I completed the Appalachian trail south bound today. Ama

Did you get any Bojangles off the trail in Virginia/North Carolina?

FUCK YES I DID. Two years ago I fell in love with bojangles (I'm from Michigan so I never had it before). The first one on trail I saw I went to. I literally went out of my way and hitch hiked into town just to eat there.

How did you decide to go Southbound instead of Northbound?

How often did you encounter others on the trail? I mean at shelters or people who you had an extended conversation with, not just a "Hi!".

People going northbound talk about a "bubble" of hikers that all start about the same time. Anything similar going southbound - are you aware of others moving around the same pace you are?

Although I quit my job, I quit at a time that was convenient for them, to leave on good terms... That meant going sobo as opposed to Nobo.

If you start at an average time, like I did, then you'll see a bunch of hikers. I'm currently staying at someone's house who I met in my first 100 miles and haven't seen him since, it's been 5 and a half months since we last saw each other and he's letting me stay at his house, maybe that puts into perspective the type of bond the trail gives. There's certainly a bubble. The Nobo/sobo bubble collision is nothing short of comical and the Nobo bubble lasted about one month. The "bubble" are just groups of people who ( to their knowledge or not) are just hiking at a similar pace. I've been hiking in a bubble of about 10 people for 2 weeks now.

How much did the journey cost you?

around 5-6 thousand. I'd say that's a comfortable number. One could certainly do it with less though.

I've read a lot about doing this trail and want to do it when I can afford it. My only question about money: does that 6 grand figure include gear bought before the trip? Or is it just during?

The 6 is during. Not really the initial gear buy.

I've heard 5k including all gear.

Right on, everyone does things differently.

Hi.

I'm from the UK and love hiking. I spent a few weeks in Norway hiking through the wilderness a couple of years ago and regularly get some done when I'm abroad; New Zealand, Yosemite and Germany most recently.

My career and mortgage mean I couldn't just up and do the whole thing. However I can feasibly get 3 weeks paid leave away from work whenever I want it.

If you only had 3 weeks, where would you start? How far could I get? What are the costs once I'm on the trail?

Thanks.

Well every part of the trail has its pros and cons and three weeks isn't a very long time. Most people off the couch do 8-10 miles a day, if you can do more from the get go...let's say 15-20 then multiply that by however many days you plan to spend hiking ( and take away the zeros) by far the most gorgeous part of the trail was Maine and New Hampshire and I would certainly look into doing the whites. In three weeks you could do around 300 miles and that is a considerable chunk. I don't know how much it would cost exactly. That depends on how much food you eat, how much you stay at a hostel or hotel, if you have any luxuries I didn't. If I were to do a trip for 3 weeks I would spend a lot of money and reallllllllly enjoy it.

How often did you actually camp in a tent?

I used a hammock. And I hammocked every single night for about 700 miles once I entered. If a shelter was empty I was more prone to stay in it, and like I mentioned earlier. I shelter hopped near the end to save time breaking down and packing up in the morning.

Any pics of your setup? Are there shelters you set your hammock up under? Or were you tieing between trees?

I rarely hung in a shelter, mostly just to be polite. Usually between trees.

http://imgur.com/nLUn5lx That was my hammock set up the last night on trail.

What a great setup in that location.

Was asking about shelters mainly because of the elements. Are those hammocks waterproof?

Hammocks are not waterproof. I have a tarp I set up in the rain, it's just not pictured.

Congratulations! Will you please share your scariest moment(s) of your journey?
What is the most valuable thing you have learned from the experience?

The scariest moment was probably when a bear kept coming to the shelter I was staying in for the night. It came 3 times and each time after I scared it off it ran a little less quick and less far. After the third time it kind of looked at me like "whatchu gonna do" and climbed up a tree. I fell asleep. Yolo.

One thing I've learned is that no one deserves anything. We can work and work and work, but that doesn't mean we deserve. If you want something get it, that's the end of it.

I fell asleep. Yolo.

That seems wild. Did you know it wasn't going to eat you?

It was foraging. It was freezing cold and i would have maybe hiked out if it came but it seemed to be annoyed by me, where as I was frightened by it.

This one is a little more than a few sentence answer, I'm currently celebrating but will answer tonight. Maybe less coherent and more drunk but it will be answered.

Does it still count as "tonight" right now?

I got you

How many steps did you take ?

Lost count at a billion

Did you think about food, food prep, food management etc. all day, every day? That's what my friend who did the appalachian trail told me.

After a few days you literally think about food 24/7. Even when you're not thinking about food you're thinking about food.

