First things first. . . . the questions of what, why, how and who. . .

WHAT?. . ."AT" is the moniker attached to the APPALACHIAN NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL, a 2175 mile long ribbon-like foot path that traverses 14 states. In the past 6 months or so I have been firming up plans to begin a major undertaking. I am 33 years old and plan to section-hike this trail. I am not an avid hiker, which is to say I don't regularly hike yet. . . I hike to and from camp sites and to fishing and hunting locations, but hiking in that sense is a byproduct of some other event. What I am planning is something very different. The hike itself in this case is the event and it is long, very long. From Springer Mountain in Northern Georgia to Mt. Katadhin in the middle of Maine is a massive daunting distance. I will attempt to do the full length in my remaining lifetime in 50-70 mile chunks at a time. I can't help but think that somewhere down the road before Sterling goes on his mission, I will have more than a week or so to go and so I could potentially do more than a hundred miles in a given year, but I just need to start by getting to the trail and getting some experience I will get into the why a little later, but understanding what the AT is, is as important as understanding all my motivations. The AT is part of the same National Park System as Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Great Smokey Mountains. As such it enjoys a great deal of Federal focus and protection. The trail leverages that power to override states that would encroach on AT lands and otherwise diminish its significance. Even so the AT is a trail maintained by hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer maintenance and patrolling as well as wealthy benefactors and enthusiasts. As you can see in the graphics it is a mountainous trail. Elevations dip to a few hundred feet and climb over 6000 feet at Clingman's Dome. On this trail you are either climbing or descending a mountain with rare exceptions. It is simply the nature of the trail. There are gradual climbs over mile after mile, and there are lung busting ascents in very short distances. It is the most biologically diverse National Park in our country. It has a place in the national identity. The idea of the trail was first conceived in 1921 and was completed in 1937 and has become increasingly organized and maintained than ever. A wealth of information about the trail, and a unique perspective on a failed "thru-hike" which is an end to end trek, can be found in a book called, a Walk in the Woods. I recently read it and it reads like a travelogue loaded with factoids about the trail. It is quite humorous, especially when the author starts talking about buying gear and his section about bears. Thru-hiking as the author attempted and failed, usually takes between 5-7 months. He ended up logging around 900 miles out of 2175 and in the end was section hiking from his New England home. The trail is an amazing space. One of the things that stands out to me about the book that I read was that you can imagine a very crowded space because the "park" aspect of the trail makes the attraction a path only 3 feet wide. In reality the trail is relatively quiet and is surprisingly not busy, (most of the year and in most places). According to the author during parts of his hike you can walk for days and not see anyone. It is remote. Cellphones and Blackberries are better off at home. That I suppose, is one of my big draws to the trail. More on that later. . . The purpose of this blog is to talk about it, to talk about my preparations and to act as a journal of sorts. I honestly don't care if anyone else posts but me. But it is kind of a way of looking at preparations and ideas. I will list my gear and plans and maps and other things. If you are interested in the trail there are a number of great sites out there. Here's a start. . .

• http://www.nps.gov/appa Take a look at the map! --Wabamm!!! 2200miles!!
• http://www.appalachiantrail.org The trail is managed by volunteers andhiking clubs that live near their particular section of trail. This is theofficial AT site that organizes their efforts. Just as states manageroads, volunteers along the AT manage their particular section. This isalso the best source for all things AT in terms of current news/trailconditions and maps etc can be found.
• http://www.whiteblaze.net Perhaps my favorite site. It is a wealth of news and info. This is a newsgroup and blog for AT enthusiasts. Very family friendly. Primarily for thruhikers but great for section hikers too. Good reviews on gear, what to take what to leave, data and schedules, topo maps, pictures and a ton more.
• http://www.backpacking.net/27-pound.html This is a good starting place when it comes to acquiring the right gear. Not that this is a definitive AT list. I just stumbled upon this and found it useful. I have a substantially different set of gear already. He's a tent user I am a hammock guy. He's going for the $280 sleeping bag. I will not etc. Either way it is anexcellent list. The guy has obviously thought this through and has experience.
• http://hikinghq.net/hammock/hammock.html This guy is a pretty regular guy on whiteblaze.net. I will be using a Hennessy Hammock if trial runs go well. My Dad has one I'm either going to swipe from him or just use to try out. I think this guy helps moderate the whiteblaze.net site as well. Take a look at his excel spreadsheets hiking plans and info on the hennessy hammock. cool stuff. some of the links are old/dead

A phrase that I loathed as a child actually applies here in this case. ". . .like my Daddy always used to say, a job worth doin, is a job worth doin right." Man I hated hearing that. But I suppose the message is clear, if you are going to do something, go all out and make sure you do it right. I applied that kind of thinking to my research and interest.