Getting Started
Step1
Commitment: For whatever reason, you've decided to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Before you actually hit the trail, be forewarned: Less than 10 percent of all people who attempt a thru-hike successfully complete it.
The reasons for dropping out include: inadequate physical preparation, lack of mental focus/endurance/willpower, homesickness, and injury.
Once on the trail, many hikers find that they are simply not in good enough physical, mental or emotional shape to spend more than half a year walking at least 10 hours a day, regardless of weather, insects or lack of food.
This being said, completing a thru-hike is one of the most rewarding experiences a hiker can have. To complete the Appalachian Trail in a single outing, you need three things: commitment, commitment and more commitment!
Step2
Time: Walking more than 2,160 miles through 14 states from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Khatadin, Maine takes time--lots of it!
Even the most physically and mentally prepared hikers spend a minimum of 4 months hiking the Trail.
On average, a thru-hike takes slightly more than 5 months to complete. It can take up to 6 months depending on physical conditioning, how often you take days off "in town" and how many miles you are able and willing to hike each day.
Step3
Planning: Now that you realize just how long a thru-hike takes, and are wholly determined to complete the trail in its entirety, you need to start planning.
Depending on how fast you can sort out the logistics, planning a thru-hike can take anywhere from 1 week to several months.
The Appalachian Trail Conference publishes several excellent handbooks catering specifically to thru-hikers. These are invaluable to coordinating the logistical elements of your hike.
Gear
Step1
Backpack: Since you will be on your feet for the entire trip, a quality backpack is necessary to carry your gear.
The backpack need not be ultra-high tech, or expensive, but first and foremost needs to be both comfortable and functional.
Most outdoor equipment suppliers should be able to provide you will guidance as to the kind of backpack, storage capacity and material that is most appropriate for thru-hiking.
Step2
Shelter: Most thru-hikers opt to use a quality three-season tent for their entire time on the Trail.
Four season mountaineering tents are very much unnecessary as almost all thru-hikes begin in the middle of spring and conclude in the middle of fall when the weather is not severe enough to warrant a "bomb-proof" tent.
Step3
Cooking Equipment: A lightweight backpacking stove is the all around best option for a thru-hiker.
Open fires are almost exclusively prohibited along the entire length of the Trail, so don't rely on a campfire for heat and cooking.
The outdoor equipment supply company Mountain Safety Research makes a very dependable, efficient and moderately inexpensive backpacking stove called the "WhisperLite."
Step4
Clothing: Thru-hikers need to be ready for weather ranging from extreme cold and snow to extreme heat and drought.
Since clothing choices are very much a personal matter, it is up to you as to which specific brand names and individual items you choose to bring.
Above all, thru-hiker clothing should be: lightweight, warm and, mostly importantly, waterproof!
Step5
Personal Items: Deciding this category is very much up to you.
Some items most thru-hikers include are: insect repellent, sunscreen, sunglasses, prescription medication, binoculars, digital camera and perhaps personal reading material.
Step6
Water Purification System: All water sources along the Trail should be considered polluted and unfit for drinking and cooking unless previously purified.
Iodine tablets, ultraviolet radiation and mechanical filters are all acceptable means of water purification so long as they come from a reputable manufacturer and have been certified safe to use.
Novice 
