Sean, Cooper, and I will be thru-hiking the AT starting mid-February 2022. Thru-hiking means completing a long-distance trail from end to end in a continuous footpath. At the pace we hike, we expect the journey to take us four months. 

We will be hiking northbound (NOBO) from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Despite being in the South, we will encounter snow in Georgia in February but we are equipped to deal with it. Starting before most hikers will ensure that we don’t encounter crowds at the start in March and April when the majority of hikers begin their trek. The AT is also the most popular of the three trails and when I hiked the trail in 2018 over 4,500 people registered a thru-hike in GA (though a fraction of that finish). More than 2 million people are said to take a hike on part of the trail at least once each year.

Thru-hiking entails carrying all of your food, water and supplies between resupply points (towns or post offices where hikers replenish food and other supplies such as cooking fuel). When thru-hiking it is ideal to replenish supplies every few days and unlike the remote CDT and PCT, the community surrounding the AT is robust. While the AT cuts directly through many towns and communities, hitchhiking from a road crossing into a town to buy food and supplies is often necessary to avoid road walking dozens of unnecessary miles. 

The Appalachian Trail has a well established shelter system. Unlike the other trans-national trails, AT thru-hikers could hypothetically plan their days to end up in a shelter every night, as they are plentiful in most parts. During peak hiking season however, shelters can be impossible to find space in especially in the national parks so most hikers choose to carry a tent anyway.

The culture of the AT is more established and colorful than any of the trails in the Triple Crown. “Trail angels" (volunteers) assist hikers with food, water, and transportation to and from resupply points to trail heads. Anyone who helps a hiker is a trail angel, whether they see themselves as such or not. There are famous trail angels on the AT and trail famous hostels and hostel owners that every hiker hears about for hundreds of miles along the journey. People don’t shut up about famous trail angels and hostels until you meet them or stay there and then you become the hiker that won’t shut up about them.

Hikers along the AT must filter water and water sources are abundant along the trail in every state. Ticks are a major concern on the AT and Lyme’s Disease carrying ticks are numerous so hikers should conduct tick checks multiple times per day.