Hiking the Good Hike

     Our start date is drawing near. It will be here before we know it. We have only 35 days to finish our preparation for a 2186 mile hike. We are very close to finalizing our gear selection and we're working on taking care of things on the home front. Some of you may think it's crazy that we haven't finished planning, the rest of you likely know me.
     We tossed around the idea of a thru-hike for several months. During this time we read many books, blogs, trail journals, and whiteblaze threads. Some time following a backpacking trip at Grayson Highlands in Virginia, we decided this was something we both really wanted to do and began to seriously pursue this opportunity. We began sharing our plans with our families, friends, employers, and basically anyone who would listen. We began (and continue) researching, acquiring, and testing gear. We read more books, more blogs, and more whiteblaze threads.
     Many people ask how we are preparing physically for this trip. While thru-hiking is a very physically demanding task, the consensus is not a lot can be done to truly prepare your body. We have worked to maintain decent physical conditioning mostly through running, cycling, etc. Most of our physical preparation, however, will happen on the trail. Many people begin with big miles and quickly develop fatigue and overuse injuries that cause them to have to take time off or abandon the trail completely. We hope to avoid this by beginning with shorter mileage and allowing our bodies to slowly work up to our average mileage goal of 15ish miles per day.
     Perhaps the most important preparation for a thru-hike is mental and emotional. Zach Davis, a 2011 thru-hiker, authors a book arguing that the emotional and psychological challenges are what drive people off the trail. Appalachian Trials was an amazing resource for us. We both have read it and I plan to read it one more time before our departure. I highly recommend this book to any potential thru-hikers.
    Are we ready? I think a thru-hike is one of those things we're not going to feel completely prepared for even once we begin. We're getting more excited, anxious, and nervous by the day. We've done our homework, but the trail will undoubtedly throw unexpected challenges at us on a daily basis. We'll figure it out as we go.


Chris