I’m planning to hike part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) this summer. I am unsure at this point where I’ll start and stop, but it’ll be in NH / ME. My notes are below. This is mostly for my personal use but could be useful for others to see what I’m planning to bring for longer treks. I’ve hiked many parts of the Whites with my family, so I know the terrain and area well there.
Gear
Weights are approximate. I aim to carry around 30 lbs fully loaded with 5 days of food. The bear can pictured above cannot hold 5 days worth of food, so I plan to bring a bag and hang it.
<7 lbs: “Big 4” Large Items
- (3 lbs) backpack - Osprey Exos 58 + Nylofume pack liner
- (1 lb) tent, stakes - ZPacks Plex Solo + 6in. stakes + stake bag + stuff sack
- (1.7 lbs) sleeping bag - REI Magma 30
- (0.7 lbs) sleeping pad - NEMO Switchback short
2 lbs: Packed Clothing
List includes worn & not worn, weight only includes what’s packed in backpack. I’ll be treating much of this with Permethrin and/or Nikwax.
- 2x trekking poles
- 2x synthetic shirts - 1 shortsleeve, 1 longsleeve
- 3x socks pair - 2x Darn Tough, 1x Colombia
- synthetic underwear - Under Armour
- trail running shoes - HOKA Speedgoat 5
- pants, shorts, hat, sandals, bug net, sunglasses
- cork massage ball
- waterproof jacket
17 lbs: Food & Water
- (10 lbs) 5 days of food
- (5 lbs) 2L of water (1x Gatorade squeeze bottle, CNOC 2L bag for filtering/reserve)
- (1.5 lbs) stove, 2x lighters, fuel, cooking pot, pot scraper - MSR PocketRocket, Toaks 1100ml pot
- (0.4 lbs) food bag (ZPacks), 50ft rope, carabiner
- spoon, spork, freezer zip loc bags
- water filter + spare rubber gasket - Sawyer Squeeze
- water filtering tablets - Aqua Tabs
3 lbs: Electronics, Med Kit, Other
Electronics & Navigation
- Garmin inReach Mini
- zipper pouch with id, cards, cash, biz cards
- phone, earbuds, headlamp (Nitecore NU25), power bank (20,000mAh)
- USB-C cable, mini USB cable
- mapbook(s) + pencils
Medical, Toiletries, Other
- trowel, bidet, unscented castile soap, camp towel
- toothbrush + toothpaste, nail clippers, tick puller
- Leukotape, foot cream, gauze, neosporin, alcohol wipes, tylenol, ibuprofen, loperamide, lip balm, ear plugs
- duct tape, tent patches, small multitool
- bear spray
Notes
- Just go to REI and have them use their little device to measure your back so you get the right size pack (or have a friend help). I picked two larger-sized packs in a row that did not fit, and it took me a few hikes to realize it.
- Don’t buy the Ben’s brand bug netting. It has a dumb design which wants you to run straps under your arms, and a tight headband. I returned mine after trying it. Get the SeaToSummit brand instead.
- I am expecting food weight to range between 1.5 and 2 lbs per day
- Pay for the FarOut app. It has a ton of information about the routes, campsites, water, etc…
- You can backflush the Sawyer squeeze filter with an orange-capped green-bodied Gatorade squeeze bottle.
Food
Click here for a pic of the types of foods that I’ll be bringing.
Drinks:
- electrolyte drink powder
Snacks/Breakfast/Lunch:
Use tortillas/english muffins to make wraps with anything
- peanut butter
- granola bars / oatmeal / pop tarts / crackers / cookies / jerky / peanut butter crackers
- cheese block for crackers & cheese etc. (can be added to dinners too)
- almonds / cashews / raisins / dried fruit / trail mix / yogurt or chocolate-covered nuts
- peanut butter cups / M&M’s / chocolate chips
- meat packet for tortilla fill (tuna / chicken / etc.)
Dinners:
Generally, mix potatoes/stuffing/ramen with some meat for protein. Add olive oil for extra calories.
- Freeze-dried dinners (like Mountain House, etc.)
- Ramen + meat + instant mashed potatoes/stuffing/Knorr pasta side
- Mashed Potatoes + meat
- Mac and Cheese + meat
- Meat options: tuna, summer sausage, spam, salami, salmon, chicken packets, etc.
Training
“The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.” - Shakespeare
I plan to be overprepared for this, so I’ll be doing various training hikes beforehand. I cycle a lot too to keep up my endurance. :)
- cycling Feb 18
- 5mi hike on Feb 24 – carrying ~30lbs
- 4mi hike on Feb 27 – carrying ~35lbs
- 6mi hike on Mar 2 – carrying ~40lbs – 1,600 foot elevation gain
- 4mi hike on Mar 10 – new backpack, carrying ~30lbs
- 14mi hike on Mar 12 – carrying ~33lbs - 3,000 foot elevation gain
- cycling Mar 14
- 4mi hike on Mar 16
- 1mi hike on Mar 24 – Broken trekking pole + leftover ice on the rocks made me turn around.
