2025 Introduction:
Jean has been bringing home books from the Little Free Libraries scattered about our neighborhood to mix in with my regular reading. Her latest find is “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk” published in 2014 by Ben Montgomery. I knew the outline of Gatewood’s inspiring story, an abused wife who became the third person, and first woman, to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. She previously had little background in backpacking, and was often without a trail map or had little idea or the route ahead of her.
Not far into the book I realized that her 1955 thru hike happened closer in time to my 1976 thru-hike than my 1976 hike is to today. If that didn’t make me feel old, much of publicity for Gatewood’s hike was because of her age, which at 67 was exactly what mine is now.
Montgomery compiled the formidable press coverage of her hike (something I was unaware of) and incorporates Gatewood’s brief trail diary. There are some wonderful details such as her estimate that the entire hike cost her $200, and an encounter in the Smokies with Smoky Mountains Hiking Club stalwart Lionel Edney (spelled Edna in the book). The book inspired me to go back and review some of my old AT material. I have my original journal, a written revision of the journal, photo prints, and several books and pamphlets on the AT. Would this be the time to compile that into a digital record and potentially post the info on my RunHikeBike blog (hiramrunhikebike.blogspot.com) of trip reports? This report is a mixture of an inventory of the materials I have left from my AT hike, and the background on how I prepared for the hike from both a 1976 and a 2025 perspective.
I also realized that my trip began early in the explosion of thru hiking on the AT. It wasn’t until 1973 that thru-hiking became somewhat common, and I thought the hikers of my year might still be within the first 100 or so finishers. But the 2000 miler data on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website (2000 milers) proves that guess was too optimistic. The ATC shows 80 thru-hikers through the 1960s, and 793 in the 1970s. Going through the lists for each year I counted 313 thru hikers in 1970-1975, showing that the 117 thru hikers finishing in 1976 would have started around #400 on the all-time list. While Grandma Gatewood saw only 1 or 2 other thru hikers in 1955, there are now over 1,000 thru hikers finishing the AT each year.
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| Some of the ATC publications I used in planning my thru-hike. |
2025 Background:
My interest in the Appalachian Trail sprung from hiking trips at summer camp in the early 70s. I spent six summers as a camper, and later worked at Camp Tohkomeupog, in New Hampshire, where we took weekly trips hiking into the White Mountains, canoeing the local lakes and rivers, or just tent camping at a remote site on the camp property. Although not particularly athletic, I was a strong hiker and quickly picked up the skills and stamina I needed for backpacking.
As an older camper, our backpacking trips became more ambitious, and we hiked into campsites in the Presidential Range, Franconia Ridge, and other White Mountains ranges visited by the AT. I was first interested in the New Hampshire 4,000-footers, a list of the 40-odd tallest peaks in the state. But spotting a crossing of the trail on an overpass above the Massachusetts Turnpike made me realize that the AT was much more than just a path through New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
My parents supported this interest. Starting in about 1973 they gave me books about the AT for Christmas. In 1973, 1974, and 1975 I took overnight hiking trips post camp with camp friends, which helped me learn how to plan trips. I also took trips with the Rhode Island chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, that not only got me into new areas, but exposed me to the harsher fall weather conditions. My closest dry run for the AT was a nine day trip in 1975 to the Presidential and Carter-Moriah Ranges that started with an AMC group, but mostly was a solo hike. Before the AT I didn’t take trip notes, but I did mark down my summit climbs in the copy of my faithful AMC White Mountain hiking guide.
Luckily for me my school had a program that would make the AT possible. At the time we lived in Barrington, Rhode Island and I went to the private Moses Brown School in Providence. Moses Brown had a senior project option for seniors who otherwise had completed all their academic requirements. I think thru-hiking the AT must have been among the most ambitious projects proposed for the program, but the project was approved. I would be able to start hiking on the school’s spring break, and spend the spring quarter hiking the AT. My folks added the requirements that I would need to do all the planning for the trip, and I would leave the trail temporarily to attend my high school graduation. After graduation I would have the rest of the summer free to complete the trail.