Can you hunt on those trails?

There are certain parts of the trail that is also game land, all though hunters aren't really "supposed" to use the trail.

Did you experience food anxiety? How did you manage that if you did?

I always carried an extra day of food. Usually you can figure something out if there's an emergency.

Do you have interest in PCT after this?

Absolutely, I'm already looking at gear for it.

Hey man, thats pretty awesome you hiked the whole trail, in regards to how much money it cost to hike the whole trail i have a great little story i have always heard. I have grown up in Georgia and my family has lived here since the revolutionary war, so i have always loved and respected things like the Appalachian trail. I remember my father and i would always walk and fish parts of it in north Georgia and we would always run into either good ole hippies(and i dont mean that in a derogatory fashion), crazy old rednecks(do mean it in a derogatory fashion), or old down to earth nice southern people. I remember one legend that everyone talked about was how there was this really old hill lady who hiked the trail with barely anything at no cost and all these big hiking companies tried to sponsor her but she always told them all you need is simple blanket, good shoes and a milk jug, the rest can be done just living off the land the way humans were intended to. I love having the family background experiences of growing up in Georgia because i have always enjoyed viewing the deep southern culture with a good education and open mind. Its funny because this culture of self independence and basically rejecting anything that is "mainstream city people" always leads to the same folk legends just with minor different details. Anyway yeah, growing up in Georgia and having a long family history i have always heard legends like these about many different things in the south and this was another great one. The only thing is when your in the deep south remember that there are ALOT of VERY ignorant and extremely racist, close minded, hateful people that can ruin anyones visit, which im sure you might have ran into. The thing is you have to find those old southern people who make really good food and tell great stories who are some of the nicest, most good human beings to be in the world. Anyway, in regards to the folk legends If im being honest most of them turn out having a lot of truth to them, i just remember this was one of my favorite ones as a kid.

Wrote on iphone and didnt really grammar check so sorry if does not make a lot of sense

Edit: this is most likely who this particular legend i was pointing out was talking about:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Gatewood

Edit2: well turns out she was actually pretty famous, but still a good little folk hero story and shows how these hiking trips can be extremely affordable, although i guess definably would not recommend unless someone has grown up in nature their whole life because could be dangerous.

Edit 3: haha was really geeked on vyvanse studying for finals when wrote this, probably why was being so redundant in my writing lol

Grandma gatewood was a bad ass. "What would granny gatewood do" Right on brother, thanks for sharing.

PCT

If you find yourself near Asheville hit me up, I hiked it last year. We'll drink beer and talk trails.

I might hold you to that.

Do the CDT bro. It's so dry out on the Pacific right now all the seasonal streams are dry.

Credentials: PCT 2014, Oregon resident

I want to wait for the cdt to develop a little more. Pct is next on the docket, but I plan on triple crowing.

Congrats. Did you run into any interesting characters along the way? Lots of smoking hot babes on the trail?

I met so many Interesting people, it's almost hard to fathom. I met at least a few hundred people, saw near a thousand if not more, and really grew to love a good half dozen. There were some smokin ladies on trail and I did not talk to any of them haha

What was the hardest part about it? did you maintain contact with anyone at home?

it was certainly physically hard. But it's the hardest mentally and emotionally, the hardest part might have been around month 5 for me and realizing it would still be another month before I see the people back home that I missed. Of all the things on trail the time spent away from home might have been the hardest.

When you're almost there it always gets the hardest, did you come to any conclusion about yourself or have a breakthrough of some sort? what was the purpose of wanting to do the full trail?

The trail was either all or nothing to me. I just wanted to do it so I did it. I know that might not be emotional or profound, but I had an opportunity and I took it. I suppose it was almost like a calling. I had some pretty serious introspection for the first and last third of the trail.

last question, would you recommend doing it? was the money and time worth the payoff?

I had the absolute time of my life and I will be doing more long distance hikes in the future. I would recommend it to Anyone if they ever wanted to do it.

What did you eat on the trail? Was it always at an inn or hostel? Did you share food? Did you end up walking with others for long stretches? Or was it mostly solo?

I ate a lot of knorr sides and tuna, a lot of velveta, lots and lots of peanut butter.... I stayed at a few hostels when I started and a few when I finished but for the bulk of my trip I avoided them to save money. I rarely shared food (really easy way to get sick). I walked mostly solo but I walked with one group from Maine to New Hampshire, one person from Vermont to the end of New York, another person from pa-hf, and one last person for the last 2 weeks or so of my trip.

I've always thought it'd be easier going south because it's downhill on the map, does it work?

