1-Prepare to be unprepared. After all the dreaming and scheming,
get ready to have all your expectations turned upside down. Your
body isn’t as in shape as you thought it was. You can’t remember all
of the clever landmarks and points of interest you read about. And
nothing is quite the way you envisioned it. It’s like your first day of
High School; overwhelming, exciting and intimidating all at the same
time. You’re probably more ready than you think you are. Get ready
to “get learned”.
2-Train. Everyone has their own system so I’m not going say that
mine is any better than anyone else’s. In my case I hiked for 2 1/2
weeks on the Long Trail in Vermont the summer before and came
out of it looking to strengthen whatever hurt the most. Leading up
to my thru-hike I did six weeks of strength training, six weeks of
endurance training and one week of rest. My knees did fine. My
shoulders didn’t. I still made it.
3-Read Up. It’s extremely helpful to have something to look forward
to at all times. Familiarize yourself with the names of the major
summits, towns and mileages. Other people’s experiences on the
trail will be very different from yours but it’s better to have your ideas
changed and challenged than to have none at all.
4-Attitude/Focus. Not to be confused with either saintliness or
surliness, I prefer to think of it as a balancing act between between
confidence and humility. The trail will provide plenty of opportunities
for both but it’s helpful to think about it ahead of time. What do you
want to accomplish? And what do you want your AT experience to be?
5-Logistics/Resupply. Think through how many days the first few
sections are going to take, what kind of resupply is available and how
much you will need for each section. Think about whether to hike longer
between resupply points or hike a shorter section to lighten your
packweight. Each has its advantages. Even if you wind up ditching
whatever system you started with, you’ll know what your choices are.
