Start Your Thru-hiking Journey With These 3 Simple Steps

The idea of tackling a long-distance thru-hike is a daunting prospect—putting your life on hold to go hike; possibly quitting your job, letting go of your apartment, etc. If you’re looking at taking on one of the Triple Crown Trails it’s even more complex. While thru-hiking is a huge endeavor, it is also massively rewarding. If you create a plan that breaks it down into smaller chunks, you will find yourself well on the way to hitting the trail. Below are three simple steps to get you started.

Read All About It.

Knowledge is power and there is no shortage of information on thru-hiking out there. Pick up some memoirs about the trail you have in mind, buy the guidebooks, check out the trail associations website. Along the way you’ll pick up tips and lessons that will help you in your own hike. Most trail association websites have step-by-step guides to help you plan your trek.

A few resources 🔗 :

• The Appalachian Trail Conservancy
• The Pacific Crest Trail Association
• The Trek
• Adventure Ready: A Hiker’s Guide to Planning, Preparation and Resiliency

Make a Budget.

If you aren’t already operating in your daily life with a budget, start. Not only will it help you with your daily living, but it will help you see where you can start saving for a hike. The cost of a thru-hike varies wildly, depending on a variety of factors. However, the sooner you start saving, the sooner you’ll reach your thru-hike savings goal, whatever it ends up being.

The additional benefit of having a savings account for your hike is the mental benefit of taking concrete action toward your goal with every deposit.

Need more guidance? Check out my Thru-Hike Budgeting program.

Choose a Shorter Trail.

While you may have your heart set on thru-hiking the Appalachian or Pacific Crest trails, it might be impractical to start there. If you haven’t done a thru-hike or simply can’t afford to take time off of work to do so, you can start your thru-hiking journey with a shorter trail.

There are dozens of trails that can be thru-hiked in under a month across the US. If your plan is to work your way up to a longer trail, choosing one that is similar, but shorter, can help you hone your skills and test your gear in similar conditions. For example:

If you’re preparing for the PCT thru-hike one of these shorter trails instead:

• John Muir Trail
• Wonderland Trail

If you’re preparing for the AT thru-hike one of these shorter trails instead:

• The Long Trail
• The Benton MacKaye Trail

If you’re preparing for the CDT thru-hike one of these shorter trails instead:

• The Arizona Trail
• The Colorado Trail

Remember, thousands of people find ways to make a thru-hike part of their life each year. While it is a complex undertaking and may take long-term planning it is well worth it. When you are on the trail, you break down each day by waypoints such as water sources and other interim locations. You don’t spend your time thinking about walking the entire distance of the trail. In the same way, breaking up your planning into smaller steps will make it easier to focus on what needs to be done, without getting overwhelmed by the whole. By starting small, you will find that starting your thru-hike is more achievable than you thought possible!