Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion

289 Pages·2013·26.52 MB·English

by  Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hikers Association

Appalachian Trail
Thru-Hikers’ Companion
2014

The Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
®
Appalachian Trail
Thru-Hikers’ Companion
2014
Robert Sylvester
Editor
Harpers Ferry
Cover photograph: © 2013 Dan Stone. At the edge of one of the Lakes of the Clouds below Mt. Washington,
New Hampshire.
Elevation profiles © 2013 Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Derived from the 2012 Appalachian Trail Data
Book.
Maps developed or revised by Robert Sylvester in 2013. Twenty-seven were produced initially in 2009 by David
Miller.
© 2013 Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association, Inc.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States
Twenty-first edition
Published by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
799 Washington Street (P.O. Box 807)
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia 25425-0807
<www.appalachiantrail.org>
Except for the individual personal uses suggested on page vii, no part of this work may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or
by any information storage-and-retrieval system, without the written permission of the Appalachian Long
Distance Hikers Association, 10 Benning Street, PMB 224, West Lebanon, NH 03784. World Wide Web site:
<www.aldha.org>.
ISBN 978-1-889386-86-7
The sunrise logo on the previous page and the back cover is a registered trademark of
the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The hiker logo on the cover and the previous page is a registered
trademark of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association.
Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................. vi
About the Companion .................................................................................................................... viii
Using the Companion......................................................................................................................... x
Issues on the Trail ............................................................................................................................ xii
2014 Calendar .................................................................................................................................xviii
On the Appalachian Trail
Getting to the Termini ....................................................................................................................... 1
Georgia ................................................................................................................................................. 7
North Carolina .................................................................................................................................. 18
Great Smoky Mountains National Park .........................................................................................28
North Carolina & the Tennessee Border ...................................................................................... 35
Tennessee ........................................................................................................................................... 48
Virginia: Part 1 (Southwest) ............................................................................................................ 54
Part 2 (Central) ........................................................................................................................ 68
Part 3 (Shenandoah National Park) ........................................................................................90
Part 4 (Northern) ....................................................................................................................104
West Virginia .................................................................................................................................. 110
Maryland .......................................................................................................................................... 116
Pennsylvania ................................................................................................................................... 123
New Jersey ....................................................................................................................................... 146
New York .......................................................................................................................................... 154
Connecticut .................................................................................................................................... 165
Massachusetts .................................................................................................................................. 174
Vermont ........................................................................................................................................... 187
New Hampshire ............................................................................................................................. 204
Maine ............................................................................................................................................... 225
Appendices
Post Offices along the Appalachian Trail .................................................................................. 254
Hostels, Camping & Showers ........................................................................................................260
Equipment Manufacturers & Distributors ................................................................................ 264
Dates to Remember (2014) .............................................................................................................267
ALDHA Membership Form ......................................................................................................... 268
Foreword
Welcome to the twenty-first edition of the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers’ Companion.
Thanks to the suggestions of many, we have increased the over-all size of the book this year,
added official elevation profiles, revised the previous town maps, and added 19 more.
The 2014 Companion is a carefully conceived, diligently compiled and designed book that
belongs in the possession of every Appalachian Trail hiker. Our hope is that the Companion,
used in conjunction with Trail maps, will lead the reader into making informed decisions
