AT Thru Hike Info


In April 2012, I set out in Georgia on my northbound Appalachian Trail thru hike. Beau decided he was missing out on all the fun and joined me a month later, in Tennessee. After 2,184 miles and 14 states, we summitted Mt Katahdin in Maine on August 20th. While this blog is more to keep our friends and family updated on what we're doing, I still get lots of hits from searches for information on thru hiking.

- To read my blog posts from while we were hiking, go to the archives on the right sidebar. We were hiking from April to August.
- General AT FAQ here
- Our post hike FAQ here
- Thru hiking tips from several successful thru hikers here
- Gear list at the bottom of this page
- Gear review here
- Clothing review here
- Discussion on body image and thru hiking here
- Cheesy life lessons from the trail.... forthcoming
- Recommended websites, books and upcoming 2014 thru hiker blog links below


AT Conservancy website
White Blaze - an Appalachian Trail and long distance backpacking forum
The Good Badger - 2011 thru hiker and a good source of information
Ben Benvie Photography - The best photos from the AT you will ever see

2014 Thru Hiker Blogs:
blog list forthcoming

AT Books
Women and Thru Hiking, Beverly Hugo
Appalachian Trials, Zach Davis
Lighten Up!, Dan Ladigin
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, David Miller

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Our Gear List: (gear review here)

CLOTHING (ALL WEATHER)

for her:
boots                    Keen Voyageur
liners-2                 from REI
hiking socks-3     1 for sleeping, 2 to alternate
hiking pants         adidas running tights
shorts                   nike running shorts
sports bra
2 pair underwear  Ex Oficio
bandana
camp shoes          Crocs
2 technical shirts

for him:
hiking shoes        Brooks Cascadia
hiking socks        Smartwool PhD
pants                    zip offs from REI
2 technical shirts
bandanas
camp shoes        Croc knockoffs

COLD WEATHER
for her:
hat                      
gloves                    cheap cotton ones
baselayer top         EMS tech midweight
baselayer bottom   EMS tech midweight
zip up                    synthetic previously owned
jacket                    Patagonia Micro Puff                    18 oz
rain gear                Frogg Toggs                                 10 oz for top and bottoms

for him:
hat
baselayer top       Coldpruf
baselayer bottom Coldpruf
jacket

GEAR
backpack, hers    Gregory Sage 55
backpack, his       Mountainsmith Lookout? 55?
poles, his & hers   Mountainsmith from my parents    heavy
water resevoir      Platypus 2 liter
water pump         Katadyn Hiker Pro                          11 oz
stove                   Soto OD-1R                                     2.6 oz
extra fuel
cooking pot        previously owned
sporks                 Light my Fire spork                         .2 oz
little cups            something cheap
head lamps         Petzl Tikka Plus 2                            2.9 oz
pack cover         came with packs
water bottle        gatorade bottle

SHELTER
solo tent              Tarptent Notch                                 1 lb 10 oz
2 person tent
sleeping bag, hers EMS Mt Light, 0 degrees                 2 lb 10 oz
sleeping bag, his
sleeping pad, hers Thermarest Women's Prolite             1 lb
sleeping pad, his
liner                     previously owned                              9 oz
   (instead of bag in summer)

BOOKS
guide book         AWOL                                             8.1 oz
Kindle

OTHER STUFF
soap
toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
feminine hygiene (not that I needed it...)
small mirror
TP
swiss army knife
matches
camera
pen
voice recorder (as a journal)
paracord- 50'
earplugs
first aid kit/medical stuff:
duct tape
bandaids, assorted
neosporin
bodyglide (a MUST for men!)
safety pins
nail clippers
vitamin I & multivitamins