Would a night spent alone in the woods feed your sense of adventure or leave you quaking in your boots? What about backpacking alone for six months? That’s how long it takes the average person to hike the Appalachian Trail.
The Appalachian Trail, or A.T., has long been on the bucket list of hikers all around the world. This luscious and rugged mountain trail adorned with foliage and brimming wildlife has provided a refuge for many seeking a break from the commotion of the outside world. A 2,200-mile-long trail spanning across the east coast of the United States, the Appalachian Trail runs from Georgia to Maine. It makes up part of the Eastern Continental Trail, the fourth longest hiking trail in the world.
If you want to earn the badge of “thru-hiker,” you must hike the entire trail, tip to tail, in one go. The fastest time ever recorded for thru-hiking the trail is 40 days, 18 hours, and 6 minutes, completed by Tara Dower on September 21, 2024. This amazing feat of endurance is no joke; hikers keeping this kind of pace often require a support team to supply food and help them keep pace. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy estimates there are over 3,000 attempts to traverse the entire trail each year, about 25 percent of which succeed. There are numerous books written about those who have taken on this trail, all telling inspiring tales of endurance and perseverance.
I grew up less than an hour away from the most-photographed site on the Appalachian Trail, McAfee’s Knob, and I can testify that trekking these trails is worth it. My personal favorite hikes are Sharp Top and Dragon’s tooth, both located in Southwest Virginia.