AMC Outdoors, May 1997

By Karen Berger

The changes begin even before the hike. First, there is the statement of intent. "I'm going to hike the Appalachian Trail," you say, trying it out. Your neighbors say, "What's that?" Your family says, "Why?" Your friends shake their heads and plan a farewell party. People ask if you're going to take a gun, and you wonder if you should. They ask what you're going to do if you see a bear, a rattlesnake, a lunatic, a skunk. You have no idea. They ask what you'll do if it rains. "Get wet," you answer, trying to joke about the fact that you have no idea what it means to be wet for a week.

You pack up your life, put it away in boxes, and you marvel at how much stuff you need to do something with. You pack your hiking gear, hoist it up, and realize it's too heavy to lift, let alone carry. When your co-workers make plans for the next few months, your thoughts drift to ridgelines. You stop your subscriptions, you find someone to take care of the car. You pack 20 boxes of food and supplies to be shipped to you along the route. You will soon, you realize, be stepping off the edge of your known world. And you wonder...

—Karen Berger, an AMC member and naturalist, is coauthor with her husband, Dan Smith, of Where the Waters Divide: A Walk Along America's Continental Divide.

Next:
Can I do it?