gone insane. Just kidding…but seriously, obviously I realize that it must seem crazy to a “normal” person, but it makes you brutally aware of how scared to death most people are to step out of their sheltered little lives and take even the smallest of risks.

TG: Wow, harsh. I can pretty much agree with you there, even if I wouldn’t put it in such critical terms. What’s the aspect of the trail you’re most looking forward to?

LoF: Actually starting — taking those first steps. Planning to hike the trail takes months of obsessing about itineraries, water supplies, gear choices…meticulously refining your total weight…it’s quite frankly enough to drive a person mad. So when I’m finally out there, it’ll all be behind me — I’ll be done with school and completely on my own, with no one to answer to for 5 whole months. Oh, and of course the adventure of it — this will be unlike anything I’ve ever done before.

TG: Any fears?

LoF: Bears. No, just kidding.

Really, it’s no so much a fear as a concern — mostly it’s budgetary stuff. Just out of college, I’m pretty strapped for cash…I have a general idea of how I should spend, but you never know what can happen on the trail. I’m sure you’ve read WhiteBlaze — most people say they a dollar a mile is a good estimate, which is so crazy!

Secondly, while I want to be disconnected from responsibility, I’m still concerned about the possibility of loneliness — having nobody to keep me company except my own thoughts.

TG: I’m pretty sure you won’t have much to worry about there, especially if you stay in shelters. If you’re in Shenandoah by summer, you should meet plenty of people, I’d say.

LoF: Yeah, you’re right. But I’m just worried that they’ll be superficial relationships, if anything. On short hikes I’ve taken, you don’t really say much to the hikers you pass — just a smile and a wave, if anything. I know everyone who’s done the trail says that you make great friends; it’s just hard to imagine because I see hiking as such a solitary activity.

TG: I can understand that. Hiking alone can be tough; especially if you’re not naturally a bit introverted. Ok, one last question: Everyone says that they change on the trail. What do you expect will be the biggest change in your personality or perception?

LoF: I fully expect that the trail will have a drastic impact on my life, but to say what exactly that impact will be at this point is impossible. Maybe you’ll have to have a followup interview in six months!

Well, there you have it, folks. Fish is starting a little bit before me, but maybe we’ll catch up to each other and see one another on the trail. I wish him and the rest of you happy hiking!

Every year, hundreds of hikers set out on the Appalachian Trail carting pounds of gear that they will NEVER use. Mountain Crossings Hiker Outlet at Neels Gap makes a killing each year inspecting packs and mailing hundreds of pounds of gear home. About 30 miles into the trail, they are situated right at the point where most hikers are wondering “Why on earth did I bring all of this CRAP?”

Don’t make that mistake.

I know I’ve talked extensively on this blog about the gear I’ll be using, and don’t get me wrong — it is important. But many hikers highly overestimate the importance and the amount of gear that they will need on the trail.

Your gear will not get you to the end of the Appalachian Trail. Your feet will.

Hikers today believe that they need the fanciest, most high-tech, rain-proof, wind-proof, everything-proof, so-much-like-home-you’ll-never-miss-it expensive gear in order to hike the Appalachian Trail.

They are wrong.

In 1955, Grandma Gatewood was the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail at the age of 67. She wore Keds Sneakers and used a raincoat and a plastic shower curtain for shelter, which she carried in a homemade rucksack slung over one shoulder.

The fact that you find this impressive is very telling of our high-tech post-industrial culture.

Our ancestors, so-called “Primitive Man”, walked NAKED across thousands of miles of desert, dangerous rainforest, arctic tundras, and far more challenging environments than anything we are bound to encounter today — even on the Appalachian Trail.

Yet we, “Modern Man”, supposedly the pinnacle of evolution thus far, can’t set 5 miles into the so-called wild without doing all we can to bring along the comforts of home. We are less hardy, less rugged, less individually self-sufficient than we ever were before. It’s a good thing we have less and less of that pesky wilderness around to deal with.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail is hard. It is not a picnic in the park. But a week into the trip, you will forget about half of the stuff you agonized over, stressed that you would miss the creature comforts of home. Here are a few of the things you don’t need:

You do not need 3 different titanium pots and a mug. Trail cooking isn’t that fancy, and if you’re trying to eat like you did back home, you’ll starve. There’s no Olive Garden on the trail.

You do not need a portable blowup air mattress. You will sleep on the ground. You will enjoy it.

You do not need soaps and toiletries. You will stink and no one will care. Get used to it. Your skin isn’t designed to deal with soap anyway, despite what the beauty industry wants you to think.

You do not need extra clothing. You will wear one outfit. It is not a beauty contest. You’re lucky you have fancy synthetic-fiber breathable stuff and don’t have to wear the skin of a dead animal like your ancestors did.

You do not need a mug. You will not need coffee to wake up every morning when you are sleeping when it gets dark and waking up with the sun. Real hikers drink water.

You do not need sunglasses. This ain’t the desert.

I’m sure you can think of plenty more.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not immune to “gear-fever” either. Admittedly, quality gear will certainly make things easier, and I intend to get the best stuff I can on my limited budget. But I feel that I will get far further, and have a much more enjoyable time, by packing only the absolute necessities. You may disagree with my personal list — that’s fine. As long as you think long and hard about each piece of gear, and bring only what you absolutely need to use, you’ll be fine. Avoid trying to bring every conceivable comfort from home for every conceivable eventuality. Don’t worry. You will survive. And your feet will thank you.

A tent will be one of the most important pieces of gear you decide upon when planning a long backpacking trip. It will provide your home away from home — where you retreat to sleep and rest when you are not hiking hours upon end. Choose wisely.

Most average American families opt for the traditional tent –  If you were ever a boy scout, this is probably the type of tent you were pitching. Something like this bad boy:

However, you may have noticed something about these tents. They’re HEAVY. That’s not a Good Thing when you’re hiking many miles per day and also carrying all of your food and water. It may be ok on short weekend camping trips, where you pitch the tent not far from where you parked the car…but a long distance hike is an entirely different animal.

For a two person tent, 5-6 pounds is often on the average to lighter end. If you want any extra luxuries, it’ll cost ya — in both weight and price.

Luckily, technology has advanced. There are many more tent options available than there were before.

TENTS

Tent camping is considered the “norm” for hikers, especially in harsher conditions, and is generally the first shelter option most new hikers will jump to.

Pros:

- Bug protection. When you are on the trail, you WILL encounter bugs. Since tents are enclosed spaces, you can avoid most bugs, especially flies and mosquitoes in the summertime.

- Rain protection. Summertime is the rainy season on the Appalachian Trail, and it is pretty much guaranteed that you will often be pitching tent either somewhere wet, or somewhere that soon will be. Tents are the most foolproof way to stay dry, and many also provide a “lofting” space to keep your gear dry.

- Comfort. It cannot be denied that tents give you the most “home away from home” feeling. You have your own little bubble, if you like that sort of thing.

- Warmth. Since they are often made of thicker material, on top of being completely enclosed, tents trap and retain the most heat. This is hugely useful in winter, but isn’t much of a benefit to me since I’ll be hiking in the summertime.

- Protection from the elements. There is a reason that mountaineers and winter wildlife photographers, among other winter outdoorsmen, use tents exclusively. When you need sheer staying power, even in a blizzard, you have to get a tent.

Cons:

- Weight. Full-blown tents are generally the heaviest option. A traditional one person tent can weigh anywhere from 4 to 10 pounds. I will leave imagining the weight of 2-person tents as an exercise for the reader . I prefer to avoid unnecessary weight if I can at all help it.

- Cost. High quality hiking tents are often very expensive due to the materials used and more intricate construction needed to keep them structurally sound.

