Joeyajames - Appalachian Trail Journal - 2022

AT Planning

I'm planning a north-bound AT thru-hike starting the third week of March 2022. Luckily I have a 2500' peak (Mission Peak) near my house that I'm training on, and the Bay Area climate allows me to train year-round. So I hope to hit the trail Trained and Ready to go. I think I can complete the AT in 90 days, however, this is by far the longest hike I've ever attempted and I know a lot of things can go wrong. I'll be trying for 20-25 miles/day, but I'm not going to stress out over my pace.
I've done several 3-day backpacking trips over the past few years, and a whole lot of day trail running. I have all the gear I need, but some of it is not optimal for a thru-hike. So I'm currently researching ultralight gear and replacing some of my equipment with lighter and better new stuff. As soon as I order my new pack (currently leaning towards the Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50), my base weight should be down to about 12-13 pounds. That's lightweight but not ultralight. I can't see spending another $ 800 to shave off two more pounds.

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