Originally Posted by
LittleRock
Directly answering the question "How did COVID affect hiking this year?": In summary, COVID definitely affected my plans but I still managed to go out and enjoy myself. Except for in town you'd barely notice that we are in the midst of a pandemic while hiking the AT.
I was able to complete my annual section hike in NJ/NY this year and comply with restrictions by starting in PA, which doesn't have travel restrictions and isn't on the restricted list for NJ or NY. I camped in my tent every night and avoided shelters except for a few times when I stopped for a break during the day. I prefer my tent anyway, so this really wasn't a big deal. I finally ponied up and got Guthooks this year which proved to be invaluable for finding good stealth campsites that aren't listed in the guidebooks.
The biggest two difficulties I faced this year because of COVID were not taking any zero days to minimize my time in town, and finding transportation. I also carried 7 days of food at a time to minimize resupplies, which increased my pack weight. I definitely felt my energy level dropping the last few days on trail because I'd been hiking every day without a break. Many of the shuttle drivers listed in this areas weren't running this year, and it took a fair bit of effort to find people who were still shuttling, but I managed. I ended up having to do two shuttles, one in PA and one in NJ/NY due to drivers not wanting to cross state lines (though I don't think this was due to COVID).
In PA, despite the statewide mask mandate no one wore masks on the trail and few wore masks in the trail towns, even indoors. I talked to one of the locals who said that people in rural towns hadn't wearing been wearing masks since early summer and there had been no issues since the state regulators weren't paying any attention to rural areas. In NJ and NY people were more attentive to the restrictions. All of the businesses I stopped at had signs saying masks were required for entry, and maybe 1/4 of the people I saw on trail (mostly day hikers) wore masks.
Overall the trail was in good shape and looked like it had been maintained this year. None of the trailhead parking areas, shelters, and privies I saw were closed and it was evident they had been in use this year. One big difference I noticed was a huge increase in the number of day hikers, mostly on weekends. Most of the time, I was able to relax, enjoy the beautiful scenery and fall colors, and forget that the pandemic (and the election) existed.
Bottom line: You can still hike the AT, comply with state regulations, and enjoy it right now if you plan carefully.