The Appalachian Trail is approximately 2,200 miles long and runs through 13 states on the East Coast. Also known as the second-longest trail in the world! The challenge: Hike the entire trail in one season. GZnation member Victor Maisano accepted the challenge.
Most people take anywhere between 5-7 months to complete the trek. Victor is attempting to complete it by September 1st. Which means he has to hike about 15-20 miles a day. What motivates someone to take on such a challenge? Well, for victor it was purely the adventure. He had just landed back in America after a 6 month humanitarian trip and decided he wasn’t ready to return back to normal life. “I didn’t want to go home, so I went hiking instead.” He did though, want to stay in touch with his family and friends as well as document the trip every step of the way.

“Since we are broadcasting our adventure from the trail, powering up our devices (Cell Phones, iPad Mini and GoPro3) is essential to documenting and uploading our media. Goal Zero allows us to recharge our devices when we are days away from an outlet and our batteries are getting low. The Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit recharges my cell phone so I can stay in contact with my team on the trail and my family back home. I carry the Nomad 13 on the back of my Osprey Backpack and charge my Sherpa 50 all the while I hike.”

Luckily the Sherpa 50 kit is less than 2 lbs and small enough to squeeze into any pocket. Carrying around tons of weight on your back for more than 15 miles a day is not preferred. How does one pack for months on the trail? Victor tells us that a week into the trail he was exhausted from the weight on his back and sent about 10 lbs of gear home. He thinks he will go from 50lbs down to 37lbs by the end. The trick to packing is, if you have to think about whether or not you’ll need it, don’t pack it! We asked him which items he would grab from his pack if he had to ditch it and run. His answer: “My ID, iPhone, and water filtration. (Can I take 4 items? I know i’ll want my solar recharger for my phone!)” If you’re not able to take a a season away from “normal life” and hit the trail you can live it through  Victors blog www.backpackingat.com. But in his opinion, anyone can do it. All it takes is a bit of training, lots of preparation and not to mention, time. “Worth every hour of it!”

Feeling like making some adjustments to your summer agenda? What trails are you hitting this season?
Follow the rest of Victors AT adventure and see more pictures here