Backpacking the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 164 days from April 8th to September 18, 1990, was a dream come true for me. The dream developed in two stages; once when I was a nine year old boy on a rare family vacation in the Shenandoah Mountains, and second as an Eagle Scout backpacking twelve miles on the A.T. And the final spark for the dream happened the week before final exams at Virginia Tech my senior year when a dormant dream awoke.
The result: I enjoyed hiking the Appalachian Trail! It was challenging, and there were hardships and pain. Yet overall, week by week, I enjoyed the journey. The reasons: It was my dream, and I was prepared. Now some people prepared for a thru-hike for years but still had something drastic go wrong. However, the more prepared you are, the greater your opportunity for completion, and most importantly, the greater the opportunity for an enjoyable adventure.
Many enjoy backpacking on the A.T. for various distances, and shorter outings are what I recommend for most. Yet if your dream is to hike the whole puppy, I can relate. Here in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic catastrophe, which has been a thru-hiking barrier for many people, I am sad people’s dreams have been delayed or derailed. Wanting to encourage you to continue with your dream, I decided to start this blog to give a little insight as a person who has hiked countless miles and who has spent over 300 nights in a tent.
Once I finalized my decision to not go to graduate school and to go for my A.T. dream in early June of 1989, I had about ten months to prepare. That seemed way too long. At the time I thought I only needed a few months to prepare, and I was ready to do it. I felt frustrated realizing I had to wait ten months, but I knew I had no choice. Fortunately I stayed engaged to my dream. Ironically, looking back that long wait was a blessing. Granted my situation at home was rough since my parents were going through a terrible separation, and being at home was uncomfortable. Yet those ten months were valuable preparation time.
So diving in on one aspect of preparation, in the next three blog pieces I talk about three big lessons learned about three major pieces of gear. My sincere hope is that one day soon you can enjoy a journey on the Appalachian Trail.
I hope your dreams come true!
Hunter
