Hey everybody! Sorry I’ve
been MIA for a little while – I’ve been kind of busy getting my life in order
before March 16th…and by that I mean I’ve taken two trips down to my
college town to get drunk with my friends.
Well, that’s not the only reason I went.
I’ve actually been procrastinating moving out of my college house since
I graduated this past December. Oops! I sure am going to miss that house. It’s been my home for the past 3 ½ years. It truly is amazing how much crap one can
accumulate in that amount of time. Let’s
just say I was quite settled in there.
And then I had to take all my stuff from college and cram it into my
childhood bedroom! That was quite a
task. This consolidation process made me
realize that I’m a bit of a hoarder. I felt
even worse about myself when I compared all these possessions to the tiny
little rucksack I will be taking along with me on my AT adventure. Perspective.
It’s happening already and I haven’t even started hiking yet. Anyways! I’m rambling on while I have promises to keep!
You guys don’t care what I’ve been
doing, you care about the AT. Listed
below are some of the most common questions I have been asked about my trip:
What is the Appalachian Trail (AT)?
One day
I was telling a fellow engineering student about my plans after graduation and
he had no idea what the Appalachian Trail even was! Get out from behind your computer, bro. But then I realized that if you don’t like hiking,
or you live in one of the 36 states that the AT doesn't touch, you may have never
heard of it. Well, the AT is a very well
marked footpath that leads from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katadhin,
Maine. The length of the trail varies
from year to year, but hangs around the 2,175 mile mark. This year, the official trail length is 2,185
miles.
How long will the trip take?
How many miles will you walk per day?
Just
ball parking it, I’m going to guess around 6 months –hopefully a little
less. The amount of miles we put in per
day really depends on the terrain of the area.
I’m not going to be walking nearly as fast in the White Mountains of New
Hampshire as I will be in the rolling cow pastures of Virginia. That isn’t a very satisfying answer though,
so here: 2185mi/180days = 12.14 mi/day. Boom.
No need to check da math. I’m an
engineer.
How much will the trip cost?
It
really depends on the person and how much time you spend at hotels and
restaurants. The typical range is
between 3,000 – 5,000 dollars. I hope to
end up around $4,000.
What all are you taking with you?
That is
a question I will answer extensively in my gear list post. I can tell you that my gear (everyone’s gear
really) breaks down in to 3 categories: sleeping, cooking, and clothes. My base weight (the weight of all my gear
minus the weight of food, water, and stove fuel) is 17 pounds. With 6 days of food, my fully loaded pack
will be around 35 lbs.
No, I do
not know edible plants of the east coast of the United States. No, I am not going to learn them. I’m not
Bear Grylls and this is not Man vs
Wild. There are two main ways
thru-hikers acquire food. The first way
is by getting prepackaged food boxes shipped to you. This way is nice because you can dehydrate
and prepare your own meals. However, it is very difficult to map out your
entire trip before you go. Your food
intake may change. You may have
overestimated how fast you would be walking.
You may have grown sick of all the food you thought you liked 4 months
ago. Plus, you have to pay to ship all
these packages to yourself. The second
way is by shopping at grocery stores as you go.
In my opinion, the second method is the best option. I’m choosing this method because it doesn't take as much planning and allows for much more flexibility. As an added bonus, I don’t have to burden
anyone by asking them to mail me packages every 5-7 days for 6 months.
What kind of food will you eat?
The
most calorie packed foods with the lowest possible weight. ..so basically, a bunch
of junk food. A typical day on the trail
would consist of oatmeal and pop tarts for breakfast, peanut butter wraps for
lunch, and Lipton instant pasta for dinner.
Throw in a ton of trail mix, snicker bars, and Gatorade powder and you've basically got it. I’ll interchange some nutella
and couscous for variety. My time in
town is a different story. Although I am
sure most times I will pick quantity over quality (all you can eat buffets for the win!), I still have to try and fuel
my body. I am going to do my best to
consume as many fruits and leafy vegetables as I can while I can.
How much food will you carry?
A good
rule of thumb is to carry 1.5-2 lbs of food per day. Past 2 pounds, it becomes a vicious circle.
The more weight you carry, the more calories you burn > the more calories you burn,
the more food you need > the more food you need, the more weight you carry.
Yes, I am EXTREMELY worried about weight loss on this trip. In all my research, it seems most thru hikers
lose between 15 to 30 pounds. If you
know me at all, you know that I do not have 15 to 30 pounds of weight to
lose. Should be interesting.
How are you getting back?
I
honestly don’t know. Turn around and
walk? Hope not.
Well, that’s a ton of reading for you, so until next time!
Kent
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