To Whom May Be Concerned: A Pre-Hike Letter to Family & Friends

To Whom May Be Concerned,

First of all, thank you so much for your encouragement and support! Secondly, I’m not sure if “whom” or  “who” is correct, but I’m going with “whom” to feel fancier. Lastly, I’m a little over a month away from starting my hike, so I thought it might be a good time to address some of your questions and concerns. 

Is anyone going with you?

I’m going by myself, but I won’t be alone. Meeting people along the trail is one thing that I’m looking forward to most. My introversion has strengthened over the past few years, so I welcome the opportunity to break out of my comfort zone and talk to new people. Last year, 2,252 folks registered their hikes with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), and although registration numbers are down this year, there will be plenty of people around me.

Here is a very select sample set of data showing the number of people who registered their hikes with the ATC who either left from Amicalola Falls/Springer Mountain in 2024 (top) or are planning to leave from there this year (bottom). It’s not the whole picture by any means, but it gives a little bit of a peek into the decreased crowd size. 

Are you sending yourself boxes of food along the way? 

Nah, from what I can tell, this is a largely outdated thing to do, and frankly, it seems like a bit of a logistical nightmare that I am not remotely organized enough or interested in tackling. I’ll be hitting a town or resupply point of some kind every 3-5 days, so I’ll buy and pack out what I need for the stretches in between. 

Dinner with hand-carved chopsticks at McDill Point, overlooking Talladega National Forest.

What kind of training are you doing? 

Did I mention that I’m not very organized? I’m basically just doing some hikes with a loaded pack. Nothing structured or planned; I’m just making the regular day hikes more strenuous. I also have a weekend trip planned a few weeks before I step on trail for a final shakedown to tweak my pack load. 

How fast will you be going?

Pacing myself has never been my strong suit, but I’m going to try really, really hard to keep my miles low at the beginning. So, I will do about 8-10 miles per day for the first few weeks and eventually make my way up to 15-20ish per day. 

Near Rabun Bald, GA.

Aren’t you afraid of BEARS?!

Ah, yes. BEARS! The 115,000 or so black bears that inhabit the 14 states I’ll be hiking through are of no real concern to me. They’re really more like big raccoons…that could claw your face off if they wanted. But they don’t. They want my food. As long as I (and the other fine, nearby abiders of the 7 Leave No Trace Principles) take care to properly store food and garbage, there shouldn’t be any problems. Plus, they only grow to be a median weight of 200-250 lbs, so if there is a bear that gets a little too comfortable, I think I could take it. 

Are you bringing a gun?

Yeah, I’m bringing two guns. What do you think I’m going to fight the bear with? 💪💪 

Am I bringing a firearm? No. It’s too heavy, and I won’t need it. 

How much does the hike cost?

I’m budgeting about $1200/month, which, according to this Trek article, is about average. I’m hoping to spend less by not eating out in town too much and taking some zeroes on the trail instead of in a hotel or hostel. However, I’m also planning on maximizing my experience as much as possible—not necessarily to hedonistic standards, but I want to be open to whatever opportunities arise.

Can I visit you?

Maybe! I already have a few special guest appearances booked from folks who want to join me on the trail for a stretch, take a zero with me in a nearby town, join me on one of my side quests, or offer their AT-adjacent short-term rental. Reach out to me and see if it makes sense to make something happen!

From an overnight canoeing trip on the Flint River in GA.

Are you going to be posting about it anywhere?

Well, I’ll be posting on this here blog as well as my Instagram account. Tell your friends! 😁

If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know. I’ll be happy to answer them directly or in a future blog post. 

Talk to you soon!

-Justin