How Lying About Wanting to Hike the AT Turned into a Thru Hike Attempt

It Started with a Lie

Six years ago I found myself socializing with some colleagues crowded into a little office after work. We did this every Tuesday, so to keep the conversation fresh someone would ask a question and we would take turns giving our answers. This particular week, the question was what is something big on your bucket list. I don’t remember anyone else’s answers, as I panicked trying to think of something cool to say. When it got to me, I blurted out that I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. Social anxiety crisis averted. At the time, this answer was BS. I had never really thought about it before and had no intention of actually hiking the AT. Little did I know that a few years later this little lie would become an obsession.

Growing the Dream

Although I was not serious about hiking the AT at the time, I was craving some sort of adventure. Initially, I was interested in overlanding. I drew inspiration from my aunt and uncle, who have taken year-long overland trips through Africa and South America. I dove down the research rabbit hole and almost bought a small camper trailer, but then the pandemic hit and prices for campers skyrocketed. Then the algorithms started showing me backpacking content and the AT seed I had planted a few years prior started to sprout. I consumed as many YouTube videos and articles as I could find. I started buying gear, walking every day to get in shape, and making plans to hike in 2022. But for reasons I will explain in my next post, I had to delay the hike until this year.

The Plan

I will be attempting a flip flop thru hike. I will start northbound from Front Royal, VA, in May and hike to Maine. After completing the northern section, I will come back to Front Royal and hike south to Georgia. I lived in Maryland when I originally decided on this plan, but I moved closer to the southern terminus a little over a year ago. I was considering a traditional NOBO hike, but ultimately I decided to stick with the flip flop for several reasons:

• The weather should be milder throughout the hike.
• The elevation gain and loss will be lower to start.
• I will have a lot of support from my Maryland friends nearby if something goes wrong early in the hike.
• I will be walking home to finish the hike.

Why am I starting in Front Royal when Harpers Ferry is only 50ish trail miles further north? I section hiked part of the AT in Shenandoah in 2022, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I am hoping that starting this hike where that one ended will be a mental boon to continue the good times from 2022. Starting in Front Royal will also give me a few mental benefits when I make the flip to finish the trail southbound. Shenandoah National Park is one of my favorite places in the US, and I will be excited to hike it immediately after the flip. Shenandoah will be a great place for family and friends to join for a section in the late summer or early fall after my break. And finally, I will have less than 1,000 miles to go when I start south.

Let’s Go!

I am excited that the time is nearly here to begin this journey of a lifetime. I don’t know what my blogging pace will be, but I will try to share as much as I can with some regularity. To those who have helped get me to this point, thank you. To those I will meet along the way, see you soon. And to those who will follow along, welcome.