My (not on the appalachian) trail (yet) blog :] Outside 365 – Ultralight Dirtbagging. Stick's Blog | Time to hit the trail…..
Appalachian Trail Thru Hike. Tony "Faceless" Pisarra How I Accidentally Thru-hiked the AT: On May 7, 2002 I walked out the back door of my house near Washington, DC for what I then anticipated would be a 430 mile hike to Bear Mountain, NY via portions of the C&O Canal and the Mid-Atlantic portions of the Appalachian Trail. Six months, 2200 miles and one major change of direction later, I had managed to stumble the entire length of the Appalachian Trail (officially 2168 miles for 2002) from Mt. Katahdin in Central Maine to Springer Mountain Georgia (which I summited on November 24, 2002). Along the way I acquired a trail name ("Faceless"), made some wonderful friends, enjoyed serial acts of kindness, climbed some enormous mountains and took in endless jaw-dropping views.
I spent over 150 nights in the woods. I hiked through five pairs of shoes and three sets of tips on my trekking poles. I saw five bears (and was chased by one -- not avidly), three moose, one mountain lion and two rattlesnakes. The Story So Far : Ryan's Long Trail 2001 Thru-Hike.