Anticipated Itinerary




When planning a 2,181 mile hike it seems prudent to do a bit of thinking ahead.
Where will we stay?  How will we eat?  Will there be showering at any point?
Indeed, a few of these issues (of primary importance to our mothers, we should note) can be addressed without the creation of a full-fledged itinerary.  Our gastronomy is constrained by four main factors: taste, weight, caloric value and availability.  More on camping food here.  Similarly, the grand majority of our slumbering will occur, without much to ponder, in the woods, either in tent or shelter, in toasty-roasty sleeping bags.  More on our gear here.

One area over which we have considerable determination, however, is our schedule.  When creating an itinerary, the beauty of a 6 month hike is this: a shorter day here can be made up by a longer day there.  When we feel bad, we'll rest.  When we feel good, we'll push forward.  When we want to go swimming, or read, or see a movie (yes, they do have the occasional cinema along the way), we can do that too.  The Appalachian Trail will guide us through some of the most pristine terrain in the Eastern US, by some of the friendliest communities in America, and within a stone's throw of Washington, D.C. and New York City.  Surely it'd be foolish not to stop and smell the flowers.

Most of our research on the topic suggests that we use our itinerary to start a campfire once we're on the trail.  Still, planning ahead is fun(!) and gives us something to look forward to as we anticipate our departure.  We'll be using this itinerary for the following: 1) scheduling our maildrops 2) giving our friends and family an idea of where we'll be and when 3) making sure we don't miss a few super special things along the way.  Otherwise, consider it subject to change.

For those interested, our anticipated daily mileage is far from arbitrary.  We'll be starting slow in the South to ease in and tackle ups and downs, picking up to 20 mile days in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic where there is little elevation change, and slowing back down again in New Hampshire and Maine.

If you're curious about meeting us in town or on the trail, here's when we'll (approximately) be in your area.


April 12-19: Amicalola Falls State Park to Hiawassee, GA
April 20-28: Hiawassee, GA to Fontana Dam, NC
April 29-May 9: Fontana Dam, NC to Hotsprings, NC
May 10-21: Hotsprings, NC to Damascus, VA
May 22-29: Continuing in Southern Virginia
May 30-June 5: Duck, NC for family wedding
June 6-23: Pearisburg, VA to Waynesboro, VA
June 24-4: Waynesboro, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV and Washington, D.C.
July 6-12: Harpers Ferry, WV to Duncannon, PA
July 13-22: Duncannon, PA to Delaware Water Gap, PA
July 23-August 3: Delaware Water Gap, PA (through NJ and NY) to Kent, CT
August 4-11: Kent, CT to Williamstown, MA
August 12-21: Williamstown, MA to Hanover, NH
August 22-September 2: Hanover, NH to Andover, ME
September 3-12: Andover, ME to Monson, ME
September 12-22: Monson, ME to Baxter State Park