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The Lure of a Long Trail: Planning a Thru-Hike (Part 1 of 4) View of Washington’s Mount Rainier from the PCT, Snowgrass Flat, Goat Rocks Wilderness. (Photo by Kristen Isakson, courtesy of PCTA) Are you considering or planning a thru-hike for next year (or even just for “some day”)? Sorting through a deluge of advice and wondering which to pay attention to?
Successful backpackers can tell you what really matters. Thousands of people set out every spring to hike one of America’s long trails, such as the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, or the Continental Divide Trail. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, they anticipate spending the next five or six months traipsing through woods and over mountains, earning bragging rights that will last them all their lives. Come autumn, only a relative handful of these eager souls will finish the trail. What makes the difference? Answers to that question from hardcore backpackers and successful thru-hikers vary widely. The 2,178-mile AT is the most popular of the long trails. Gear Training Read the full series:
Appalachain Trail. Hiker Achieves 'Triple Crown' Hiking the Triple Crown: How to Hike America's Longest Trails - Karen Berger. Hiking the Triple Crown How to Hike America's Longest Trails * The Appalachian Trail * The Pacific Crest Trail * The Continental Divide by Karen Berger Published by the Mountaineers Books, 2001 Only about two dozen people have completed thru-hikes of the Triple Crown -- the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide National Scenic Trails.
Karen is one of them. In this book, she shares the knowledge gleaned from hiking nearly 8,000 miles of some of the best wilderness in America. The Appalachian Trail -- 2,158 miles The Pacific Crest Trail -- 2,650 miles The Continental Divide Trail -- 3,000 miles (read an excerpt from Where the Waters Divide) Part 1: Long-Distance Basics * Thru-hiking 101. You can: * Buy this book from Amazon.com. * Ask your local independent bookseller to order and stock this book. * Buy a signed copy from the author (e-mail.