Hiking is all about numbers... number of miles, number of hills, number of days of food left, number of pounds on my back, number of dollars in my bank account... If nothing else, the AT has sharpened my math skills, as I spent many a time calculating all these things. After some final computations, I have compiled a list of numbers. Few of these are exact, but after counting and guesstimating multiple times, here is what I have come up with:
Miles hiked on the Appalachian Trail: 2,189.1
Bonus miles: 75+ (miles not on the AT; extra miles.... based on assumption that there is a .3 mile walk off-trail for camp and water, and 27 miles of walking through towns, out to views, or backtracking.)
Miles averaged per day: 14 (lots of slow days in the beginning. Smiles not miles, right?)
Feet elevation gained/lost: 515,000 (this is the equivalent of climbing up and down Everest 16 times)
Days spent on the journey: 182
Zeros: 26 (we took a TON of zeros)
Nearos (5 miles or less): 6
Average pack weight: 28 lbs
Pair of boots: 1 (most hikers go through 3 or 4)
Nights of cowboy camping: 4
Hostels stayed at: 30 (camped at 6 of these)
Hotels stayed at: 2
Hitches into town: 4
Showers over the course of the trial: 40
Longest time between showers: 11 days
SEVERE storms (lightning, wind, hail, etc...): 5
Days of rain: 30
Snow days: 1
Weight loss: 10 lbs
Gallons of ice cream eaten: 4
Late-night police encounters: 2 (they were looking for poachers and partiers)
Roadside trail magic: 19 (and at least double cooler magic)
Bear sightings: 10 (only one cub)
Pictures taken: 4,000
Hours of video: 5
Cost of gear (pre-trip): $1200
Cost of hike: $2655
