Hiking the Appalachian Trail

 The Appalachian trail starts at Amicalola Falls state park in Georgia close to Atlanta and ends in Baxter state park in Maine. Springer mountain Georgia to Mount Katahdin  Maine. This is where you would start and end the hike if you did the entire trail. When you go to either ends of the trail, it is like grand central station in New York where people are dropping off their loved ones or friends who are going to be hiking. It is 2190 mile stretch. It passes through 13 states. Some areas are very forestry. Some area are in the middle of  nowhere. The trail crosses the road twice. 

There are hikers  that take anywhere from four to six months to finish. I have hiked the trail in every state but never start to end. When I learned about Appalachian trail I was so fascinated, apparently I am not the only one. People from all over America and all over world come to hike here. 

When you are in about a mile into the trail, you have this sense of  "What the hell have I done to myself" feeling. You are scared for a moment and the loneliness, all at once comes into your head. You are carrying about 40 pounds on your back. Your food supply is limited. You will be saying to yourself that I don't need this. 

As you walk and wonder you will be going through beautiful scenery and pass other hikers and the excitement kicks in. You realize you are not alone. You meet very interesting folks who have a lot of stories to tell and willing to help you with things. They have their reasons why they doing the trail. One of the girls I met had a knee surgery and after her therapy decided walking this way would heal her better and stronger. One other older gentlemen was retired and wanted to connect with nature. One other guy was passing through two states. He also took this challenge as his friends said that he will never be able to. They all have their reason. I was just being adventurous.

Nights you sleep in the tent. Backpacking tents are very small and they are light to carry. Normally they are pricy as they are built from light material. The poles are carbon fiber. Along the trail there are areas that hikers previously camped and you will have a fire pit. You would use them for many reasons. Wild animals are aware of the human presence and avoid those areas. You have a ready made fire pit. It is a good idea to have fire next to you as animals see danger.

Bears, wild squirrels have a good sense of smell along with other animals and birds. It is wise to buy bearproof bags to carry your food like nuts, jerky etc. The dry camping food pouches are safe and they are light to carry. Fire is always a  deterrent from animals. It is a good practice at night to leave your food away from where you are sleeping in the bearproof bag hanging from a light branch of a tree, not even squirrels will be able to reach.

Don't always expect to sleep sound as the noises of birds and other animals will wake you up or keep you awake all night. There  are  shelters along the way too. It is three sided with an open front. These are usually taken as it is first come first serve.  Or racoons, rodents and squirrel will occupy them.

Water is in abundance. Drinking it, is risky as they may be toxic depending on the point of origin. Although I have taken sips from clear running water and had no trouble. You have water purifiers that are small and you will need one of these to refill you water bottle along the way. I use Katadyn a swiss made purifier that has 3 levels of purification. At one point I saw clear running water and I was going to fill my bottle with it. Something told me I should not be lazy and I need to filter the water. Little that I knew that there was so much mud in it. 

This type of  hike needs a lot of preparation. These are some of the things you do before you set out to hike. You need to pack your backpack and learn how and where things are in the pack and walk to practice the weight and make sure your shoes don't bother you with the walk. These things will make your hike enjoyable and trouble free. In the wilderness you are at mercy of natural elements. There is still going to be unknowns that you will encounter. I would practice walk with my backpack everyday to get used to the weight and adjustments of  the pack for weight  distribution. The modern backpacks are made light and space in mind. I normally buy my back packs at REI store. My favorite brand is Osprey. They are rugged outdoor gear and very practical. 

Re stocking supply during a hike like this very challenging and problematic. Usually there are points in the trail that have little towns and one could ship supply to a post office or a UPS store along the way. These could be picked while you hike. Dates have to correspond for delivery. The fact that you may have to hitch hike to the town, creates challenges. Folks along the trail are always willing to help. This store is along the Georgia border where you can buy refills of gas and other supplies. You can also get a good sandwich. 

Some of the camping gear you would take are very small. This is to make your pack light. But that makes it hard in terms of comfort. There is a lot goes in to hiking of this nature. The best part in all of this is that you learn a lot of life changing lessons that will change the way you think. The things that we take for granted. 

You will sometimes climb rocks that are steep and narrow. The heat will make you sweat like you have never before. Its getting dark and you are looking for a suitable place to pitch your tent and you are dead tired, you are hungry and you don't have a couch or bathroom. The sense of accomplishment, pride and satisfaction that you get from this only you will know! It is awesome!