- 7mi hike on Mar 26 – new backpack and poles are great!
- 15mi hike on Mar 30 – ~3,500 foot elevation gain – Met some hikers who shared their picnic with me. <3
- 2mi hike on Apr 8 – taking it easy on knee
- cycling Apr 9, 16mi, no knee pain
- 2mi hike Apr 13
- cycling Apr 14, 10mi
- cycling Apr 15
- cycling Apr 19
- 5mi hike Apr 21
- 6mi hike Apr 23
- 24mi 2day thru hike Apr 27-28
- 3mi hike May 5
- cross-training for a while to let knee heal fully, will resume hiking in a few weeks
Feeling strong, out on a training hike in the Blue Hills.
My knee’s IT band has been stiff, so I am losing training time to let it heal. This is a common overuse injury and something I’ve had issues with before. I may have needed to ramp up my hiking activity slower, and/or stretch more. My plan is to use resistance bands and a roller ball to strengthen and loosen my legs/hips area a bit more and reduce this pain, alongside stretching / ice / compression / foam rolling.
Update: the solution for the IT band was to roll it out with a ball massage roller (mine is 2.5in. diameter and made of rubber), this way I can really target the tight area. The regular sized foam roller didn’t get deep enough into the muscle/tissue(?) to make a difference. Once I started rolling it out with the ball, I immediately got pain relief. I’m going to bring a lighter weight cork ball with me on the hike.
NOBO NH AT Route Shelters / Campsites
- – mile 1756: HANOVER NH START
- 1757: Velvet Rocks Shelter (lean-to + tent space)
- 1767: Moose Mountain shelter (lean-to + 3-4 tents total)
- 1772: Trapper John (lean-to + several tent spots)
- 1779: Smarts Tent Site (2-3 tents only) (Cabin is up the mountain)
- 1784: Hexacuba Shelter (lean-to + 2 dirt tent pads)
- – 1790: NH Rt. 25A RESUPPLY OPTION
- 1791: Ore Hill Campsite (several tent spots)
- 1797: Wachipauka Pond (few small campsites on shores of spur trail)
- 1800: Jeffers Brook Shelter (lean-to + several tent spots)
- 1807: Beaver Brook Shelter (lean-to + one tent platform & space for handful of other tents)
- – 1809: Kinsman Notch NH Rt. 112 RESUPPLY OPTION
- 1816: Eliza Brook Shelter (lean-to + 5 earthen tent pads)
- 1820: Kinsman Pond Shelter ($10, space in cabin and 4 wooden tent platforms)
- 1822: Lonesome Lake Hut
- – 1825: I93 LINCOLN RESUPPLY OPTION
- 1827: Liberty Springs Campsite ($10, many tent spots)
- 1831: Greenleaf Hut
- 1835: Garfield Ridge Campsite ($10, shelter + 7 tent platforms)
- 1838: Galehead Hut
- 1840: Guyot Shelter (shelter + 6 tent platforms)
- 1845: Zealand Falls Hut
- 1849: Ethan Pond Shelter ($10, shelter + wooden tent platforms)
- 1852: Crawford Notch Campground
- – 1853: US Rt. 302 Crawford Notch RESUPPLY OPTION
- 1859: Mizpah Spring Hut & Nauman Tentsite ($10, wooden tent platforms)
- 1863: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
- – 1865: Mt. Washington!
