Calling all AT thru hikers...

[chinooktrail]

I need some help with book selections for my hiking buddy.

My friend Nate just turned 17 on Sunday. He is a Junior in HS and wants to take a year off between HS and College to hike the AT among other things.

He is doing this with full support from his parents.

His folks arent big hikers, so they asked me what books would be best to get him for AT information. He has been to one planning session through the AMC already.

He is a great kid, and I believe he has the right hiking philosophy.
A few weeks back we were hiking the Fire Wardens Trail to Hale. It was getting late and we had a turnaround time which was getting close. We knew we would not reach the summit but he stopped in the trail and said 'You know what Tine, even if we don't make it to the summit, this is a great hike!' How can you not love that?!

So if you have any suggestions for what books he should be reading to inform himself, or even gear that you think would be really nifty or handy, let me know and I shall pass it on to his folks.

Thanks!

 

[peakbagger]

You are probably aware of whiteblaze.com for a source of everything AT. It may take some searching but practically everybook about AT hiking has been reviewed there (with some decidedly interesting opinions). Realistically the free to download "peer reviewed" articles cover about everything he would want to know, so buying a book or two is mostly for him to tie into the adventure. The walking with spring DVD is regarded as a nice view. Not much of a read, but a very good resource is the ALDHA Companion, but its better waiting until the year of his thruhike for an up to date version (it may be downloadable fromt he ALDHA site). A membership to ATC gets, him a big discount on all the maps and guides once a year and the savings pay for the membership.

If he doesnt have a Tikka headlamp, they are just about the standard. I would have his parents hold off on most of the equipment, as the odds of getting the "right" thing is low, as the "right thing" tends to vary every year based on what worked out well on the trail the most recent season.

 

[RoySwkr]

My sister once answered a request for information on hiking the AT, and the woman didn't want to know about campsites, equipment, etc. - she wanted to know "Did it change your life?"

Of course many hikers only get the time to hike the whole trail at a time of life change, and it sounds like your friend is among them. Hence I would suggest philosophical books such as the Rodale Press 2-volume Hiking the AT which is long out of print but perhaps can be obtained from a library.

I once hiked with a teenager named Jeff Hancock who hiked the whole AT in a summer in high school, he would be mid-50s now and his family had a cottage on Bear Notch Road. If he's still around he might be worth talking to.

 

[Tom Rankin]

You are probably aware of whiteblaze.com for a source of everything AT.

I was about to say http://whiteblaze.NET but either one gets you to the same place...

 

[wardsgirl]

"Beyond Backpacking" by Ray Jardine would be a good start for the young whippersnapper!

 

[chinooktrail]

Hi Roy,

Funny you would mention the 2 volume set from Rodale Press 2 Volume set, as I was handed them this morning to give to Nate from a very good friend!

I am getting more psyched about his trip than he is, and I plan on tagging along from Conneticut to Katadin!



Well, I will attempt to tag along...

 

[Papa Bear]

My favorite is Larry Luxenberg's Walking the Appalachian Trail (1994). Not a how-to or what-to-buy book, but rather a series of entertaining stories illustrating interesting and historic episodes along the trail.

My favorite is the story of Robie "Jumpstart" Hensley, who, bypassing the never ending arguments of whether hiking the approach trail to Springer is the "right" way to do it, he got a friend to fly him over and parachuted to the summit. (Unfortunately he doesn't manage to get a Helicopter to pick him up on Katahdin 5 months later.)

This sets the tone, but most stories are not that far out.

A good read, even if you don't do the hike!

As for the Jardine - a good reference, but hopefully not one to take too dogmatically. Ray's way is just one way. HYOH!

Edit: Of course - Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods is a must.

 

[Danielle]

There is a lot of good information out there on the AT. whiteblaze.net is a good site, although sometimes I have to say I find it a bit overwhelming. Before Snowman and I set out on the AT in 2005, I picked a few journals from trailjournals.com and read them. It was always interesting to see what people had to say once they were out there hiking. Contacting the ATC, or looking at their website, appalachiantrail.org, might be useful as well.

If he's interested, we kept a journal throughout our AT journey, and he can certainly read our entries at: http://snowplug.blogspot.com/search/label/AT. If he starts in the blog archive under 2005, he can read to his heart's content about our planning and our adventure. There is even a list of what we brought on the hike (of course, some of it changed as we hiked along!).

