Yes, anyone can do it!
Grandma Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail 3 times, beginning at the age of 67 in a pair of Keds
and schlepping a gunny sack. Stacy Kozel is paralyzed and hiking the AT with the aid of bionic
braces. Bill Irwin, and his guide dog Orient hiked the AT
in 1990 and they didn’t let a little thing like blindness stop them. Hikers bring their kids, their dogs, and boy
scouts by the dozens. The AT spans over
2,100 miles and there are white blazes all along the way to guide you. Most shelters are 8-10 miles apart, an easy
day hike between each one. Thousands of
people have walked this iconic trail so there is plenty of advice and
information out there about each and every step along the way.
But not everyone will want to.
Hiking the AT, even in sections, is no walk in
the park. The terrain is sometimes rocky
and straight up. Sometimes it’s
difficult to find water. Hiking is
dangerous. You have to dig a hole and
poop in it. There are days on end of nothing but gorp and ramen noodles. You have to carry
everything you need on your back for days.
It’s difficult to sleep at night.
You wear dirty clothes, go long periods of time without showering and
adopt the “hiker-hair-don’t-care” attitude.
If you are the type that thinks a vacation must include any of
the following: four star hotel, spa treatments, valet parking and someone to carry your bags to your
room, you definitely won’t find those things on the AT.
So why do it?
Coming to the end of the hike, and I’m not
exaggerating here, feels like an Olympian crossing the finish line in the 400
meter. It’s the same feeling marathoners
feel, the reason you see 26.2 stickers on so many cars. The euphoria of completing a hike lasts for
about a year, or when you start planning your next hike, whichever comes
first. The views are breathtaking, the
solitude is life changing. The
accomplishment of surviving on your own without any modern conveniences erases
any future self-doubt and replaces it with an inner strength that makes you absolutely
certain you can do anything. ANYTHING. For me, there is something magical about transforming
from a mild mannered secretary to an adventurist on the loose in the wild; from
pushing papers from one pile to another and then conquering mountains that most
other people just look up at.
Why wait?
Exploration starts now, so start with my links to the right.
Feel free to post questions. If you’re
an AT hiker, leave a comment or offer to let me interview you in the contact us
section. Upcoming blog posts will include interviews
with other section hikers that will provide basic information about how to find
your way, how to choose a hike location, how to get there, what you’ll need to
bring, where to get it, and so forth. You
can get started today by finding a nature trail in your area, no matter where you live. Adventure is out there!
I definitely want to try to hike the AT. It sounds tough, but I am up for the challenge and want to feel the "Olympian" moment you described. With the help of this blog, I hope I get the chance to finally make the trip.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, and good luck Sara. Why not start small-- a day trip or weekend hike is enough to get you hooked on the Appalachian Trail and help you get your boots wet.
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you knew this or not but we moved back to PA last year, very unexpectedly. The house we bought backs up to a part of the Appalachin Trail. If you find yourself hiking by we'll have a room and shower for you!
Shawn
I'm definately going to take you up on that Shawn. Thank you so much for thinking of me and checking out my blog.
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