1. What is the Appalachian Trail?

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"The Appalachian Trail is a root-canal. The Camino de Santiago is a series of hard days work." - Bill Walker, author of Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail 

The more you know about the Appalachian Trail and about backpacking, the more you will enjoy your time on the trail. This section of the course provides an overview of the Appalachian Trail, its wildlife and general safety precautions and tips. In later sections, we'll expand on this knowledge with specific advice on food, lodging and gear selection.

1_1. About the Appalachian Trail
As Julie Andrew's character Maria says in the Sound of Music, let's start at the very beginning. Even if you think you know what the Appalachian Trail is like, you should watch the Appalachian Impressions trailer below and note the hikers comments. While "about 2 to 3 million visitors walk a portion of the A.T. each year," hiking significant portions of the trail is difficult. There are very good reasons why more than 75% of thru-hiking attempts are unsuccessful.

• 1-1a. Read the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's About the Trail article.

• 1-1b. Watch Appalachian Impressions trailer.

• 1-1c. Read the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Frequently Asked Questions page.

• 1-1d. Watch Rooster's 2010 thru-hike slideshow.

• 1-1e. Read The Faceless Hiker's Frequently Asked Questions.

• 1-1f. Read Step-by-Step: An Introduction to Walking the Appalachian Trail (PDF).

1_2. About Through and Section Hiking

• 1-2a. Read the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Thru & Section Hiking page.

• 1-2b. Read Karen Berger's Thru-Hiking Lingo for the Appalachian Trail blog post.

• 1-2c. Read Appalachian Trials: Interview with Zach Davis blog post.

1_3. Wildlife
While hiking the A.T. you will encounter wildlife, from annoying bugs, hungry mice, and snakes seeking those same well fed mice to larger mammals like deer and bears. Your knowledge of and response to the wildlife you will encounter will have a direct impact on your enjoyment and successful completion of a long distance hike.

• 1-3a. Watch Bear at Roaring Fork Shelter: An Appalachian Trail Story (7:30) video.

• 1-3b. Read Enjoying Bears Safely at Shenandoah page.

• 1-3e. Watch Under Our Skin (1h:44m) video on ticks and Lyme disease.

1_4. Safety
Your family and friends first reaction to your desire to hike the Appalachian Trail was likely one of fear for your safety. You were probably advised to carry a handgun. While there have been some murders and accidental deaths on the A.T., by and large hiking the A.T. is probably safer than most daily activities. As you will most likely suffer small injuries like blisters, scrapes, and small cuts, your best expense of time and money is to take a first aid course, ideally one on wilderness first aid and environmental emergencies. Until then, here's some resources to build your safety knowledge:

• 1-4a. Read the WhiteBlaze.net Them Darned Thieves! discussion thread.

• 1-4b. Read Brian's Emergency Identification - Dog Tags blog post.

• 1-4c. Read REI's Tips to Avoid Heat Exhaustion (and Worse) blog post.

• 1-4d. Watch TheSockDoc's Foot Pain & Injuries: Natural Treatment & Prevention (9:31) video.

• 1-4e. Read Merlyn Seeley's Safety on the Appalachian Trail during hunting season article.

• 1-4f. Read Appalachian Trail Weather from Google.

• 1-4g. Exercise: Visit and explore the Trail Note service.

• 1-4h. Exercise: Visit and explore the Trail Phone service.

Congratulations! You've completed the first section of the
Appalachian Trail Online Course.

Now that you know a bit about the Appalachian Trail and still want to go, let's explore some options for getting ourself and our gear to a trailhead.

Previous: Online Course | Up | Next: Getting to the A.T.