Preparations

It may sound odd, but I am attempting to prepare as little as possible. Some thru-hikers send themselves 20-30 mail drops along the way in order to resupply. One reason the AT is appealing to me is the freedom. I don't want to be restricted to supplies I send myself months in advance, or to the towns I send them. I am avoiding mail drops. Instead I spend my time contemplating where I will be when the Capitals are in the Stanley Cup. Wherever that turns out to be, it will be near a TV.

I have spent a good amount of time planning what gear I will bring. The two biggest factors for me are weight and price. Weight means everything on the AT. I have heard that you can feel every ounce on your back, considering you must carry each one over 2000 miles. To reduce weight some hollow out toothbrushes, cut maps down, and remove wrappers from power bars to consolidate them into one bag (not recommended - bars will melt and mold into one giant bar). I am not sure I am to that level of obsessiveness but I am conscious of what I am stuffing in my pack.

Gear is already very pricey - lightweight gear, even more so. Luckily I have many of the major pieces needed, (backpack, sleeping bag, pad, etc.), most of which I received as gifts. My mother also has over 20 years of equipment stockpiled, and is allowing me to handpick anything I need. So I am very thankful for all the equipment I have received. Without the generosity of my family and friends I undoubtedly would be further in debt to the government.

For the past week I have been staring at all my gear, which I spread across the entire living room to my parents' displeasure. My pack weighs 25 lbs without food or water. Some "ultralight" hikers get their packs to 12-15 lbs. I can't imagine getting much lighter, without shelling out a few hundred dollars for state-of-the-art alternatives. Thus, I am content on having a slightly heavy pack. I can always change on the go if it becomes a problem. I also considered using the money I save on ultralight gear and hiring a Sherpa to carry my pack along the way. With unemployment still hovering around 10% there must be a decent pool of available Sherpas.