Ya a lot of south bounders buy what's called a "southbound barrel" put all their gear in it and roll it downhill. The hard part is just not over shooting.

Why did you do it? How did you prepare to do it? How much did it cost? Did you do it alone? Did you lose any weight?

I'm 23, had a job and not a career, money saved up, was single, no children, no mortgage.

My family and friends were pretty supportive and I felt if any a time, now would be it.

I guess I did it just because I could

You did the right thing. I an 46 with a wife, 2 kids, and a mortgage. My next window is in 11 years after my kids graduate.

Here's hoping.

You would be in good company. The two of us are the groups that trump the trail. Best of luck, more retirees finish than you would think.

Just saw the other parts of your question, sorry. To prepare I just did a few practice hikes and kept packing and unpacking my backpack. It costed around 6 grand for me. And I only lost weight in the beginning, but gained it all back. My body type is such that it was pretty much 0% body fat. 99% of people lose weight.

Congrats. Anything you would do different now that you are done?

Hike alone more often, save up more money, buy better gear. I would also go on more side trails.

What specific gear did you wish you had bought a better version of?

I will def. buy a ula circuit. And I went all polyester as opposed to down when it came to my sleeping bag and under quilt. (Because of cost). Down > synthetic every day

How did you earn your name?

I wore a lot of green, and rock hopped while I was bouldering and was called a "Kermit looking dude" in Maine by two north bound section hikers. Lockjaw was added later after I dislocated my jaw in pa.

How did you dislocate your jaw?

I wish I had a better story, I had the biggest yawn of my life and popped it out of place right outside of duncannon. Haha

$6,000 and 6 months is over $30/day. What did you spend your money on?

One spends their money on town (bars and hostels) and also food ( hikers usually resupply every 3-5 days). Also I bought a lot of gear.

I'll be doing my northbound thru hike starting this March. What advice can you give me?

Hike your own hike. Take every day at a time. Don't rush yourself because people are moving fast, don't slow down because people are moving slow. If you're not enjoying it you're missing it.

Congrats! Is it true that many AT hikers don't take the last few steps of the trail because they don't want the experience to end? Was this something you considered?

I met a lot of people who "didn't want their trip to end" and I met a lot who didn't let their trip end. I didn't want to turn out like them.

Could you elaborate more on these kinds of people?

I have met on more than one occasion hikers that decided they were going to hike as much as possible, work during the off season, hike during the hiker season. Most of them did this for years and hung around the at and the towns the at runs though. Most also now (years later) have stopped hiking, gained all their weight back, and more often than not have a drinking problem. A long distance hike is something great for the time that you do it, but unless you have the money, and body it's not a long term goal. I'm not talking about any hiker in specific.

Welcome to Georgia! How do you like it here?

Georgia is wonderful. Trail is beautiful. Southern comfort. Now if only yall could have reasonable drinking laws.

What section was the worst? I did the section through the del. water gap to wind gap and it made me want to die. This coming from a long time hiker of the poconos area.

Well you did what is considered one of the worst parts of the trail. All of pa is similar to what you did and it's pretty notoriously hated by most. Super rocky, no views, no water.

How would you rate that against the ridgeline sections in the Smokies?

I thought the smokies were nice and kind of easy, but I also did like 1900 miles prior to doing them

Rockalachian trail vet here. Did most of Pa in preparation for Philmont 20 years ago and have never had the urge to do that section again since.

I don't think I'll be rushing there any time soon haha

Did you encounter anyone trying to run the whole thing?

Where do you get your food supplies from?

I got my food every 4-5 days from any market I could use. Usually a large grocery but sometimes just a crappy general store or gas station.
I saw two people attempting to break the record, one for supported and the other for unsupported but I didn't speak to either of them. Just let them pass.

How do you know that if you didn't speak to them?

Because they both did it.

Did you trade gear on the trail? From what I've heard, some people collect items and some people shed items.

I didn't really "trade" gear, but I def. bought new gear and swapped stuff out from hiker boxes. My gear is radically different from when I started to when I finished.

What is a hiker box/ can you explain what you mean about buying and selling, trading etc

A hiker box is a chest or bin, usually found at hostels or hot spots on the trail (like the conservancy at harpers ferry for example) where hikers throw in gear or food they don't need, and anyone can take it. Think of a "take a penny. leave a penny" thing...but with gear. I never physically traded gear with other hikers but I was constantly buying gear from outfitters and hostels and trying to get good deals. Like "hey I only put on 150 miles with this pack, I see you're selling the smaller version, could I trade you this pack and give you 50 dollars for it"

Did you gain any new friends during this experience?

