Along with (figurative) century posts, interstate highways crossed, and National Parks navigated, checking off states is one of the main ways AT thru hikers measure their progress. Some of the associated signs, like the one which greeted me on June 8 upon entrance into Virginia, the state with the greatest mileage, are merely nondescript and
The most obvious transformation after 4 weeks on the trail is that I have lost more than 10 extraneous pounds. The more profound transformations have come through highly-tuned senses. The feeling through the bottom of your boot that the muddy trail is about to give way, and you had better slow it down or risk
Northern GA and southern NC are a relatively solitary experience for the thru-hiker. This sign at mile 167 of the trail marks entrance into the busiest trail corridor, with over 7 million yearly visitors. After depositing their permits, thru-hikers also share the trail with the occasional horseback rider, and the several hundred black bears who