A Day in the Life of an Appalachian Trail Hiker (part 3)
Part Three of Six
I could sometimes get on the trail in less than an hour but would adjust time due to the needs of the trail family or on Saturdays when I needed to reach the Post Office before noon.
Depending on our moods, we would chat but most often just schlep along. When tired or on a brutal climb, finding a downed tree or rock to sit on was a joy. Shade was nice on the hot days. If a view was encountered, we would pause and take a photo and enjoy the scenery.
In many cases the views were numerous, so depending on the mood we might stop or simply move on. Combining the view with a rest break was always a plus.
Views were often spectacular, especially on those blue sky, clear and low humidity days. There is nothing better than a view that has a blue sky, a few clouds and miles and miles of green wooded mountain. Next were the scenes of rivers, meandering through the mountains.
These were multisensory opportunities feeding our sight, sound, smells and as we removed our packs some tactile relief was possible and then eating a handful or two of GORP to satisfy our taste and garner some energy food. Removing the pack let our backs cool off and dry a bit.
Yet in many cases these views were seen from a power line cut, and you needed to “optically” remove the high voltage power lines from out memory to enjoy what was in the distance. Other examples of civilization were tolerated based on the naturalness of the feature. Farmland was ok, but smokestacks from factories was not. Most of the time, our sounds continued to be natural, but in some cases the traffic noises, especially tractor trailers on highways and children’s motorcycles would be less serene.
Notice, these views were on clear days, yet clouds, or rain would present a different experience. If I was dry and not hot and not cold, a foggy scene was nice. But if cold and wet, or tired or whatever, even the most beautiful views could not be appreciated. Recall my use of “R” to describe the miles and miles of rhododendron, which could become old despite the beauty. And the tourist crowds in fog on Clingman’s Dome (now Kuwohi in Cherokee) dampened the view.
Sometimes we would hike in a line and talk, other times we might spread out along the trail depending on different rates of speed and the difficulty of the trail.
Going uphill was tough and depending on our strength and energy, at best, it was a slow a steady assault. If tired, you would simply stop, lean forward to take the weight of the pack off your shoulders and catch your breath. A longer climb might mean a stop to remove the pack, sit on a rock or downed tree that would serve as a chair. Water and a snack might be part of the break depending on how long it was since breakfast.
The thing about climbs is that in the pre-internet days, we kinda’ knew where we were, but not GPS positioning. Some AT maps were based on the USGS topo maps and were extremely accurate so you might be able to estimate where on the climb you might be. But other maps were simple line drawings at a scale of 1 inch to a mile, and little to no details. And the maps for New Jersey and New York were reproduced USGS maps too small to read.
So often times you might believe
you were reaching the top, only to discover it was a “false summit” and the
actual top was still further.
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Enjoy this? Try the whole book and all proceeds go to AT Museum!
Source: Bristow, R. (2025). The Real Appalachian Trail BC. Appalachian Trail Museum.
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