Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike 2011

start : April 2 - Springer Mountain, Georgia

Finish: august 7 - Mount Katahdin, Maine

2,181.5 miles

14 states in 4 months & 5 days

 
 

My first backpacking trip and the trail that made me a thru-hiker.

Hi, my trail name is tidewalker

I didn’t have a blog back when I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2011 so this page is just going to be some pictures from my hike with a brief summary.

Part 1 : Georgia to the Halfway Point

Georgia

P1000011.jpeg

North Carolina

Walked into my 2nd state on my 24th birthday, April 8th.

Gear List

Big 3

  • Arc'teryx Axios 48L Pack

  • L.L. Bean Microlight 2 person tent

  • Mountain Hardwear Ultra Lamina 32 degree synthetic sleeping bag

  • Jetboil Stove

  • Platypus 2L Water Bladder

  • Katadyn Water Filter

  • Thermarest Z Lite Sol

  • Keen Men's Targhee II boots w/custom insoles

  • Gabel Ultralight Hiking Poles

  • Outdoor Research Gaiters

  • Mountain Hardwear Pack Cover

  • Princeton Tec Headlamp

  • Panasonic Lumix camera

  • 2 Outdoor Research dry bags for clothes and food

  • Sea to Summit silk sleeping bag liner

  • Clothes : Goretex rainpants, Marmot Rainjacket, JL Long Spandex, Nike shorts, Nike sports bra, Victoria Secret underwear, Nike short sleeve top, Patagonia Capilene, Black Diamond fleece, 2 Midweight Smartwool socks, Darn Tough sock I used as a liner sock, Mountain Hardwear fleece beanie, Nike gloves, Nike baseball cap

  • Misc. : bandana, phone & charger, camera charger, id, debit card, some cash, lighter, stove fuel, flip flops camp shoes, toiletries (wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, nail file, Dr Bronners, chapstick), toilet paper, swiss army knife, duct tape, rope, spork, pack towel, journal & pen, AT Companion and Data Book pages.

  • Food & Water

Tennessee

The trail goes in and out of Tennessee and North Carolina as it follows the border and the Smoky Mountains.

virginia

I had been hiking with a woman, Kiddo, for a few days and then starting in Damascus we started hiking with Stephen. We called our little hiking group Dumbledore’s Army because we all loved Harry Potter.

Zero Day (a rest day. doing 0 miles) near Richmond, Virginia. My parents came up and got us a hotel room and took us out to eat.

Shenandoah National Park

The section from the end of Shenandoah National Park to Harpers Ferry is the section that I worked as a ridgerunner on the trail 5 years later in 2016.

west virginia

Stephen and I arrived at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy office in Harpers Ferry on June 2nd (Kiddo was with her boyfriend)