I probably started working on the planning early in my senior year. The best guide out there was the Ed Garvey book, which gave both some strategic planning tips, and a detailed example of how he had planned his AT thru-hike. I had some money from working at Camp the summer before, and from working at the tennis club that my Dad was managing, but I imagine much of what I bought was subsidized by my folks. I remember going with my Dad to an outdoor store and buying a good down sleeping bag. He also had connections at a place where I was able to order the large number of freeze-dried dinners that I’d estimated that I need. Most other equipment I already had; a stove kit, good boots, a Kelty frame pack, tube tent, raingear, warm clothes, etc.
Food and gear would both depend on how long I’d take for the hike. Based on my previous overnight trips and my reading of trip reports, I thought I could do about 15 miles a day. I’d need extra time in towns for resupply, so my overall average would be less than that. I also assumed my pace to my first supply point would be more like 10 miles a day as I got into better hiking shape,
My distance between resupply points would be a balance between spending time in towns for resupply, versus having to carry heavy loads long distances. I guessed that weekly resupply would be best, and I hoped to take maximum advantage of the towns that the trail passed through. In the seventies, the infrastructure to support the AT was not yet in place. There were a few hostels in towns, but otherwise hikers were dependent on remote country stores that had very limited food selection. I decided to pre-buy most of my food and have my folks ship it in boxes by mail to me. That would also give me a chance to get new guidebook sections and maps, or exchange gear depending on my needs.
Before the trip, my packages were all laid out in their boxes in our guest room. One day during the trip our neighbor’s dog, a black lab named Pitch, got into our house and feasted on my food boxes. Coming upon the mess, my Mom had no idea what now went in which box. Apparently neither did I, as I didn’t notice any deviation from the plan, and did not hear the story of the food box raid until after my hike was over.
Resources for 2025 Rewrite:
Though I’ve carried my AT notes around through various moves since the 1970’s, I’ve done very little with them. My original notes were taken on Steno Pads, and then shipped home from the trail. At some point (between finishing the AT and going off to college) I rewrote those notes by hand onto notebook paper, presumably with some light editing. I also then wrote up some introductory material including gear and food sections. I kept the info in a brown 3-ring binder. My intention in typing up these notes is again to edit lightly in order to preserve my experience as closely as possible.
Brown 3-ring; Office file drawer lower file (inventoried)
Manilla envelopes, AT data Lower File drawer
Manilla envelopes AT News clippings: (Did not Inventory) Lower File drawer
AT Guidebooks and Maps; Display Cabinet (not yet inventoried)
AT Books & Pamphlets; Living Room Bookcase (inventoried)
AT print photographs; Living Room Bookcase, Bottom? Shelf (no scans as of Aug 2025)
Manilla Folder AT Data
1-AT Mileage Fact Sheet, undated, Looks to be a planning copy, several sheets missing
2-AT Thru-hiker permit for the Smokies
3-Original Steno Pad Diary Entries, & 2 revised planning sheets for north section of trail
4-2 copies of Schedule and list of Planned Mail drops, HR & Mom, moved to Brown Notebook
5-Basic Clothing and Equipment list, moved to Brown Notebook
6-Long Trail Certificate of Completion (from 1977, scanned and moved to orange folder)
1-Mileages & Places Stayed, 7 p. (Previously added to Hiram Trip List.xls)
2-Draft of Completion letter to ATC, 7 p. (not typed)
3-Equipment Evaluation, 7 p. (typed)
4- Food Evaluation, 3 p. (typed)
5-Conclusion, 2 p. (typed)
6-Introduction, 3 p. (typed and moved to front)
7-Daily Journal, ~145 pages
8-Thru Hiker Lists, 5 p. (did not look at in detail)
9-Spring Mountain Trail Register, April – June 1976
10-Clip of Barrington Times article on HR Thru Hike
1976 Notes (with 2025 notes added in parentheses)
1976 Introduction (from Brown Notebook)
Every hiker who has heard of the Appalachian Trail has probably thought about hiking it. I was no exception. When I first heard of this 2,000 mile trail, I thought it would be a great thing to do.
