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 The Appalachian Trail
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*Adventure Begins*
Welcome to the latest adventure.  The Appalachian Trail, Maine to Georgia, all 2,160 miles of it!  Starting from Katahdin (Maine) and ending on Springer Mountain (Georgia).
A Little History
In 1948, Earl Shaffer was the first person to walk the A.T. in one season. (Thru-Hike)  In 1998, he celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of this achievement by hiking the Trail again, this time at the age of 79.  The trail that Shaffer experienced in 1998 was much different from the Trail he walked after World War II, for the war years were not good ones for the A.T.  The national focus on the war effort meant that the Trail suffered from problems of management and maintenance.  As Shaffer made his way north, the press caught wind of his "Long Cruise."  By the time Shaffer summated Katahdin four months later, his journey had become well-documented.  The national attention brought to the A.T. by Shaffer's hike breathed new life into the Trail project. 

~Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion 1999

Interesting Facts
Over the years more and more hikers attempt to thru-hike the A.T.  The latest estimate is 3,000 hikers attempt it and only about 10% (300) succeed.  Most of the thru-hikers leave Georgia in March to April and travel north to Baxter State Park in Maine. (Northbounder)  There are stories of shelters along the trail being full with Northbounders and the small towns along the trail being inundated with thru-hikers.
A few hikers try what is called a Southbound, leaving Maine in June to July and walking south to Georgia.  Southbounding has a reputation of being more difficult.  This reputation is well deserved, 1st for its rugged terrain of boulders and difficult paths and 2nd for its long distances between resupply points.   The long distances require the hiker to carry more weight.  The Northbounders use their journey north to help them get in shape for the northern stretch.  The Southbounder must already be in shape to successfully complete this stretch of trail.