It started back in summer 2009. I was on a three week bike trip when I heard about the Appalachian Trail. One of the group members had a friend that was doing a thru hike that summer. I didn't know what the Appalachian Trail (AT) or a thru hike was, but I was intrigued.
During Labor Day weekend I flew to Concord, New Hampshire to visit with a college friend. She mentioned something about hiking, so I lugged my backpack and gear with me, ready for an adventure. After the purchase of a map of the White Mountains and a few trips to Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) we had planned an overnight hike.
The hike was so beautiful I wouldn't even know how to put it into words (or pictures - it was very hard to captured the depth and detail). A couple of miles into the hike we passed a sign for the AT. That started a whole slew of questions, "how long do you think those hikers hike a day?", "how do they get water?", "how do they get food?" and "how long does it take?".
When I got back home I immediately started Googling those questions. Then I went to the library and read guides and memoirs. Then I bought planning and data books and joined online forums. I was sold. I decided to do a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. Now it was time to tell my husband, family and friends.
During Labor Day weekend I flew to Concord, New Hampshire to visit with a college friend. She mentioned something about hiking, so I lugged my backpack and gear with me, ready for an adventure. After the purchase of a map of the White Mountains and a few trips to Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) we had planned an overnight hike.
The hike was so beautiful I wouldn't even know how to put it into words (or pictures - it was very hard to captured the depth and detail). A couple of miles into the hike we passed a sign for the AT. That started a whole slew of questions, "how long do you think those hikers hike a day?", "how do they get water?", "how do they get food?" and "how long does it take?".
When I got back home I immediately started Googling those questions. Then I went to the library and read guides and memoirs. Then I bought planning and data books and joined online forums. I was sold. I decided to do a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. Now it was time to tell my husband, family and friends.
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