A guidebook by Lelia Vann and Greg Reck, who 'slack packed' the Appalachian Trail, "where you take only a daypack, enter and exit the trail every day, and you are ferried to a B&B, hotel, or hostel each evening."

You may have read that only 25% successfully finish a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. There is no foolproof way to make sure you will succeed where others fail but this book can help improve the odds. This book organizes and presents all of the useful things learned as part of his research for his successful thru-hike. You’ll also find tips from his and fellow hikers’ personal experiences. Thru-Hiking The Appalachian Trail is a great place to start your preparation for an epic long-distance hike.

From beginners to thru-hikers, Discovering the Appalachian Trail has something for anyone that wants a connection with the nation’s longest marked footpath at approximately 2,181 miles. Starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia and finishing far to the north in Maine’s Mount Katahdin, the A.T. crosses 14 states, 6 national parks, and 8 national forests. Taking on the A.T. is a pilgrimage because of both its beauty and accessibility. Let Joshua Niven and Amber Adams guide you across the best trails that the Appalachian Trail has to offer. Complete with full-color photography, you’ll also have hikes suited to every ability, mile-by-mile directional cues, sidebars, and maps.

Backpacker brings the outdoors straight to the reader's doorstep, inspiring and enabling them to go more places and enjoy nature more often. The authority on active adventure, Backpacker is the world's first GPS-enabled magazine, and the only magazine whose editors personally test the hiking trails, camping gear, and survival tips they publish. Backpacker's Editors' Choice Awards, an industry honor recognizing design, feature and product innovation, has become the gold standard against which all other outdoor-industry awards are measured.

So, you want to hike the entire 2200 miles of the Appalachian Trail, which stretches across 14 states from Georgia to Maine? Bestselling authors Greg Seymour and Jen Beck Seymour, who completed the trail on their first attempt, share their insights and personal stories in this easy-to-use guide. Their 100 tips, tricks, traps, and facts tell you everything you need to know to plan a successful thru-hike. You will find the answers to questions such as: Why do most people quit and how can I avoid their mistakes? How do I do the doo in the middle of the woods? What animals should I worry about? What do zero, slack-packing and pink blazing mean? How do I plan and budget for a 5-7 month hiking trip? What permits will I need? How do I hike 2200 miles without destroying my feet? What gear do I need? Where should I NOT have sex when thru-hiking? This book also includes a full list of thru-hiker slang words, as well as four different hikers' gear lists for you to peruse. THRU-HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL is the perfect primer for anyone who wants to take this epic journey... and succeed.

CLICK HERE to download the chapter on "Backpacking" from Hiking the Wonderland Trail "There's no other trip, trail or peak that any backpacker should rank higher on his life list than the Wonderland Trail." - Backpacker magazine * Comprehensive and affectionate guide to one of the nation’s iconic wilderness trails * Everything you need to help plan this 93-mile trek, whether done in one trip or several * Lavish, full-color design, yet informative and practical, with 125 photographs and 18 maps * Find even more details, updates and added trip extensions at hikingthewonderlandtrail.com Washington State's famed Wonderland Trail is a spectacular 93-mile route that circumnavigates Mount Rainier, challenging hikers with its strenuous 22,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain and loss. Hiking the Wonderland Trail: The Complete Guide to Mount Rainier's Premier Trail is an authoritative guidebook penned by Washington native Tami Asars, a professional instructor on hiking the trail, a third-generation hiker of the Cascade mountains, and seven-time hiker of the entire Wonderland Trail. In this guide Asars draws on her experience, covering these essentials: * How to work with the Wonderland Trail permit reservation system, and when to apply * Recommended gear--with a checklist--and ways to reduce pack weight, prevent blisters, and stay warm and dry * How to pack the perfect backpack * Food and fuel caching on the Wonderland, tips and instruction * Detailed camp-to-camp route descriptions and suggested itineraries * How to extend your adventures with the Northern Loop Trail and the Eastside Trail Over the years, Asars has taken extensive notes that she shares at workshops and in the field. Hiking the Wonderland Trail distills her boot-tested knowledge so that everyone can enjoy the magic of Mount Rainier's premier trail.

When Mike Stephens departed Georgia's Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, his goal was to complete a 2,186 mile thru-hike to the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine. After less than a week on the trail, however, he realized that to be successful he would need to adopt a less-traditional approach to the hike. Rather than spending nights on the trail, Stephens ended most days at a road where he could access nearby trail towns by foot, a hitchhike, or a shuttle. He would then return to the same spot to continue his hike the following day. By maintaining a "light pack, big miles, and beds" philosophy over the 164 day hike, Mike only spent 19 of those nights in the woods. Other hikers that Mike encountered on his journey began referring to his strategy as The Don's Brother Method. In this humorous account of Stephens' adventure, you'll learn not only about the famous trail but also about a variety of types of lodging and restaurants near the A.T. You will also be introduced to many of the kindhearted people in the surrounding towns. In this memoir, Stephens demonstrates his unconventional approach to a long-term hiking mission. For those who love experiencing the great outdoors but prefer sleeping indoors and eating hearty meals, the Don's Brother Method is for you.