Author Description

More than 1,200 men & women each year set out to "thru-hike" the 2,155-mile Appalachian Trail, usually from Maine to Georgia but sometimes the other way. The backcountry will be their home for the next four to six months--if they don't drop out (80% do) from discouragement, poor planning, the wrong expectations, etc. Those who stay need groceries & a post office every few days, occasionally want a restaurant meal & a real bed, or might need a doctor or an automated teller machine. The APPALACHIAN TRAIL COMPANION, focusing on the adventure of this journey of a lifetime, provides all the basic information the thru-hiker needs about services available in towns along the trail through 14 eastern states. Designed for on-the-trail use, it's spiral-bound & 4"-by-9" in size, easy to slip in & out of a pocket or backpack. The nonprofit managers of the trail (Appalachian Trail Conference), who know of all the last-minute route changes, joined forces with volunteers from the only organized thru-hikers "alumni" group (Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association) to produce the COMPANION for the 1994 season. Users & managers plan to update it each fall.