2000-Miler

I just put my 2000-miler application in the mail to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). Yippee!

"2000-Miler" is the designation for people who have walked all (not just 2000) of the miles of the Appalachian Trail. "2000" was chosen as a nice round number, as the length of the trail changes from year to year due to minor relocations that are done for various reasons. (In 2007, the official length was 2174 miles.)

The ATC doesn't care if you walk all of the miles in one year (a "thru-hike") or in sections over multiple years (a "section-hike"). They also don't care how much weight you carry or how fast you walk (or run). Or, if you go northbound (NOBO) or southbound (SOBO) or a combination thereof. But if you miss any of the trail's white blazes, it needs to be on an official detour route for bad weather, forest fire, construction, etc.

My hike in 2007-2008 started out as a thru-hike, but it ended up that I didn't finish within 12 months, so it's officially a section hike. Rather than starting at one end and hiking to the other, I chose a unique itinerary, mostly because prior commitments required me to be off trail for most of June and July in 2007.

The itinerary of my 2007-2008 hike was:

Mar 24 - Mar 27, 2007:
SOBO - Pearisburg, VA to VA 606 (~24 mi)

Apr 09 - Jun 03, 2007:
SOBO - Damascus, VA to Springer Mtn, GA (~470 mi)
[minus 3.8 mi on the north side of Clingmans Dome]

Jul 24 - Sep 20, 2007:
NOBO - Killington, VT to Mt. Katahdin, ME (~500 mi)

Sep 25 - Dec 01, 2007:
SOBO - Killington, VT to Port Clinton, PA (~450 mi)
[plus 17 mi NOBO from Duncannon, PA to PA 325]

Apr 06 - Jun 06, 2008:
NOBO - Damascus, VA to Port Clinton, PA (~720 mi)
[minus VA 606 to Pearisburg, and Duncannon to PA325]

Jul 04, 2008:
SOBO - Fork Ridge Trail to Clingmans Dome summit (3.8 mi)

What a fabulous itinerary! In spring last year, I hiked south in the section where the folks who'd started in Georgia were hiking north. I loved meeting them as we passed!

Then in the summer, I dropped into the middle of the pack and got to hike north with them. I remembered many of them, mostly from their trail names. Many were hiking faster than me, so I'd see them for a day or two once or twice, but some were hiking the same pace as me, so I got to have some trail family, which is really great. I summited Katahdin on Sept 20th with Partner, Stand By Me, and Route 66, whom I had met on my first or second night out in July. Awesome!

I "flipped" right back to Killington and headed south, expecting to see and hike with some of the folks who'd started in Maine. But I ended up having to be off trail for 2.5 weeks in October, so I got behind the pack and had quite a lot of solitude as the "last southbounder of 2007." By late November, there were winter storms passing through every five days or so, and the nights were consistently below freezing. On Dec 1st, I woke up to 26 degrees inside the shelter; that was fine, but not when complemented by a strong northwesterly wind. I could not keep myself warm in that windchill, not even while hiking. So, I got off trail, originally just to sit out the wind and impending storm, but then decided that hiking alone in winter conditions wasn't something I wanted to do.

After four busy months of "street life," I returned to trail in April. Having had my solitude opportunity, I decided to join the "class of '08" northbounders. It was very fun hiking with them, getting to know folks and building community. I feel very blessed to have been part of the thru-hiking community in both years.

Missing the 3.8-mile section on Clingmans Dome was a dumb glitch at the time. In the end, though, it was very cool to finish this journey at the A.T.'s highest point, and on Independence Day! :-)

So, I'm now a 2000-miler, or, I will be when they send me my patch and certificate. And that is very cool.

Happy trails,
Em