- Complexity. Although this isn’t true of all tents, most take much longer to pitch than your average tarp or tarptent. On top of the tent itself, you’ve gotta carry poles or stakes. At the end of the day, when you’re tired, hungry, and drenched, a complicated tent may be more trouble than it’s worth.

Tents are heavier, yes, but they provide other benefits including comfort and weather protection. In especially cold or dangerous places, the cons of a tent are far outweighed by its necessity in keeping warm and dry. Luckily, other options also exist for the savvy summer hiker.

TARPS

Increasingly embraced by lightweight hikers, tarps are becoming much more popular in the Appalachian Trail community. Tarps are a good option if you’re willing to learn the skills to operate one and don’t mind not being completely enclosed.

Pros:

- Lightweight. Many hardcore lightweight hikers use tarps exclusively, for this quality alone. Your average tarp can weigh anywhere from 10 ounces to a bit less than 2 pounds.

- Flexibility. Tarps provide the minimum necessary for shelter. Hikers often add things like bugnets in the summer and groundsheets to keep your gear dry in the rainy season. What this means is that if you don’t need a certain quality on a certain hike (like bug protection), you don’t need to carry that extra weight.

- Cheap. ‘Nuff said.

Cons:

- Skill. Tarps do require a little skill if you want to stay dry. Like learning to pitch a tent, though, I don’t consider this a major inconvenience.

- Openness. Tarps are more open to the elements than a tent. For some people, this can be a benefit — “communing with nature” and whatnot — others, not so much. Tarps do provide less privacy…more like just a roof over your head.

TARP-TENTS

Ahh, the middle ground. Tarptents are hybrids that offer the protection of a tent with the weight advantage of a tarp. These are often made of a very lightweight material and generally come with just about everything you need and can weigh around 2 pounds.

Pros:

- Lightweight. Tarptents are much lighter than a tent, though not as light as a tarp. For the tentlike experience, though, the lightweight aspect of a tarp is pretty impressive.

- Comfort. Like tents, tarptents enclose you from all sides.

- Bug protection.

Cons:

- Expense. Due to the high quality of materials and the creativity needed to design a good tarptent, they’re generally a good deal more expensive than your average cheapo family camping tent.

Whew! If all of that was too complicated for you, I’ve created a handy dandy chart for your viewing pleasure. You are welcome.

ETA: HAMMOCKS

Recently on the scene are camping hammocks and many hikers are moving towards them. They offer the benefit of getting you up off the wet ground, are easy to pitch, and lightweight. However, there isn’t much space and there’s no real method to keep you warm.

I don’t really know too much about hammocks. For a more indepth discussion, listen to ATHiking’s podcast or Practical Backpacking’s take on the matter.

As for my choice of shelter? We’ll be using this excellent tarptent by Henry Shires:

The Squall 2 Tarptent

Good luck, and happy hiking!

Resources:

Whiteblaze forum thread: Tarp or Tent

Practical Backpacker’s  Tarps 101

The Backpackers Guide: Tents

Packing for the Appalachian Trail is an exercise in minimalism. I’ve found in my research, that there is no set answer for everyone — each person has to figure it out for themselves.

There are several styles on the trail. Many hikers like to hike from trail shelter to trail shelter, only doing about 8-10 miles a day and spending a lot of time hanging out and camping. These hikers often like to plan for every eventuality, and bring a lot of “comfort” items along. Things you might see at a sport outfitter’s designed to make your camping experience more comfortable.

At the other extreme, there is the “ultralight” camp. These hikers are hoping to complete the hike as quickly as possible, and spend all the time and effort they can figuring out how to shed a few more ounces of weight and eliminate anything not absolutely necessary. Of course, if you follow this style, you’ll have to be a bit more experienced and have to deal with a few inconveniences.

Most hikers fall in between these two extremes, and that’s where I find myself. As not the biggest or strongest of girls, I’m leaning towards the ultralight camp. How can I carry as light gear as possible without sacrificing safety and quality?