My introduction to hiking happened at summer camp in New Hampshire. About every week we got a chance to go on a hiking or canoeing trip. I almost always picked hiking. As I got older the trips got more strenuous, leading to overnight, and longer, trips. My ambitions were limited to the New Hampshire and New England 4,000-footers, which I am close to finishing. (I finished the 4,000 footers during 1990 Dartmouth Reunion trip).
In the two or three years before hiking the AT I joined the Appalachian Mountain Club, and started working at the summer camp. I went on hiking trips up to 10 days long. Before I left for Springer Mountain, I let myself believe I was an experienced hiker.
The high school I went to has a program called “Senior Projects.” This program allowed seniors who had completed all their requirements for graduation to take projects away from school. Fortunately for me, my project to hike the AT was accepted. With my last trimester of school and summer break I now had time to try the trail. The only catch was that I had to return home in June for graduation. Since I knew a “vacation” would probably do me good, I didn’t mind at all.
My planning for the AT took a long time. All the hiking equipment I had bought over the years had been chosen with the AT in mind. I selected my equipment with two main factors; weight and durability. The advantage of light weight is obvious. Quality was also important. I knew any piece of equipment that would survive 2,000 miles had to be the best.
A good deal of consideration also went into my food supply. To save weight I decided to take freeze dried dinners. A nearby mountain shop, Alpine Ski and Sports, offered me a 20% discount on all my equipment so I bought my food, and most of my accessories there. I bought about 120 Mountain House and Rich-Moor instant dinners. I didn’t buy enough for each night as I thought I might get sick of the dinners. I did so, and much sooner than I expected. I began to avoid them and consequently had about ten left over. The other food that I bought in advance were soups, hot chocolate, and Tang.
I chose to supply myself through Post Offices along the trail. My mother agreed to send my packages. Originally, I planned to get all my food through the mail. The post offices I picked were about ten days apart.
As it turned out, I miscalculated so badly on the amount of food that I would need that I only got about half my food through the mail. My mail included the basics. When I went home in June, I re-arranged my food drops so that they were only 5-7 days apart. There was no reason to carry ten days of food, when you only carry only five days.
If I were to do the trail again, I would not mail packages. Stores along the trail now carry lots of food for hikers. Buying food along the way is simpler and allows you the freedom to choose your supply points as you go along.
Post Trip Equipment Evaluation (from Brown Notebook, with added updates from 2025)
A backpacker’s most distinctive and most important piece of equipment is their pack. Mine was an extra-large Kelty Tioga external frame pack. On the AT it did everything I needed it to do. The only problem with Kelty frame packs was the tendency for the lower back band to rip where it was in contact with the frame. This was assumed to be the result of corrosion from salty sweat reacting with the aluminum frame. The standard remedy was to wrap masking tape around the frame where it meets the back band, I may have held a durability record as mine lasted for the entire trip. My band ripped only about halfway through on one side. I also lost an end cap for the frame, which allowed dirt to fill the bottom of the tube.
The extra-large Tioga was a huge pack. I was easily tempted to fill it with more stuff than I needed. A smaller model would have done the job. Kelty had an impeccable reputation for quality, and their framed came with a lifetime guarantee. I thought they made the best backpacks and wouldn’t have traded mine for anything else.
(In the mid-1970s internal frame packs were not available, I used my Tioga until 1993 when I moved to Tennessee and purchased a Dana Designs Terraplane, another huge load hauler suitable for week or longer trips. I still have the Tioga stored in our attic, and still use the Terraplane.)
My stove also performed flawlessly. I had a Svea 123 with the Sigg Tourist cook kit, but only used the largest pot in the set. I never saw a stove on the trail that was as dependable or put out a better flame. But all stoves can be temperamental and sometimes won’t start until the fourth or fifth attempt. Whispering sweet nothings into its ear seemed to work for me.
