I suppose I got a bit ahead of myself in my first blog post. It would probably be best to give those who haven't been recently obsessing over the Appalachian Trail a bit of background in regards to my upcoming adventure.
Woo fun facts about the Appalachian Trail!
- The AT is roughly 2180 miles in length. The exact milage is usually under debate.
- It passes through 14 states (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine).
- Virginia is home to about 550 miles of the trail, while West Virginia only has 4.
- About 25% of those who set out to complete a Thru-hike make it to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.
- The elevation gain across the trail is equal to that of Mt. Everest 16 times!
Well, I'm setting out at Amicalola Falls State Park tomorrow morning at 8am. My dad has decided to join me on the approach trail which I hear is pretty strenuous, considering it starts with about 600 stairs (but hey, we'll be climbing up the side of a waterfall). I've spent the past two days in the car with my parents and puppy, Lincoln (it's his first vacation!). After slack-packing from Amicalola to Springer Mountain (the official start of the AT), my parents will spend a few days vacationing in Atlanta before meeting me four days later to make sure I've made friends and want to continue.
Planning and preparing for this journey has had quite the learning curve - I can only imagine the unexpected lessons I will be subjected to while I'm living in the woods for the next 4-6 months.
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