HikeArizona.COM

Hi all,
I am brand new here and am looking into hiking the AT this October. This will be my first long distance hike EVER.

Wondering if any of you have recommendations for resources used to get ready for your first thru hike? I have so many questions and feeling overwhelmed! Where do I start?

Also, it looks like hiking this trail NoBo in fall isn't the best due to water. Would doing this trail SoBo in October be a better move?

Looking forward to what you all have to say and getting ready for this adventure!

Kaitlin

kkominsky wrote: ↑Apr 17 2022 7:50 pm Hi all,
I am brand new here and am looking into hiking the AT this October. This will be my first long distance hike EVER.

Wondering if any of you have recommendations for resources used to get ready for your first thru hike? I have so many questions and feeling overwhelmed! Where do I start?

Also, it looks like hiking this trail NoBo in fall isn't the best due to water. Would doing this trail SoBo in October be a better move?

Looking forward to what you all have to say and getting ready for this adventure!

Kaitlin

Others can make technical recommendations but I can suggest watching youtube videos of AZT thru-hiking to get a sense of what people experience while out on the trail.

Do it SOBO in the fall, download FarOut to keep up to date with water recommendations. Otherwise, if you're new to long distance backpacking, I guess I'd suggest looking at a variety of youtube channels to understand that you don't need the kitchen sink and to get exposure. For the AZT, you could check out a guy named JayWandersOut; he did the AZT last year and vlogged it daily; very chill guy who doesn't go to one extreme or another. This particular site isn't really geared toward that audience; most here are day hikers, although there are several of us who have done thru hiking.
I've done the AT, did 1200ish miles of the PCT before getting off due to injury, and other long trails so if you have particular questions, happy to help with any specific questions.

Like xsproutx said, sobo in the fall.

I section hiked all of the AZT, with 4 sections around 100 miles each. I've thru hiked several trails, all in the west, including the PCT so maybe I can answer some of your questions there. Personally, I recommend keeping your kit reasonably light, that's what I do. Keep things minimal, take what you need and don't take extras. Keep in mind, people are surprised how cold it will get at night in Arizona so prepare for that. Think of thru-hiking as linking several shorter hikes into one. For sobo AZT, it might be Northern Terminus to North Rim, GCNP, then to Tusayan, then to Flagstaff, etc. All you need to do is plan how long each leg will take and resupply accordingly. Good luck and enjoy your hike!

I don't know where you are kit-wise, but here's a video where I discuss what I had on the PCT, during the PCT. My kit changed very little throughout, so I think it's a reasonable example of a thru-hiker's kit. I forgot my hiking poles so had them sent to me before entering the Sierra along with a net-tent thingy for bugs. It was about 12lb, so not quite ultralight. It wasn't expensive gear either; I made my pack and shelter and some bags. My kit was geared for walking, not spending time in camp. [ youtube video ] . Here's another video where I cover the gear I had on my Colorado Trail thru-hike: [ youtube video ] . The kits are almost the same.

After all that, my best suggestion is to get out and practice. Do several short overnight trips where you try things out. See what works and what doesn't. Learn and adapt.

@kkominsky
resource: https://aztrail.org/

@kkominsky

There is a talk being given about hiking the AZT on Wednesday April 20th at 6 PM Gateway Community College:
https://www.meetup.com/Just-Roughin-It- ... 285157374/