popular questions

The predecessor to all other questions:

"Are you going by yourself?" Yes. no one else wanted to go. i will likely be teaming up with other hikers who are doing the same thing during difficult sections of the trail.

"What if you get lost?" for one, the trail is very well marked and traveled by 3-400 thru hikers alone. I carry maps, compass, and have much experience on snow covered trails. i will likely get lost, but it is far from impossible to find your way again.

"What if you get hurt?" remember the 3-400 thru hikers? i imagine they wouldnt pass me by. in addition to this, there are many day hikers, this means that if i stood still on the trail i would likely get passed by another hiker within a day.

"Will you carry a gun/mace/5lb knife/flamethrower?" No. there is plenty of wildlife that is seen as "dangerous", fact is that its extremely rare for a bear/cougar/snake to attack a human unless provoked. serial killers and rapists, ive found, are not avid hikers.

"Will you carry a GPS?" No, i simply would not want to rely on another set of maps, a 1lb GPS unit, along with the fact that it is not as failsafe as a compass, along with the additional cost.

"Are you carrying a stove/cooking utensils/5lb military shovel?" No, while a stove provides another way to purify water, i think i will be ok. in my experience i like to eat while walking, and dont like to take 30+ mins to stop and cook food, clean dishes/etc for whatever psychological benefit a warm meal may provide.

"How are you going to get food/supplies?" During most of the trail, it is quite frequent (every 50-100 miles) that you will be within 10 miles of a town, or post office. thus, i will either be mailed food, or shop at a grocery at planned stops. town visits will also allow me to gorge on food, clean my clothes, rest for a day, read the internet, charge my phone/mp3 player, and tend to whatever else needs to be done. a town stop is typically a "zero day" in which one walks zero trail miles.

"What if you quit?" statistically, its about 50% likely, i hope that all of my friends and family encourage and support me to continue, unless i am too injured to continue

"What are you going to use for shelter?" My tent is a glorified tarp with a bug screen, it is fairly rainproof, and most importantly, it is light. i will carry a sleeping pad, and a 15 degree down sleeping bag. during the coldest stretches, i expect night time temperatures to be at a minimum, 25-30 degrees, and daytime temperatures 35-40 degrees. this does not warrant carrying an extreme amount of extra warm clothing. most of the trail temperature will be mild (60f) to hot (90f or more) which can be done with shorts and a shirt.

"What about water?" i carry a guidebook telling me of the next water source, i will also carry a water purifier, or tablets to purify water.

"What shoes are you going to wear?" I plan to use new balance 909 model shoes, which is a low top trail runner. hiking boots, while providing more ankle support, are heavier, breathe less, and cause more blisters. due to the low amount of weight i am carrying trail running shoes will do well.

"What makes you think that xxxx isnt a good idea?" I am simply going with what i have found to be a tried and true method, equally important, i have researched what others have found to work for them on a long distance hike, and tried it myself.