Ya absolutely, I'm staying at one of their houses right now.

Way to go! I attempted a sobo in 2012 and made it to harpers ferry before hurricane sandy came.

What was your favorite state to hike through?

My favorite state to hike through was probably Vermont because it was easy. Georgia was nice too. Maine was amazing, I'll be going back.

I was lucky enough to meet David Hyde Pierce (Niles from Frasier) whilst hiking the appalachian trail for my second time in 2008, my trail name was "Jukebox" because I had four iPods full of music. He invited me to sleep, eat and party at his lake house :) What is so far your favourite beverage or item of food left to you by a trail Angel?

Haha rad story for sure. Someone had left a cooler of chips and snacks and Oreos and drinks in a cooler. I came across it on a tough day on trail and it changed my entire day, if not week. Nothing really spectacular. South bounders don't get the good trail magic. I've had a lot of beer bought for me. And one of the better magic was 3 burritos of chipotle in a row

Any run ins with apex predators?

Well, I'm home now so no.

Just kidding I saw about 12 bears.

Would you do it again?

Absolutely! But before that I'd like to try and knock out the pct.

Did you die from dysentary?

Oops wrong trail ;(

Haha! I did get giardia...

what would you do differently to avoid getting giardia? I assume you were filtering your water.

I was filtering, I got in the habit of not filtering my cooking water, because everything would boil for minutes. Forgot to boil my coffee water and I think that's how I got it.

How do you know where to mail food/supplies? Was lightning an issue?

Lightening for me was never an issue, but it can be, storms at high elevations really are dangerous...and if you're at a bald peak even more so. I usually planned only a week or two in advance. I used the awol guide to aid my planning.

Did you see any moose?

Unfortunately that's one of the few things I didn't see. Maine and nh are the places to see them though!

How do you go to Baxter and not see moose??

By hiking in a large group and constantly looking at my feet :/

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A lot of people, myself included had some trouble sleeping. Even 1000 miles in I would wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or two, but that was mostly because of temparature change. A lot of people like sleeping near running water, I suppose the same reason why some like to sleep with a fan at night. I preferred a silent sleeping environment so I could hear anything around me, the irony is I snore loudly.

Did your sleep inside or out in tents.

Did you have to hang your food up in one of those bear things

But always hang your food boys and girls

I slept in my hammock in the beginning, and near the end when I was stealthing and camping more. For the bulk of my trip I was in the shelters, mostly because it would mean one less thing to break down and pack up in the morning.

If there was a bear pole, box, or bear hang provided I would use it. If not I would use a rat hang of one of open, and if no rat hang I would say fuck it and out my food in my pack. I only hung my food a few times and never really had an issue.

Whats 'stealthing'?

Camping in a spot that's not a designated camp spot or shelter.

Did you get laid at all on your trip? 6 months is a loong time

Haha ya I did, but I mostly avoided girls on this trip, I've always been in a relationship and enjoyed the solitude, in that sense. I also used it as a dry spell to motivate me to go home quicker.

What was the strangest thing you encountered on your journey?

People, people, people. Without a fucking doubt, nothing is creepier than a person who doesn't belong, 15 miles from any of the closest roads (that you're aware of), in apparel/gear that doesn't fit hiking, and usually those types of people are silent. One of the few times I've thought "looks like I'm hiking 5 more miles today"

Please elaborate!

I met a few people homesteading in shelters. Wearing jeans and having a jansport backpack is kind of a red flag. There are some people who, for one reason or another, flee their life and hang out on the trail until they realize they can't survive out there unless they make some changes to what their doing. I met a pair of guys standing near a road for days who kept asking hikers for food, met a guy who hospitalized his roomate and fled to a shelter, a few guys who were out for the weekend and couldn't stop talking about how much they hated their wives. A few homeless people in New York. I don't know, I didn't mean to expound, I just wanted to point out that after hiking 15 miles or whatever it's always a little strange to roll up to a shelter with a random guy who's clearly not a hiker. Kind of puts you on edge.

Why did you hike the trail? Any specific motivation?

Nothing really specific. I knew I just could with the timing of everything in my life. When I told my mother I was considering it she told me I was an idiot if I didn't give it a shot, I guess that's the most specific I can get.

Have you died of dissentery?

Currently waiting to start a new game.

Hello, have you read the book on this trail by Bill Bryson? How close is your experience to that?

The moment with kats throwing his good everywhere was one of the more relatable moments. Bryson barely did half the trail, his experience is much different than mine

what is the Appalachian trail south bound?

