Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Planner

by David Lauterborn (editor)

Each year, nearly 2,000 men, women and, occasionally, children set out to hike the 2,181+ miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine (or vice versa). Good preparation is often the key to whether they become part of the 25-30 percent who make it. For this adventure of a lifetime, the [i]Thru-Hike Planner[/i] will help you chart a course, work out a budget, choose gear, plan meals, get in shape and otherwise inspire. It comes with charts and worksheets and checklists and forms, all designed to be ripped out and spread over the kitchen table and then stuck in your pack. Formerly the popular [i]Appalachian Trail Workbook for Planning Thru-hikes[/i], which went through six revisions between 1992 and 2003, this book underwent a total make-over in 2005, bringing together the up-to-date advice of recent hikers with the mileages and trends seen by the trail's managers. This 4th edition advances the mileages and shelters to 2009 status and includes new tips.

Genres: Reference, Travel, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Tracy]

Really? 95% of this is common sense, and then he has the audacity to throw in 8 pages of blank calendar templates?!? For someone who discusses lightweight backpacking, he should be ashamed at throwing lots of needless junk into a book. Really?

[Rebecca]

I like to make lists, excel sheets and use all different kind of tools to be able to process information effectively. This planner was a good exercise to draw and calculate and just generally get a good insight into the AT journey. I recommend reading this planner to anybody even just considering hiking the AT as in my view it's useful starting point to see the bigger picture of a hike like this - going from weather conditions of the different sections of the trail (with charts for the whole year) to money and time related topics to a small hiker's dictionary... very cool to read this :).

[raccoon reader]

An incredibly helpful guide. I haven't read the companion yet so I can't compare the two, but I hear many people say the Companion is better than the Planner for well, planning a thru hike. But don't disregard this book if you are section hiking. I'll be finishing up the GA section (my first section completed) and hopefully making it close to Fontana Dam this spring and am so glad I checked out this book. I filled up a whole note card (i was using it as an impromptu bookmark) with "oh crap I forgot...!" or "oh man I need to pack...!" etc. And will probably re-read this every time I do a section or overnighter on the AT.

[Roni]

Good basic reference to help you to plan AT expedition.

[Derick Lugo]

Great starting point for planning a thru-hike! Very useful!

[Joan Edgar]

This book is great-inspiring yet practical, an informative page-turner!