In the September issue of TRAVELER, a group of hikers reunite to
embark on a fierce climb and reflect upon their 1979 thru-hiking
days along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). Here, we give you the
best links the Web offers on hiking the famed trail. Plus,
see our online guide in which we profile 22 A.T. day hikes.
BASICS
Planning Your Hike
www.atconf.org/hike/plan/index.html
Guidance from the Appalachian Trail Conference (A.T.C.) on
hike-planning with directions on everything from proper clothing
and equipment to health and safety procedures; plus, a link for
preparing to thru-hike
Packing Your Backpack
www.atctrailstore.org
A direct link to the A.T.C.’s store, where you can order guides,
workbooks, maps, and video for information on appropriate hiking
gear
Getting There
www.landings.com/_landings/pages/airports.html
A searchable index with links for U.S. airports in every state
Acquiring Weather Forecasts
weather.noaa.gov
Includes links for information on current forecasts and storm
warnings for every state in the U.S.
ESSENTIALS
Regional Trail Clubs
members.aol.com/franklogue/Atclubs.html
Contains information and links for 32 A.T. clubs that handle
inquiries on region-specific hikes
TRAIL BOOKS
www.atctrailstore.org
Includes ordering information for official guidebooks and The Best
of the Appalachian Trail Day-Hikes and The Best of the
Appalachian Trail Overnight-Hikes by Victoria and Frank Logue;
plus, videos and workbooks for thru-hikers
members.xoom.com/norulak/Appalachian.htm
Links to order four books—A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson,
The Best of the Appalachian Trail Day-Hikes by Victoria and
Frank Logue, The Appalachian Trail: A Journey of Discovery by
Jan D. Curran, and The Appalachian Trail: How to Prepare For &
Hike It by Jan D. Curran
shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?
WRD=Appalachian+Trail
A direct link to overviews and ordering information for 99
Appalachian Trail-related books sold by Barnes & Noble
TRAIL MAPS
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngstore/ngsstore.htm
Ordering information for National Geographic Trails Illustrated
maps—such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park—that
illustrate parts of the A.T.
www.omnimap.com/catalog/cats/regions.htm#p2
Includes ordering information for 15 different detailed maps on
sections of the A.T.
www.fred.net/kathy/at/maps.html
Links to various online maps of the A.T., including detailed trail
maps for day and overnight hikes
THRU-HIKERS RESOURCES
www.trailplace.com
Provides an overview of the A.T., a definition of thru-hiking, daily
reports from thru-hikers on the A.T., and a hike-planning forum
www.inmind.com/nbatc/thru_hiking.htm
Includes advice on such topics as food, planning, conditioning, and
supplies from a couple who were thru-hikers in 1987
www.aldha.org/headline.htm
News headlines about the trail with links to articles on topics that
particularly concern thru-hikers
suite101.com/welcome.cfm/walking
Links to articles with advice on such topics as readjusting to daily
life after a long hike, overcoming hardships during the hike, and
methods for creating lighter backpack loads
www.trailside.com/nav_explore.htm
Click on “Season Three” to order Thru-Hiking the Appalachian
Trail, a documentary that follows three hikers as they make the
journey from Georgia to Maine
HIKER’S TALES
Journals
www.trailjournals.com
Journal entries from hikers; plus, an extensive photo gallery of
A.T. sites and a directory of A.T. hikers
www.heedeshike.com
Periodically updated notations and photographs from a hiker who
is currently striving to cover the entire trail
homepages.go.com/homepages/e/r/i/erikeichinger
Chatty journal entries in which this writer expresses opinions on
trails and describes characters he meets along the way; plus related
links
www.earthsystems.org/AT
Informative writings from two current hikers, with details on
shelters and trails; plus, photo galleries
w3.nai.net/~exile/Hail-nf.html
An online journal collection that is divided into 26 chapters, plus a
prologue
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Appalachian Trail Conference (A.T.C.)
www.atconf.org
Information gathered by the A.T.C., including trail organization
links, basic facts on hiking the A.T., wildlife overviews, safety
guidelines, itineraries, cooking suggestions, recommended
equipment, and more
Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hikers Association
www.aldha.org
A cyber meeting place for A.T. hikers that includes information on
gatherings, projects, and work trips; plus, related links
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