The Sigg Tourist Kit was a good arrangement for two people. However, for a solo hiker the standard windscreen and large pot would have been enough, and would save weight. Another weight savings would have been carrying a pint fuel bottle instead of the quart size. I started with the quart size before I realized the pint bottle would have worked. The smaller bottle would have fit in my pack better. In 1976, some hikers were still using wood fires. I felt all hikers should use stoves. Much of the trail was crowded enough that there wasn’t enough wood fuel to go around. Also stoves lessen fire danger. There’s a certain romance to cooking over an open fire, but after a day or two almost anyone would prefer the ease of a stove.
(The Svea 123 burned regular white gas so I could fill up my bottle at any gas station, which was a huge convenience. The next generation of stoves, such as the MSR Whisperlite need a cleaner white gas such as Coleman Fuel, making buying fuel mid trip a hassle. I kept my Svea into the early 1980s, adding one of the aftermarket pumps. I believe I donated my Svea to one of Budy’s friends (Robin or John?), who wanted it for parts to keep their own Svea functional. My first Whisperlite lasted into the late 1990s, and my second until 2024. When the second stove failed, I discovered it was still under warranty and I was able to get it replaced for free.)
I didn’t have quite as good luck with my boots. I started with a pair of Vasques with about a year and half of mild use. The boots gave me foot troubles for the first ¾ of the hike. I wasn’t sure it was strictly the fault of the boots. I had them resoled in Pearisburg, VA. The man at the shoe shop (Vasque was sold by Red Wing, which had stores in almost every town) did them overnight, and I had no complaints.
However, when I started into PA my boots, particularly the right one, began to fall apart. When I went home for my graduation break from Port Clinton I tried to find a new pair, but could not. So, I went back to the AT hoping I could find suitable boots in a town along the trail. In one of my dumber moves I continued with the old pair of boots all the way to Manchester Center in Vermont.
In Manchester Center I bought a pair of Dunham boots for about $50. They were quite similar to the Vasque boots, except that they were slightly lighter. Lucky for me the boots broke in easily. Although I walked 31 miles the first two days I had the boots, I didn’t get any blisters until the third day. It took the fourth day before the boots felt broken in.
The strenuous terrain of the AT made boots mandatory in that era. I felt the medium weight category fit best and that Vibram soles were essential. It seemed like all the major manufacturers had reliable products.
Almost every thru hiker will need to get boots resoled at least once. Whether or not the repairman is good is a matter of luck. In towns with Hiker Hostels, it would be easy enough to ask around to find a repairman. I was lucky with my experience in Pearisburg, but both Buddy and Tim did not get their boots fixed on the first try.
(Boot technology has changed a lot since the 70s. Though a few hikers were trying sneakers, the shoes of that era weren’t up for the conditions of the AT. I’m not sure how long my Dunham’s lasted, surely through college and probably through grad school. I remember in ~1983 needing to replace my leather boots for geology field work. I got one of the first boots with cloth uppers, and they didn’t last a month. Then I was lucky to discover the all leather Vasque Sundowners. The first few pairs of those were tremendous, with Jean loving the women’s model as well. After two rounds of corporate downgrading the Sundowners are no more. I still have an old, rarely worn, pair in the closet, but almost always just wear my running shoes, even for backpacking or work trips.)
Sleeping bags were another piece of equipment apt to cause arguments among hikers. My bag was a North Face Superlight. It was a goose down bag, weighed just over three pounds, and was rated to 5 degrees.
The warmth needed for a AT hiker depends a lot on their starting date. In March I had many nights down to about 15F. After putting on some of my clothing I was warm in those conditions. Warmth rating from manufacturers tended to be much lower than hikers find comfortable. A hiker shouldn’t carry a bag that would keep them warm in the coldest expected temperatures. By adding extra clothing at night one can stay warm with a lighter weight bag.
I was very happy with the Superlight. In the summer it was often warm enough that I had to sleep on top of it. My bag did get wet a few times, but not enough to make for cold sleeping. Unfortunately, my bag did get run through the washing machine while I was off the trail for my graduation. My Mom didn’t realize that once the down was wet it would clump, and then rip through the baffles while it tumbled through the laundry. Luckily, this was mid summer so I was generally warm enough even with the down poorly distributed within the bag.
