FAQ

What's the Appalachian Trail?

A 2,175-mile-long mountain footpath, running from Maine to Georgia. General information about the AT can be found at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's website; see this and this, for example.

How long is it going to take you to walk it?

About six to seven months. Longer if I can't find my socks on the first morning.

Are you going alone?

Yes and no. I don't have a designated partner, but I will have company; every year there are over a thousand people attempting to hike the entire trail, and the bulk of them start out in March or April from Georgia, just like me. The trail is also extensively used by people out on weekend camping trips, dayhikes, etc.

Where will you sleep?

There are something like 200 shelters along the trail. Most are basically three walls and a roof (Google image search), and are usually located near a good water source (creek or spring). I will sleep in them occasionally, but my preference is generally to camp out a hundred yards or so away -- close enough to be social, far enough that people won't hit me with shoes for snoring.

I am not bringing a tent. I will sleep in a hammock, with a tarp over me to keep the rain off and with two down quilts to keep me warm -- one over top, one suspended underneath me. If you're having a hard time picturing this, look here. I'll also have a foam sleeping pad and thermal jammies. Compared to tenting, camping in a hammock is a bit more complicated to set up and not quite as good in truly awful weather (though I have hammocked in heavy rain and in subfreezing temps), but much more comfortable to sleep in.

What will you eat?

Plan A is roots, berries and fresh possum. Plan B will be an energy bar for both breakfast and lunch, and then grazing throughout the day on nuts, dried fruit, beef jerky, chocolate, etc. Dinner is whatever can be cooked by adding boiling water; usually some kind of pasta, maybe with some tuna added. I'll carry 4-7 day's worth of food at any given time and get off to resupply in small mountain towns as needed. While in those small mountain towns, I will also seek to bankrupt any Chinese buffets I encounter.

Is it safe?

No, but neither is Orlando traffic so I figure it's a wash. There are snakes, bears, disease-bearing insects and the occasional homocidal maniac; having been a teacher for a decade now, I'm used to facing that every day. Statistically speaking, it's no more dangerous than walking around the block 6,000 times (assuming you live on a mountain, in a forest, in Eastern North America) .

You're taking your cell phone, right?

Nope.

How are you paying for this?

Since my plan to sell tattoo rights to my forehead to goldenpalace.com fell through, I've been reduced to self-financing. After the hike, I'll be auctioning a kidney on ebay to pay off my credit cards.

Did you have to quit your job?

The college where I teach has very graciously given me a six-month leave of absence. Even more graciously, they're continuing to pay the employer portion of my health insurance while I'm gone. This will enable me to keep my other kidney.

Paid Leave?

They're gracious, not stupid.

Have you ever done anything like this before?

I've been walking for over 35 years now, so I feel I'm pretty experienced at that. As far as the whole camping-in-the-woods thing, my previous longest hike was 45 miles through Ocala National Forest in Florida. I figure this will be pretty much like that, only 50 times longer and with a few hundred more mountains.

Do you think you'll finish?

The failure rate for thru-hike attempts is about 85%. For a variety of reasons, I give myself a slightly better shot; I'd say my chances are 50-50.

You should write a book.

Hmm, I wonder if anyone's done that before

Have you read A Walk in the Woods?

Yes. For those who don't know, AWITW was a 1999 bestselling book about two guys hiking the trail. It was responsible for a huge jump in the number of people hiking the trail in 2000-2001 (Numbers). If you're looking for a book about the AT, his is the one I'd recommend. It is much funnier and more interesting than this website, in fact. Stop reading this and go pick it up. (I should add that Bryson's book is not as popular among many serious hikers, for reasons that you may be able to guess when you read it.)

The other books I'd recommend are Earl Shaffer's Walking with Spring and Bill Irwin's Blind Courage. You can follow other people hiking this year by checking out trailjournals.com

Why is this blog called "A long walk home. " You live in Florida and you're from New Jersey.

I ripped it off a Springsteen song because I couldn't think of anything better. I'm open to suggestions.