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Frequently Asked Questions about the AT Thru Hike
How long did it take for Brad and John to complete the AT?
5 months and 1 day. They started on May 14, a day after Brad graduated from Unity College, and finished on October 15 (John actually finished about 15 seconds after Brad).
Did they hike North to South (aka SOBO ie, Southbound) or South to North (aka NOBO, i.e., Northbound)?
Yes. They actually started near the middle (Harper's Ferry, WV) and hiked north to Katahdin then came back to Harper's Ferry and hiked south to Springer Mountain.
What were their trail names & how did they get them?
John was the "Ancient Mariner" & Brad was "Walking Stick". The Ancient Mariner name is attributed to the fact that John is old and the hike was seemingly endless. He wanted Brad to be "Albatross" but Brad wouldn't have it. He was Walking Stick because of his thinness. Other names were also suggested: Gristle & Fat, Stumble & Fall, Super Glue & Epoxy (9 of 10 people we met thought their hiking together was a great bonding experience).
How much weight did they lose?
John lost about 35 -40 pounds. Brad initially lost about 10 pounds but gained it back within a few weeks.
What did they eat?
Not enough! They usually ate Grape Nuts cereal for breakfast (with powdered milk), tuna mixed with mayo on tortilla bread or peanut butter & honey sandwiches for lunch and Ramon mixed with instant potatoes for dinner. They ate 2 or 3 candy bars (Snickers) and many handfuls of nuts, raisins, etc while hiking each day. When they got to town they ate as much and as often as they could to offset the calorie deprivation experienced on the trail. It is estimated that Thru Hikers burn 6-8000 calories a day. John & Brad's motto was "no food left behind"!
How many miles a day did they average?
Once they were "trail fit" they averaged 20-25 miles per day. The most they hiked was 34 miles (Wise Shelter in Mt Rogers National Park to Damascus, VA).
What part of the trail did they like the most, the least?
Both Brad and John liked the White Mountains in NH the best. The White Mountains were both the hardest and the most beautiful. The rocky trails of the middle and northern parts of Pennsylvania made it the least favorite. This made walking extremely difficult. They each wore out a pair of hiking boots just crossing Pennsylvania
How much did their packs weigh?
30-35 pounds on average. Food and water were the big variables. Base pack weight was around 25 pounds.
How many pairs of boots did they go through?
Brad went through 3 pairs of hiking boots. John went through 3 pair of boots and 1 pair of trail runners.
Would they do it again and did they ever consider giving up?
John & Brad both thoroughly enjoyed the hike and are glad they did it. They never considered quiting. Hiking with someone compatible was a big factor in maintaining a consistently positive attitude. Having Pat's support (both psychological and logistical) was also critical to their success. They both agreed that the hike was worth the time and effort. In addition to the fantastic scenery and chance to experience nature for an extended period of time, both felt that the unbelievably generous people they met along the way made this trip a memorable one. The dedication of the AT volunteers & the kindness of strangers were inspirational.
5 months and 1 day. They started on May 14, a day after Brad graduated from Unity College, and finished on October 15 (John actually finished about 15 seconds after Brad).
Did they hike North to South (aka SOBO ie, Southbound) or South to North (aka NOBO, i.e., Northbound)?
Yes. They actually started near the middle (Harper's Ferry, WV) and hiked north to Katahdin then came back to Harper's Ferry and hiked south to Springer Mountain.
What were their trail names & how did they get them?
John was the "Ancient Mariner" & Brad was "Walking Stick". The Ancient Mariner name is attributed to the fact that John is old and the hike was seemingly endless. He wanted Brad to be "Albatross" but Brad wouldn't have it. He was Walking Stick because of his thinness. Other names were also suggested: Gristle & Fat, Stumble & Fall, Super Glue & Epoxy (9 of 10 people we met thought their hiking together was a great bonding experience).
How much weight did they lose?
John lost about 35 -40 pounds. Brad initially lost about 10 pounds but gained it back within a few weeks.
What did they eat?
Not enough! They usually ate Grape Nuts cereal for breakfast (with powdered milk), tuna mixed with mayo on tortilla bread or peanut butter & honey sandwiches for lunch and Ramon mixed with instant potatoes for dinner. They ate 2 or 3 candy bars (Snickers) and many handfuls of nuts, raisins, etc while hiking each day. When they got to town they ate as much and as often as they could to offset the calorie deprivation experienced on the trail. It is estimated that Thru Hikers burn 6-8000 calories a day. John & Brad's motto was "no food left behind"!
How many miles a day did they average?
Once they were "trail fit" they averaged 20-25 miles per day. The most they hiked was 34 miles (Wise Shelter in Mt Rogers National Park to Damascus, VA).
What part of the trail did they like the most, the least?
Both Brad and John liked the White Mountains in NH the best. The White Mountains were both the hardest and the most beautiful. The rocky trails of the middle and northern parts of Pennsylvania made it the least favorite. This made walking extremely difficult. They each wore out a pair of hiking boots just crossing Pennsylvania
How much did their packs weigh?
30-35 pounds on average. Food and water were the big variables. Base pack weight was around 25 pounds.
How many pairs of boots did they go through?
Brad went through 3 pairs of hiking boots. John went through 3 pair of boots and 1 pair of trail runners.
Would they do it again and did they ever consider giving up?
John & Brad both thoroughly enjoyed the hike and are glad they did it. They never considered quiting. Hiking with someone compatible was a big factor in maintaining a consistently positive attitude. Having Pat's support (both psychological and logistical) was also critical to their success. They both agreed that the hike was worth the time and effort. In addition to the fantastic scenery and chance to experience nature for an extended period of time, both felt that the unbelievably generous people they met along the way made this trip a memorable one. The dedication of the AT volunteers & the kindness of strangers were inspirational.
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail,
- Completed in 1937
- Is a unit of the National Park Service.
- Is the nation's longest marked footpath, at approximately 2,175 miles.
- Is the first national scenic trail, designated in 1968.
- Houses more than 2,000 occurrences of rare, threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and animal species.
- Crosses six national parks.
- Traverses eight national forests.
- Touches 14 states.
- Crosses numerous state and local forests and parks.
- Is maintained by 30 trail clubs and multiple partnerships.
- Lowest elevation: 124 feet.
- Highest elevation: 6,625 feet.
- There are 165,000 blazes along the length of the Trail.
- More than 9,000 people have reported hiking the length of the Trail.
- Each year about 2-3000 attempt a Thru Hike (completing the entire AT in one season) . Only 10 to 20% are successful.
- It takes approximately 5 million footsteps to walk the entire length of the Trail.
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