>>834305not same bro, but differernt AT thru hiker. AMA here too.
>hostels/work-for-staysget the guide book by AWOL and talk to ppl along the way. You'll find good places to stay. My fav was the cabin at upper goose pond in MA, it's free, comfy and they make pancakes on the weekends.
>startMarch 17. tons of people at the start, Approach trail looked like a war zone. Started in nike runners, blisters fucked me, got keen boots that lasted 500mi, then went to solomon trail runners- still rock solomons for runnign and hiking on my 8th or 9th pair. Smokies are rough, I lucked out and only saw snow the last day. The town nearby is cheap and easy to kick around a few days in if a storm rolls through.
>Shipping thingsI wouldn't bother except to send shit home. I sent my sleeping bag home in PA and got a walmart blanket further north when it got cold again. Packages seemed like a big burden, some friends I met did the packages thing. It was a bitch to make it to town before the weekend if it's small and the post office closes. Packages get delayed. It's more expensive to buy food and ship it in almost all cases than to just go to a grocery store.
That said, do have friends and family send you care packages if they volunteer it. That's definitely worth it.
>Luxury itemeveryone's different. I carried a martin Backpacker the whole way, lots of people enjoyed playing since they hadn't in a few months. Music at the end of the day is nice in an environment where you're not constantly inundated by it. Definitely would pay attention to others, and would be considerate about playing loudly or when late. I've seen all sorts of things carried by other thru hikers. Coffee makers, bb guns, fishing rods, pillows, whatever you deem worth it. At one point, five of us bought sling shots and would set up shitty ranges at camp. Sometimes, the luxury was booze or heavy food items- I loved packing out steak and fast food.