(Bags with synthetic fill such as Fiberfill and Polarguard were just becoming popular in the 70s. These bags were heavier and more bulky, but retain their insulation when wet, and are much less expensive. A wet bag on a thru-hike for multiple days is much more serious than on an overnighter, and any thru-hiker is likely to get their bag wet somewhere along the way.
I kept the down Superlight through college and grad school, but bought a synthetic filled North Face bag in the early 80s while I lived in Butte. That bag is bulky and heavy, but handles moist conditions well, I went with the synthetic bag because I was nervous about using a wet down bag in the cold Rocky Mountains. In 1998 I bought my current North face down bag (another superlight) in advance of a trip to Arizona, and still use it as of 2025. I also still use my synthetic bag for car camping when I don’t have to haul it in my backpack.)
Raingear is another serious issue for thru-hikers. You have a choice between breathable and unbreathable types. Breathable coats let some of your perspiration escape, while it also leaves you cooler. But some water will eventually leak through the fabric. A raincoat that doesn’t breathe holds your sweat in. I used non breathable coats. My first was an Eastern Mountain Sports El Cheapo rain parka. As the name suggests, it was not well built. It was already on the way to falling apart when a wind and rainstorm on Franconia Ridge in NH tore it apart. I remember the hood ripping and soaring off, carried by the wind. Then I got jacket from International Mountain Sports in North Conway, NH which performed well. I could control ventilation with sleeves and a zipper and kept reasonably comfortable.
Other hikers were carrying rain pants or chaps. The main advantage of these is they keep your legs warm, but your legs will get wet anyway. I started with rain pants, but mailed them home when the weather got warmer.
Another major decision for the thru-hiker is whether to carry a tent or a tarp. For me this seemed like a question with no good answer. I chose the Gerry Pioneer. It could be set up as a tube tent for one person, or be unzipped and used as a tarp. Each end of the tube tent had mosquito netting, but no zipper. Luckily, I only had to use it three times in the rain. Each time it worked well, though there was minor leaking around the seams, and since it was a single wall, condensation built up. I would have liked a ground cloth which would have allowed me to unzip the tent, but didn’t think it was worth the weight when I so rarely used the Pioneer. I carried the Pioneer all the way to Monson, ME before mailing it back, but should have sent it back much earlier. My bottom line was that in those much quieter days on the AT a hiker could get by without carrying any tent and sleeping in shelters.
(I’m not sure whatever happened to the Pioneer. In later years I would use two of each of the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlights (solo), SD Meteor Lights (with Jean), and our current REI Half and Quarter dome tents. Nowhere else but the AT can a backpacker expect to sleep regularly under a roof, and given the current popularity of the AT it’s probably hard to find room in a trail shelter in thru-hiker season.
(For the trip my folks bought me a pocket camera. Pocket cameras were a relatively new innovation, I doubt I would have wanted to carry a heavy SLR camera. The camera used small film rolls and mine only took print film. I assume I bought film along the way, and shipped the used rolls home for developing. I only took a couple of pictures per day. The pocket camera photos were not sharp and the prints have faded and blurred with time. The prints are stored in a brown photo notebook, three to a page, with a caption strip for each. My current plan is to scan the prints and captions by page, and to save the best for posting as digital images.
The pocket camera is long gone and forever anonymous. I got a 35MM SLR Minolta while in college and used it until around 2005, when we got our first digital cameras.)
