The champion of Appalachian Trail guides for long-distance hiking for more than a quarter-century With professionally crafted elevation profiles, 50 maps, and comprehensive tables for more at-a-glance information on-trail. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association collaborate each year on a guide especially designed for potential thru-hikers who want the basic information for a five- to six-month trek in the woods, at a reasonable price, but also want the adventure of finding out the extras for themselves. A favorite of section-hikers and dreamers, too. Still the only such guide written by volunteers for which all the proceeds are returned to the Trail by these two nonprofits. With fact-checking research by more than three dozen thru-hiker volunteers in 14 states, backed by the first-hand information of the trail's volunteer and staff maintainers and managers and extensive information from the 2020 A.T. Data Book. Equipment-makers' toll-free numbers, post office hours, much more included.

Everything you need to know to complete your thru-hike. The AT is a life changing experience and an amazing accomplishment. Half of the battle is proper preparation. This book is everything I wish I would have known before setting off on my thru-hike. Complete with personal tips and experiences. Learn how to budget wisely, save money and not waste cash. Know how to allocate 6 months of your time and plan your exit. Master your gear with a massive guide on everything from your spork to your tent. Understand clothing, layering and materials. Hear about what life is really like on the trail. Know which direction to go, when and why. Familiarize yourself with a state by state breakdown of the trail. Learn how to mentally prepare an optimistic framework for the "I-wanna-quit-days". Understand the physical demands and methods to prevent injury. Prepare yourself for the nutritional needs with food ideas and favorite meal plans. Know the REAL dangers on the AT. "Female Needs" section from AT record-holder Heather 'Anish' Anderson. And a whole lot more...

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association collaborate on this guide especially designed for potential thru-hikers. It gives them the basic information for a five- to six-month trek in the woods, at a reasonable price, but also leaves 'space' for the adventure of finding out the extras for themselves. This basic information concentrates on services and food in towns and shelter and water locations on the trail, with a little oddball history slipped in here and there.With research by more than a dozen thru-hiker volunteers in 14 states, backed by the first-hand information of the Trail's volunteer and staff maintainers and managers, the 'Companion' includes extensive tabular information from the 2008 'A.T. Data Book.'Sized for easy packing/reading while on foot.Bought mainly by current thru-hikers, it is also sought out by section-hikers and the top customer group: dreamers.

Since 2010, The A.T. Guide, a.k.a. "The Awol Guide," has been the guidebook of choice for hikes of any length on the Appalachian Trail. The book contains thousands of landmarks such as campsites, water sources, summits and gaps. The trail's elevation profile is included and every landmark is aligned to the profile. Hikers using this guide know where they are on the trail, what views, streams and campsites are ahead, and whether they'll be hiking uphill or downhill to get there. The A.T. Guide answers all of your questions about how to get rides, where to stay, and where to get supplies. There are 94 maps of towns on or near the trail showing where to find these services and detailed listings for businesses.The A.T. Guide is the most innovative trail guidebook ever developed.

Derick Lugo had never been hiking. He didn't even know if he liked being outside all that much. He certainly couldn't imagine going more than a day without manicuring his goatee. But with a job overseas cut short and no immediate plans, this fixture of the greater New York comedy circuit began to think about what he might do with months of free time and no commitments. He had heard of the Appalachian Trail and knew of its potential for danger and adventure, but he had never seriously considered attempting to hike all 2,192 miles of it. Then again, what could go wrong for a young black man from the city trekking solo through the East Coast backwoods? The Unlikely Thru-Hiker is the story of how an unknowing ambassador of one of the AT's least common demographics, unfamiliar with both the outdoors and thru-hiking culture, sets off with an extremely overweight pack and a willfully can-do attitude to conquer the infamous trail. What follows are eye-opening lessons on preparation, humility, race relations, and nature's wild unpredictability. But this isn't a hard-nosed memoir of discouragement or intolerance. What sets Lugo apart from the typical walk in the woods is his refusal to let any challenge squash his inner Pollyanna. Through it all, he perseveres with humor, tenacity, and an unshakeable commitment to grooming--earning him the trail name "Mr. Fabulous"--that sees him from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine.

An account of the author's 2016 thru-hike of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail.