Appalachian Trail Facts and FAQs

Welcome to my Appalachian Trail blog! For the first post I figured I would start by laying out some of the most common questions that I’ve been receiving ever since revealing to my friends and family that I’m going to be Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2023. I don’t mind answering questions, so keep firing away! You never know when you’re going to hit me with something I haven’t thought of yet, and I’ll take all the help I can get.

Anyway, let’s start with an AT By-The-Numbers Summary:

• 2,198.4 miles in length in 2023. The total length changes year to year due to minor reroutes.
• This distance takes approximately 5 million steps to complete. Depending on how long your legs are.
• 14 states traversed. Here they are in order from South to North: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
• Thru-Hikers will climb over 464,000 feet of elevation from Georgia to Maine, which is like climbing Mount Everest over 15 times.
• Over 165,000 2″-by-6″ white blazes guide hikers along the precipitous route, and are painted on trees and rocks with a non-toxic white paint.
• Thru-Hikers will go through an average of 4 or 5 pairs of shoes.
• More than 10,000 people attempt to Thru-Hike the AT every year, and only about 25% of aspiring “2,000-Milers” actually make it. The top two reasons for leaving the trail are (1) schedule conflicts (travel visa expires, work requirements) and (2) financial issues.
• The Appalachian Trail stretches 500 miles in Virginia alone, traverses 101 miles in Shenandoah National Park (2019 photo below), and crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway 26 times.

Here are some of the most common questions I get about Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail:

How long will it take?
The average time taken to Thru-Hike the AT is just shy of 6 months. I’m hoping to complete it in 5 or 6 months.

How many miles will you hike a day?
Daily mileage will vary widely depending on how quickly “trail legs” are developed, terrain, weather, or other environmental conditions. Most people take a “zero” (a day with no miles covered) or a “nero” (a day with near-zero miles covered) about once a week to rest, resupply and clean up in town, etc. In the beginning we’ll plan to cover roughly 8 to 10 miles a day for the first week or two, and then eventually build up to 20 or more miles per day. Hoping for an average of 15 miles per day!

Where will you sleep?
There are over 200 shelters along the Trail. Staying in shelters is free for Thru-Hikers and certainly preferable during driving rain or a thunderstorm. If a shelter is unavailable or full, there are tent campsites available as well. Aside from the overnights slept in town for a “nero” or “zero” day, there will be plenty of roughing it!

What will you eat?
The short answer is, whatever I can get my hands on! Thru-Hikers will need between 4,000 and 5,000 calories a day to fuel the continuous climbs and descents each day. The Thru-Hiker is an omnivore, and consideration is given to salty snacks, fats, sugar/carbs, protein, carry weight, availability, and other factors. It’s impossible to fully replace all of the nutrients that are burned for fuel, so Thru-Hikers tend to get both lean (read: insanely muscular) and creative when it comes to dietary choices. (I read a Thru-Hiking “recipe” that involved wrapping TWO Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies and some peanut butter in a whole grain tortilla wrap….sounds like a dream come true!). Other staples include instant rice meals, macaroni and cheese, instant mashed potatoes, and other fare that can be either boiled over a hiking stove or eaten uncooked. While I’m certainly not above a “Little Debbie Wrap” and other instant delights, I’m also hoping to get a little bit of variety in my diet! I’ve already packed about some dehydrated meals for breakfast and dinner with plenty of dehydrated fruits and veggies to keep some semblance of a balanced diet. And yes, we’ll need to hang a bear bag every night. More on my AT food in a later post!

How heavy is your backpack?
A Thru-Hiker’s “base weight” is the weight of their backpack and gear without food or water. My base weight will be about 15 pounds, which is a little heavier than the 10-pound threshold for “ultralight” backpacking. Most Thru-Hikers have a base weight of 10 to 25 pounds.

How many changes of clothes do you bring?
Technically, none! Most people who bring extra clothes end up chucking them shortly into the hike because they add burdensome weight and take up precious space in a pack. I’ll be carrying all the clothes I might need while hiking–wool base layers, pants and shirt, fleece jacket, puffy coat, and rain layers–and clean clothes to sleep in. That’s it!

It’s hard to believe that in a few short weeks the journey will begin. I’m sure there will be many more questions that pop up along the way. I’m looking forward to asking and answering them all!

Thanks for stopping by!
Heather