WHEN and WHERE you first stepped on the AT?

[DaveOTN]

May of 2007, in Shenandoah. I was doing field research for grad school and was collecting samples all along the northeast, from Shenandoah to Acadia NP, so I was pretty close to the AT for the first half until around Harriman. I don't really remember where in Shenandoah it was, but I had some free time and parked near the trail, walked down it for a mile or two, then turned around and walked back. It just amazed me how far it stretched. I'm sure I stepped on the trail at a few other places along that trip, but I never really came back to it purposefully until moving to Carlisle in 2012 and getting into a hiking meetup a couple years ago.

[dudeijuststarted]

Summer of 2008 I believe. Caledonia State Park while car camping there. Asked a ranger where the AT was, he just pointed without looking at us. He thus earned the name "Hard Ranger," who my buddy actually went as for Halloween sometime later. We went northbound out of the park to the shelter. We now call that climb "The Crucible." The rest of the summer was spent chewing up about 150 miles over weekends, then I had to go thru. Appalachian Trail...what an soul shattering thing.

[full conditions]

1969 - my boy scout troop did a 50 miler from Sherburne Pass down to Bromley Peak. I didnt realize it was the AT until we camped with a college age thru hiker at Little Rock Pond - after listening to his tales that evening I was hooked. As soon as I got home I wrote off to the ATC and they sent me a packet of info that included and hand written letter of encouragement (which I really wish I had hung on to). Seven years later and pretty much the moment I finished my last final exam of high school I was driving south to Springer Mountain with my family to start my first thru hike.

[rwd111]

2007 - Southern terminus, Springer Mountain. I had always been interested in the AT but had not made the time until then. I took four good friends with me, all of us novice hikers, hiking from the approach trail at Amicalola Falls to Neels Gap. Since then, I've been hooked and have section hiked several times and slowly making my way north. This year I'm hiking in Central Virginia through the Priest Wilderness and Three Ridges area. I have found my time on the AT restores me physically and mentally like no other activity I have experienced.. By the way, my four friends experience was the opposite of mine.. They're glad I enjoy the trail but have no desire to ever return.. I tell them they just need to hike their own hike!

[DownYonder]

1967. Good friend and I had just gotten our driver's licenses. We drove over to Oconaluftee Visitor Center, got our permits and thumbed up to The Boulevard. Hiked it for two days then took a side trail back down to the visitors center. I was hooked!!!

[T.S.Kobzol]

probably 1990. Honeymoon. Climbed Katahdin via Abol Trail and descended via the Appalachian Trail.

[Gonecampn]

Bits and pieces throughout my life while exploring Western NC and VA. Hiked the Approach trail and the GA / TN section of the BMT and the AT approach trail in July of 2013.

[Davem]

Fours years ago, tesnatee gap.

[wolfywolfy]

Late bloomer here. It was 2013 at Grayson Highlands and it was love at first sight.

[wornoutboots]

Somewhere in the early 2000's I took the family to Gatlinburg on vacation & went to Clingmans. I noticed the Appalachian trail sign up there so I wondered off to check it out, after talking to a few rangers, I became very intrigued that this trail went all the way from GA>ME. I then bought a guide book & a year or 2 later, I headed to Standing Bear where Curtis shuttled me to NFG & I hiked back to SB. I remember it was 16 degrees, hoar frost everywhere & I walked N into a total white out didn't see anyone until I got to the shelter where a few sobo's were chillin & storytellin, what a freakin hoot!!! I have since sectioned from Springer to DWG Lovin every minute of it!! Good Thread Wolf!

[scarlettlily]

I'm not sure. Early 2000s, up near (what has to be as I didn't know anything about the Appalachian Trail till a few years ago) PenMar Park. I walked along it with a friend but as I didn't know what blazes were, turned around rather quickly as I didn't want to get lost: I vaguely remember a white cabin-ish structure and railroad tracks.

[cooper30]

1978 when I was eight. I climbed Moxie Bald Mountain (in Maine) with a friend of the family. We lived in Jackman and drove down to Moxie Pond to get to the AT. I vividly remember how proud I was when I successfully crossed the stream on the cable bridge....I think it was Baker Stream. I also remember being very intrigued with the lean to at Joe's Hole. Sadly, it's not there anymore.

For my next birthday, the woman I went with gave me her AT Guidebook for Maine.

This, combined with a man from our town who through hiked and gave a presentation when I was 10 started my lifelong fascination with the Appalachian Trail.

[shelb]

In 2009. Took my - then - 11 year old and 13 year old sons on the trail to hike "across the state of Maryland" - Harpers Ferry to Penn Marr... what a story they could bring back to school in the fall! What a wonderful experience for us three! Even though they stopped hiking with me in high school, I currently know it made a tremendous difference as they are now convincing their friends and taking them on backpacking adventures in college!

[lucky luke]

december 24, 1984.

bear mtn bridge. i came from nyc on the greyhound. everything was closed, i had no map, databook or any info and a cop sent me northwards, even though i was planning on going sobo. when i pitched camp after 20 miles 2 dayhikers invited me over to their place and we found out about it. they drove me back to bm bridge in the morning and got me back on the trail in the right direction, their old rand mcnelly road atlas in the backpack. trail magic on my very first day on the AT!

[Carryless]

Skyranch Lodge in VA as a 6 year old I went on a ranger led hike. Didn't return to AT until 11.5 year old boy scout on first backpack through the Lemon Squeezer in Harriman State Park NY. That was 1964.

[lakegirl88]

Last year I was living in Georgia for the summer and started hiking for the first time in my life and fell in love with it. Went up to Springer a couple days before moving away just for inspiration. Starting my first section hike this summer.

[PGH1NC]

Drove the Corvair to Baxter in '65 on our honeymoon. Just kids. Had heard and read about Katahdin and the AT. No poles or even water if I remember. Didn't try to summit but did get high enough for decent views where available. Maybe 2 miles up the AT? Back several times including two summits. Had opportunity to be evacuated from Katahdin Stream campground b/c of a forest fire in '77.

[hotroddaddy]

Max patch, about 5 years ago. my pops lives one mountain over, can see the bald from his porch.

[shelb]

Harpers Ferry going North... only planned to do MD... next year did SNP... then fell in LOVE!!!!

[chknfngrs]

This is the single greatest thread on this website

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