Pre-Hike

I first read about the Appalachian Trail (AT as known by hikers) when I lived in Florida and wondered then if I could ever hike it. The thought faded, as the children were younger and my primary priority at that time. When my first granddaughter was born in 2002, the idea of hiking came back into mind and I realized it was time to challenge the mental and physical discipline.

Why would anyone want to hike 2,175mi/3,500km? Reasons usually reflect on the external words of someone else. Perhaps it was the need to touch ground with Mother Nature after surviving over half a century in the concrete jungle. Personal challenge, reflection, recharge, solitude, etc may have been some of the reasons.

Before giving up the job and kissing everyone goodbye, I questioned myself as to how to explain that all I will do for 127 days is get up to walk, eat and sleep? Had no explanation except that I just wanted to do it, as the day would come when the mind is willingly but not the body.

Contact Amy LAM
amylamsg@hotmail.com
or leave a comment on this blog for any questions or presentations.

Sat11Sep2021: thank you Nancy Bowman for this little album with pix&captions by her – should have included these pix here, but somehow they seemed to have slip my mind and now finally after 16yrs am glad that I found them. Better late than never!

This tent was one of the few things that stayed with me thru’ out this hike

Appreciations to Dee Hall for getting my hair cropped and did not need another one until I completed the thru’hike, ie 4months later.

About the Appalachian Trail, USA

 

AT Map

Appalachian Trail’s Essentials

  • Completed in 1937
  • One of the oldest and longest marked foot trail in the USA
  • Approximately 2,175mi / 3,500km
  • Touches 14 US states
  • Crosses 6 national parks
  • Traverse 8 national forests
  • Maintained by 30 trail clubs and multiple partnerships
  • Lowest elevation 124’ / 37.2 meters
  • Highest elevation 6,624’ / 2,000 meters
  • Total of 165,000 white blazes – GA-ME-GA
  • App 5 million steps, 83 marathons – 1 marathon 26.2mi / 41.9km,
  • More than 350 peaks over 5,000’ / 1,500 meters
  • More than 260 shelters/lean to
  • Takes app 400,000 calories and 117 gallons of water
  • Over 9,000 people have hiked the entire trail –
    Pre 1930s to present

The Appalachian Trail (AT) is a 2,175mi/3,500km footpath that runs along the Appalachian Mountains from Maine-Georgia. The trail’s northern terminus is in Central Maine in Baxter State Park at Mount Katahdin. The southern terminus is in Northern Georgia in the Chattahoochee National Forest at Springer Mountains.

It is now federally protected under the administrative jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Interior, but is primarily maintained and managed by the Appalachian Trail Conference, changed to Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) in 2004.

Today the ATC is a volunteer-based, private nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the AT. http://www.appalachiantrail.org

Amy Lam has written a book about her experience on the Appalachian Trail

1st SIN AT Thru-Hiker
First Singaporean Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker
108 pages collection of data, pictures, quotes and thoughts

amylamsg@hotmail.com

Edited – Wed2Jun2021: enjoyed this video following along with my book bringing back much fond memories, reflecting with emotional thoughts of the AT&AT hiking-buddies. Appreciations to Jason’s A Journey of the Soul. Needed this in the midst of the COVID-19-pandemic here in SIN and have not been out travelling since 1Nov2019!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHdnXDxORoo