Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail: A Complete Guide: Location Independent Series (Travel), #1

By Jeff Blum

Second Edition (2023): More advice and tips; Paperback finally available.

 

You may have read that only 25% successfully finish a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. There is no foolproof way to make sure you will succeed where others fail but this book can help improve the odds.

 

Author Jeff Blum was new to long-distance hiking before he successfully thru-hiked the A.T. in 2019 (he also successfully hiked the PCT in 2022). This book is his attempt to give back to the hiking community that he loves so much by organizing and presenting all of the useful things learned as part of his research for those hikes. You'll also find tips and advice from his and fellow hikers' personal experiences.

 

Blogs, forums, Facebook groups, and YouTube can be fun, informative, and inspirational sources for your pre-hike preparation, but the information you glean will be spotty at best and wrong or even dangerous at worst. This book, in contrast, can serve as your one-source, complete guide for hiking the Appalachian Trail or any other long-distance hike. Topics covered include:

 

• Details of the trail (history, overview and stats, weather, direction and timing, navigation, permits, trail towns, and hiker terminology)
• Pre-hike preparation (at-home support, budget, motivation and other mental considerations, transportation, fitness and training, mobile and satellite service, and a full pre-hike checklist)
• An objective guide to all the gear you may or may not need, including weight considerations, how to choose between so many available options, and everything you need to know about keeping your electronics charged on trail
• How to pack, protect, and fly with all that gear you are bringing
• Everything you need to know about food (how much you need, how to resupply, how to organize, recipes, and nutrition basics)
• On-trail tips and advice, including: planning and conditions assessment, how to choose a good campsite, how to protect your food, common trail hazards and safety advice, Leave No Trace (LNT) principles, hiking etiquette, hitchhiking, making fires, social considerations, and popular towns
• Health and hygiene tips (including for female hikers)
• A detailed look at the importance of layering your clothing
• Advice for after your hike is over
• Tips for international hikers
• A detailed look at the author's 2019 hike, including hiking statistics and budget breakdown
• Spreadsheets to help track your own hiking stats, resupply with good nutritional balance, improve your daily planning
• Other useful online resources, including a long list of popular YouTube videos and trail-related books

 

And much more. Even experienced long-distance hikers will find some new and helpful information in this book!

 

Thru-Hiking The Appalachian Trail is a great place to start your preparation for an epic long-distance hike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Blum
• Release date: Feb 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215588079

Book preview

Table of Contents

QR Codes

Resources Referenced in this Book

Useful Appalachian Trail Resources

Long-Distance Hiking Resources

Appalachian Trail Points of Interest and Planning Tool

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Tracking Info Tool

Long-Distance Hiking Resupply Tool

Hiking and Nature Quotations

Popular Large and Cottage Gear Companies

Introduction

Part I: Understanding the Appalachian Trail

Overview

The Triple Crown

Personal Reasons and Opportunity

Trail Difficulty

Crowds and Social Opportunities

Dangers

Weather

Hiking Season

Gear

Logistics, Services, and Permits

Resupply

Beauty

Water Sources

Dogs

Campfires

Completing the Trail

Costs

Appalachian Trail History

Appalachian Trail Tidbits

Is the A.T. Really a Wilderness Experience?

Navigation (Blazes)

Permits, Trail Fees, and Registration

Trail Angels and Trail Magic

Sleep Options (Camping and Lodging)

Cowboy Camping

Camping

Hostels, Hotels, or Private Rentals

Shelters

Staying with friends or trail angels

Trail Towns

How Can I Reach Out to Past Thru-Hikers?

The Bubble

Hiker Statistics

Demographics

Average Number of Days to Hike Each Section

Pack Weights

Pace and Distance

Trail Completion

A.T. and Hiking Terminology

Part II: Pre-Hike Preparation

At-home Support

Boy Scouts Field Manual

Budget

Do You Really Want to Do This?

Direction and Timing

NOBO

SOBO

Flip-Flop

Documenting Your Hike

Family & Friends

Fears and Expectations

Gear

Hiking Solo, with a Partner, or in a Group?

Starting Solo and/or Finding a Partner

Starting with a Partner or Group

Hiking With Dogs

How Much Should I Plan My Hike?