As for books, I'd recommend Model T's book "Walking on the Happy Side of Misery" as an AT book. It's pretty funny and is more "true to life" in my mind than Bryson's book about the trail. There are of course many other good books about the trail out there too!

When we were hiking in 2005, there were two young men doing something similar to what your friend is doing, hiking between high school and college. They were great kids and strong hikers. They started out as solo hikers, but as any AT hiker will tell you, you are never really alone on the trail, assuming you're hiking northbound and start in late March/early April. There are always people around if you wanted company, and the thing we enjoyed most about the trail was the people we met along the way.

Tell him happy hiking from us, and have fun joining him along the way

 

[MindlessMariachi]

trail journals

www.trailjournals.com is my favorite. It has day-by-day journals of hundreds of AT hikers going back several years.

i'm not sure there's any real way to prepare for the AT besides having the desire to do it and getting in good physical shape. When I thru-hiked I saw people with lots of outdoor experience and fancy gear get bored by the day-to-day of thru hiking and get off the trail. However, there were also people who'd never camped out a day in their lives, had old borrowed Boy Scout gear, and made it all the way to maine.

That said, doing a bunch of shorter hikes is a good way to prepare and make some intelligent gear decisions (though he should always be prepared to get rid of something that's not working out!)

 

[jniehof]

"Beyond Backpacking" by Ray Jardine would be a good start for the young whippersnapper!

"Trail Life" would be even better I'd second the grain of salt, although Ray says he's trying to be a little less dogmatic with this edition.

Throw in "Don't Die on the Mountain" while we're at it.

 

[Peaks]

Almost every year, a couple of people write books on thru-hiking the AT. Most are basically journals. Some are better than others.

If you want to read about others and their thru-hike, I'd suggest trailjournals. com.

But, that being said, Larry Luxemborg's book is one of my favorite AT books.

What backpacking experience does the 17 year old have? If he does not have any, or limited experience, then he should go out and do some weekend trips or multiple day trips first.

 

[adktyler]

There's also a really good movie I enjoyed, called Trek: A Journey on the Appalachian Trail. It won a few awards as I recall, and really provides an accurate portrayal of the joys and challenges of the trail.

 

[chinooktrail]

He has backpacking experience, I have taken him on a number of trips.

I carried him up to the Lunch Rocks in Tuckermans when he was 3 mos. old.

I've been training him as a hiking buddy for a very long time!

Thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions!

Keep them coming and I will compile a list for his folks.

 

[Early Bird]

As for books, I'd recommend Model T's book "Walking on the Happy Side of Misery" as an AT book. It's pretty funny and is more "true to life" in my mind than Bryson's book about the trail. There are of course many other good books about the trail out there too!

...you are never really alone on the trail, assuming you're hiking northbound and start in late March/early April. There are always people around if you wanted company, and the thing we enjoyed most about the trail was the people we met along the way.

I'll second Model T's Walking on the Happy Side of Misery. G\It's a great read that I agree tells a truer to life tale of trail life. Model T hiked the AT again in 2006 and wrote another book. I haven't read it though. I hiked the AT in 2005 too, and to prep I also used trailjournals.com. I would try to find other hikers who started at the same time I would be starting. (which was late February- and I was not with the crowd. In fact, I spent 2 months, from Waynesboro, VA to Hanover, NH, without seeing another northbound through hiker)
One of my favorite books was A Journey North by Adrianne Hall. I related to it because she was a female hiker who started in Feb. as well.
I also have an AT thru-hikers planning guide that I would love to give you. PM me if you'd like it for your friend.
Wish him the best. It's an awesome trip.

 

[Michelle]

Another AT '05er checking in
I agree with others, trailjournals and whiteblaze are both AT/long distance hiking info central, lots to learn......sometimes info overload, but any questions he might have, have been asked atleast 10 times over the past few years. Easy to search it.
I liked the videos mentioned (Appalachian Impressions was my favorite, while Trek was good too, I haven't seen Southbounders yet) The videos give you a real look at the terrain, the people, what they are carrying for gear and what places you will be seeing eventually along the way.

