In this time that we have been back from the Trail, I find myself constantly reminiscing about moments from our journey. Sections of Trail, campsites, people, towns, food, lack of food, animals, weather, sunrises, sunsets, fun moments, and sad moments. Times in which we celebrated and laughed on a mountaintop and times in which we struggled and cried in utter exhaustion.
We experienced so much on the AT. I enjoy writing about it, and I enjoy talking with people and answering their questions. I want to present you guys with a quick summary in numbers. Some of these might be common knowledge for anyone interested in the AT, but the rest are specific to our thru-hike.
The Appalachian Trail in Numbers
5,500,000 - approximate number of steps taken (based on 2500 steps per mile)
3,000,000 - approximate number of visitors to the Trail each year
160,000 - approximate number of white blazes painted along the Trail
6,643 - highest elevation in feet (Clingmans Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park)
2,184.2 - miles of Trail, Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin
1,964 - number of stream/river crossings
1937 - year in which the AT was completed (2012 being the 75th anniversary)
550 - miles in Virginia (longest State)
260 - approximate number of shelters on the Trail
178 - days on the Trail
128 - days of Starbucks VIA instant coffee until having to buy more in the store (GA to NY)
124 - lowest elevation in feet (Bear Mountain Zoo, NY)
75 - snakes (5 being venomous)
46 - KitFox falls
43 - minutes it took to each consume a half gallon of ice cream
38 - average pack weight in pounds for ManCub
35 - cats
28 - average pack weight in pounds for KitFox
27 - neros
26 - longest day in miles
25 - % of thru-hikers who successfully finish
19 - twenty plus mile days
18 - ManCub falls
17 - longest hitch in miles (Grafton Notch to Bethel, ME)
16 - number of times one could climb Mt. Everest equivalent to elevation gain on the AT
14 - States traversed
12.3 - average mileage per day
12 - zeros
10 - most consecutive days without a shower (ManCub)
5 - bears
5 - National Park Sites (Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Pkwy, Shenandoah, Harpers Ferry, Delaware Water Gap)
4 - miles in West Virginia (shortest State)
2 - movies seen in theaters (Hunger Games and The Avengers)
2 - shelters stayed in
1 - moose
0.2 - shortest day in miles
0 - number of days slackpacking
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| March 1, 2012 |
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| September 15, 2012 |
Micah, what great fun to read this! I love numbers, and you gave me a joyful time reading this.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite number is the "1 - Moose"! That one brought a smile to my face.
Keep up the good reflections. You have much wisdom to share with others for the rest of your life from the AT.
And one more number to think about: How many miles do you need to walk the day you get back on the trail?
I loved this!!! My favorite number: 18!! One may fall but you get up again, dust off, and move on...and on...and on! Thanks for the numbers, Micah.
ReplyDeleteNumber 18 was my favorite and my next favorite was 25 % .... You and Anna did it!!!! You started and you finished... You are in the top 25% and I have a feeling that you two are some of the "Purists" in the group. Mazel Tov!!!
ReplyDeleteMicah, you have inspired my GF and I to attempt a thru hike of the trail. Your videos are amazing! The smiles, the joy, it's awesome.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.
1) What pack did you use, and what pack did kitfox use?
2) What type of tent did y'all use? How often did y'all sleep at shelters?
3) It seems like you guys had a good pace, but not too fast (I've heard of lots of people burning themselves out quickly). Any general tips on that? We plan to so a similar average daily mileage, 12 or 13.
4) What was your overall budget?
5) Any general food suggestions? We plan on doing lots of research on this so we don't get sick of eating trail food!
Thanks for making this blog and the videos - you guys are incredibly inspiring!
Hello Cameron,
DeleteThank you for your kind words. It was truly an incredible experience I would recommend to anyone thinking about doing it. To answer your questions...
1) I used the Osprey Atmos 50 and KitFox used the REI Flash 50. Both held up extremely well for us.
2) We only stayed in two shelters the entire time. Not our thing. We each had our own solo tent, the REI Quarter Dome T1. I think we were the only couple in history to have separate tents, and even though it was a little extra weight, I think it helped us having our own space in the evenings to decompress and relax a bit. For a general gear tip, I highly recommend becoming an REI member if you're not already. They will replace any gear no questions asked at any time. This really comes in handy on the Trail.
3) I read a book, On The Beaten Path, and one of my favorite lines was "Too Hard. Too fast. Too soon." Meaning, if you push yourself too hard and go too fast, you'll get off the trail too soon. Don't kill yourselves. If you're able to thru-hike without a deadline, that would probably be best, but either way, just pay attention to each other and your bodies. If you're going NOBO, the terrain will only become more difficult, so keep that in mind.
4) We both saved a lot for this trip, and we tried to save as much as possible on the Trail as well. The biggest expense hikers face is spending too much time in town. We liked to stay in a motel or hostel every week or so, so that added to the budget, but I think it was worth it. Depending on how often you stay in town, one could easily thru-hike under $3,000.
5) We resupplied as we went along rather than sending mail drops. This helped us have a variety each time we came to a grocery store. Food wasn't a huge deal for me... as long as it was edible and had calories. You'll figure out what works best as you go along. I would just recommend NOT doing mail drops, as many hikers get stuck with food they either don't need or don't want.
It's a journey of a lifetime, and you will figure things out as you go along. There's no wrong or right way to do it. Hike your own hike, as they say. Take one step at a time and don't lose heart! I'm excited and happy to hear that you are planning on setting forth. Hope this helped a bit.
Happy trails!
My wife's older brother's best friend in high school was a younger brother of "Seek's It," so I guess that means we fall just barely within six degrees of separation. Plus we've worked at several national park sites we've seen in your videos (Manassas, Gateway Arch, Grand Canyon). Anyway, we finally got over to do the Approach Trail last week (after skipping it at the start of our hike back in April), and while stopping at Mountain Crossings, we saw they had posted our photo cards next to each other in the back room. We felt it was quite an honor for us to be in such famous company and we posted a picture of it on our TrailJournals.com blog. We love your videos and share the link with anyone we meet who wants to know what the AT is like. If you're into Civil War battlefields other than Gettysburg, come over to west TN/ northern MS some time and we'll give you a tour of Shiloh National Military Park (not to mention a mess of fried catfish!). Keep up the good work, and may 2013 be even better for you all than 2012!!!
ReplyDelete-N. Trovert (Woody Harrell)
Wow, thanks so much!
DeleteI wish we could have met on the trail... I would have loved to talk about the different NPS sites you have worked at. Congratulations to you guys on finishing, and thanks for the shout out on TrailJournals. I'm glad our photos are side by side!
Happy Trails!
(And we may seriously take you up on that offer to visit Shiloh!)
Oh, and by the way the AT counts as one of the 398 units of your national park system all by it self, so when you hike the trail the number of park sites is six, moving it ahead of bears on your list...
ReplyDelete-N. Trovert
Did you get biten by ticks?
ReplyDeleteBernd