Knots

Medical Insurance

Mental Fitness and Attitude

Mobile Phone Service and Satellite Messengers

Navigation

Physical Fitness

Questions to Ask and Answer

Before You Go and On-Trail Questions

At Home Questions

After Finishing Questions

Trail Confidence

Transportation | Getting to Springer, Baxter

Weather

South

Mid-Atlantic

North

Charts

Pre-Hike Checklist

Home and Work

Bills & Finances

Gear

Miscellaneous

Health

Physical Training, Trail Planning & Skill Building

Electronics and Entertainment

Part III: Gear

Buying Your Gear – Things to Consider

Thoughts on Weight

Choose Your Own Gear (CYOG)

List Your Gear

Weigh Your Gear

Popular Gear Companies

Saving Money

Seasons

Flying With Your Backpack and Gear

Checking Your Pack vs Carrying It on the Plane

Security Considerations

Packing Tips

Managing Gear Along the Way

Big 3

Backpack (Pack)

Shelter

Sleep

Camp Towel

Clothing

How Much to Bring?

Color

Material

Layering

Rain Gear

Headwear

Shirts

Shorts vs. Pants

Underwear

Footwear

Socks and Sock Liners

Insoles

Shoes

Gaiters

Camp Shoes

Electronics

Satellite (GPS) Devices

Headlamp

Music

Recharging Your Devices on Trail (Power Bank)

Trekking Pole Selfie Stick

First Aid Kit

Food Gear

To Cook or Not to Cook?

Cooking Gear

Hiking (Trekking) Poles

Organizing Your Gear: Dry Bags, Stuff Sacks, Ziplocs

Pockets or Waist Bag

Repair Kit

Ropes | Cords | Line

Sit Pad

Toiletries and Hygiene

Backwoods Bidet

Trowel

Water-Related Gear

Treatment Options

Filter vs. Chemical Treatment

Carrying Water

Part IV: Food | Resupplying

How Much Food?

Nutrition Basics

Carbohydrates

Fats

Protein

Vitamins

Minerals

Hyponatremia

What’s a Good Mix?

Calculating Nutrition Percentages

Supplements

What to Eat?

Cold Soaking

How to Get Food

Resupply in Town

Mail Drops

Bounce Boxes (Bump Boxes)

Commercial Resupply Services

Food Drops

Resupply Tips

Packing/Organizing Your Food

Recipes or Food Options to Consider

Part V: On the Trail

Planning & Conditions Assessment

Choosing a Good Campsite (Site Selection)

Hanging Your Bear Bag

Hazards

Accidents, Injuries, and Illness

Animals, Snakes, Rodents, Insects

Heat Illness

Precipitation and Thunderstorms

Poisonous Plants

Rivers

Health & Hygiene

Blisters

Chafing

Cramps

Hydration

Morton’s Neuroma

Norovirus

Pooping in the Woods

Showers

Stretching

Swollen Hands

Ticks

Wet Feet and Maceration

Extra Health & Hygiene Tips

Hiking Etiquette

Hiking Speed

Hitchhiking

Leave No Trace

Making Fires

Surface Area Is Crucial

Building a Great Fire

Four Fuel Levels

Ignition Source

Tinder

Kindling

Fuel Wood

Light the Fire

Attend to the Fire

Putting the Fire Out

Meeting Friends or Family to Hike Together

Popular Zero Day Locations

On-Trail Tips

Camp Tips

Tips for Connecting with Other Hikers

Ritual Activities

FarOut Tips

Food Tips

Gear Tips

Hiking Tips

Miscellaneous Tips

Packing Tips

River Crossing Tips

Safety Tips

Town | Resupply | Hostel Tips

Trail Tips

Water Tips

Wet Weather Tips

Part VI: After the Trail

Appendix I: A.T. and Hiking Terminology

Appendix II: Resources

Appendix III: Analyzing My 2019 Thru-Hike — Expenses and Statistics

Key Statistics

Totals

Distance Details

Days and Pace per State Breakdown

Days by Sleeping Arrangement

Elevation Profile Details

Miscellaneous

Budget & Expenses Summary

Total Expenses

Gear

On-Trail Expenses

Summary

Appendix IV: International Hikers

Gear

Resupply

Visa

Mobile Phone Service

Carrier Issues

CDMA vs. GSM

Phone Issues

Service Providers and Plans

Plug Standard

Imperial vs. Metric Measurements

Temperature

Lengths

Liquids

Weights

About the Author

Endnotes

Thru-Hiking the

Appalachian Trail:

A Complete Guide

AT logo

Jeff Blum

Copyright

Copyright © 2020 by Jeff Blum

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

This publication is designed to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering professional services. While the author has used his best efforts in preparing this book, he makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Furthermore, the author has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party websites referred to in this book and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The author and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

Book Cover by Getcovers

Second Edition, 2023

For more hiking content, visit the author’s blog at lengthytravel.com

For more details of this and other books by the author, visit liseries.com/at/

QR Codes

I have created some online resources that might help with your thru-hike planning. While I link to them where relevant in the main text, here are some QR codes that you can scan with your mobile phone to make things easier.

Resources Referenced in this Book

Throughout the book I reference some online resources. I have created a webpage with a list of them all so you can more easily access them. Visit bit.ly/3X3braK or scan the QR code below.

External Resources QR Code

Useful Appalachian Trail Resources

This is a collection of useful online resources specific to the Appalachian Trail. Some I specifically reference in the book and many more I do not. Visit bit.ly/40w3UnC or scan the QR code below.

A.T. Resources QR Code

Long-Distance Hiking Resources

This is a more general collection of useful online resources for long-distance hiking. Visit bit.ly/3JBC2sp or scan the QR code below.

Hiking Resources QR Code

Appalachian Trail Points of Interest and Planning Tool

This is a Google spreadsheet I created, which aggregates different data sources I have come across in my research. I have tried to make all of the disparate but useful information available in one place. I have also done extensive work to manually update a lot of the information that was a bit outdated. The goal is not to replace the fantastic guides and apps that already exist, but rather to offer a different format for viewing existing as well as new information. Visit bit.ly/3Y1b0yt or scan the QR code below.

AT POI QR Code

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Tracking Info Tool

This is a Google spreadsheet that I created to help you easily track your progress and your expenses. Just enter a few fields of information each night in camp and at the end you will have a lot of interesting statistics available to summarize your hike (they are automatically calculated so you don’t need to do any extra work). Visit bit.ly/3JGOF5E or scan the QR code below to make a copy of the tool for your own use, and for an idea of what statistics are generated, check out the summary of my thru-hike in Appendix III.

Tracking Tool QR Code

Long-Distance Hiking Resupply Tool

This blog post discusses—and links to—the Long Distance Hiking Food Resupply Tool, a free, public Google Sheets spreadsheet¹ I created to help hikers more easily plan resupplies. It includes more than 1,300 common backpacker food options (including popular freeze-dried meals) with associated nutrition information. Visit bit.ly/3j0HIBr or scan the QR code below.

Resupply Tool QR Code

Hiking and Nature Quotations

This is a collection of quotations specific to the A.T. and PCT, as well as general hiking and nature quotations. Visit bit.ly/3jrh3Or or scan the QR code below.

Hiking Quotations QR Code

Popular Large and Cottage Gear Companies

Here is a list of well-regarded hiking gear companies. It is far from exhaustive and I am sure I have left out some good brands, but it is a good place to start if you are new to long-distance hiking and are feeling a bit overwhelmed. Visit bit.ly/3HuZapT or scan the QR code below.

Gear Companies QR Code

Introduction

Are you planning to hike the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) but are new to overnight or long-distance hiking? If so, there is a lot to learn before you select gear and hit the trail. I know, because that is the situation I was facing in December 2018 when I decided to thru-hike the A.T. starting in April 2019. Since I had very little experience with multi-day hikes or camping, I did what anyone would do and started researching online. I also reached out to a friend that had recently completed a thru-hike, and joined several A.T. groups and forums.