I wouldn't buy the companion until the year of his hike, just because the info does change in that book annually. The Thru-hiker's handbook is also updated annually and it is a great book. The way to go. (or atleast it was in 2005)
http://http://www.trailplace.com/hb_2009edition.html

As for gear......so many options! The lighter the better of course, he can make his own "pepsi can stove" cheap, light, it works and alcohol is everywhere. just do an online search, tons of different models out there. I made a Cobra back in 2003, carried it on the LT and then threw it in the closet for a few years and we just carried it this year on the PCT (same stove!!!) and the thing is still going strong, no epoxy needed, so easy and works great!
http://http://www.boblog.org/at/cobrastove.htm

I had the tikka back in 05, for this year's hike I ended up with a Petzl e-lite and was happy with the little thing.

Gear suggestions could go on forever, but there really is no wrong option out there, if it works for him, comfortable and not super-heavy, than it's fine. He can read trailjournals and see what other people were carrying and go from there. What you need the most is the love of the trail, the desire to be there and take in the amazing experience, the determination to keep going (if that is your plan) and the willingness to get up each day and walk again and again, etc. Someone told me once to never quit on a crappy rainy day, wait until the sun is shining and if then, you truly are not having fun, then and only then can you go home. He won't regret a minute of it, no matter how far he travels.
best of luck to him!

 

[sli74]

I haven't read the rest of the replies so this is likely redundant but here goes:

Read Whiteblaze and Trailjournals. Both these websites have more information than he will ever need and it was so exciting to read and get energized before the hike.

As far as books to carry on the trail, I LOVED the Thruhiker's Handbook, it was REALLY helpful and complete. If I had to choose one guide to carry, it would be that. Also, the Companion and Appalachian Pages were pretty popular. I also liked carrying the maps. I have a love/obsession for maps and I liked having them, they are probably not absolutely needed but for both fun and an emergency, they are good.

There are also LOTS of books by folks who have hiked parts or all the trail, my favorite for its humor was A Walk in the Woods but people on the trail have a love/hate opinion of that book.

Hope this helps. I would be happy to answer any of his questions if he has any that aren't answered but am rarely online much these days so feel free to email me or PM me.

Thruhiking was the BEST decision/risk I ever took, well second to "picking up" my husband on the trail in 2004

sli74
aka Hot Cheese GAME 08

 

[Pat T]

How about Ed Garvey?

I've not hiked the trail but truly enjoyed reading Ed Garvey's first book, "Appalachian Hiker: The Adventure of a Lifetime" (now out of print) on the AT. He wrote a couple of other books after that and worked throughout his life on AT issues.


Pat T

 

[chinooktrail]

You all are just so awesome!

I would love for him to meet up with some people who have thru hiked and listen to your tales first hand, if anyone is interested. He will not be starting until sometime in 2010.

Hum, maybe this fall I can get time off, and sneak him out of school and we could hike the Long Trail as a primer... any thoughts?

I am still compliling a list, so keep those suggestions coming!

 

[RoySwkr]

What backpacking experience does the 17 year old have? If he does not have any, or limited experience, then he should go out and do some weekend trips or multiple day trips first.

The interesting thing from reading the various AT books is that many didn't have previous backpacking experience and just learned on the way. Of course many of these people quit early because it wasn't what they expected but others who were doing this for philosophical reasons had more stick-to-it-ness than expert hikers - cf Bill Irwin who didn't quit because God wanted him to finish.

Garvey had years of experience and was an AT bureaucrat so he sees things through different eyes, such as dressing neatly to create a good image. I have a copy of his book if you can't find one locally.

 

[Snowflea]

Well Christine, we'll just have to go on a hike one of these days, and I'll talk yer ear off about the AT.

For some great ideas, try www.atctrailstore.org This time of year (until 12/22 this year), they always have the guide special for ATC members, where one can purchase all the AT guides, maps, and Data Book for 1/3 off retail: $190 vs. $280.

IMO, the guide books are not necessary. I carried the maps, Data Book, and Thru-hiker's Companion equivalent - I used Wingfoot's guide instead. Not sure if he still puts one out or not, but back in the mid 90s, his guide was superior to the Companion.

I liked Luxenberg's book as well - hey, Cruddytoes (AT '80) is even mentioned in it! There is SO much information out there on the AT nowadays that it really can get overwhelming. My advice for your friend would be to not read everything he can get his hands on and not overplan it but rather experience the Trail on his own terms and preserve some of the "mystery" and spontaneity.

Thru-hiking the AT is the single best thing I've ever done in my life!!

Stinkyfeet... previously known as Vermonster, AT '94