Do You Need a Reason to Hike the Appalachian Trail?

As I’ve pondered over my reasons for wanting to commit to such a long, arduous hike, one with the potential to be life-changing, I’ve realized that a list of reasons are not necessary. 

You can hike because you want to thru-hike, plain and simple. 

I want to be out there. I want to experience the Appalachian Trail in its entirety from my own eyes, not just from hearing hiker retellings and spun tales at my job. I want to feel the worn trail beneath my shoes, the parts that have been tread on by thousands and the newer, fresher sections, too. I want to sweat for myself at every earned mountain summit.

While you don’t need a reason, you do need the resources to thru-hike.

Having the resources is a privilege. Without it, even the most dedicated and earnest hiker wouldn’t get the chance to choose to hike the AT or any other long trail. Many factors affect this, of course, and the ways it may show up might surprise you if you’ve never thought about it. 

For example, I know I may not run into another thru-hiker who is shares my exact flavor of personal intersectionality. Yes, we will have plenty in common, as we all will have the spirit of adventure and a love of nature. I’m not talking about those things. Without question, I will meet fellow queer hikers and definitely many women hikers. I am less likely to meet hikers of color, especially multi-racial ones like myself. The Trek’s AT Thru Hiker Survey tallied up a whopping 3% of multi-racial hikers. That’s less than a dozen people out of the nearly 400 who took the survey. 

I’d love to be proven wrong.

I’d love for the comments on this post to not just be about the one Black hiker you know, or the three Asian hikers who have thousands of followers on IG. I’d love to connect with my fellow queer people of color! I’ve met some of you passing through the hostel over the past two years, and those bright moments became sparks to fuel my own fire for taking on the AT. 

While the purpose of my hike is for my own personal journey, people who look like me end up being a representation for others whether we want to or not. It can be a point of pride and it can be a burden at the same time. This is something I am used to carrying with me during all facets of my life, because it is the one thing I cannot hide. Obviously this brings on some trepidation, but I also can’t help but feel like I may be unlocking windows of opportunity for those who will come after me, just as those who passed on ahead of me paved the way for my hopeful footsteps.

I want to hike the Appalachian Trail. Period. 

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Comments 16

  • Elayna : Jan 20th

    Hi Sarah! I hope we run into each other on the trail. I agree, I’m hoping to find others who are not just straight white men on the trail to find unique community. I’ll be starting in March – hope to see you out there!

    Reply
    • Georgie b : Jan 27th

      Why can’t you just hike the trail and not worry about your sexual preferences or skin color ?

      Reply
      • Elayna Simmons : Jan 27th

        Ho Georgie! I’m not worried about it – simply responding on the topic the author was highlighting. The majority of hikers on the AT are men, and 98% are white. The author of this blog will be a minority on the trail, as will I, so it is a commonality to meet on.
        A big part of the AT (from what I’ve been told) is the people, and the trail families you make along the way. I will love meeting all the unique characters on the trail no matter where they’re from, what they look like, or how they identify. My comment was simply to say I also look forward to meeting those who are perhaps “different than the norm” when on the trail and finding points of connection in those differences. To me it’s a point of morale to know that there are others “like me” in some ways and that I won’t be the “odd one out” on a trail that is largely men. Perhaps I could have phrased my original comment better.

        Does that make sense? I think humans seek familiarity, and it can be uncomfortable for anyone to be in an environment where they’re the only one seemingly “different”, so I celebrate the formation of community that encompasses differences, seen or unseen. Thus, I look forward to running into hikers like the author of the post along with the hundreds of others along the way. We’re all out there for similar reasons and will all find ways to connect, AND it’s great to celebrate a growing diversity of the people partaking in the challenge.

        Reply
        • Elayna Simmons : Jan 27th

          Typo – should say “Hi Georgie” !

          Reply
      • Sarah Y. : Feb 2nd

        Hi Georgie, Elayna said it well. It is a privilege to recreate outdoors without worry. I’m glad that is something you have not encountered yourself.

        Reply
    • Sarah Y. : Feb 2nd

      Hi Elayna, I’m so glad you commented! I’m planning to start in March too. I have high hopes we will find our community out there.

      Reply
  • Fun Size : Jan 20th

    Sarah, I’ll be starting in March – Virginia flip flop thru-hike. I hope to see you on the trail as I tackle the AT in 2025!!

    Reply
    • Sarah Y. : Feb 2nd

      Thanks Fun Size, I hope to see you out there too. Thank you for commenting!

      Reply
  • Liver Brook : Jan 21st

    May many blessings accompany you along the trail!

    Reply
    • Sarah Y. : Feb 2nd

      Thank you for reading and commenting!

      Reply
  • Catchup : Jan 22nd

    Reasons to hike the AT , Community like you’ve never known , freedom defined , Torture of the best kind ,true happiness , forever friendships that turn rapidly into family ,these are just tangible things the truth of the hike is you no matter 22 miles or 2200 you will never be the same nor regret it , maybe in hindsight take the first step

    Reply
    • Sarah Y. : Feb 2nd

      The first step is the key!

      Reply
  • Kelsey Bentrem : Jan 24th

    Totally agree! There were three weeks of my 2024 AT thru-hike when I didn’t see or meet another female thru hiker and I was only in a majority-female room or setting once on the entire trail. At many times it was hard to not have another woman to talk to. I don’t think I realized how hard it would be to not have women in my life and especially queer women. I wish you the best on your hike!!

    Reply
    • Sarah Y. : Feb 2nd

      Thank you Kelsey, I really appreciate that you can relate.

      Reply
  • Jess : Jan 27th

    “You can hike because you want to thru-hike, plain and simple.” — YES! Doesn’t matter who what where why when or how. Some people come to trail for a hundred reasons, others come to trail plainly because they “heard the call”. Everyone belongs!

    Thanks for sharing Sarah, can’t wait to read all about your hike!

    Reply
    • Sarah Y. : Feb 2nd

      Thank you Jess! Yes, I love how hearing the call of the trail unites us all.

      Reply

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