In this book you will find everything I learned from my pre-hike and post-hike research, conversations with other hikers and my own personal experience successfully thru-hiking (I summited Mount Katahdin on August 24, 2019 and I hiked the PCT in 2022). Throughout the book I reference relevant external resources and provide their website URLs via endnotes, which you can find at the back of the book or via link if reading the e-Book version. I list the original URL as well as a bit.ly shortened URL to make typing easier or you can click through from the same list I have made available on my liseries.com site. If you skipped past it, I have also provided scannable QR codes for some useful resources I created myself.

I admit that you won’t find many secrets here that you cannot find for free on YouTube, blogs, forums, and Facebook groups. But, that’s exactly the problem—the good information online is scattered and since you don’t know exactly what you need to know, finding it is a game of chance and requires a lot of wasted time and effort. My goal is to provide a one-source, complete guide, so that you won’t waste so much time getting prepared.

Finally, note that although this guide may prove useful to any thru-hiker, it is biased toward northbound (NOBO) hikers. If you are southbound (SOBO) or a flip-flopper you may want to check out additional resources, for example The Sobo’s Guide to Baxter and Katahdin.²

Part I: Understanding the Appalachian Trail

Overview

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail,³ generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the Eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail is about 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) long, though the exact length changes over time as parts are modified or rerouted. It is described as the longest hiking-only trail in the world and more than three million people are said to take a hike on part of the trail at least once each year.

The idea of the Appalachian Trail came about in 1921. The trail itself was completed in 1937 after more than a decade of work, although improvements and changes continue. It is maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships, and managed by the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC).⁴ Most of the trail is in forest or wildlands, although some portions traverse towns, roads and farms. It passes through 14 states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

An extension known as the International Appalachian Trail⁵ continues northeast, crossing Maine and cutting through Canada into Newfoundland, with sections continuing into Greenland, through Europe, and into Morocco. Other separate extensions continue beyond the southern end of the Appalachian range in Alabama into Florida, creating what is known as the Eastern Continental Trail.⁶

The 8.8-mile (14.2 km) Appalachian Approach Trail begins at Amicalola Falls State Park’s visitor center and ends at Springer Mountain. Because Springer Mountain is in a remote area, the Approach Trail is often the beginning of northbound thru-hike attempts. Much of the Approach Trail was originally built as part of the Appalachian Trail, before the southern terminus was relocated from Mount Oglethorpe to Springer Mountain.

For 2023, the A.T. is 2,198.4 miles (3,538 km) long. That number varies slightly from year to year as the trail is actively maintained, including reroutes, the addition of switchbacks, and other attempts to preserve the trail and contend with mother nature. For reference, the trail was 2,167 miles long in 2001.

The general consensus is that the northern part of the trail is the hardest, making a southbound hike the most difficult option. Flip-flopping is the easiest because the middle section is relatively flatter and easier hiking, making it a good place to develop your trail legs. Northbound is a bit rough at first, but by the time you hit the harder north you are in great shape to handle it.

During the first 109-mile section between Springer Mountain, GA and Franklin, NC you will climb 29,760 feet and descend 29,840 feet, which is the equivalent of Mt. Everest in terms of altitude. By the end, you will have climbed 513,435 feet (156,535 meters) and descended 511,875 feet (156,059 meters), which is equivalent to hiking up and down Mt. Everest 16 times.

The Triple Crown

The Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail,⁷ and the Pacific Crest Trail⁸ form what is known as the Triple Crown of Hiking⁹ in the United States.

Not many people thru-hike the full triple crown and if you’re new to thru-hiking, doing so is probably far from your mind at the moment (though many first-time thru-hikers get the bug and decide to eventually hike all three). Still, even triple crowners started somewhere and you may be wondering if the A.T. is the right trail to choose as your first thru-hike.

For multiple reasons, the CDT is widely considered the most difficult of the three trails and thus is usually the last one attempted. There is less consensus about a preferred order for the A.T. and the PCT, though anecdotally most start with the former and then move on to the latter (as I did). Thus, the more common or relevant question is whether to hike the PCT or the A.T. first. To help with that decision, let’s look at some differences between the two.

Personal Reasons and Opportunity

Some people have had a years-long desire to hike the A.T. or the PCT. That desire may be driven by growing up near the trail, having friends or family that thru-hiked, or even from reading one or more books about the trails. If thru-hiking the A.T. is a long-term goal of yours, the rest of reasons to choose one over the other are probably not going to sway your decision and that’s just fine.

