APPALACHIAN TRAIL
In 2012 I quit my job and thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, spending 136 days walking 2,184.2 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. The adventure changed my life. Not only is this where I got the name Tarzan, the trek also inspired me to create the AntiComfortable lifestyle I live today. Each evening I sat in my tent and studiously tapped out posts on my Blackberry keyboard and every few days I used spotty public wifi in towns to publish updates to my blog. These videos and posts chronicle the places, people and stories from the AT that I’ll never forget.
Chris ‘Tarzan’ Clemens
NoBo Thru-Hike 2012
Appalachian Trail Videos
Appalachian Trail Highlights
Starting The Appalachian Trail
Published: March 12, 2012
Finishing The Appalachian Trail
Published: July 24, 2012
Scott Jurek On The Appalachian Trail
Published: August 7, 2015
3 Days In The 100 Mile Wilderness
Published: July 12, 2012
All Appalachian Trail Posts
2012 Appalachian Trail Hike
Welcome to my Appalachian Trail blog! I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail this year and I’m planning to keep you updated on my progress via this blog. Below is…
Maps
This is what 2,184 miles of maps looks like spread out on our coffee table. Now it is time to section them out and plan when Amy will send them…
Driving Directions
I probably shouldn’t have… I went to Google Maps and typed in driving directions from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine…and this popped up. The distance is 800 miles…
My Mobile Home Has No Wheels
In 8 nights I will not be falling asleep on a soft European pillow top mattress padded with a memory foam topper and an extra thick mattress pad, I’ll instead…
Tomorrow I’ll Be Unemployed
Today is my last day of work at FoodTools. Six years of good times, lots of traveling, and many lessons learned. I wouldn’t trade it for anything! Tomorrow I’ll be…
Ounces, Pounds, and Pints
With our start date fast approaching (4 days away!) I’ve been spending copious amounts of time getting my gear in order. Everything has been weighed down to the ounce, put…
Here We Go…
All the hours I spent the past few months watching videos, reading blogs, and not packing my gear…it all adds up the week before you leave! We finished assembling our…
Getting my trail legs, and shoulders, and hips, and back, and feet…
March 8th. Slept in our first shelter last night…kinda slept! Had a big breakfast with Amy’s family this morning, time to go check in as a thru-hiker and hit the…
Welcome to North Carolina!
March 13. Stopped raining! We still had to pack up wet tents and gear, but at least the rain had stopped! We hiked until about 1 PM and the sun…
Cell Phone Blues….
Well, yesterday while I was at the store buying some supplies, trying to hold 2 boxes of Slim Jims, a box of Pop Tarts, cheese cloth, a small deodorant, baby…
Southern North Carolina
I am connected again! I received a new-old (used) phone from home today, special delivery from Brian’s wife Ann, thanks Amy and Ann! Now it is time to update the…
Trail to the Smokies
March 20. It was nice to be back on the trail. After some rest and relaxation in Franklin we were able to pound out a good 8 mile afternoon hike…
Gatlinburg, I Hear It’s Pretty
March 25. Cold morning! It felt like crossing into the Smoky Mountains dropped the temperature a good 15 or 20 degrees! I sent a lot of my warm clothes home…
On To Hot Springs
March 30. Woke up in the Grand Prix hotel in Gatlinbrug for the third morning in a row. At least today we should be heading back to the trail! We…
Rain, Wind, and KFC All You Can Eat!
April 4. Woke up in the hotel and took a relaxing morning with coffee and a walk around town. It is nice to start the day with running water and…
Brrrr, It’s Cold In Here!
April 10. Woke up in the hotel in Erwin and had a busy morning getting things done, sending home a package, mailing cards, eating at the Huddle House, and hanging…
The Roan Highlands
The Roan Highlands were not as cold as we had been in recently, but one night Brian did wrap his emergency blanket around his sleeping bag in his tent. Our…
Hiking With The Father Of The Bride
April 16. Amy’s dad Rod arrived at the Kincora hostel this morning to hike with us. We left after our food shipment arrived and quickly taught Rod about the white…
Snow Day!
April 21. After a relaxing morning at the coffee shop and the outfitters store we headed out of Damascus for the trail. Before leaving I weighed my backpack…40 pounds with…
The Hiker Week
We have been talking on the trail and we thought the weekly cycle of a thru-hiker is a bit different than the weekly 7 day cycle of most everyone else….
