If you live in a location where there are no hiking clubs, the ATC information packet should suffice. In the packet, among other things, is the very informative, 30-page publication, Walking the Appalachian Trail...Step by Step. There is no charge for the packet but donations are gratefully accepted.
Far and away, the best and most detailed information is available through the ATC's guidebooks. Each five-by-six-inch guidebook contains detailed data on some 200 to 300 miles of the Trail, and describes interesting side trails. Guidebooks frequently contain interesting historical information concerning features found along the Trail, or about the country through which the Trail passes.
Every book is divided into a number of chapters, each containing detailed information on a length of the Trail that extends anywhere from 5 to 20 miles. Each section of the book first prints the summary information for that particular section of Trail and then lists the detailed trail data. The Trail is described twice in the book— once from north to south, and again from south to north.
I would advise any hiker to buy the guidebook. Half the fun of a trip is to study the book before the trip begins and then go through it afterwards and make annotations in the margins about things personal to you; the date you hiked a particular trail, the place you saw a hen turkey with her young, the place you saw a fox or a bear. Since most hiking is done within a 100-mile radius of the hiker's home, it follows that a single guidebook will serve the average hiker for years. Certain trails will carry a special fascination for the hiker, and these will be revisited from time to time.
I have already mentioned that road maps can help you find the Trail. Once on the Trail, the hiker will want more detailed maps that will show the location of each overnight shelter, each source of water, each intersecting trail, road, and stream. Fortunately such maps are available for almost the entire length of the Trail. Each of the ATC's guidebooks include maps, which for the most part are on the scale of one or one-half inch to the mile. The beginning of each chapter also lists the names of any other maps that pertain to the section of Trail being described.
More than 850 miles of the Trail pass through eight national forests. In addition to the guidebook maps, many hikers like to carry with them the U.S. Forest Service maps that show the route of the Trail through each of the eight forests. Write the U.S. Forest Service, 1720 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309, and ask to receive the maps showing the Appalachian Trail in the six national forests in the southern region. You may also write to the U.S. Forest Service, 3103 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53203, and ask to receive the Appalachian Trail maps for the White Mountains and Green Mountains National Forests.
If you want the ultimate in detailed maps, write the U.S. Geological Survey, Map Sales, Box 25286, Denver, Colorado, 80225, and ask to receive the index of topographic maps that pertain to the Appalachian Trail. The index will be mailed to you free of charge, along with an order blank and a booklet entitled"Topographic Maps." This booklet has copious illustrations in color using the same colors and symbols that are used on the topographic maps (topos).
Many hikers planning trips of short duration on the Trail either remove from their guidebook or otherwise reproduce only those pages that pertain to the area being hiked. These pages, plus the pertinent maps, are then placed in a clear plastic map case. Such practice cuts down on both weight and bulk in the pack. Furthermore, the map, with its contents clearly visible through the case, can be referred to even in wet weather without being damaged.
Where are you going?
What do you want to do?