The first step to decreasing your pack weight is obviously to decrease the number of items you are carrying. Choose wisely. Decreasing the weight of individual items comes later.

Here is my own preliminary gear list:

Clothing:
• Short sleeve, synthetic, breathable shirt. Synthetic is important for its “wicking” properties — cotton is a bad idea on long distance hikes. Think something along the lines of athletic wear.
• Nylon shorts. Again, I’m looking for lightweight and good for summer weather.
• Rain jacket. Summer is rainy season on the trail, and we’ll be getting plenty wet!
• Maybe rain pants. Haven’t decided yet if these are necessary.
• Socks, at least 3 wool pairs. Again, here, something other than cotton is a must — Life is too short to wear cotton socks on the trail. Choose a good wool or wool-blend sock for optimal comfort.
• Ankle-high trail boots.
• A long sleeve, synthetic shirt for camp-wear and sleeping.
• Camp shorts.
• Camp shoes — something lightweight. Many hikers swear by Crocs, but I can’t abide by them. Light flip-flops or sandals, maybe.

Sleeping and Shelter:
• 2 person tent or tarp/tent. Something that’s lightweight but will still keeps the bugs and rain out.
• A 40-degree F rated sleeping bag, with stuff-sack. It’ll be summer, so I can afford to get a lighter sleeping bag than in colder weather.
• Lightweight sleeping pad, three-quarter-length (luckily, I’m a short girl).

Cooking and Water System:
• Lightweight stove. More on this soon.
• Lightweight cooking pot. Hopefully the budget lets us afford titanium!
• Lightweight fork.
• Lighter
• Stuff-sack to be used as a food bag
• 50′ cord to hang food up when bears are around
• At least 4 1-liter bottles, or a more high-tech method like a hydration bladder.
• Chlorine dioxide drops, for water purification.

First aid and Random:
• Antibiotic lotion
• Blister treatment
• Bandages
• Painkillers!
• Pocket knife
• 2 bandanas or 1 bandana, 1 pack-towel
• 1 partial roll toilet paper
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Appalachian Trail Guide
• Flashlight
• Small roll of duct tape — it fixes everything!
• Emergency fire-starter pack
• Pack liner – Trash compactor bag. Cheap and lightweight!
• Another stuff-sack. These are great for organization and keeping your stuff compact and easy to pack.

Well, that’s it. Other than food, that’s the bare necessities of what we’ll be living off for 3-months, other than when we venture into town to restock. Anything else is optional. The one thing not on the list that I’m sure we’ll be bringing is a camera.

Of course, now there’s the problem of choosing individual gear. The issues include weight, price, and quality, among other things…but more on that later. Stay tuned!

As I stated in my first post, I’m planning on hiking the Appalachian Trail this summer, from Georgia to New York. 

Invariably, when I tell people this, they fall into one of two camps: “Cool!” and “Are you crazy?! Why?”

I’d like to address the latter group. But first, a bit of background:

When I was a kid, our family vacations were of an entirely different breed than they are now. My parents loved to travel, and travel we did. Cairo, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Singapore…each summer and winter brought new cities and new experiences. At times it was stressful — I was a kid on an adult vacation — but I loved the cities, the museums, the downtown nightlife. I’ve been to over 20 countries and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

But when we moved to the States (I was around 11 or so), we stopped going on those hectic overseas trips full of museum-hopping and event-going. Instead, we started hiking.

And, at first I hated it. Hiking was hard. I was tired. It was boring. Like your average American, I couldn’t fathom why human beings, who had finally evolved cars and cities and fancy restaurants, would willingly spend hours on end walking through the wilderness eating Trail Mix bars only in order to finally reach their destination of…more wilderness.

But then a strange thing happened. I actually started to enjoy it! With no expectations of me other than just to walk, I was free to relax. After a certain level of initial fitness, the aches and pains faded away and I was free to focus on my thoughts and my surroundings. And my surroundings were beautiful. There was no noise and overstimulated bustle of the city, just the simplicity and peace of nature. With no competing demands on my attention, I could allow myself to experience everything around me at a pace impossible anywhere else. I think this is what meditators mean when they speak of living in the moment.

