guid and data book

[mntman777]

Hey does anyone know where I can get the new trail guid, and data book? I would realy appreciate it.

[walkerat99]

Here is the ATC website where you can order the maps and guide book..

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hike/plan/maps.html

Here is also Wingfoot's website with part of his online guide book. You may also order his guide book but it may not be ready for a few months yet... It is usually late in printing , but for me it is well worth it. I personally think it is the best one, of course I know I will get a lot of negative response for saying this.. but hey I do not care. Wingfoot may not be a friend of mine, but I still think his guide book is the best one... just my opinion, you can use your own judgement....

http://trailplace.com/guidebook/index.html

Hope this will help you..... also you may find some older maps or guide books for sale at a reduced price if you keep checking.

Happy Trails......

[Peaks]

Trail guides and such are usually available at most outfitters. Here in the East, they are carried at REI and EMS, among others.

[SGT Rock]

Walasi Yi also sells the guides, so if you drive through there en-route to the trailhead, you could buy a guide.

And maybe even get them to hold a package for you. And while you are there you can get them to check out your pack, but I think getting the first 30 miles before someone goes thru it so you have a better frame of reference is probably a good idea.

[chris]

Another option is to get the ALDHA Companion. It is cheap (about $5) and pretty basic: Towns, roads, and shelters, with a few interesting bits of history along the way. It does not contain water source info (except at shelters) or elevation changes. It does have mileage numbers, Post Office addresses, and addresses of businesses and people that hold packages along the trail. Additionally, it has hostel information for places to stay along the trail and maps to some of the towns you might pass through.

If you don't want to buy a copy, you can get last year's (2002) edition online for free at:
http://www.aldha.org/comp_pdf.htm

This may be the best way to plan the logistics of a longer hike on the AT. I think most people would recommend adding the ATC maps to this, at least in the beginning and for the more difficult stuff up north. I don't see much reason for getting the Data Book, although alot of people seem to like it. Wingfoot's book (the trailplace link above) was very popular with the hikers I met last summer. But, I think a set of maps and the Companion are more than enough.

[Jack Tarlin]

While I agree with Chris that the best books for your planning are the Thru-Hiker's Companion and the Data Book, he is mistaken about the Companion costing five bucks. This years's addition was available from the ATC for $11.95 (cheaper for members) He may be confusing this with the A.T. Data Book, which I believe costs $4.95.

However, even at $11.95, the Companion is well worth the cost.

[chris]

Yes, Jack is correct. I was confused and mistated the price. Since I don't own the data book (I libraried it), I can't imagine now where I got the $5 figure from. The companion is definitely worth it. If in doubt, use the online version. When you are convinced, pay the money for the current version.

[The Weasel]

I operated from the principle that no amount of information was too much, as well as realizing that different people look at different things different ways. My "information package" therefore consisted of BOTH the Companion and the Handbook, since each has different "takes" on places in common, and each has other information the other one lacks. I also found the Data Book provided different info (more about water and possible campsites). I combined this with the Maptech mapsets, which gave me topos as well as the full text ATC Guidebooks, on CD-ROMs. In terms of what I carried, however, it was usually as follows for 100 miles/7 days:

1 page of Databook
2-3 pages of Companion
2-3 pages of Guidebook
10 pages (8-1/2" x 11" color printouts) of topo maps (1 inch to 1000 feet)(I could have also printed elevation profiles for 10 miles at a time, but I didn't since I prefer reading contour lines on a topo)
5 pages of ATC Guide (on 8-1/2" x 11", printed from CD-ROM, two-sided)

Carried in a double ziploc (color pages run if wet), it was a total of about 3-4 oz and very worth it. The maps, as I've mentioned elsewhere, were far more worth using than the ATC maps, and I didn't mind sharing them with others in the morning at shelters.

The Weasel