Hey /out/,

I am planning to hike the Appalachian Trail starting in mid March of next year. I am a complete retard and have had no camping experience besides sleeping in a tent in my yard when I was younger.

Hit me with any and all things pertaining to successfully hiking the trail (all opinions welcome)

>gear to procure (budget is flexible, I have no gear yet whatsoever)
>skills to learn (I quite literally know nothing about camping)
>books to read/pertinent articles or blogs
>stories/personal experiences on the AT greatly welcomed

I have been perusing /out/ a lot the past two months to try to get an idea of various products, experiences, etc. but I figured a thread dedicated to the AT would be more directly helpful for me and others interested in hiking it.

Again, any and all opinions are welcome, I am just looking for more of a starting off point in my preparations.