Image Credit: Flickr

Other times, with nothing but my own thoughts for company, I would make up logic puzzles or elaborate stories. Once, I was a swashbuckling pirate; another time, I was a famous doctor; another, the female equivalent of Bill Gates (what can I say, I’m a techie girl). I’d never have admitted to it — only kids played pretend — but it was fun.

Of course I’d still complain. I was, after all, a teenager on vacation with my parents. If a greater torture existed, I had not heard of it. But despite all the whining, those hikes were some of the most relaxing and mentally creative experiences of my life.

Hiking frees you in a way I haven’t ever experienced before. There is no expectation of being productive, doing work, or achieving anything. In the beginning, you don’t even have to enjoy it! There is only the trail, behind and ahead. It’s strangely calming.

I’ve always been an overachiever. In high school, I was that annoying kid you hated — the one who took 15 AP classes, got straight A’s, and had 3 extracurriculars on the side. When I got to college, I had it all planned out. I would finish undergrad in three years instead of the usual four, take a fast-track program to a masters degree by the time my fourth year was over, broken up by summers of carefully selected internships that were perfectly relevant to my chosen career.

And now, my brain is rebelling. Last summer, I did the internship thing, and don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it. But I’m in college! Some part of me wants to waste a little time and do something crazy. Something off the beaten path. Something I can tell my grandchildren about. Something that, when I finish, will leave me a completely different person than when I started.

And as trails go, the Appalachian Trail is the great grandaddy of them all. It spans over 2,000 miles and in hiking the trail, you ascend and descend 470,000 feet of elevation. That’s the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 16 times! In the early spring – late summer months, hikers experience everything between freezing, near-hypothermic cold, flooding rain, and scorching, 100+ degree heat. Of all the people who start the trail intending to finish, only about 15% actually do. In short, if you met the Appalachian Trail in elementary school, it would beat you up and take your lunch money.

Hikers who complete the Appalachian Trail know that they have done something truly unique. They learn things about their capacity for perseverance and survival they never would have dreamed, and many say that they finish the trail a completely different person than when they started. When I am done, I will know more about myself, be a stronger person, and will have enjoyed one of my favorite activities for three straight months.

So why hike the Appalachian Trail? The classic answer, beloved by mountaineers and teenage boys about to do something stupid, is “because I can.” For me, it’s because I have to.

Welcome to my hiking blog!

So originally I wrote a different first post, one that, at the time, I felt was thoughtful and introspective, while at the same time being quirky and entertaining, all qualities I would like to convey. And then I re-read the post the next day, realized it was none of those things, and promptly deleted it. It turns out this blogging thing is harder than I expected.

So here goes take two.

This summer, from May 18 to August 18, 2009, I plan to hike the Appalachian Trail. I’ll start at Springer Mountain, Georgia, and finish in New York City. That’s about 1300 miles*. It’s also 92 days of hiking. 92 days of walking 15+ miles a day, up and down mountains, sleeping outside, living entirely off of what I can carry on my back. Well, what I and my boyfriend can carry – he’s coming too.

Obviously such an endeavor takes quite a bit of preparation. There’s food, gear, and restocking points, not to mention the physical and mental training. 

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle that journey. I’ll discuss how we’re planning for the trip, why we’re doing it, and what we’re learning along the way.

I live in Dallas and will be hitting every local hiking trail I can find to train, so if you’re nearby you might be interested in my reviews of local parks and trails. If you’re a fellow hiker, I hope to give you some useful info. If you’re not, perhaps I can convince you to lace up your boots and hit the trail!

*Note: The full trail is over 2000 miles, but we probably won’t be able to finish it in our school-enforced 3 month time limit. We’re trying to get as far as possible though!