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Never hiked it but fascinated by it. A friend at work, his son and best friend hiked the whole trail right after college. My friend and many family and friends all joined them at certain points along their journey and hiked small sections with them.
With my love of California I have been reading and also watching You Tube videos of the travels of many on the John Muir Trail. While not as long the elevation changes make it not for the weak of heart.
Actually, the John Muir Trail is only part of the Pacific Crest Trail, which starts at the border with Mexico in the California desert and ends at the border with Canada in Washington, and is over 400 miles longer than the AT. It generally follows mountain crests (Sierra Nevada, Cascades, numerous other smaller ranges).
Though the PCT spends a lot of time at higher altitude than even the highest point on the AT, the footpath itself is more modern - fewer rocks/roots, more switchbacks, etc.). It lacks the AT's shelters, and services and - especially in the south - water are less common along the route.
I plan to take a couple of months off from everything and hike as far as I can on the AT when I retire from the military. My son will be about 12 or 13 years old and I'd love to have him go with me.
Its gained a lot of popularity in recent years. There are a ton of stories online, even blogs of people actively on the trail. Wisdom galore. I won't bother repeating his stories but he ranks it as pretty much the single best thing he ever did.
I have hiked only about 60 miles of the AT but I have friends who have hiked the whole thing. I don't know anyone who has hiked the PCT or CDT. There are people out there who have done all three otherwise known as the triple crown.
I recently read a book from a former journalist who wanted to hike the whole AT... until his alcoholic, overweight friend decided to join him. They started in Georgia, and it was snowing. They stopped in Tennessee, I believe, in a major snowstorm. Then they did little pieces here and there. It seems to me the hardest part would be Maine, because it's either snow-packed half the year, and the other half, the trail forces you to wade into chest-deep lakes and rivers.
Although I enjoy hiking, and have been just about everywhere in the U.S., I've never set foot on the AT (as far as I know).
Has anyone, in our midst, ever hiked the entire Appalachian Trail? - No, we have not hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. We lived and worked near the AT for about 13 years (1985 to 1998), in southern PA, crossed it almost every day on the way to work on PA Route 16. Have been to various points from New Jersey to North Carolina, mostly just parking nearby and hiking a few miles. Have flown over portions in a private plane. Somewhere I have our old maps and descriptions of our travels over the years packed away.
My brother just finished his through hike, we picked him up in Maine last week. He hiked with his girlfriend and started just before the St. Patrick's Day "rush" from Georgia. The last month went miserably slow due to the hiking making a disk issue in his lower back act up. They finished on October 15.
Tennessee has some great hiking as a senior I am not up to very long hikes yet..
For those coming to Tennessee Cumberland Trail Conference and the State Parks have great hiking areas..
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