Shelters 95
Hostel 14
Hotel 13
Bivouac 11
Private Home 3
Old Building 2
AMC Hut 1
Churchyard 1
Kelty Tioga Backpack with rain cover
North Face Superlight sleeping bag
Ensolite foam pad
Svea 123 stove with Sigg Tourist Kit
Fuel bottle, extra cap, fork, spoon, cup
Plastic jars (2 and 3.5 oz) and canteen
Flashlight, jackknife, rope
Pocket camera, film
Plastic sandwich bags
Compass, safety pins
First aid, Toilet kit
Washcloth
Clothing List:
2 T-shirts
Fishnet shirt (probably was sent home early)
Wool shirt
Down parka (probably was vest, and sent home early)
2 pair blue jeans (one was cut off to make shorts)
2 pair cotton underwear
5 pair socks (at least 2 pairs of ragg wool socks, plus cotton liners)
1 pair gloves (probably was sent home early)
Wool hat (probably was sent home early)
1 bandana
1 pair low gaiters (probably was sent home early)
Boots (not on original list)
Post Trip Food Evaluation (from Brown Notebook, with added updates from 2025)
The AT changed my perspective on food for hikers, boiling it down to “If you can’t eat it, don’t take it,” It’s a common philosophy for thru-hikers whose backs are strong, but whose stomachs are still undefeated. In picking foods, my criteria were light weight, easy preparation, and filling.
My starting diet was quite different from my final menus, evolving from what I had planned pre-hike into something similar to what other thru-hikers were eating.
For breakfast I ate Carnation breakfast bars and pop tarts. I would eat Chrunchola bars if I couldn’t buy the Carnation bars. I ate two of each so that one box would last three days. Sometimes I would have 3-4 packs of instant oatmeal, which would keep me filled until lunchtime. Other times I would drink Tang that I had mixed up the night before. I had started out eating granola, but began to despise the taste. It’s great hiking food if you like the stuff.
Tang was the only powdered breakfast drink available at that time, and there were no Gatorades or other energy drinks to be had. The Carnation breakfast bars were also the first of their type, which have now blossomed into becoming their own food type.
My main course for lunch was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I transferred my PB from glass jars into squeeze tubes. The tubes were lightweight and convenient on the trail, but were a chore to fill up. I kept my jelly in a small poly bottle. For bread, I ate whole wheat or Roman Meal (all I’d had was white bread before the AT). For long stretches I also used rolls. My pack was big enough to carry whole loaves of bread without it getting squished.
The rest of my lunch was gorp and candy. For gorp I mixed M&M’s, raisins, peanuts, and sometimes butterscotch bits. Gorp provided the perfect excuse for a “gorp break”. I also ate almost any type of candy I could get. Most hikers carried candy bars for the high sugar content and energy potential. But, mostly they just tasted good. Of the thru-hikers I met Tim easily ate the most candy.
For dinner I ate freeze-dried food. I ate two person dinners from Mountain House and Rich-Morr. The dinners were light weight and easy to prepare (just add boiling water). However, they were very expensive and didn’t provide me enough food. Since I had bought all the dinners before starting the trip, that part of my menu was fixed. I usually added minute rice or sometimes instant potatoes, to add bulk at little cost (those ingredients being easy to find in the small local markets). But that didn’t improve the taste of the freeze-dried foods much. I also ate Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinners. Each box cost about 30 cents and made a filling meal. I also ate two freeze-dried dinners from Speedy Chef, Those were very good. The only drawback was their price at $1.95. (It was probably the early 2020’s before Jean persuaded me to experiment again with freeze-dried food for backpacking.)
Besides my main dinner I added a Lipton Cup of Soup or a cup of hot chocolate. I drank hot drinks more in the cooler weather, and also may have been getting tired of them by the time I was in warmer weather. Occasionally I would make Jello instant pudding, which only cost about 25 cents for two cups, and tasted good.
(A major difference between now and 1976 is water treatment. In those days we had never heard of giardia, or worried about water quality. It was standard practice to drink straight from springs, creeks or lakes, and I never thought to treat any of my water on the trip, nor ever paid the price for not treating it.)
