Appalachian Trail - The Planning Stage

What makes people want to hike the Appalachian Trail? Im not sure this question can ever fully be answered. Most people have personal reasons others can't fully understand. For me it all started with the book Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. A friend gave it to me last year for my birthday. Here's the synopsis given on Cheryl's website:
"At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her."
After reading I was hooked. The book is about the PCT (a trail I'd honestly prefer to hike on); but, living in GA, the Appalachian trail was a more realistic and doable undertaking. I began talking about doing a section hike with the same friend who gave me the book and believe it or not she agreed to do it with me. Within a day or two plane tickets were bought and the section planned out. Below is some information and a few links that helped us turn this idea into a reality.
For Basic information check out The Appalachian Trail website. My friend particularly found this link helpful. Here are a few other helpful links:
Since we were only planning on doing a section of the trail we needed to figure out some sort of shuttle back to the starting point where we'd be parking the car. On the GA-AT Club website, there is info on several unofficial shuttle services that do this type of thing for Thru and Section Hikers. Sometimes the service is provided for free, but usually a nominal cost is involved. I've read that many people opt to hitch-hike rather than pay for a shuttle service. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable using this method, but to each their own.
In regards to training; I looked up several options and it appeared to be similar to training for a half marathon. Walking/jogging significant distances with elevation changes (using either stairs or hills) along with upper and lower body strength training workouts. Stair-masters and Jacob's Ladders (machines found in gyms) were recommended, as well as hiking in the boots or shoes that will be used on the trip. Basically, you just need to be in shape... Here are a few specific links and sites I found helpful when laying out my workout regimen:
I didn't follow any of these plans exactly but used bits and pieces of each to create my own master plan.  Side-note: I've always loved the Jillian Michael's workout videos (and you can find most of them on YouTube for free!) but that's just a personal preference.
Itinerary:
We found a daily itinerary online for the section we planned to do, but I can't for the life of me remember the website! Anyways, here's a Hiking Itinerary with a breakdown of the daily mileage. Part A is what we found online and Part B is what we intended to do.
Miscellaneous Items:
  • I read AWOL On the Appalachian Trail (free kindle download) and watched The Barkley Marathons on Netflix to get me pumped for the trip
  • We purchased this Appalachian Trail Map and it had everything we needed.
  • I also started looking up and reading everything I could about gear and food lists for the trek, check out the posts I wrote specifically on those two topics for more info.
Hope this is helpful to ya!

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