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My PCT Thru-Hike: By the Numbers
If there's ever been a thru-hike number or statistic you've been curious about, you've come to the right place. Every number and calculation from beers per mile to the number...
Top Backpacks: The 2019 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Survey
In this installment of The Trek’s 2019 Hiker Survey, we cover backpacks and base weight. We asked hikers about the frame type, capacity, brand, and model of their backpacks. This...
The Top Footwear on the Appalachian Trail: 2018 AT Thru-Hiker Survey
Each year as part of The Trek’s annual thru-hiker survey, we ask hikers about the footwear they used, and this footwear data remains my favorite to analyze and write about....
The Hard and Fast Numbers of the Appalachian Trail
Well, I did it. I started April 22 and finished Aug. 31. In 132 days (four months and nine days), I took every step between Springer Mountain in Georgia and...
The 2018 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Survey: General Information
Two years ago, The Trek expanded our annual Appalachian Trail thru-hiker survey to include questions not only about main gear items, but also more detailed demographics, the timeline of AT
Top Footwear of 2017: Results from the Annual Hiker Survey
I should start with an apology for the long delay in writing this post. We typically try to get the survey results out before the next class of thru-hikers begins,...
Examining the Thru-Hiker Dropout Rate: Survey Results
Ever since Zach Davis wrote Appalachian Trials and started the blog that became The Trek, our purpose has been to help long-distance backpackers reach their goals. In the past, our surveys have
The Top Sleeping Pads on the Appalachian Trail: 2016 Thru-Hiker Survey
For the third year in a row, we asked Appalachian Trail thru-hikers and long-distance section hikers about the sleeping pads they used. Many of the trends continued from last year, but we...
The Top Backpacks on the Appalachian Trail: 2016 AT Thru-Hiker Survey
Unless you're making the rest of us jealous by slackpacking the whole way, your backpack is one of the most important pieces of gear you take on a long-distance hike. Whether you...
By the Numbers: Sleeping Pads on the Appalachian Trail
Also, check out the previous post covering which sleeping bags 2015 AT thru-hikers used. I admit, my sleeping pad was just an afterthought during my thru hike. I extensively researched sleeping