This book is an account of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, and it was written to help answer questions for those who wish to take on an A.T. thru-hike. As I was preparing for my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, I was very fortunate to have a dad who had over thirty years of hiking experience and an uncle who also had thirty years of hiking experience. I had two great resources for hiking and backpacking within my family. Yet, I realized that not everybody has that at their disposal when they are preparing for their thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I began searching for books specifically about how to prepare for an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. They all pretty much said the same thing, which wasn’t much. They would say to sit down, plan out your entire hike beforehand, and then toss that plan out the window; because you never know what’s going to happen on the Trail. All the books I found were more about the author’s experience on the Trail than about the actual preparation for the hike.
During my hike, I observed various ways that hikers had prepared, the different ways they chose to camp, and all the different ways hikers chose to go about their thru-hike. It fascinated me as I saw how everyone had their own way to hike the Trail. As thru-hikers often say: Hike your own hike. After about 1,000 miles into my thru-hike, I began to ponder a series of thoughts while sitting in camp around the fire. I would envision this inexperienced hiker walking up looking for a place to set up camp, probably on his first backpacking trip. If this supposed hiker sat down by the fire and asked me a question; for example about how to waterproof boots, the best way to purify drinking water, or the best way to set up camp in the rain…what would I tell this hiker? The more I thought about it, the more I began to think about the answers I had found from my own questions. Eventually that one thought of, “…what would I tell an inexperienced hiker?,” led to this book. By the time I completed the Appalachian Trail, this book was already written inside my head. And now, I am proud to say this book is written down on paper. If you truly have questions about preparing for an extended hike like the Appalachian Trail, I hope you find the answers to your questions within this book.
During my hike, I observed various ways that hikers had prepared, the different ways they chose to camp, and all the different ways hikers chose to go about their thru-hike. It fascinated me as I saw how everyone had their own way to hike the Trail. As thru-hikers often say: Hike your own hike. After about 1,000 miles into my thru-hike, I began to ponder a series of thoughts while sitting in camp around the fire. I would envision this inexperienced hiker walking up looking for a place to set up camp, probably on his first backpacking trip. If this supposed hiker sat down by the fire and asked me a question; for example about how to waterproof boots, the best way to purify drinking water, or the best way to set up camp in the rain…what would I tell this hiker? The more I thought about it, the more I began to think about the answers I had found from my own questions. Eventually that one thought of, “…what would I tell an inexperienced hiker?,” led to this book. By the time I completed the Appalachian Trail, this book was already written inside my head. And now, I am proud to say this book is written down on paper. If you truly have questions about preparing for an extended hike like the Appalachian Trail, I hope you find the answers to your questions within this book.
