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Evan Bittner Appalachian Trail SOBO 2021 Blog

My Latest Posts

  • Lessons Learned
    It has been a couple weeks since I completed my hike on Springer Mountain. The time away has provided me some time to think and reflect on the journey. I’ve…More
  • By the Numbers
    One of the most common questions I get asked is how far do you hike each day? With my hike complete, it’s a good time look back and break it…More
  • Summit Day
    The previous evening I pushed to Hawk Mountain Shelter, 8.1 miles to the summit of Springer Mountain. I woke up early and packed up to an amazing sunrise, one of…More
  • Walking Back To Georgia
    After exiting the Great Smoky Mountains, Georgia and Springer Mountain were quite near all of the sudden. The trail heads south through North Carolina for roughly 90 miles towards Georgia.…More
  • America’s Most Visited Park
    When I tell people I’m hiking the Appalachian Trail southbound I typically get one of two responses. One is a pause, in deep thought, considering whether it is going to…More
  • Hiker Thanksgiving
    Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday of mine. Eating copious amounts of food is, well, a pastime of sorts and getting to see my entire family on the same day is…More
  • Follow Me to Tennessee
    Shortly after leaving Damascus it was on to northeast Tennessee. My first night out came with the first dusting of snow I have experienced on trail. While chilly, it was…More
  • On the Road to Damascus
    The last big stretch in Virginia was from Pearisburg to Damascus. My good friend Beast who thru hiked in 2018 joined me for the 167 mile stretch. More to come…More
  • Trail Visitors Part 2
    Rich joined for the final 28 miles of trail in Shenandoah National Park from Loft Mountain to the southern entrance station outside of Waynesboro, VA. The combination of his name…More
  • Landmarks in Virginia
    On the way into Daleville, VA I passed the two-thirds sign. There wasn’t much fanfare there between highways but an evening eating Mexican food in town with a small bubble…More
  • Blue Ridge
    I thoroughly enjoyed the Shenandoahs, even more than I had anticipated I would. I didn’t know what to expect next as I have never hiked south of Shenandoah National Park…More
  • Fun In The Shennys
    After hitting Harpers Ferry it was only 50 short miles through West Virginia and northern Virginia to get to the town of Front Royal at the northern end of the…More
  • Halfway There
    I left Boiling Springs after a lovely day off with my parents’ heading for Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It is close to the official halfway point of the trail…More
  • Trail Visitors
    Several family and friends have met up with me on trail to do a some hiking. It is always fun to catch up and enjoy their company to break up…More
  • Rocksylvania
    I was thrilled to enter my home state of Pennsylvania. Lots of hikers rag on Pennsylvania. I can understand why. The terrain is quite rocky, a nuisance for hikers that…More
  • New Jersey
    After all the interesting things I came across in New York, I was intrigued what New Jersey would have to offer. I started out with some of the same rocks…More
  • Deli Blazing Rankings
    I’ve mentioned deli blazing multiple times already so you probably can feel my excitement. I think this is possibly my longest post. Fittingly, it’s probably proportional to the amount of…More
  • Ironies of New York
    I had heard a little bit about the trail in New York but not a lot. NOBOs have long disappeared in their quest to summit Katahdin before winter. When I…More
  • Trail Food
    When I’m hiking I spend a lot of time thinking about, or scheming, what I’m going to eat next. After some thought, maybe this isn’t any different than normal life.…More
  • Back At It
    After a few more days at home my feet almost entirely healed up and were ready to go. I decided it was best to wait until the remnants of Hurricane…More
  • Incident Report
    When Chris was sectioning hiking with me we talked about all the normal thru hiking topics, gear, food, fitness, etc. At one point I made a comment about how some…More
  • Green Tunnel
    After the first 500 miles the challenge seems to flip from 80% physical – 20% mental to 20% physical and 80% mental. For NOBOs this comes in the form of…More
  • Green Mountains
    I mentioned in my last post I hit 580 miles which is nearing the end of the Appalachian Trail in Vermont heading southbound. The rest of the AT in Vermont…More
  • Trail Lingo
    I’ve made quite a few posts already. Several contain some terms that might not be familiar to the average reader. I generally try to explain them but there are quite…More
  • Just Say Yes
    What do you do when a man in an old short bus pulls out from the trailhead and says, “Want to ride the bus to the hostel? I have candy.”…More
  • White Mountains Overview
    Before I knew it, I was on top of Mount Moosilauke and through the White Mountains. While hiking through Maine they seemed so far off. In a blink, they’re in…More
  • Most Popular Spot On Trail??
    I’ve asked a lot of hikers what their favorite section of the Appalachian Trail is. Well over half say the White Mountains and if more specific, then Franconia Ridge. I…More
  • Feeling Presidential
    The Presidential Range is located near the northeastern side of the White Mountains. It boasts the highest peaks in the northeast region including Mount Washington. The day I was going…More
  • One State – One Month
    On day 30 I stepped into New Hampshire leaving Maine behind. One state complete. One month on trail. Some reflections: ⁃ Starting with timing, I expected Maine to take one…More
  • Southern Maine
    I already mentioned Maine, in particular southern Maine, is often overlooked. Honestly, I’m not sure where the cutoff of “southern” Maine is to begin with. Thinking in terms of the…More
  • Gear Shift
    So, what’s in this green bag you ask? The saying, “Everything you need and nothing that you don’t” applies almost perfectly here. The name of the game is to go…More
  • The Overlooked
    The last trail specific update was from Monson, Maine after the hundred mile wilderness. Beyond Monson there are a few days of rather easy walking to the Kennebec, River. The…More
  • Green Bag
    The moment you’ve been waiting for, my trail name. Green Bag. It makes a lot more sense when you see my bright green backpack. Simple as that – no money…More
  • The Hundred Mile Wilderness
    Following the climb up and down Katahdin is a nine mile walk out of Baxter state park before entering the hundred mile wilderness. It is the most remote part of…More
  • Big K
    “Big K”, not one of a few possible department store references, not a strikeout in baseball, and not the computer magazine or the international prototype of the Kilogram, but Mount…More
  • The Mountains are Calling, and I Must Go
    Greetings, I’m excited to have the opportunity to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail this year! I’ll be headed southbound from the top of Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine to…More

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