Below is some data and a few opinions from my 2023 Appalachian Trail Thru-hike. While most of the data was expected, a few numbers did surprise me.
In addition, I’ve listed some of my “Favorite” places along the trail.
As always, please chime in with your favorites in the comment section!
I started the Appalachian Trail on February 26, 2023, and finished it on September 7, 2023.
| Appalachian Trail Thru-hike Facts and Data | |
|---|---|
| 194 | This was the number of days the total hike lasted - longer than expected. |
| 136 | The number of days I hiked. This is without on and off-trail zero days. |
| 86 | The number of times I stayed in my tent. |
| 66 | Number of nights I camped near other hikers I knew and did not know. |
| 50 | These were off-trail zero days. This included a one-week family vacation, tick bite illness, and leaving the trail in Gorham, NH, for several weeks to wait out severe flooding. I did not want to skip sections of Maine. |
| 45 | The number of days I stayed in towns and hostels. |
| 42 | This was the number of times I camped with hikers I had met multiple times. In most cases they had become friends on the trail. |
| 34 | The number of days it rained. |
| 32 | Number of nights I camped alone. |
| 27 | Number of towns where I resupplied |
| 25.8 | Highest mileage day in Virginia. It was a rainy, stormy day so I kept moving! |
| 22 | I met a lot of hikers, but I hiked with around 22 different hikers more than once. I never did really have a tramily. I mostly floated between groups or other hikers, which I preferred. |
| 17 | The number of days that were exceptionally cold and required additional winter gear. |
| 15.9 | The number of miles I averaged each day after removing my zero days. |
| 14 | The number of days I stayed in hostels. I usually got a private room, but I did stay in bunks three times. |
| 14 | This was the most number of days I hiked with another hiker. Pigpen was an 18 year old hiker from Missouri. |
10| The total number of on-trail zero days in towns. Roughly half were taken in the first and last four towns. |
|
| 9 | The number of days I stayed in a shelter on trail. I did if it was raining, friends were staying there, and it was clean. |
| 3 | The number of days it snowed. |
| 2 | Lake of the Clouds provided me a free reservation when a couple offered it to me because they were leaving. I paid for my reservation at Zealand Falls Hut. |
| 5 | This is the number of HOKA Speedgoat pairs I wore on the trail. |
| 1 | The number one breakfast on the trail was the breakfast at Mountain Harbor Hostel/B&B. No other breakfast even came close! |
| 1 | This was a tough decision, but my favorite motel stay was The Stratton Motel in Stratton, ME. The Jens have renovated the motel and done a wonderful job! It is also right in the center of town which is a huge plus! Shouts out also to the close runner ups - The Hike Inn in Fontana and The Holiday House in Bethel, ME. |
| 1 | My favorite trail town was Bethel, ME. This was not only a hard choice for me, but a suprise. It has some amazing restaurants and everything is in walking distance. Close runners up were Front Royal, VA and Damascus, VA. |
| 1 | My favorite restaurant was quirky Le Mu for lunch in Bethel, ME. This was a gem! There was little I did not like and in two days I ate there three times! The Coplin Dinner House in Stratton, ME was also a hidden gem refered to me by the Jens, and Thunderbird Lodge, directly on the trail, was a pleasant suprise and SO hiker friendly! |
| 1 | My favorite camp spot was on the ridge overlooking Frankly, NC about 2-3 miles from Winding Stair Gap. The sunrise and sunset were amazing! |
| 1 | I know this should not be my favorite trail name but "Holy Shit" was my favorite name. The name fit this older, male hiker perfectly! 🙂 |
| 1 | There are a lot of hostels on the trail now, and I stayed at 14 of them. The one I enjoyed the most was The Stumble Inn in Front Royal, VA. The owners were fun, and the hostel was clean nice, and offered everything I needed. A close second was Chica and Sunsets in Franklin, NC. |
Summary
If you want to check out more of my “favorites,” I also have a post on the gear I used and reviews of different sections along the trail. The Sections are still a work in progress as I add more.
