Thru Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2018
This page is dedicated to the new Class of 2018 Adventurers who will attempt the thru hike of the Appalachian Trail!
This page is dedicated to the promotion of those Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2018 and who have or are getting ready to launch their quest to complete a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Please find their You Tube Channels and Facebook Pages below and have fun watching and supporting them with you sharing, comments and encouragement!
I will be Hiking sections in 2018 as well, so look for me, Dudley DoRight! My shirt will tell you, “You are Going the Wrong Way!” Remember, Dudley rode his trusty horse backwards!
The Hiking Sailor – (YouTube)
Hike On – (YouTube) Interesting PIP effect.
Jake Hikes aka Hot Sauce – (YouTube) This young man is an awesome artist. Check in with Trail Magic Jimmy to order a hand drawn custom 5 x 7 pencil drawing.
Average Campers Adventures – (Youtube)
Captain Black Beard – (YouTube)
Maverick 71 – (YouTube)
Hikification (YouTube) – Witty and humorous soul. Do not eat or drink while watching his videos. I spewed several times! Joking! Ok, I did once.
Scoutmaster OnTheAT2018 (YouTube)
Ringo on the Appalachian Trail 2018 (YouTube)
Craig Lenhard – rvrguyd (YouTube)
Probation Termination (YouTube) Hiking for Cancer Research! Great Cause!
JEEP (YouTube)
Fight for Together – (YouTube) Family on the trail!
Trailosophy (YouTube) – Great Post Hike videos – She will have a blast.
NippleRick (YouTube)
Kenneth Jones (YouTube)
Craig Lenhard aka River Guide (YouTube)
Adramere (YouTube)
The Trek (YouTube)
Awoken Ghost on the Appalachian Trail AG on the AT (YouTube)
One Backpack and a Van (YouTube)
Rob Rieke – Windjammer (YouTube)
FarmerFamily 48 (YouTube) Vlogger Family
Evan’s Backpacking (YouTube)
Bearded Servant Hiking North AT 2018 (YouTube)
Amanda Bess (YouTube)
Pete Lewis (YouTube)
Hillbilly Hikes (YouTube)
Joyful Rambler (YouTube)
Vermont The Penny Pincher (YouTube)
Gucci Girl and Grumpy (YouTube)
FreeWilleyMammoth (YouTube)
Walking Trails with Michele (YouTube)
TechnoNomadic (YouTube)
Facebook – Appalachian Trail 2018
Trail Journal – Great way to follow bloggers
Special thanks to Michael K. Davis as he provided this excellent data from his 2018 Thru Hike…..
How cold is it going to be? How steep are the climbs? How much does it really rain? How many days of food do I need to carry?
These are all the types of questions I’ve seen in these AT groups over the past couple of years. I asked the same questions last year as I prepared for my 2018 thru-hike. So when I hiked it this year, I kept a journal on lots of different things.
Below is a summary of my hike in numbers. I thought this might give a window into the world of an AT thru-hiker without including opinion.
Start Date – 3/17/2018 (Amicalola)
Finish Date – 9/13/2018
172 Days (includes zero days but does not include a 10 day off-trail break)
LODGING
#/% nights in tent: 99/58%
#/% nights in shelter: 11/6%
#/% nights in hut: 2/1%
#/% nights in hostel: 24/14%
#/% nights in motel: 34/20%
#/% nights with angels: 2/1%
WEATHER
(For the temperature data, I carried a bluetooth thermometer on the outside of my pack. It
was the in the front mesh pocket and a lot of times covered by other items such as my
jacket, toilet paper pouch, etc…. At night, it remained in my pack pouch and was inside
of my tent. I mention this because these temps are likely a couple of degrees warmer
than the actual temp.)
#/% days with precipitation: 59/34%
#/% days with snow/sleet: 4/2% (included in above)
Longest stretch with precipitation: 7 days
Lowest Avg Low Highest Avg High
Mar 25.9 41.2 88.8 64.2
Apr 31.7 45.3 80.0 65.9
May 45.7 61.6 93.7 78.4
Jun 54.0 62.2 92.0 75.9
Jul 53.3 63.5 93.8 82.2
Aug 47.0 59.7 93.5 76.0
Sep 39.3 55.4 83.6 74.8
MILEAGE
Avg miles per day (does not include zeros): 14.1
Avg miles per day (does include zeros): 12.8
Longest trail day: 21.6
# days > 20: 6
# zeros: 16
Avg days between zeros: 10.5
Longest days between zeros: 25
# of slack pack days: 3
#/% camping nights with no other hikers: 54/31%
Avergage mileage per state (does not include zeros):
GA 11.6
NC 12.9
TN 18.8
VA 15.3
WV 20.4
MD 17.7
PA 14.5
NJ 16.9
NY 15.3
CT 13.7
MA 15.0
VT 14.9
NH 11.1
ME 13.0
TERRAIN
(Keep in mind, this data does not necessarily show the steepest or flattest parts of the
trail. It shows data specific to the segments that I hiked each day.)
A couple interesting data points… The last day has both the highest gain and lowest loss.
This of course does not include coming down off of Katahdin. Also, while the ascent up
Katahdin was the steepest day of the hike for me, the day before Katahdin was the flattest.
Highest gain in one day 5732.0 Bully Brook to Cooper Lodge, Vermont
Highest loss in one day 6702.8 Tri Corner Knob to Standing Bear, North Carolina
Highest gain+loss in one day 10810.7 Tent Site to James River Bridge, Virginia
Highest avg gain/mileage in one day 787.7 Birches to Katahdin, Maine
Highest avg loss/mileage in one day 484.6 Wesser Bald to NOC, North Carolina
Highest avg gain+loss/mileage in one day 829.8 Pinkham Notch to Middle Carter, New
Hampshire
Lowest gain in one day 376.0 Albert Mtn to Rock Gap, North Carolina
Lowest loss in one day 15.4 Birches to Katahdin, Maine
Lowest gain+loss in one day 1269.0 Abol Bridge to Birches, Maine
Lowest avg gain/mileage in one day 63.7 Albert Mtn to Rock Gap, North Carolina
Lowest avg loss/mileage in one day 2.9 Birches to Katahdin, Maine
Lowest avg gain+loss/mileage in one day 129.5 Abol Bridge to Birches, Maine
CELL PHONE
(My cell phone service provider was Verizon.)
#/% days with cell coverage: 97/56%
#/% days with no cell coverage: 52/30%
#/% days with spotty cell coverage: 18/10%
#/% days with phone turned off: 5/3%
RESUPPLY/TOWN
# resupply days: 48
Avg days between resupply: 3.5
Longest days between resupply: 6
# showers: 45
Avg days between showers: 4.5
Longest days between showers: 10