In addition to—or in conjunction with—this, ask yourself if this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you or if you think you may be able to do one or more thru-hikes in the future. If this is your only shot, choose the one that appeals to you the most regardless of the other issues identified below.

Trail Difficulty

The A.T. is often said to be the most difficult of the triple crown hikes because unlike the other two, it wasn’t graded for pack animals and thus includes steeper climbs and descents. In fact, mile for mile, the A.T. gains (and loses) nearly twice the vertical footage of the other triple crown trails (per the National Geographic,¹⁰ on average the A.T. gains and loses 218 feet per mile versus 118 feet for the PCT and 120 for the CDT). Note, however, that although the PCT has gentler grading, you will need to hike more miles per day because it is a longer trail.

The A.T. is also a more difficult trail in terms of tread. Far more of your A.T. miles will be spent hiking on rough rocks and roots than will be the case on the PCT.

The A.T. is also a lower elevation trail. In fact, if looking at the highest 40- to 50-mile (64- to 80-kilometer) stretches of each trail (once again courtesy of National Geographic¹¹), the A.T. averages just 5,500 feet compared to 10,750 for the PCT (and 11,500 for the CDT). Whether that represents a significant difference in difficulty is debatable, especially considering the steepness numbers just referenced, but it is worth noting.

Crowds and Social Opportunities

Both the A.T. and the PCT are popular trails so chances for social connection is equally high and thus not a real differentiating factor. On the other hand, the A.T has more first-time thru-hikers so if that’s the boat you are in, you will meet many others just like yourself. Alternatively, if you prefer to meet and learn from more experienced hikers, the PCT is perhaps a better option. Having said that, there are plenty of beginners on the PCT as well.

Dangers

Though there are some river fords in the northern part of the A.T., there are far more (and more dangerous) rivers to cross on the PCT.

The A.T. has some precipitous drops to worry about, but generally far fewer than you will encounter on the PCT.

Winter conditions on the PCT are scarier than on the A.T. since hikers can face avalanches, dangerous snow traverses and sketchy high-water crossings.

The PCT has far more dangerous snakes, especially along the desert section. There are also potentially dangerous mountain lions on the PCT.

The A.T. probably presents bigger risks for poisonous plants, especially as it has lower elevations and more trees but the poodle dog bush in the desert section of the PCT is also something to watch out for.

Norovirus is something to avoid on both trails, but seems to be more prevalent on the A.T. every year.

Finally, the A.T. has a big problem with ticks and Lyme disease that you generally don’t have to worry about on the PCT.

Weather

The weather for each trail will naturally depend on when you choose to hike, but for typical NOBO hikes, the PCT starts off with bigger temperature extremes (very hot during the day and very cold at night). On the other hand, the A.T. is a notoriously rainy trail whereas the PCT is usually dry. Rain aside, most of the PCT is dry whereas most of the A.T. is humid. Except for early start dates, the A.T. is generally snow free or has little accumulation to worry about whereas many parts of the PCT may experience significant snow accumulation during the hiking season.

Hiking Season

The hiking season for the A.T. is longer than it is for the PCT. This is mostly due to weather as various PCT sections will be covered with snow and/or ice early in the season (each year differs, but typically late September to mid-June in the Sierra and from late September to late July in Washington). In fact, PCT NOBO thru-hike permits are only issued for March, April and May start dates. In contrast, the A.T. hiking season is really only limited by the climbing season for Mount Katahdin (typically early June to the middle of October). You certainly wouldn’t be safe hiking in the northern states during the winter, but even so you have more flexibility to find a schedule that accommodates those concerns. Most hikers will still complete either trail in under six months, but slower A.T. hikers (or those who are just having too much fun in towns) can relax more.

Northbound hikers are the predominant choice for both trails. For the A.T., a southbound hike can’t generally start at Katahdin until June. For a PCT southbound hike, snows in Washington don’t generally allow comfortable or safe hiking until sometime in July.

