At the trailhead of the Appalachian Trail’s 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine, a sign stands informing all how the 100 Mile Wilderness is so named due to the nearest town being 100 miles south. Hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness is a challenge, and backpackers are explicitly told to turn back unless fully outfitted – including […]
Hot Springs, NC to Springer Mountain, GA – The Big Finish on the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Days 147-165
Location: Hot Springs NC to Springer Mountain GA My journal entry on November 7th was my last written on the Appalachia Trial. I did not record the daily events of my last 17 days on the trail. As disappointed as I am in myself for quitting my writing habit, the negligence is indicative of the […]
Bitter Cold and Starving Dogs in the Woods – Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Day 147
Location: Unknown Shelter, TN I left Uncle Johnny’s this morning around 9:45. I found some cereal and powdered milk in the hiker box and decided I would have it for breakfast. I considered waiting for the coffee shop to open at 10:00, but I decided that I better leave because a cup of coffee would […]
Should You Carry a Gun on the Appalachian Trail?
For Americans, gun rights and gun control debates are often at the center of our most intense political debates. As well, there is always some hiker asking the question or whether or not they should carry a gun while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Let me first tell you my stand on guns. I own several […]
White, Blue, and other Blazes of the Appalachian Trail
The members of the Appalachian Trail community, including hikers, townspeople, and trail maintainers, share some unique vocabulary specific to the features and nature of the Appalachian Trail. They even have weird but often meaningful names for one other, called trail names. Up and down the roughly 2,170 miles of Appalachian Trail, you will see White […]
Murder on the Appalachian Trail
Murders involving the Appalachian Trail (AT) are super rare. In fact, the handful of murders on the Appalachian Trail is extremely low relative to the number of millions of people that hike the trail each year. When I thru-hiked, murder and violence were not something I really worried about when planning the trip. I worried even […]
A Night at Uncle Johnny’s in Erwin TN – Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Day 146
Location: Uncle Johnny’s Hostel (Erwin, TN) Mom dropped me off this morning at the trailhead for the last time. I carried a full pack again, and started south, only a few hundred miles from Springer Mountain. I moved slowly but steadily down the trail. My slack-packs and zero day made me sluggish, but I made […]
5 Dangers that Could Kill You Hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness
This sign is at the beginning of the 100 Mile Wilderness, the notorious one hundred mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail from Monson, Maine to Katahdin: Of the 2,000+ plus miles of the Appalachian Trail, this may be the most ominous sign, aside from perhaps the warning message scribbled hastily on paper and affixed to […]
Slackpacking from Carver’s Gap to Hwy 19E – Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Day 145
Location: Beech Mountain, NC I took yesterday off to spend with family. I said goodbye to Chris, Sarah, Liza, and Winn this morning. They had come to Beech for the weekend, and they would return to Durham while I slack-packed today. Mom drove me to Carver’s Gap where I started my slack-pack towards 19E. I […]
Relaxing at Beech Mountain Before the Last Sprint to Springer – Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Day 144
Location: Beech Mountain, NC I left the hostel this morning after paying the caretaker five dollars for letting me stay. It was every bit of 18̊F outside. I said goodbye to the brother and headed out on the trail. The morning was clear, but the forest and trail were frozen. I can feel the frozen […]
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