Search:

Why not spend $10 and achieve the same effect?
https://tinyurl.com/Walmart-Airhorn
Combine this with bear spray and the already EXTREMELY low odds of an attack by a black bear, you'll have nothing...

Here's a start:
https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/accessing-the-appalachian-trail-shuttles-buses-taxis/
Most shuttle services that operate directly out of Damascus can help arrange a place to...

I did an internet search for "USGS Access Pass" and found
https://store.usgs.gov/access-pass
that it is simply the "American the Beautiful [AtB] Access Pass" -- which is free *WITH PROPER...

I don't listen to music when I hike, but I will sometimes (and ONLY when alone!) sing when on the trail. Among my favorites is this one, here sung by some hikers who seem to have REALLY learned how...

In view of the fact that you've never done extended backpacking, you should reconsider.
Maybe start in Harper's Ferry so as to arrive in New England AFTER the black fly season; then, after reaching...

This was on Reddit three days ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/AppalachianTrail/comments/kdgoua/update_dna_from_the_unidentified_hiker_mostly/

Seeing snakes while on or near The Trail is not unusual
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=63578

but seeing one that is finishing off a meal is pretty rare....

I hate to ask this question, but you haven't mentioned something that's very critical: have you ever camped out overnight? I don't mean backpacking (which is actually Step 3), I mean just driving to...

You correctly point out the ambiguity, and the map you post does clearly show a stream. My Nat Geo map also shows a creek at campsite #27.
For these reasons, I have corrected my posting.
When I'm...

According to
https://thedyrt.com/camping/tennessee/27-lower-jakes-gap
There is ambiguity about the presence of water.

Topo maps show a creek nearby.

It's a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, trying to prevent people from bunching together in an area that's nearly closed up. Hammocking is permitted. This change in policy will almost certainly end...

https://standingbearfarmhostel.com/
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/94770-Standing-Bear-Farm?p=2251339&highlight=#post2251339

Your first choice looks very do-able. I've gone down the Snake Den Ridge Trail from the A.T., and it's steeper than I'd prefer, but you're certainly not overdoing it on any of the three days.
Just...

https://www.comicskingdom.com/trending/blog/2020/11/17/tuesdays-top-ten-comics-on-hiking

Most of them are.
If you get some degree of covering between a fire and a downpour -- a bush, a large trash bag, an emergency blanket,...

First thing to know:
https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/backcountry-regulations.htm
"Campsites must be at least ... 100 yards away from a hut, cabin, or day-use shelter"

As DeadEye noted. a few cotton balls rubbed in petroleum jelly, then stored in a small plastic bag -- all things you can buy at a dollar store -- will burn hot for a few minutes even in the wettest...

After years of referring to my Hiker Mini Filter as a 'Katahdin' brand, someone pointed out that the company name is Katadyn -- with the last syllable rhyming with 'line.'...

When I say Stephen Herrero has written the book on bear attacks, I mean that LITERALLY
https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks-Causes-Avoidance-revised/dp/158574557X

Here's his opinion on bear spray...

Somebody who's been struggling with mental health issues for years prior to the hike.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/10/22/woman-speaks-out-physical/

Some rather important people in history...

https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-odds
27 is not 100 times greater than 30.

Spend a few more seconds doing research, and you'll find this article:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/zion-hiker-holly-courtier-sister-discrepancies-rescue
which states, "Courtier’s family then took...

Neither am I, and I had no trouble getting in to read it. Heck, I even have Ad-Blocker, that forces me to permit ads on a specific story. I'm not sure why you were unable to get in.

However, if...

Which is why I'll change the wording.
When I recognize I've made a mis-statement, I correct it ASAP.

Just like someone saying that Ms Courtier went twelve days without water.

Why not read the news article, and then reach a far better conclusion? If nothing else, you'll read that Ms Courtier did drink water while out there, and your statement about her surviving without...