So is hiking the AT really that cool?

[pattydivins]

I mean it seems pretty cool. Are there nice vistas all along as you walk? I am sure it takes a lot of work to get up to some of them.

I really enjoy walking around in nature, I wonder what it would be like to do that for months on end.

[fiddlehead]

It's usually cooler than southern jersey.

[stranger]

Words like...Rewarding, challenging, demanding, inspiring, painful, wet...come to mind however

[Lone Wolf]

I mean it seems pretty cool. Are there nice vistas all along as you walk? I am sure it takes a lot of work to get up to some of them.

I really enjoy walking around in nature, I wonder what it would be like to do that for months on end.

it gets old. it ain't all that

[double d]

Yea, its pretty cool, especially during the early spring, late summer, mostly during the fall and certainly during the winter months.

[restlesss]

Every Hike is Cool, Rewarding, Challenging, Exciting!

[SassyWindsor]

My last outing on the AT had night/early morning temps down into the
-12c range. No telling what the wind-chill was. So, I'd say it's not only cool, but can be very cold. But to answer the question, as posted, yes its "Cool" to hike most any trail, not just the AT.

[jesse]

I mean it seems pretty cool. Are there nice vistas all along as you walk? I am sure it takes a lot of work to get up to some of them.

I really enjoy walking around in nature, I wonder what it would be like to do that for months on end.

Try it for a long weekend. You don't have to walk the entire trail to enjoy hiking, camping, the outdoors.

[Hoofit]

It's not called the long green tunnel for nothing - long spells of dense foliage, rhodos and the like. But as fiddlehead pointed out , it sure beats southern Jersey ! If you love the outdoors, camping and cooking out, then go do it.
See you out there, leaving early March, can't wait...

[Colter]

I think that's the reality for most people after a month or more on the trail, and that's the primary reason most thru-hiker's decide not to finish. "It's not what I expected."

A comparison I've made is say a person likes golfing: would they like golfing all day long, nearly every day, rain or shine, all summer?

Most people find a thru-hike more difficult physically and mentally than they had imagined, and that the rewards are less thrilling than they had expected. (Is the 200th overlook as impressive as the 1st?)

Some of the most fun times in the outdoors are short visits where a person can really focus and appreciate everything around them.

In my opinion, it's the "Grand Adventure" aspect that is generally the most rewarding to people who hike long sections.

[Lone Wolf]

I think that's the reality for most people after a month or more on the trail, and that's the primary reason most thru-hiker's decide not to finish. "It's not what I expected."

Most people find a thru-hike more difficult physically and mentally than they had imagined, and that the rewards are less thrilling than they had expected. (Is the 200th overlook as impressive as the 1st?)

that's pretty much it in a nutshell. thru-hiking is a marathon and most who attempt it are stressed out

[Toolshed]

It's like a job. I don't do more than a week at a time now, usually a few times a year. After my weeks worth, I am set for a few months for anything more than backpacking weekends.
I have the type of personality that I cannot let go of thinking about the many other things I could/should be doing, other than just walking around with a pack on my back.
I appreciate, but don't understand, those that can do that.

[Lone Wolf]

long distance backpacking has absolutely no appeal to me anymore. a few nights out and i'm good

[Tipi Walter]

I mean it seems pretty cool. Are there nice vistas all along as you walk? I am sure it takes a lot of work to get up to some of them.

I really enjoy walking around in nature, I wonder what it would be like to do that for months on end.

One thing that has to be remembered about the AT is that it's mostly a ridgeline trail, and so you are right above many rural roads and parkways. In the summer this can be disturbing as motorcyclists take over these roads and the noise is terrible. I recently pulled the Fontana-to-NOC section and was bombarded with the wannabe racers the whole time. Bring ear plugs. Winter is a better time to backpack the AT, at least in my neck of the woods, as winter thins out the fickle throttle-mad leathered screamers.

[hikingshoes]

I think that's the reality for most people after a month or more on the trail, and that's the primary reason most thru-hiker's decide not to finish. "It's not what I expected."

A comparison I've made is say a person likes golfing: would they like golfing all day long, nearly every day, rain or shine, all summer?

Most people find a thru-hike more difficult physically and mentally than they had imagined, and that the rewards are less thrilling than they had expected. (Is the 200th overlook as impressive as the 1st?)

Some of the most fun times in the outdoors are short visits where a person can really focus and appreciate everything around them.

In my opinion, it's the "Grand Adventure" aspect that is generally the most rewarding to people who hike long sections.

Im looking forward to meeting and seeing different places/people and the History of the towns that the AT goes thru or take a zero day.Plus the history of the AT as well.You can read all day long about the AT, but i think you need hike the AT before you can understand it.April21 ill see if i understand it.HS

[berkshirebirder]

A few hundred hikers complete a thru-hike of the Trail every year. A few MILLION hikers walk part of the Trail every year. A thru-hike is a daunting physical and emotional challenge for most, and it's an accomplishment to be admired. But a few million hikers every year is the big picture. Pick a section and start walking.

[GGS2]

It seems to me that some (a lot? most?) of the thrus and long section hikers hike to an agenda, and if that isn't what they find there, they will be disappointed and maybe bored. Others get past that and just hike, accepting whatever they find. I'm talking about all long trails, not just the AT. For these other people, the trail can be a retreat, a solace, a renewal. It can be life changing, and there are plenty of people on this list that can attest to that. I like the trails less traveled for this kind of retreat, but for some, I'm sure the AT is just right.

[Jim Adams]

I love thru hiking and long distance backpacking! I am a little confused by alot of the answers here...maybe I'm just weird. I ONLY hike the AT when I'm thru hiking...can't seem to see any reason to go for just a day or two. I can do that on other trails closer to home but my main reason is...why waste a day on the AT if I can spend it canoeing or motorcycling? Just me.

geek

[weary]

Doing the whole trail in one year is "cool" only if you enjoy being in the wild, and have learned to appreciate the diversity of wild places. It's a long green tunnel only for those with no curiosity and no knowledge of the incredible diversity of that tunnel.

I didn't experience a long green tunnel. I experienced day by day new visions of the natural world. I tried to identify every flower, every animal, every tree, and a lot of the bugs. I carried a couple of light weight guides that identified the common things, and took notes of others for when I got to a town with a good book store or library.

The trail has wonderful mountain vistas, great waterfalls, and occasional historic sites. But these occur too rarely to keep one's interest up. Hence the talk of a long green tunnel.

If you don't learn to appreciate and enjoy the life of the tunnel, you will be bored and the trail will become a job, punctuated only by an occasional party with trail friends in the towns.

Weary

[DrRichardCranium]

Hey weary, can you recommend some good nature guides?