Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Planning Series:

Intro

Part 1: Gear

Part 2: Food and Water

Part 3: Training

Part 4: Thru-Hike Planning, Navigation, and Cost

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Thru-Hike Planning Philosophy

On the Appalachian Trail, you will find thru-hikers that have been planning their hike for several months or even years with every day accounted for, and you will find those that completely improvise their hike, perhaps not even knowing where they will end up at the end of a given day.

Much of how you go about planning your Appalachian Trial thru-hike boils down to personality. But from what I learned for myself and witnessed in others, I think there is a correct mindset to have when planning your thru-hike.

Find the Balance

As I note in 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Hiking the Appalachian Trail, you need to find the balance between planning and being flexible:

“Stick to the plan, but be flexible when curveballs come. Smell the roses, but not all day. It’s easy to swing too far in either direction – being all “Go. Go. Go.” and missing out on some of the sweeter moments of trail life, or being too relaxed and distractible which can jeopardize the completion of your thru-hike. There’s no point in doing this thing if you don’t let yourself enjoy it, but it’s also not a thru-hike if you don’t make it through. Find that balance.”

For the planners out there: If you plan out every day of your thru-hike from the beginning, I guarantee those plans will get royally screwed up. It’s a long trip with a lot of variables. You will get slowed down on some days and even weeks due to weather, pain, or some other reason. You may find your “trail family” and want to pace with them. Don’t let your plans become a source of frustration when they inevitably fail, or a constraint that keeps you from fully enjoying your thru-hike.

For the non-planners out there: Get your act together and make sure you are getting enough miles behind you every day to finish on time. Manage how often and how long you break each day. Make sure you hit the trail early enough each day to give yourself enough time to make your miles. You need to get in the habit of scaling everything you do by 120-150 days (or however many days you have left on the trail). If you waste an hour or more every day by getting a late start or taking too much time on your breaks, you will potentially find yourself hundreds of miles behind where you could have been. Yes, the “journey” is important, but you want to finish the trail as well, yes?

How I Planned (Or Didn’t)

As I mentioned in the Intro of this article series, I did not plan at all for my thru-hike before starting (my life circumstances changed to allow for the last-minute decision of doing a thru-hike). Being a natural planner, however, I quickly formed a loose plan for completion with my hiking partner. Firstly, we figured out what mileage we had to average in order to summit Mt. Katahdin before Baxter State Park closed on October 15. While this was the minimum acceptable speed, we set a desired end date for early October to give some buffer time. Using our guidebook, we then broke down the trail into smaller segments and determined milestones (cities or state lines) to reach within an acceptable range of dates. Upon reaching one of my milestones, I would set the number of resupplys, with an achievable mileage between each, that would get us to the next milestone.

Honestly, that was pretty much it. I found that loose planning kept us on track while allowing for adaptation and flexibility.

You will need to figure out what works for you, but as I said before, try to find the balance between planning and flexibility. Too far in either direction will lead to frustration or failure.

Navigation/Guidebook

How do I get to the start of the AT?

I would recommend doing the Approach Trail beginning at Amicalola State Park (about 60 miles north of Atlanta). After ~500 stairs up Amicalola Falls, this trail continues for 9 miles to the summit of Springer Mountain, where the Appalachian Trail officially begins. Whether you decide to do the Approach Trail or want to go straight to Springer Mountain, there are several shuttles that can get you there from the airport. A family member was living in Atlanta at the time of my thru-hike and drove my hiking partner and I to Amicalola from the airport- so I can’t recommend any specific shuttle service. But this site provides a helpful table to find a shuttle service to get to the start of the AT (as well as shuttle services available along the entire length of the trail).

How do I navigate along the trail?

For navigation, I used the “AWOL” guide (“The A.T. Guide“, officially). It served us well the whole trail. In this guidebook you will find information on mileage, elevation, shelters, water sources, road crossings, maps and info for “trail towns”, and other useful information. This guidebook was what I used to determine my daily mileage, and set resupplys and milestone goals (as discussed above). Having a reliable guidebook on the AT is a must, and I think AWOL does a great job. You can find that guide here – just make sure to get the version for the year you hike as there may be some minor changes along the trail that are detailed in the book.