The Appalachian trail is just a long foot path in eastern North America. Sound bound means I did it heading from north to south.

Are you going to get a haircut?

Maybe when I apply for a job again haha

May I ask, why the long hair? I know that it was shorter when you started your journey, but it still had to be pretty long out of the gate.

You seem to have some pretty thick locks and I can only imagine that it would just be one more hassle on the trail.

It was tied up on hot days and let down on cold ones. I wouldn't consider it a hassle, but like you said it looks like I've had it for a while... And I have. I checked for ticks every day and as far as I'm aware I'm Lyme free.

At any time did you want to quit?

The want to quit never trumped the want to keep going, but I've certainly had some bad days on trail.

Did you meet any couples hiking the trail together? I imagine it would be totally different from hiking alone, but did you see any examples of pairs hiking, and if so what were your impressions?

I met a lot of couples, and if I could I would do it with someone. It's always awkward when they fight and hiking with a significant other isn't as glamourois as one might expect. But it is nothing short of beautiful to see a couple that really vibes well together. Seeing lovers work as an inseparable team was nothing short of amazing

I hiked a very small portion of it before and how to tackle the full thing one day, what kind of gear do you recommend?

Gear is a touchy subject. Everyone does it differently. I would recommend some down stuff. And go as minimal as possible. But a lot of people carry a lot of luxury items. (I carried a ukulele and pajamas) make sure your pack can hold the weight you're bearing. Also I would recommend not getting waterproof shoes. You're going to get wet

Do you say "Appa-lay-shun" or did you learn the correct pronunciation "Appa-lat-chun" along the way?

Haha! Depends on my location relative to the mason Dixon

How long did it take?

It took me 6 months, which Is average. I know more people who did it in less time.

Was this your first long hike? I'm considering a southbound hike but I don't have a ton of experience and I've heard that only experienced hikers should attempt southbound.

There were so many people who had no idea what they were doing and did just fine! Just be careful. Your first challenge is going to be the hundred mile wilderness. Once you get to monson things get better mentally. Once you enter Vermont you start to fly.

What did you feel was the most beautiful part of the hike?

I'm a Maine native and I've done Mt. Katahdin 5 or 6 times now, and I have a hard time believing it gets any nicer than that.

Katahdin was amazing. There were some other parts in Maine just as nice. Like I've mentioned before, the white are considered by many as the highlight. Shenendoahs were awesome too. The whole trail is great!

In what ways do you think doing sobo was different than if you'd done the standard nobo?

How long did it take you, and what's the quickest you think you personally could have done it?

I did it in 6 months. I probably could have done it in 4 and a half but I would not have enjoyed it as much. The sobo/Nobo difference is the amount of trail magic (more for nobos) the amount of people(more for nobos) more events on trail for nobos. More partiers are nobos. It's much more social. Also as a Nobo you get to run into up and coming Sobos and give them a hard time or motivate them.

Did you ever find yourself without TP when you needed it?

So I always made sure to have some.... But I've been pretty close before.... It might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with what leaves cause an itch before coming out...

Where do you shit?!?!?

Where I eat, drink, sleep, and live. In the woods. They're privies.

How did it feel when you reached the summit?

How do you feel now?

The summit of springer was little more than boring. Not a spectacular climb, but a great achievement none the less. Unfortunately the way down is an 8 mile hike down hill.

Pull a 24-24-24?

Nope!

One more question! You mentioned you did bouldering! Did you take bouldering shoes with you?

Nope! I wore Merrill mowabs the whole way

What would you consider the biggest highlight of the trail? As someone who is getting into hiking, I would love to do this trail one day :)

The whites in New Hampshire were amazing. The mahoosic portion of Maine was challenging and fun. Hundred mike wilderness in Maine. The smokeys were beautiful, as per usual. The Grayson highland in va. We're astonishing. They're so many beautiful parts of the trail.

Most people consider the whites to be the physical highlight

I've seen Wild and the Walk movies, read Bryson's book on the AT and read the book the Wild.

In your opinion do any of them get close to what the experience of a long trek is really like?

Congrats on finishing it!

Thank you! Bryson's book had some funny parts, but not known to really be "accurate" I certainly had a moment similar to kats throwing his food on trail. I've never read wild, but do know it's a totally separate trail so it might not be accurate. I'm also not a woman, which could drastically change ones experience on trail.

What town did you end in?

You don't really end in a town. The trail runs from Baxter state park in Maine to amicolola falls state park in Georgia.

What's it like being a dirty hippie?

amazing