about towns and services for resupply options.
This book is the culmination of the volunteer efforts of nearly forty ALDHA field editors
and ATC staff members who worked to make this edition as accurate and up-to-date as
possible. To everyone who contributed in some way to the publication of this book, many
heartfelt thanks.
A guidebook, like the Trail, is not a static document. Each hiker may discover something
previously unknown. Your contributions are vital to this process. Your comments are most
welcome — and requested! We rely on hikers’ feedback to help us update future editions.
Please send your comments on this book to ALDHA at <[email protected]>, along
with any corrections to Trail, shelter, or town descriptions.
Robert “Sly” Sylvester
Editor
GUTHOOK’S GUIDES and ALDHA
have teamed up to bring you the
AT HIKER
app for
iPhone & Android
— based on the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers’ Companion —
A portion of all proceeds goes directly to ALDHA to support
the Appalachian Trail community.
For more information or to download the app, go to <www.sierraat-
titude.com/athikerapp.html> (or the App Store or Google Play) or access
the site with your QR reader and this code:
Additional Companion content (and a PDF of the entire book) is
on-line at <www.aldha.org/companion/online>.
Check it out for waypoints to Trailhead parking;
maps of post offices, hostels and other lodging, and
Trailhead parking; the A.T. mailing-label maker,
and much more, including periodic updates.
About the Companion
The Companion is compiled, written, and edited by volunteers of the Appalachian Long
Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA) and published by the Appalachian Trail Conser-
vancy (ATC) as a service to those seeking to explore the Trail. It is intended for those mak-
ing thru-hikes but is also valuable for those taking shorter section-hikes or overnight
backpacking trips. The Companion provides you with details on shelters, water sources,
post offices, hostels, campgrounds, lodging, groceries, restaurants, outfitters, and other
related services along the Trail. In addition, the Companion offers information of historical
significance about places you pass through while hiking the A.T. Unlike commercial guides,
this book benefits from the latest information from volunteers who measure, maintain, and
manage the Trail and those who hike it regularly.
Due to publication deadlines, we cannot guarantee that the information in this book will not
change by the time you arrive in an area, despite the efforts of volunteers to acquire the most
up-to-date information. Businesses close or change hours, hostels change rates and policies, and
the Trail itself is subject to relocation. This edition was produced in the fall of 2013.
As you walk, talk to other hikers, and read shelter registers. The Conservancy’s Web site peri-
odically posts updates at <www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/trail-updates/thru-hikers-compan-
ion>, which you can also reach by using a “smartphone” equipped with a QR reader and the
code on the back cover of this book.
Inclusion in this book is not an endorsement by ALDHA or ATC, but rather a listing of ser-
vices available and contacted by field editors. Likewise, the businesses listed do not pay for
“advertisements” but are listed because of their proximity to the Trail.
ALDHA members do field research for each section of the Trail and are instrumental in gather-
ing information. Without the hard work of the following ALDHA field editors, other volunteers,
and ATC staff members, this book would not have been possible: Georgia and North Carolina—
Scott Dowling (Pilgrim), Ann W. Thomas (Timberpixie); North Carolina and Tennessee—La-
mar Powell (Hopeful), Sunny Riggs (Sunrise), Tom Bradford (10-K), Miss Janet Hensley, Tim
Steward (Mountain Squid); Southwest Virginia—Ken & Nora Bennett (Big Cranky & Dragon-
fly), Charles Davidson (Chase); Central Virginia—Laurie Foot (Happy Feet), Pat Ohleger,
Leonard Adkins (Habitual Hiker); Northern Virginia—David and Sue Hennel (Gourmet Dave
and The Real Gourmet), Alyson Browett; West Virginia—ATC Information Services Manager
Laurie Potteiger (Mountain Laurel) and visitor services intern Matt Lamar; Maryland—Mike
Wingeart (Wingheart); Southern Pennsylvania—Mary Parry (Trailangelmary); Central Penn-
sylvania—ATC’s Kelly McGinley in the Boiling Springs regional office; Northern Pennsylva-
nia—Mary Ann Nissley (M.A. from Pa.); New Jersey—Deborah Melita (Baby Carrots); New
York—Robert Cunningham (EZ), Mark Hudson (Skeeter); Connecticut—Tom Evans (Flat-
lander); Massachusetts—Kevin Reardon (Slider), Terrie Kee, Jim Niedbalski (High Octane);
Vermont—Jeff Taussig, Kathy Krevetski (Ma Buddha), Cynthia Taylor-Miller (Mrs. Gorp); New
Hampshire—Jeff Phillips & Jen O’Connor Phillips (Chaco Taco & Wakapak), Art Cloutman
(Gabby); Maine—J.W. Gordon (Teej), Sandie Sabaka (Bluebearee), Emerson McMillan (War-
raghiyagey), Jennifer Friedrich (vonFrick), Rick Towle (AT Troll), Paul & Jaime Renaud (OleMan
& NaviGator). Mileage figures are based on information from the 2014 edition of the Appalachian
Trail Data Book.
About the Companion ix
Trail-MaiNTaiNiNG ClubS aNd reGiSTerS
Trail-maintaining clubs are listed throughout the book. You may use the addresses provided
to contact the clubs with any comments, suggestions, or feedback. Although often a thru-
hiker will leave an additional one, the official shelter registers are the property of the main-
taining club and should not be removed by hikers. The register is a useful tool for information
on Trail conditions and other things that are happening in its section of the A.T. It may also
help locate a hiker in case of an emergency. If you wish to donate a register (assuming that
one doesn’t already exist), you should include a note asking the maintaining club to forward
it to you when it’s filled.
GeTTiNG To THe Trail
Section-hikers looking for shuttle services should check the business and individual listings
for the area in which they plan to hike. Also, check with ATC at [phone], <info@ap-
palachiantrail.org>, or check the ATC’s A.T. shuttle and public-transportation list available
at <www.appalachiantrail.org/shuttles>. (See page 1 for an important note on shuttles.) This
same Web site will link to information on Trailhead parking.
Maine
Vt.
N.H.
Mich. New York Mass.
Conn.
Pennsylvania
Ohio
N.J.
Md.
—Delaware
West
Virginia
Kentucky
Virginia
Tenn.
North Carolina
South
Carolina
Georgia
N
200 0 200
oVerVieW of THe aPPalaCHiaN Trail