Now, you can breathe a sigh of relief and tell your mom and significant other that it is pretty hard to get lost on the AT. The trail, markings, and signage are generally very clear (with some exceptions), and you will likely find your way back to the trail somewhat quickly if you make a wrong turn. If you want, bring a compass, but make sure its as simple and lightweight as possible because you will likely never use it. Having a smart phone is helpful when you are in town or trying to get there at a road crossing (but you will probably be bringing that anyways!).

Permits

Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about permits or fees for most of the Appalachian Trail. There are a few exceptions, however. You will need a permit for overnight sites in Great Smoky Mountain National Park (small fee), in Shenandoah National Park (no fee), and in Baxter State Park (no fee). There are also some sites that require an overnight fee in New England (namely shelters and huts in the White Mountains, NH). More information with links to obtaining necessary permits can be found here.

Cost

How Much Does It Cost To Thru-Hike The Appalachian Trail?

Unfortunately, I cannot give a clear answer to this question as it can vary drastically based on a number of variables unique to each individual. You will need gear. You will need to travel to the trailhead by plane, car, or bus. You will need to buy food for 5-7 months. You will want to eat at restaurants while in town. You will want to occasionally stay in a hostel or motel. You will go through 2-4 pairs of shoes. You may need to replace gear items. You will need to travel back home…

I probably spent around $4,500 on my thru-hike (2014). This included about $1,000 of gear and about $3,500 for ~5 months of trail-living expenses. Much of the cost of a thru-hike depends on what gear you already own and can use, and how often you stay at hotels and eat at restaurants. Depending on these variables, you can spend anywhere from $2,500 on a shoestring budget (assuming you already have your gear) to $7,000+ if you need to buy lots of gear and want to live comfortably on the trail by frequenting motels and restaurants.

If you own ZERO backpacking gear and need to fully outfit yourself before your thru-hike, you can easily spend up to $2,000 for a good setup (buying new). You can see our recommendations here.

One of the best ways to save money on the trail is to avoid sleeping in motels/hostels too frequently. Also avoid spending too much at restaurants – get the best bang for your buck and go for all-you-can-eat (AYCE) buffets so you can satisfy your ravenous hunger without breaking the bank. If you can avoid taking a flight to the start of the trail, that will be a big relief to your budget as well. Think about taking a bus or see if a friend/family member would be willing to road trip with you to the trailhead.

This should go without saying, but the best option is to simply save as much as you can for your thru-hike. It is far better to have saved up too much money and not need all of it than to run out of money and need to cut your hike short.

Below is a spreadsheet of what I approximately spent while on the AT:

Trail-Life Budget:

 AprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberTotal
Travel/Flights$400$0$0$0$0$400$800
Trail Food$250$250$250$250$250$250$1,500
Restaurants$100$100$100$100$100$100$600
Lodging$20$70$20$70$20$70$270
Gear/Supplies$1100$20$100$20$100$20$1360
Misc.$30$30$30$30$30$30$180
Total:$900$470$500$470$500$870$4710

Wrapping Up Our AT Prep

So there it is. I hope this information has been helpful in giving some practical direction for hiking the Appalachian Trail and taking away some of its ambiguity. As I stated before, much of your thru-hike will be figured out along the way. It’s hard to tell what everything will be like before you actually hit the trail, but I promise that things will begin to feel a bit more normal after a couple weeks of trail life.

If you take anything away from this information, please heed my advice on gear. Again, I guarantee that one of the primary reasons so many people drop out early in their thru-hike is due to carrying an overly heavy pack. Get the right gear and do not over-pack. If you are lugging around 45 pounds on your back, everything is going to feel miserable, you will make yourself prone to injury, and you will be tempted to quit. Keep your weight down, and hiking will actually be enjoyable!

I can guarantee you that hiking the Appalachian Trail will be one of the most memorable accomplishments of your life. You will find out a lot about yourself, you will grow in tremendous ways, and you will gain new perspectives. I will warn you that a thru-hike of this scale may mess you up a little! “Normal” life will not be the same and you may find yourself always dreaming up the next adventure. Good luck and happy hiking!

To Katahdin!!!

— Motown