March 12, Friday, Last day of school
March 13, Sat, Fly to Atlanta
March 14, Sunday Leave Amicalola Falls
March 25 Thursday, Franklin, NC
April 6, Tuesday, Hot Springs, NC
April 15, Sunday, Damascus, VA
April 26, Monday, Pearisburg, VA
May 5, Wednesday, Snowden, VA
May 17, Front Royal, VA
May 29, Saturday, Duncannon, PA
May 30- June 3, Graduation Break, Return to Barrington, RI
June 4, High School Graduation
June 6, Sunday, Duncannon, PA
June16, Wednesday, Delaware Water Gap, PA
June 27, Sunday, Kent, CT
July 6, Tuesday, Williamstown, MA
July 16, Friday, Hanover, NH
July 26, Monday, Gorham, NH
August 8, Sunday, Monson, ME
August 15, Sunday, Katahdin, ME
June 5, Port Clinton, PA
June10, Delaware Water Gap, PA
June 13, Unionville, NY
June 19, Holmes, NY
June 23, Salisbury, CT
June 28, Cheshire, MA
July 3, Manchester Center, VT
July 9, Hanover, NH
July 13, North Woodstock, NH
July 20, Gorham, NH
July 24, Rangley, ME
July 31, Monson, ME
August 9, Katahdin, ME
1976 Conclusion (from Brown Notebook)
Even now it seems hard for me to believe that I’ve hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. Strangely, it seems like a long dream of mine. About the only thing that makes it seem real is reading my journal again.
For a long while I couldn’t wait to finish the trip and get home. Then in my last week on the trail, I realized it would soon be over. I knew I would soon miss the journey. Now only ten days later, I am homesick for the trail. The AT was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. I feel so lucky just to have had the chance to hike it.
Many people had asked me if I would do the whole trail again. My answer is a many qualified Yes. There were a lot of trail sections that I found uninteresting the first time around. They would be even more boring the second time. But, before I did the AT again, there are many other long trails I would like to hike. I have already made tentative plans to hike the remaining part of Vermont’s Long Trail next summer before school starts with Tim Line, Buddy Koonce, and Eric Heinrich. (Buddy, Eric, and I would finish the Long Trail in 1977.) Other trails that interest me are the Florida Trail, the Bruce Trail in Ontario, and the Buckeye Trail in Ohio.
Then of course there is the other big one, the Pacific Crest Trail. I don’t think anyone who has hiked the AT hasn’t turned at least a speculative eye out west. Due to the more strenuous nature of the PCT I think I’d try it in two or three trips, instead of one. That way I could relax and enjoy the trip more rather than concentrating on the logistics of finishing. I’d also need a partner for the trip, preferably another ex thru-hiker, of course.
(Note: “Ten days later” confirms that the Brown Notebook entries were made in the one month interval between finishing the hike and starting my freshman year at Dartmouth.
Since then, I have made several day hikes on the Florida Trail, but have not yet visited the Bruce or Buckeye trails. I’ve had better luck with the PCT, hiking CA’s Marbles in 1982, WA’s Snoqualamie to Stevens in 1986, the Tahoe Sierra in 1987, and the Sierra section north of Whitney in 1990, plus some shorter trips in Oregon Cascades and the California Sierra.
1-Guidebooks, Maps, and Trail Data Needs inventory
Appalachian Trail Data Book, 1973, Appalachian Trail Conference
2-Planning Guides
Appalachian Hiker, Adventure of a Lifetime, Edward B. Garvey, 1971, Appalachian Books
Suggestions for Appalachian Trail Users, ATC Publication No. 15,1970, Appalachian Trail Conference
The Appalachian Trail, A Footpath Through the Wilderness for More Than 2,000 miles from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, ATC Publication #17, 1972, Appalachian Trail Conference
The Appalachian Trail, A Mountain Footpath, ATC Publication #5, 1973, Appalachian Trail Conference
3-Books About the AT
Walking with Spring, the first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, 1983, Earl V. Scaffer, Appalachian Trail Conference
Appalachian Odyssey, Walking the Trail from Georgia to Maine, 1977, Steve Sherman and Julia Older, The Stephen Greene Press
The Appalachian Trail, Wilderness on the Doorstep, 1967, Ann and Myron Sutton, J. B. Lippincott Company
The Appalachian Trail, 1972, Ronald M. Fisher, National Geographic Society
Hiking the Appalachian Trail, 2 volumes, 1975, James R Hare, ed., Rodale Press