- 1871: Madison Spring Hut
- 1874: Osgood Tentsite (5 wooden tent platforms)
- – 1878: Pinkham Notch RESUPPLY OPTION
- 1884: Carter Notch Hut
- 1891: Imp Campsite ($10, shelter + 5 wooden tent platforms)
- 1898: Rattle River Shelter (lean-to + 3 earthen tent platforms)
- – 1900: NH Rt. 2 GORHAM FINISH
NOBO ME AT Route Shelters / Campsites
- – mile 1900: US Rt. 2 GORHAM RESUPPLY OPTION
- 1907: Trident Col Campsite (0.2mi off trail) (5 tent pads)
- 1912: Gentian Pond Shelter (shelter + 5 wooden tent platforms)
- 1917: Carlo Col Shelter (0.3mi off trail) (shelter + 5 wooden tent platforms)
- 1921: Full Goose Shelter (shelter + 4 wooden tent platforms)
- 1924: Tentsite (unofficial ~6 tent sites)
- 1926: Speck Pond Shelter ($10, shelter + 6 wooden tent platforms)
- 1932: Baldate Lean-to (shelther + 6-8 tent sites)
- 1936: Frye Notch Lean-to (shelter + 3-4 tent sites)
- 1942: Surplus Pond Road (3-4 tent space)
- 1946: Hall Mountain Lean-to (shelter + several tent sites)
- 1948: Sawyer Brook (old AT shelter + possible tenting area)
- 1950: South Arm Road (official tenting site opposite bank of river from road)
- 1959: Bemis Mountain Lean-to (shelter + 4 earthen tent pads)
- 1967: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to (shelter + large wooden tent platform)
- 1972: Little Switch River Pond (6 dirt tent sites)
- 1979: Piazza Rock Lean-to (shelter + many wooden and dirt tent platforms)
- 1985: Redington Stream Campsite (0.2mi off trail) (2 wooden tent platforms + five dirt tent pads)
- 1988: Poplar Ridge Lean-to (shelter + limited tenting space)
- 1990: Sluice Brook Loggin Road (maybe space for tenting North on logging road)
- 1996: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to (shelter + little tenting space)
- 2002: Crocker Cirque Campsite (0.1mi from trail) (3 wooden tent platforms + space for about 6 more)
- – 2010: ME Rt. 27 RESUPPLY OPTION
- 2011: Cranberry Stream Campsite (ground space for 4-5 tents)
- 2014: Horns Pond Lean-tos (multiple shelters + a dozen dirt tenting pads)
- 2017: Bigelow Col Campsite (5 wooden tent platforms)
- 2019: Safford Notch Campsite (several tent pads, 2 wooden tent platforms)
- 2024: Little Bigelow Lean-to (shelter + several tents space)
- 2026: East Flagstaff Road (space for several tents)
- 2027: Flagstaff Campsite (unmarked, space for 2-3 tents)
- 2032: West Carry Pond Lean-to (shelter + two tent sites + space for more tends in woods)
- 2042: Pierce Pond Lean-to (shelter + several tenting sites - some more east along pond shore)
- 2046: Kennebec River (NEED TO USE FREE CANOE SHUTTLE ACROSS - open 9-11am until June 30, then 9-2pm until Sept 30)
- 2052: Pleasant Pond Lean-to (shelter + locals can camp nearby?)
- 2061: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to (shelter + tenting site near brook)
- 2065: Bald Mountain Pond Lean-to (shelter + several tent sites)
- 2070: Tentsite (logging road clearing)
- 2073: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to (shelter + space for 2-3 tents)
- – 2083: Monson ME RESUPPLY (100 Mile Wilderness southern edge)
- 2086: Leeman Brook Lean-to (shelter + space for tents)
- 2093: Wilson Valley Lean-to (shelter + minimal space for tents)
- 2098: Long Pond Stream Lean-to (shelter + minimal space for tents)
- 2102: Cloud Pond Lean-to (shelter + 3-4 tent space on pond shores)
- 2109: Chairback Gap Lean-to (shelter + space for tents)
- 2114: Peasant River Campsites ($12, must reserve in advance)
- 2119: Carl Newhall Lean-to (shelter + space for half dozen tents)
- 2121: Sidney Tappan Campsite (space for about half dozen tents)
- 2126: Logan Brook Lean-to (shelter + minimal tent area 0.1mi north)
- 2129: East Bran Lean-to (shelter + minimal tent space)
- 2138: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to (shelter + 6-8 tent spots)
- – 2141: Jo-Mary Road (tenting possible) RESUPPLY DROP POSSIBLE
- 2146: Antlers Campsite (space for many tents)
- 2149: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to (shelter + about half dozen tent spots)
- 2152: Mahar Landing (dense forest; handful of tents space, go across the road for flatter tenting area grounds)
- 2154: Nahmakanta Stream Lean-to (space for several tents)
- 2157: Nahmakanta Lake (space for tenting)
- 2158: Nahmakanta West Beach (space for 3-4 tents)
- 2159: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to (shelter + few dirt tent pads, space for a few more tents)
- 2167: Rainbow Stream Lean-to (shelter + lots of tent space)
- 2169: Rainbow Lake Dam (4-5 tent sites on both sides of dam)
- 2171: Rainbow Spring Campsite (5 tents space)
- 2179: Hurd Brook Lean-to (shelter + large tenting area)
- 2182: Abol Pines (2 lean-tos, 3 tenting sites) (first come first serve but can be reserved up to 7 days in advance)
- 2192: The Birches Campsite (only for 100mi+ thru hikers) (reserve by signing up when entering park at Abol Bridge)
- 2192: Katahdin Stream Campground (must reserve in advance)
- – 2197: Baxter Peak, Katahdin (FINISH)
Cheers,
Daniel