How I Hiked the AT in 90 Days

A disclaimer before I start: The purpose of this article isn’t an endorsement of a speedy thru-hike over a more traditional one. In fact, as I’ve reflected more on my hike and talked with people interested in attempting a thru, I’ve almost always encouraged those to take their time and enjoy every mile on the trail. I figured I’d write a little piece about how “I” thru hiked the AT in 90 days because when I was preparing for this adventure, I was surprised to find little advice on the internet from people who had done it themselves. Maybe this is because of the guilt that speedy thru-hikers feel when they finish, so they avoid encouraging hikes like their own. I’m speaking out of turn here because I know of a healthy population of UL backpackers who genuinely enjoy challenges like this. But I would be remiss if I didn’t interject that I have felt awkward post-hike. I’ve questioned the decisions I made on the trail. Decisions that I made for the sake of finishing on a particular day. Goals partly driven by physical curiosity but largely fueled by ego. Did I really enjoy my time out there? Could I have taken an extra zero day in town? Could I have joined a trail family? I’ve grappled with these questions in my reflections and typically always come to the same conclusion. My thru-hike was my own, and because it was my own, it was perfect. I say all of this in order to underscore again that this is not an endorsement of this particular thru-hike style. I did it this way, and I enjoyed it. But this is not for everyone. Like everything, there are drawbacks associated with our choices. One needs to consider and understand that their experience on trail will be less than traditional relative to the historical norm. But as I said before, your hike is your own and yours only. There is nothing I would change on my hike.

I should officially start this off with some great resources. As I said before, I found limited resources on attempting a fast-thru-hike. Andrew Skurka had a few articles on his advice, as well as previous blogger Brandon Chase who hiked in 2018. There are some YouTubers who made some videos, but aside from a few, I didn’t find many too helpful or encouraging. Here is a good start of articles and videos that I found insightful:

  1. Andrew Skurka
  2. Brandon Chase
  3. Jupiter Hikes
  4. Follow Bigfoot

After these initial resources, I felt a little bit encouraged, but I still didn’t have a clue (I should also point out that not having a damn clue could be seen as a benefit as it will encourage the person to to learn on the fly and adapt—another great challenge. This was partly me on my thru, but I figured not everyone wants to start like this. If you desire this, I would advise to stop reading now). So in order to remedy this information gap, here is what “I” learned and would do again if I was attempting another fast thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail (quotation marks around “I” in order to highlight that this is what worked for me. Not everything I did is palatable to others. Take my advice however you’d like.). I will try not to be redundant on information, so if there is something already addressed in the resources I highlighted, I will not discuss it (maybe I will, I don’t proofread this). Here is advice I would give to myself one year ago. 

Dial in Your System

I dialed in my kit to a T before I started. I estimate 90% of the items from the start summited Mt. Katahdin. The only things that I can remember discarding or replacing were rain systems (ponchos to Frogg Toggs), a clogged Sawyer Squeeze (I could have just back flushed it and fixed the issue), and trekking poles that I broke (my fault). There was nothing truly wrong with my set up. I researched the expected temperatures, precipitation, and trail conditions and pieced together a system that would account for everything while being as minimal as possible. I had a comfortable base weight of ~14 pounds (I did not fit under the typical definition of Ultralight). All of this said, I didn’t waste any time searching through town or ordering new gear on trail. My system was efficient and, most importantly, tested on shakedown hikes before my trip. I have no advice on what to bring because we are all different and require different things. Figure it out yourself. I find backpacking pillows uncomfortable, so I knew to avoid packing it.

Resupply

Here is an example of something that might be unpalatable for some. I resupplied at hostels for the better part of the South. I didn’t waste time going to a Walmart or a Dollar General in town. I went to the nearest hostel on trail, resupplied, then either stayed the night or hiked back on the trail. Was I only eating spam, jerky, generic energy bars, and ramen everyday? Yes. Was I able to eat fruits or vegetables at all? Yes, in the form of Welch’s gummy snacks. Any real veggies or fruits? No. I did all of this in the name of speed, and my diet did suffer. I lost ~40 pounds when I finished my hike, if that goes to show how well I was eating.

Yummy. Also my toe.

Hitch Hikes

Here’s something that might also be unpalatable. I hitchhiked one time throughout my whole trip. The hitchhike I did get was only up a hill, not even to the destination I wanted. I found hitchhiking to be inefficient to those on a time constraint. I needed to zip in and zip out of town. I have nothing against hitchhiking, and I understand the tradition of it. But in the matter of time, I didn’t have time to thumb on the side of the road. I attempted it many times and never got a ride. Maybe that has more to say about me than hitch hiking itself.

Instead of hitchhiking into town, I would call shuttle services linked to hostels that provide a free ride in town contingent if you stayed with them. That sounded a whole lot more efficient to me. A shuttle to a bed and a resupply? Deal. Places like Erwin, Tennessee require a shuttle into town, so scheduling your hostel days with your resupply days is ideal (I should also note that I carried 3-4 days worth of food for the majority of the hike and planned on staying in a hostel at least once a week, if not two times).

Hostel Jump

I did not slackpack once on this trip. The only time I did something mirroring a slack was in New Hampshire when I was fortunate enough to hike with two ladies guided by Warren Doyle. On a 24 mile day in New Hampshire, Warren offered to let me leave my food bag in his van, which I accepted. I carried everything else. So I suppose that was the one day I slackpacked if you want to lump me into that classification (not to criticize anyone who slackpacks. You can if you want. There are some who think I slackpacked the entire way in order to finish quickly.).

What I did instead of slackpacking was hiking from one hostel to another hostel, with my fully loaded pack. Let me elaborate via example. It was pouring rain for four consecutive days on my way to Damascus. I was soaking from head to toe in the Roan Highlands. What did I do to fix this? I stayed at the Station at 19E. After a long, wet 27 mile day, I treated myself to a hot shower, a reuben sandwich, and a warm bed. Next morning, it was still raining. What do I do? I hike 25 miles to another warm bed. I indulge myself to two large pizzas at Black Bear Resort. I wake up in the morning, and it is still raining. While everyone waits in the hostel for it to clear up, I have my eyes set on another hostel 28 miles away. I crush those miles, and I find myself in another warm bed. I devour a large bowl of ramen for dinner and sleep soundly. In the morning, I realize that I’m only 20 miles from Damascus. It is no longer raining. I get to Damascus by 1:00pm. Is this unconventional? Yes. Did I spend some money to achieve my trail legs? Yes. But I hiked through days where most took zeros or shorter mileage days. I trained my legs to long distances with a fully loaded pack. I broke down the muscle and then refueled it by spoiling myself at dinner. A little different, but it worked for me. Plus, I was more comfortable.

Intelligent Food Carries

Margaritaville and I had a plan for tackling the final 200 miles of Maine. We carried a day and a half worth of food in order to keep our pack weights low. Why? Because we knew the Bigelows and Saddlebacks were going to kick our butts. We would carry enough food to get over the major peaks of the ranges, get down to the gaps/notches and get a ride into town to resupply for another day worth of food. With our packs light, we comfortably scaled these peaks, resupplied, and then continued hiking.

Find Fast People

If you find people hiking at your speed or faster, try to join them. They will push you and essentially accelerate your time. I did this multiple times. When I met people pushing miles, I’d ask to join and then depart when they were scaling back or taking a zero. I found people I would meet in the evening at camp, planning on hiking in the night. An extra five miles past bedtime adds up!

Here is a fast lady

Don’t Take Long Lunches

I hardly stopped for lunch longer than 10 minutes when I hiked solo. I kept most of my day’s food accessible while walking and ate while I moved. I acquired a runner’s belt at an REI and stuffed bars and candy in there. That way, I would eat my lunch while walking instead of stopping. For anything substantial like jerky, goldfish, tuna, or tortillas, I would stop for a few minutes—maybe I’d enjoy a nice view. But all in all, I was brief with my food stops.

To Hell With Bounce Boxes

I didn’t do any. Well I tried to do one, and I didn’t time the pickup right. It was too much hassle, and I realized I was better off without the boxes.

Water

hydrate or die-drate

I drank at least a two liters of water at night. When I woke up, I drank a liter before I started and then made sure I had a two to two and a half (2-2.5) liters with me during the day. I found that I went through one liter every 10 miles. With this system, I never really had to stop to refill water during the day, which is a time waster. Deal with it in the morning or at night. Get those electrolyte tablets/packets.

Get FarOut

This app almost feels like cheating. I figured out my conservative, standard, and reach campsite for the next day when I was in my tent.

Call Your Family

I called my parents a lot. Make sure they know you are alive.

Smile

Smile because what you’re doing is one of a kind and will be one of the top five moments of your life. Your life is crazy, but definitely not unoriginal.

YARN | Yeah, maybe. Yeah, but at least I won't be unoriginal. | Good Will Hunting (1997) | Video gifs by quotes | 1764dece | 紗

And there we go. I can’t think of anything else. If I do, I’ll update this. My advice to myself if I were to do it again. Take it as you may. I also blogged every day on trail if one would like to see a day by day account. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Happy hiking.

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Comments 1

  • Aunt Phouang : Dec 18th

    Chandler, you are one of the special people who can say, you did it!
    This type of hiking takes a lot of discipline and determination. Discipline to destress from the student and city life and to be in touch with yourself and nature. Determination to do what it takes to reach that finish line. Most importantly you tested your self limits. There were sections of the trail and times where you missed your friends and family and doubted your decision to hike the trail the way you did. But you challenged yourself and persevered. This was a journey that definitely added an exciting chapter to your life story. Congratulations my nephew!

    Reply

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