Gear

You can generally get by with the same gear for both the A.T. and the PCT, with some notable exceptions. First, if you use a hammock, that will be challenging for the desert section of the PCT. Second, unless you start early, you probably won’t need microspikes or an ice axe for the A.T., whereas you likely will need one or both for the Sierra section of the PCT. Finally, though a bear canister is recommended for both hikes, you can get by without one on the A.T. whereas you must have one in the Sierra (and part of northern California) on the PCT.

Logistics, Services, and Permits

The A.T. requires three permits whereas the PCT only requires one, but the A.T. permits are easier to obtain as there is no numerical limit (technically there is a limit for Mount Katahdin but practically it never is an issue). In fact, you can apply for all A.T. permits from the trail. The single thru-hiker permit for the PCT, on the other hand, is limited to 50 per day and you must deal with a stressful lottery process to obtain one (though you can hike the entire trail with permits from each individual area that requires one if you are unable to secure a thru-hiker permit).

In terms of logistics, the FarOut app¹² is the undisputed king of planning tools for both trails so neither has an advantage in route planning. Likewise, both trails have many trail angels that are available to help support your hike and hitchhiking is generally easy for both, though perhaps a bit easier along the A.T., where locals seeing thru-hikers is a more established phenomenon and hitches tend to be for shorter distances.

The A.T. also has an edge in the number and frequency of hostels, shuttle drivers, gear stores, and other services (e.g., slackpacking).

Resupply

The A.T. is generally the easiest trail in terms of resupply, both in terms of distance between options and distance from the trail to those options, though the PCT has been improving steadily in recent years. The A.T. may be a bit easier for northbound hikers starting off hiking low miles per day but otherwise, I wouldn’t rate the differences between the A.T. and the PCT as significant enough to sway a decision of which to hike first.

Beauty

The A.T. has many PUDS (Pointless Ups and Downs), whereby you climb a mountain but don’t get any scenic payoff. That rarely happens on the PCT. And, although there are definitely plenty of beautiful spots along the A.T., most notably in New Hampshire and Maine, there are more—and more magnificent—views on the PCT. This is perhaps the biggest distinction between the two trails and if views are what you are chasing and you can only afford to do one thru-hike, the PCT should be it. On the other hand, if you plan to hike both, do the A.T. first so that you won’t feel a bit of letdown about the differences in natural beauty.

Water Sources

The PCT starts off with a long desert section where water sources can sometimes be few and far between (in fact, the very first day has a long dry stretch, with no reliable water until 20 miles in at Lake Morena). Wonderful trail angels often provide water caches, but even so, inexperienced and/or slow hikers will need to carry far more water and, therefore, heavier packs.

Dogs

Unless your dog is a service animal, hiking the PCT will be difficult to impossible. In contrast, except for the Smokies and Baxter State Park, you won’t find many restrictions against hiking with a dog on the A.T.

Campfires

Due to the dry conditions found on the PCT, campfires are limited or prohibited in many areas. If you really enjoy camping with a fire, the A.T. is the better option.

Completing the Trail

The A.T. rarely has significant trail closures or reroutes, whereas fire closures are a very common occurrence on the PCT these days, often causing hikers to skip hundreds of miles. If one of your goals is a continuous footpath thru-hike, the A.T. is more likely to accommodate.

Costs

How much you spend on each trail will depend on your hiking style and pace. I don’t think the differences are enough to make this a deciding factor, but there are fewer hiker hostels along the PCT and there are probably more small, expensive resupply stops on the PCT.

Appalachian Trail History

The trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye, a forester who wrote his original plan—called An Appalachian Trail, A Project in Regional Planning—shortly after the death of his wife in 1921. MacKaye’s idea detailed a grand trail¹³ that would connect a series of farms and wilderness work/study camps for city-dwellers along the Appalachian Mountains from the highest point in the North (Mt. Washington in New Hampshire) to the highest in the South (Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina). Hiking was an incidental focus of his plan. In 1922, at the suggestion of Major William A. Welch, director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, his idea was publicized by Raymond H. Torrey with a story in the New York Evening Post under a full-page banner headline reading A Great Trail from Maine to Georgia!

