Hiking by the Numbers – Details from our AT Section Hike

During our section hike on the AT last year, I (Minutes) kept a spreadsheet of pretty much everything that we did.  I wrote down what I ate, the animals we saw, our weather, where we slept, how often I showered, where we re-supplied and so much more.  I had a kindle with me and I spent a little time at the end of each day writing it all down.  Once I got in the habit of doing it, it was really easy and something that I’m glad I have today.

I finally got around to looking through it all and summarizing the numbers so I thought I’d share it with you guys.  If you want to read all of the posts, simply click here.  If you want to pick and choose which ones you read, here is a summary of the posts and direct links to each one:

• Calorie Consumption.  A comparison of my calorie intake/output before the trail and at various stages throughout the hike (month 1 was different than month 4), including town stops.  I also broke down what I was eating.

• Animals, Food & Gear.  The number of each animal I saw (so many deer!), how many times we had to replace batteries, shoes and other gear plus the number of pizzas I ate (a lot).

• Mileage, Weather & Time.  This one has some helpful data for those who are obsessing over wondering about mileage and pace on the trail.  I broke down our average mileage in each state, the types of weather we encountered and how long it took us to finish each state.

• Shelter, Re-Supply & Showers.  An overview of how many nights were in a tent vs. a hotel/hostel or shelter, how many times we re-supplied vs. received a mail drop and how many times I showered and did laundry.

These are all summaries of what I tracked so if you have specific questions (i.e. was it still cold at night in May?  where did you send the 4 mail drops? etc), feel free to email me at Jill {at} ATrailLife {dot} com.  Happy Hiking!