6/2/24 - Getting to the Trail

My path to hiking the Appalachian Trail began when I was eight years old, hiking Mount Monadnock with my family. That day hike inspired my love of the mountains and of hiking. Fast forward about eight years, I did another day hike, this time of Mount Greylock, along the AT. I was hooked, and I knew I wanted to do the whole trail.

I started reading everything I could about the trail, mostly to placate my parents, who weren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of a teen solo hiking the AT. The more I learned, the more determined I became to attempt a thru-hike. At the beginning of my junior year, I used the research I had already done to apply for a Bowden Fellowship, a special program at my school that awards grants for advanced summer research in the humanities. The question I proposed was "In what ways have the motivations and challenges of hiking the AT evolved over time - from its creation through the present day?" 

Between the fellowship and extensive discussion at the dinner table, I got my parents on board, meaning I could start planning the logistics. Beyond weekend camp outs in Boy Scouts, I didn’t really have much experience with backpacking or long distance hiking, so I opted to start with two shakedown/section hikes. 

During my two spring breaks in February and March earlier this year, I hiked about 300 miles north from Mount Springer in Georgia, the southern terminus of the AT. These two weeks of hiking allowed me to refine my gear choices and get a feel for long distance hiking. The main thing I learned was that hiking 30 miles a day for days on end takes a big toll, and probably won’t be sustainable for two and a half months over the summer. Unfortunately, that means I likely won’t get to hike the whole trail this year, but I am still excited to experience the AT and learn the lessons that an extended section hike has to offer. My current plan is to hike north towards Harpers Ferry, West Virginia for the month June, and then fly up to Mt. Katahdin in Maine and hike southbound through New England. I am planning to post updates a couple times per week. Follow along here as I share about my experiences, the people and wildlife that I meet, and the lessons learned along the way.