On October 7, 1923, the first section of the trail, from Bear Mountain west through Harriman State Park to Arden, New York, was opened. MacKaye then called for a two-day Appalachian Trail conference to be held in March 1925 in Washington, D.C. This meeting inspired the formation of the Appalachian Trail Conference (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy¹⁴ or ATC).

A retired judge named Arthur Perkins and his younger associate Myron Avery took up the cause. In 1929, Perkins, who was also a member of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and its Blue Blazed Trails committee, found Ned Anderson, a farmer in Sherman, Connecticut, who took on the task of mapping and blazing the Connecticut leg of the trail (1929–1933). It ran from Dog Tail Corners in Webatuck, New York, which borders Kent, Connecticut, at Ashley Falls, 50 miles (80 km) through the northwest corner of the state, up to Bear Mountain at the Massachusetts border. (A portion of the Connecticut trail has since been rerouted (1979–1983) to be more scenic, adhering less to highways and more to wilderness.)

Anderson’s efforts helped spark renewed interest in the trail, and Avery (who led the charge after Perkins’ death in 1932) was able to bring other states on board. Upon taking over the ATC, Avery adopted the more practical goal of building a simple hiking trail. He and MacKaye clashed over the ATC’s response to a major commercial development along the trail’s path, which was a road development that overlapped with the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park. MacKaye left the organization, but Avery was willing to simply reroute the trail. Avery served as Chair of the ATC from 1932 to 1952, the year he died.

Avery became the first to walk the trail end-to-end, though not as a thru-hike, in 1936. In August 1937, the trail was completed to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, and the ATC shifted its focus toward protecting the trail lands and mapping the trail for hikers.

Paul M. Fink was honored in 1977 by the Appalachian Trail Conference as the guiding influence in establishing the Trail in Tennessee and North Carolina in the 1920s. Fink was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame in 2019. In 1922, only a year after Benton MacKaye’s famous article proposing an Appalachian Trail was written, Fink began corresponding with hiking leaders in New England about building the Trail. When Myron Avery began planning the route of the A.T. in the south, Fink was the first person he contacted.

Many of the trail’s present highlights were not part of the trail in 1937: Roan Mountain, North Carolina and Tennessee; the Mount Rogers high country, including Grayson Highlands, Virginia; the Pochuck Creek swamp, New Jersey; Nuclear Lake, New York; Thundering Falls, Vermont; and Saddleback Mountain, Maine. Except for places where the Civilian Conservation Corps was brought in (mostly in Shenandoah National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Maine), the original trail often climbed straight up and down mountains, creating rough hiking conditions and a treadway prone to severe erosion. The ATC’s trail crews and volunteer trail-maintenance clubs have relocated or rehabilitated miles of trail since that time.

In 1936, six Boy Scouts from New York City completed a 121-day thru-hike from Maine to Georgia, sponsored and supported by a group of veterans, who used their WWI bonuses to help the boys, ages 15-17. Their thru-hike was recorded and accepted much later by the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association.

In 1938, the trail sustained major damage from a hurricane that went through the New England area. This happened right before the start of World War II and many of the people working on the trail were called to active duty.

In 1948, Earl Shaffer of York, Pennsylvania, brought a great deal of attention to the project by publicizing the first claimed thru-hike, a journey from Georgia to Maine. The claim was later criticized for the hike’s omission of significant portions due to short-cuts and car rides. Shaffer later claimed the first north-to-south thru-hike, becoming the first to claim to do so in each direction. Chester Dziengielewski was later named the first southbound thru-hiker. In 1998, 79-year-old Shaffer again hiked the trail, making him the oldest person to claim a completed thru-hike. The first woman to walk the trail in a single season was Peace Pilgrim in 1952, while the first solo woman to complete the hike was 67-year-old Emma Gatewood, who completed the northbound trek in 1955, taking 146 days. She repeated the achievement two years later.

In the 1960s, the ATC made progress toward protecting the trail from development, thanks to efforts of politicians and officials. The National Trails System Act of 1968 designated the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail as the first national scenic trails and paved the way for a series of National Scenic Trails within the National Park and National Forest systems. Trail volunteers worked with the National Park Service to map a permanent route for the trail, and by 1971, a permanent route had been marked (though minor changes continue to this day). By the close of the 20th century, the Park Service had completed the purchase of all