Braving the Appalachian Trail Thru Hike

February 23, 2012 on 2:38 pm | By admin | In travel and leisure

Have you always dreamed of seeing the east coast on foot? If this is something you would love to do, the Appalachian Trail thru hike is the adventure you have been searching for. This 2,174 mile footpath will challenge and exhilarate you. Most of all it will be fun. You can try planning your hike, but chances are your agenda will quickly be thrown away as this hike has so much to see and do. You?ll be traveling through 14 states, eight national forests, over 400 named peaks and six national parks. How can you plan for that?

Flexibility is key to the Appalachian trail thru hike. You never know what you will encounter. The weather may be horrible and you find that you want to hole up for a few days or it may be the temperatures are perfect for exploring and that?s why you want to stay put. You may find that you want to push yourself hard on one day and take it easy the next. When you are flexible, your trip won?t be ruined if you don?t meet goals that you have set before you ever set foot on the trail.

Plan for temperature changes on your Appalachian trail thru hike. There are times when you will be cold, most likely when you are on the top of a mountain. Layers are always good and, for the really frigid periods, bundle up in your sleeping bag for added warmth. For the days when temperatures are soaring, be sure to have plenty of water on hand and try to rest during the hottest part of the day. Enjoy these times and stay cool with wet wipes or bandanna baths. They will help!

Pain is a part of the experience. Not only will your feet be sore and possibly covered with bunions or blisters, but they will just hurt. Heat rash can be a problem and your neck and back will probably ache from carrying your backpack loaded down. This doesn?t even take into account sleeping on the hard ground. These aches and pains are worth it though, even when you are dead tired at the end of the night. Your trip will be one you will never forget.

Source: http://www.martinstreefarm.com/travel-and-leisure/braving-the-appalachian-trail-thru-hike/

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