Top 10 reasons why the AT is Easy!

(this is hard to write about right now, for reasons that you'll find out in the next post(s)).



This time, trying to do a real #10 to #1:



10. Climate



Simply put, for the length of the trail, the way it is oriented you never have to experience too far of an extreme in temperatures.



9. This isn't exactly wilderness



No, you don't need a compass.  You don't even need any maps.  The AT has been said to be more of a "boulevard" than a trail.  Though it is overgrown or difficult to pass through some areas, it is heavily marked and heavily traveled through most of it.



8. Other people



Most people start the trip alone, but no one finishes the trip having hiked alone.  There are other people to help you out when you're having trouble, whether it's giving you food if you are running out of if an animal got into yours, or giving you some medical equipment or other materials you don't have or ran out of.  You just try to do your best to give back by helping whomever you meet who needs help.



7. Daily life



It's simpler.  There are fewer things to worry about, fewer complications.  The regular day to day activities are just easier in that they are more basic.



6. Titanium, lexan



(Forgetting for a moment that my lexan spoon broke already)  There have been plenty of inventions, refinement of materials, and increased availability of materials that have made it much more feasible to have strong equipment that does not weigh much.  Aluminum, silicon-impregnated nylon, silk, wool, down also apply here.



5. Lipton sides, Hungry Jack



Luckily for backpackers, the average American has become rather lazy, to the end that there is a great selection of "just add water!" dishes to choose from.  There is also Mountain House, Richmoor, Natural High and others.  All these choices and this accessibility in grocery stores makes it very easy to get dehydrated food so that you aren't always carrying peanut butter and bread.



4. Shelters



I honestly didn't really know about these things before starting the trail.  I thought they were only in a few states or something... but it turns out shelters are built close to the trail (usually within .2 mi, always within .5) every 6-15 miles, usually about every 10 miles on average I think.  Some states have privys, and a few even have bear bag lines.  I knew before the trip that hanging bear bags would be my least favorite, most tiring part of the trip.  Georgia's bear bag lines were a welcome break, though I knew not to get spoiled by them.  Anyway, shelters provide cover during a storm, and they make it so you don't have to set up a tent, don't have to get a tent wet if it's going to rain... if you wanted to be crazy about it, you could go without a tent altogether and just live shelter to shelter and base your whole itinerary around that!  But that would be crazy.



3. Companions, signs



You can buy a companion guide to go along with you hike that tells you the mileage between shelters, mileage of water sources, and other landmarks like gaps and peaks.  This is just another way the trail is "fool-proof" through most areas.  There are also signs provided, at least in the nicer states (I love you Virginia...) to let you know what the names of the side trails are, where they go, how far until the next road, etc.



2. Towns



Okay, so you aren't really in the woods the whole time.  Part of the trip is going into town, if only to get food or mail drops, but partly to go to the local restaurants, walk around and see the churches and schools, and do a bit of the tourist thing - even in these podunk towns.  It's a welcome break after about a week or so of hiking.  Some times are longer than others, and some include shower, laundry, and an overnight stay in a hostel or possibly even motel, while some are just walking in to a "town" to go to a restaurant for a big brunch, and then stocking up on food at the Dollar General.  Especially if you've had a rough week, you're usually within about 5 days of some sort of civilization, sometimes less.



1. Anyone can walk 13 miles a day



It's true.  Anyone in decent health, that is.

All of these reasons why the trail is easy have to keep in mind the reasons why the trail is hard, and vice versa, but when it comes down to it, backpacking 13 miles a day isn't the most extra-ordinary feat.  If you give yourself just 8 hours of hiking on the day (from 9am until 5pm let's say) you have plenty of time, averaging fewer than 2mph including breaks.  You could even give yourself 10 hours of hiking, or more.  There are many other things to take into consideration of course, but the point is that you have to average something like 12.5 miles a day if you want to get from one end to the other in 6 months - and that is quite a managable average.





So there you have it.  There's a couple lists of what I came up with as being the hardest and easiest parts of hiking the AT.  Some are more true than others... but like I said, they both have to remember each other, it wouldn't be fair to ignore one or the other list. 

On to the next post while I have a computer (sorry if it seems like I've been ignoring you, you just don't really sit down and type all that much on the trail!)