~*~ Preparation ~*~
“It took me about 25 years”
Well,
it didn’t actually take me 25 years to plan. Lord knows there have been people
who have taken 25 hours. I have been dreaming about this for a very long time,
so it feels like I have been preparing for it my entire life. I have a lot of
people ask what I’ve done or am doing to get ready so I thought I would share
my obsessive behavior with anyone that’s interested. There is no right or wrong
way to plan a thru-hike. You must simply dive in and do what works best for
you. With 3 weeks left until I leave, I can tell you one thing: all of the
planning and obsessing I’ve done has gotten me to where I feel like I haven’t
done a thing. Once you are on the Trail, it doesn’t matter anymore. It might be
easier to just go hike rather than try and plan everything. (Disclaimer:
planning future hikes keeps me sane when I’m not out getting any trail). I like the planning part. A lot. I’m
already half planning my next hike, and I’m not even on the A.T. yet.
I
make lists for everything. EVERYTHING, I say. So without further ado, I present
you with my List Fest.
~
Tentative Itinerary - includes daily mileage,
averages, and elevation gain/loss. You will note that I did the initial itinerary
based on shelter to shelter hiking for the most part. I understand that I will
not follow this completely, but it’s a good basis for knowing roughly where I
may be. I did not factor in “zero days” because we are planning to take those
on an as needed basis (with the exception of Trail Days in
~
Backpacking Links - I spent a lot of time online,
reading forums, reading other thru-hikers’ trail journals, asking questions and
purchasing needed supplies. I most certainly looked at every single one of
these links at least once over the past 11 months. The internet is an
invaluable tool for planning a hike and you are able to find the most current
information from the best sources (other hikers!). People are very willing to
share their experiences and offer advice when you need it. I look forward to
being able to mentor other hikers at some point.
~
Weighing Gear – One evening and a scale made
this possible. Every little thing was placed on the scale and weighed so I
could figure out my average base weight. This chart shows all of gear, cold and
warm weather gear and formulas have been changed to calculate our starting base
weights. They are not exact, mind you, but they are close enough for our
satisfaction. Truth be told, we aren’t gram counters and could care less about
the weight but we were curious – and happy with the outcome. Bonus!
~ Maps & Books
– Oh, I pour over maps and guidebooks like there is no tomorrow. I am obsessed
with maps, even when I know exactly where I am and where I’m going. I will pull
out a map at every little break and just study it for no reason other than I
want to see where I am. I love topos and knowing how much climbing or
descending I will be doing. Despite “knowing what’s coming up”, I am
continually surprised by the terrain and the views. I think I’ve read every
resource available on the A.T. and will probably do so long after I hike. These
are a few of the books that I became particularly obsessed with. We are just
taking maps, no guidebooks. The guidebooks will be left with my mother so she can obsess over them.
~
Trail Journals – By far, one of the
best sources of information on thru-hiking, no matter what trail you want to
tackle. This is a site where hikers can record their journals and the rest of
us can read them. It’s important to not only read journals of those that have
completed the trail, but also those who have gotten off the trail as well. It’s
a learning experience in itself. You can find gear lists and reviews to see what
worked for people and what didn’t. There is mail drop information, mileage, and
fun stories. If you do nothing else to plan, read some of these. You won’t
regret it.
~*~ Back to A.T.
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