So Many Questions

Where are you going?
I intend to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is a footpath that’s approximately 2185 miles extending from Georgia to Maine. No one knows the exact mileage because each year the trail is rerouted causing slight variations. I intend to hike it southbound, meaning I will start in Maine and walk to Georgia.

How long is it?
It’s over 2000 miles long, and on average people hike it in 4 to 6 months. I have planned to take a full six months, as hiking southbound increases the likelihood of injury. I will take it intentionally slow to minimize the risk of injury and enjoy the journey.

Who are you going with?
I am lucky enough to have a partner in crime who is willing to start this journey with me. Carla and I are on our way to Maine now. She will be leaving her car at the southern end of the 100 mile wilderness. The hostel we are staying at tonight will be shuttling us to Baxter state park. Wednesday we summit Katahdin. Thursday we start our walk through the 100 mile wilderness and back to Carla’s car. Once we get back to the hostel, she heads home and this becomes a solo journey.

Are you sleeping in a tent?
No. I prefer sleeping in a hammock. All I need is two trees and I say more comfortable and more dry than I ever have in A tent.

Will you kill things? How will you eat?
My primary food source will be dehydrated food. I purchased a dehydrator a few months ago and have been dehydrating food ever
since. I’ve made a lot of rice, Quinoa, chili, and other vegetables. I do also eat some prepackaged freeze dried meals, but I like vegetables and they’re often missing that. That’s why I decided to go with food I have dehydrated. I would like to learn more about wild edible plants. I met someone a couple months ago who showed me a few, but I really wouldn’t eat them unless I was sure what it was. There is too much room for error and my health isn’t worth that. I don’t plan on doing any hunting, but if it were a battle to the death between me and a chipmunk I plan to survive.

What about water?
I carry a filter which allows me to fill up water bottles at streams or river crossings.

Wait, what about the bathroom?
There are no bathrooms. Sometimes a shelter site will have a privy. I generally prefer a good old-fashioned shovel and digging a hole…

Are you going to shower?
I will carry an all natural soap with me, but the opportunity to shower is minimal. When crossing through a town or an area with the state park I may have the opportunity to shower. I’m fairly certain I will be a stinky hiker in no time.

Will you have a cell phone? How will you charge it?
I will be bringing my cell phone and from what I understand about 80% of the trail has cell coverage now. I will bring a back up battery which will charge my phone fully 2 to 3 times. Primarily my phone will be in airplane mode, so that should be plenty to get from town to town.

How much will this cost?
In most areas the trail cost nothing to hike, the biggest expense was buying high-quality gear. I hear it can be done for $3k if you spend wisely. My main financial concern was being able to afford my house without an income. To do that, I sold my sweet little sports car and bought a beater car to get to and from work. My expenses have primarily been paid in advance.

Can you afford it?
As previously mentioned this adventure is primarily sponsored through the salary of my car. If I was not willing to make the sacrifice of selling the car now I would not be able to afford it.

What about animals?
To this I usually respond with, what about animals? It may seem a little sassy, but generally they are more afraid of you than you are of them. I live in a section of NJ where I see bear often. As a matter of fact I saw 2 this week. I am more afraid of the bear below than I am of any I may encounter in the wild.

The two tags in his ears tells me he has learned to associate humans with food and this is a dangerous bear.

Are you bringing a gun?
No.

Aren’t you scared?
Not really. Sure, there are reasonable concerns, but life is full of the unexpected and worrisome. With that in mind, why not take a few risks and truly live!

Why?
There are so many reasons. I think this will be a blog post of its own in time. For now, I will say why not? At this point in my life I was ready for a change and had not commitments other than my student loans, car payment, and mortgage. By selling the car the other two are taken care of.
If you have any other questions, be sure to leave a comment!