[at-l] Thru Hike Questions

[J. Aziz]

Hey Everyone,I'm just gonna start this e-mail off by mentioning right away
that I'm new to the list and not really familiar with the proper protocol,
so please bear with me if I break 'code' or whatever the case may be.  I
basically just need some answers to some important questions, and, having
read through several of the e-mails of this list already, I think that this
is a good place to start searching for meaningful answers.

I'll start by giving a quick summary of my situation:
I'm a 22-year-old college student about to graduate in January with hopes to
thru-hike the AT, northbound, in the beginning of March.  I've done some
small day hikes in the past through the Adirondack region of New York and in
the regions around Big Sky, Montana, but never anything as adventurous and
large-scale as this.

To make a long story short, I want the trip to be a 'back to basics',
'return to nature' sort of deal, so I want to bring as little as possible
with me along the way.  I don't want to bring along any added weight, any
luxury items, or anything that might prove to be burdensome on the overall
experience itself.  For example, I'm considering not bringing a stove or a
sleeping pad.  However, I don't want to completely deprive myself either, so
I don't want to take it overboard.  I'm basically looking for a balance
where I have all the bear essentials along with me: not too much of
anything, and not too little as well.

Now, never having done anything like this before, this e-mail is being
written from just about square one; all that I've done to prepare for this
trip so far is read "A Walk in the Woods" and an AT Thru Hiker's Guidebook -
clearly nothing that would allow anyone to jump onto any trail, let alone a
2,700 mile one.  So, I'm writing to this list to ask if there's any advice
that anyone could give me as far as getting started goes.  Are there any
books or maps that you would recommend?  Equipment advice would be sweet
too: small backpacks, shoes, jackets, raingear, snowgear if I leave on Mar.
1st?, how many pairs of clothes to bring, what kinds of clothes to bring,
what kind of water storage and purification to use, any tools that I would
need, food storage, stuff sacks, sleeping bags, tents, and any other items
that can't be left behind.  I would be truly grateful for any guidance and
information that anyone could provide for me.  Thanks a lot.

-Joe
azizjn at eckerd.edu
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