I'm planning on starting my hike on September 17 - only a month away! In the meanwhile, I'll be posting about a variety of topics - how I plan for a hike, the gear, clothing, and food I take with me, and some of what's involved when you actually hit the trail. The trail passes through 14 states and is maintained by 34 different trail mainten. And it should be fun to finish in Harper's Ferry, the traditional "psychological" half-way point of the trail, and home of the headquarters for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the organization that coordinates the clubs that maintain the trail. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, is a footpath in the eastern United States for outdoor enthusiasts, extending about about 2140 miles from Maine to Georgia, along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. Pennsylvania doesn't usually show up on hiker's "must do" sections of the AT, but the hike is close, and I can drive to it, so there's less of an issue for travel time and expense. 60 miles later I arrived at Reed's Gap - exhausted, blistered, and sun-burned - and I couldn't wait to get back out on the trail. I fondly remember my first multi-day trip - 4 days and 3 nights hiking north from the James River to Reed's Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
![mvh unh mkvtools picture post intro appalachian trail mvh unh mkvtools picture post intro appalachian trail](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-F9cnhNm0i6E/T2IW4iXV9RI/AAAAAAAAANQ/30Srzro6n-g/s400/associacao-blumenauense--karate-blumenau-karate-do-arte-marcial-teashido-kung-fu-shaolin%2520%252835%2529.jpg)
So this year I'm blocking out 7-8 days to hike south from Duncannon, PA, to Harper's Ferry, WV, a total of about 125 miles. It's Hiking Time I've been backpacking on the Appalachian Trail (the 'AT') since the late 1990s. I'm currently training for the Richmond Marathon in November, so I didn't want to take too much time out of marathon prep for a hike. Each year I try to add on a new section, and this year I've decided to write about my preparation and the hike itself. In the years since, I've knocked off 721 miles of the AT, traveling in sections from Erwin, TN, to the MD/PA border. I've been backpacking on the Appalachian Trail (the "AT") since the late 1990s. It took two retirements (One from the US Navy and one from private engineering consulting) and two total knee replacements to get to this point. The AT has been on my Life List for 25 years. I'll be going north to south, finishing in Harper's Ferry. My Self Intro Trail Journey entry.I'm Joe from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
![mvh unh mkvtools picture post intro appalachian trail mvh unh mkvtools picture post intro appalachian trail](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-it7T7VPKnqo/T2IZwNXBhcI/AAAAAAAAAbo/yPGLmV6rfS8/s462/karate-sc-associacao-blumenauense--karate-blumenau-karate-do-arte-marcial-teashido-kung-fu-shaolin%2520%252889%2529.gif)
My AT journeys to date - 1/3 of the way done!