Scroll down on the Q&A page of the website for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and you’ll find the following—very reasonable—question: If hiking the Appalachian Trail is so hard, why would I want to do it? The Conservancy’s answer is a little underwhelming: Thru-hiking the entire AT is “rewarding,” “exhilarating,” and “memorable.” One would certainly hope […]
Tag Archives: Trail
01
Jun
Jun
On most trips and in most locations, to navigate I rely primarily on my paper topographic maps, ABC (altimeter, barometer, compass) or GPS watch, and magnetic compass. As both a backup and supplement to these tools, my smartphone has a GPS app like CalTopo (good) or Gaia GPS (better), which I use to access downloaded map […]
08
May
May
David Magee is not so sure how much he should say about running a hostel along the Appalachian Trail this year, the year when the coronavirus pandemic has dashed all but a few thru-hiking dreams. For three years, Magee—a 52-year-old entrepreneur who owned a traveling nurse company before settling in the Appalachian Mountains with his […]