Quoted By:
Cont.
Junk food is your friend on trail, that shit tends to be pretty calories dense. Focus on fats and protein, nuts are a good source of both, but they can be hard to eat in large amounts. Candy/sugar is a great way to ensure you're getting enough calories since you'll never get sick of it and it's cheap. For dinners, ramen, instant mashed potatoes and couscous are your friend
Talk to other hikers, they're one for the best parts of the experience
Keep a journal (physical or digital) and write in it everyday, you'll be glad you did after
Solar panels are overrated, a 10,000mah battery bank will keep your phone charged for 5 days easily, and if you manage power it can even be enough for 10 day sections.
A long trail will be one of the best things you'll ever do, but the predominant features of a long trail is tedium, Audiobooks and music are your friends and will help pass the time and miles as they inch by
Don't think of your progress compared to the entire trail, think of it like a sequence of consecutive 3-7 day backpacking trips, it's more mentally manageable that way
Permethrin + long sleeves and pants will help massively against mozzies
Consider disregardig the advice of anyone who isn't a long distance backpacker, their heart is in the right place, but the advice is usually bad.
Don't bring a nalgene or stainless water bottle, just reuse smartwater bottles, they screw into your Sawyer too
Your isobutane canister will last much longer than you think it will if you're conservative with it
