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
