6 things you must do before starting your Appalachian Trail thru-hike

The Appalachian Trail (AT) stretches 2200 miles through 14 states in the eastern United States. It begins at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ends at Mount Katahdin in Maine. As you may guess, it’s a massive undertaking. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy estimates nearly 4,000 people attempt an Appalachian Trail thru-hike each year, but only one in five people complete it. That’s a huge dropout rate!

There’s always going to be things outside of your control, such as injuries or even COVID. Proper preparation can’t guarantee that you’ll complete a successful thru-hike, but it can help you have a better experience on the trail and get much further than you otherwise may have.

If you want a successful Appalachian Trail thru-hike, here are 10 things you must do first.

Prepare yourself mentally for a thru-hike

Ask any thru-hiker: The hardest part of the trail is the mental side. It will not be easy. There’s no medal at the end. There’s no motivation or payment to get you through the hike. The only thing pushing you forward is yourself.

That’s why it’s important to prepare yourself mentally ahead of time. This means making sure you have the right mindset for an AT thru-hike. You should be prepared to deal with challenges along the way, such as difficult weather, fording and tough climbs, injuries, and unexpected events.

Here are some tips to mentally set yourself up for success:

• Write out why you want to do this. If needed, take it with you and tuck it in your backpack so you can remind yourself when things get rough.
• Find friends you can call to get encouragement when you feel like quitting.
• Learn as much about the trail as you can before you go. The more you know, the less you’ll get surprised by along the way.
• Know your mental strengths and weaknesses. Find ways to bolster yourself in your down moments before you hit the trail.

Start training ahead of time

Hiking over 2,200 miles through rugged mountainous terrain is tough on the body. It greatly improves your chances of success to train to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. This looks different for every person and what their goals and fitness levels are. However, it’s important to prepare your body for steep elevation changes, endurance, and stamina.

Most people plan on hiking between 8-15 miles a day, with this reaching up to 20 miles on easier stretches. How many miles a day are you hoping to hike? What can you hike now on trails with elevation changes?

Here are some easy ways to get your body moving before your hike:

• Hiking
• Taking stairs instead of elevators
• Kickboxing
• Krav Maga or another form of martial arts
• Running or trail running
• Strength training
• Swimming
• Biking (or stationary biking)

Budget for your Appalachian Trail thru-hike

If you plan to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, you will need to make sure you have enough money to cover food, shelter, clothing, equipment, and other necessities. You should also consider how much money you will need to spend at home while hiking.

Before you even think about budgeting for trail expenses, it’s important to know if you have enough funds to cover things at home. Do you have enough money for:

• Rent or mortgage payments
• Insurance
• Pets’ food, water, and care
• Phone bills
• Student loan payments
• Car payments
• Other recurring payments

Look for ways to cut out as many payments or expenses while you’re hiking as you can. This may mean selling your car or ending your renter’s lease before you leave, or potentially finding renters for the time while you’re gone.

Another important thing to budget is how much money you’ll need for food, gear, hostels, transportation and shuttles, and other expenses on the trail. In the past, a good rule of thumb was to budget $1,000 per month on the trail. However, with inflation, this number is rising!

It’s also important to know your hiking style and what you want to do on the trail. Do you want to stop in town for drinks and a hostel room frequently? Do you plan on seeing the sights and different tourist locations? Is there any event you’ll need to find transportation home for during the hike (a wedding, graduation, etc.)?

As you plan, think through budget-friendly ways to buy your gear, including picking up quality used gear or using outlet stores or websites. Want to know what gear a thru-hiker started with versus what gear she ended with? See Ashli’s Appalachian Trail Thru-hike Gear List!

Test your gear before your Appalachian Trail thru-hike

Before you even make the first trek to Springer Mountain, it’s important to know your gear and how it works. Go for shakedown hikes and get a feel for how your gear works in action. Experiment with the different ways you can organize your pack. Try setting up camp different ways until you find a way you like best.

If you don’t like some of the gear you bought, no worries! You can often resell gently used gear to other backpackers or potentially return it. Keep researching different sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, and more until you get the gear that works best for you and your budget.

Plan your AT hike

As with any trek into the wilderness, there are a lot of details that have to be figured out before you even reach the trailhead. Making sure you have everything you need, knowing where you can restock food, understanding how many miles a day you need to go, coordinating with family members about shipping boxes or gear out. If you have a home, there’s planning on who’s going to take care of it when you’re gone, working things out with jobs (whether that’s quitting or getting a leave of absence).

Sometimes it feels like the prep for the hike takes as much time as the hike itself!

There are many ways to plan a thru-hike. One method is to take a calendar and plan milages and town stops there. Some people prefer an Excel sheet with all the information listed there. Another option is notebook paper and highlighters. Whatever method you choose of planning, keep these things in mind:

• Katahdin closes at a certain point each year. When is your start date? How many miles you do need to average a day to get there in time? Will you flip-flop? When and where do you need to do that?
• Weather will be different at the start of your hike than in the middle and at the end. What seasons do you need to prep for?
• What’s your budget? How does that affect your town plans and where you’ll be staying?
• You will need zero days to rest your body. How many are you planning to take?
• When and how do you plan to meet up with friends and family?
• Is there anyone planning on hiking with you for a couple days on the trail? When and where do you need to meet up with them?

Plan to change the plan

The trail does not care about your plan, unfortunately. Once you’re actually out there and hiking, you’ll realize there were things you never thought of that happened, or emergencies that caught you off guard. There will be side trails you want to explore or sections that were harder than you anticipated. There will be unplanned zero days for injuries or gear issues.

Though your plan is important to put together, don’t be so married to it that changing it causes undue stress. Keep in mind your end goal—Katahdin for NOBO or Springer if you’re SOBO—and adjust. Keep going and you’ll find things work themselves out.