Hiking the AT
Backpacking or hiking the Appalachian Trail is something millions have done in part, but only about 10,000
have done in whole. The 2,170 mile, "five million step" journey from Georgia to Maine or vice versa is an arduous task.
The project crosses some 240 mountains (plus or minus), 14 states, terrain from grasslands to forests to mountain
tops to boulder climbs, and the trekker will face weather from extreme heat to extreme cold and torrential rains.
Yes, there are some beautiful days and wonderful sights, but the Appalachian Trail is a mix of agony and ecstasy.
There will be things that will surprise you: the people you meet in town and on the trail, nature's wonders, joy
in simple things, stories you hear and the ones you'll tell, and little miracles of making goals over a multiplicity
of obstacles. It is hard as hell at times (not quite) and as sweet as heaven (not quite again). It is both good and ugly.
Logistics will be a greater challenge than the hike. If you're a thru hiker, how do you get your supplies? How do
you coordinate the mail drops with what you need and not too much? If you're a section hiker, how do you access
the trail at the best locations? How often do you stay in town or out on the trail? Water sources will be a question:
what do you use for purification? Iodine tablets? Which filter system? Do you take the time to boil water?
Every hiker finds his own path and decides how he wants to cover the miles. What is important is to enjoy it and
not merely endure it. Don't miss the story of Blood Mountain in Georgia or the wild ponies on Mount Rogers in
Virginia. Take in the Skyline Drive country and learn to manage the rocks and roots in Pennsylvania. Visit the
towns of New England and listen to the Housatonic River in Connecticut. Don't miss the Green Mountains of Vermont.
The White Mountains of New Hampshire are legendary. Take on the mile long boulder climb of the Mahoosuc Notch
in western Maine and then scramble up the dragon's spine as you peak on Mount Katahdin in the northlands of the
lobster state. All of it is good and all of it will stretch your legs and your soul. You will laugh and you will cry. You
will want to shout at times and fight the wind and rain at other times. It is good stuff and worth the pain to do the miles.
You can read about it in Five Million Steps: Adventure Along the Appalachian Trail. Pastor Lon Chenowith tells the
story of backpacking those fourteen states in fourteen years in fourteen chapters plus one. It is a storybook for anyone
who loves the outdoors, who has dreamed of a little weekend adventure or in taking a few more days to test the body
and mind in wilderness travel. You'll see things you've never seen and meet characters you've never met before.
