Ask crash about hiking the Appalachian Trail

[crash]

I hiked the entire AT about five years ago. Georgia to Maine, around 2150 miles.

I highly recommend it. Most people I know who finished the whole thing say it was one of the best things they ever did. I know a lot of you guys are in your 20s; now is the perfect time to do it, before you have a wife and a job.

You don't have to be in great shape when you start. I wasn't in good shape at all. I had never been hiking before this (not since a couple Boy Scout trips anyway). I wasn't overweight, but I didn't exercise much. I smoked. You can take it easy at first, and you'll get in shape as you go along. It took me almost 6 months to finish. Obviously, by the time I finished I was in great shape.

The one thing I did have going for me was that I was prepared. I read a lot of books and magazines.

Cost: this varies a lot. I spent maybe $1,300-1,500 bucks on gear before I started. Boots $100, Tent $250-300, pack $400 or so, plus some misc. stuff. I borrowed as many things as I could. Gear is getting better--there's a lot of high-tech lightweight stuff out there now, but you'll pay for it. If you want to go high-end you can easily spend $3,000+ on gore-tex, super lightweight tents and packs, titanium pots, etc.

I spent a lot along the way. It was nice to get a hotel room when I got in town, so I could get cleaned up. I drank a lot of beer and fought a losing battle with cigarettes ([censored] those things are expensive in New York and New Jersey)--these things add up. I didn't really keep track, but I probably spent another three or four thousand along the way.

So go ahead and do it. What else are you going to do with the summer of 2008? Take a year off from college. Spend some of that poker dough. I promise you it'll be one of the coolest things you ever did.

Just a warning, I won't be able to recommend much in the way of specific products. For one thing, I only know about the tent and the backpack and the sleeping bag I used. I won't know anything about other tents, packs, etc. Plus, you really do have to go out and try out the gear. The pack that fit me might not feel good on you, etc. This is especially true about boots. I wore a pair of Vasque boots (one pair lasted the whole trip, which is pretty rare), but I can't really make a blanket recommendation of Vasque boots. You have to try on lots of pairs and find one that feels good.


Questions? Fire away

crash