About the Hike

Ok, so we're going on an "Appalachian Trail Adventure," but perhaps I should define my terms. Here are the basics:

The Crew:

• Emily, one of my best friends and partner in crime (or at least in life and its adventures)
• Natalie, another dear friend joining us for the first section of the hike
• James, Emily's brother who has quite a bit of trail experience himself and loves to pester Emily, Natalie, and I like we are all his own sisters
• Mr. Berry, our fearless leader who has been so kind to leave his job for 2 months to walk with us

The Plan:

• drive to Massachusetts on May, 26th, get on the AT, and start walking
• get off the trail for 10-12 days at the end of June so I can go to Maniwaki (a town in Quebec that I love with my whole heart) and everyone else can take care of payroll/college orientation/etc
• return to the trail and finish walking to Maine (finished by July, 28th)

Simple enough, right? However, most people still wonder how on earth trail life actually works. For the curious, here are some answers to the questions people ask the most :-)

Trail FAQ:

Where do you sleep?

• sometimes in shelters, 3 sided structures that usually have two bunk levels, a covered area, and space for 5-15 hikers
• sometimes under the tarp, a self-explanatory sheet of siliconized nylon that does a pretty good job protecting from rain, etc.

What do you eat?

• food...generally hot pasta and rice meals for dinner (cooked on a gas canister stove)
• trail mix, peanut butter, fruit, and CHEESE for lunch
• oatmeal, tea, or breakfast bars for breakfast
• don't forget the toast!

What about hygiene and bathroom?

• on the trail, everybody stinks and nobody cares about looking pretty--that's part of the experience, and I love it!
• showers are not a requisite part of being a human being, we'll probably get to bathe once or twice a week
• the world is your bathroom, and most shelters have a "privy"
• our crew generally does care about oral health, and won't forgo taking care of our teeth

How far do you hike?

• we hope to average about 15 miles each day
• some days we'll hit 20+
• others we'll take a "zero" and hang out in town with no hiking at all

What about towns and resupply?

• of course we won't carry food for 2 months, and rarely for more than 3-5 days (if that)
• every few days, we'll hike/hitchhike into a town to buy groceries, eat some delicious restaurant food, take a shower, and sleep in a real bed (motel)
• I haven't experienced it yet, but I've heard towns are like magnets that pull tired hikers along the trail

Comment if anyone has more questions!