Torrential Downpours and Flash Floods
April 26. We left the hotel around 9 AM but made sure to stick around to get the latest local weather forecast first. The TV anchor said “Severe thunderstorms, torrential…
From 3 Amigos To 2…
May 2. After spending all day yesterday in town for a zero day we were ready to get back on the trail. Meat needed to do a few more things in…
What’s In My Backpack…
Just thought I should post an update about my pack and what I am carrying…I attached a photo of my pack, and here is what is in it! Inside –…
2 Months and 722 Miles
May 7. We woke up after it had rained all night and luckily it stopped raining so we could pack our wet gear…but we were heading into town today so…
Flosser’s Firsts
Meat and I really enjoyed hiking 700 miles with Brian Sarvis, aka Flosser, aka Kilimanjaro. I won’t mention his age, but if Abe Lincoln was talking about Flossermanjaro-AT he would…
Moving To Ultralight
May 10. Woke up in a hotel in Daleville for the 3rd day in a row…time to get back on the trail! Although I wished we had left town a…
Drinking My Dinner
May 11. Frozen! We tried our new 45 degree sleeping bags last night and it got cold! I woke up in the middle of the night and put on just…
36 Miles To Waynesboro
May 12. Cold! Woke up cold but my preventative measures helped keep me decently warm last night. We packed our bags and started the 15 mile downhill to the James…
City Camping
May 17. I spent the rest of a lazy day yesterday enjoying the town of Waynesboro. I sat at the library a little longer, relaxed in the shade on a…
Hiking With Seatbelt & Aunt Karen
May 19. As I sat having coffee and researching lightweight sleeping bags in the lobby of the hotel the news show on TV did a spotlight on a new way…
Leaving Shenandoah
May 22. My first day back on the trail on my own at my own pace. After 4 nights staying in town and 3 relaxing hiking days I was worried…
Harpers Ferry
May 26. Woke up in my tent on the tent pad at the shelter. It was going to be an interesting ride for the day. We took off early and…
From 3 Amigos, to 2, to 1
When Meat left Waynesboro for his sister’s graduation I hiked on ahead for a few days. The plan was to get back together when he returned to the trail and…
To The Mason-Dixon Line
May 27. After spending a few hours at the AT Conservancy I packed my gear and headed for the historic downtown of Harpers Ferry. One new item I picked up…
HALF WAY DONE!
May 29. Woke up to a nice morning, a little cooler than the last few. I packed up and walked about a tenth of a mile to Pen Mar Park….
Zero Day At The Doyle
May 31. I woke up early because I wanted to put in another big day of hiking and make it to Duncannon by night. I was on the trail a…
Rocks + Rain = PA
NOTE: This blog post includes a lot of information…it is kinda long. Since I know everyone has a busy life if you don’t have time to read it all I totally…
3 Days With Amy
June 7. Amy called and said that she was at the post office waiting for me…unfortunately I was also at the post office, just in one town over. Once we…
Jersey Baby!
June 10. Amy dropped me off at the trailhead in Deleware Water Gap at 11 AM. We snapped some pictures and then she was on her way to the airport…
Hello New York!
June 12. Happy Birthday to my wife Amy! I woke up in my tent this morning in the back lawn of the local tavern…guess there is a first time for…
The AT Zoo
June 14. Woke up in my tent. Unfortunatley I had set it up on uneven ground and I was sliding down the hill all night. I was pretty tired still…
Got My Mojo Back!
June 15. Before we went to bed everything in the field we were camped in was covered with dew. When I woke up at 5 AM one look at my…
Welcome To Connecticut
June 16. Up early and on trail by 7. The guys who stayed in the shelter hadn’t moved yet so I was back to spider web patrol. Since I had…
Welcome To Massachusetts!
June 17. As I left town and walked a mile back to the trail I ran into another hiker. We talked for a bit and I asked his name and…
Hiking In The Berkshires…
June 19. I woke up late again, seems to be a trend since I got out of Pennsylvania! I had set up my tent on the tent pad the night…
Hello Vermont!
June 22. Today was a trail Friday, and I was pumped! Trying to sleep through the night was like trying to sleep through December 24th when you were a kid. …
My Bennington Experience…
June 23. Woke up in the hotel…let me tell you a little about the Autumn Inn in Bennington. When the owner picked me up yesterday and drove me to the…
Vermont Trail Magic!
June 24. We woke up early and started out for a 28 mile day. I was hiking with Rat Bucket and Rayo and our plan was to get to mile…
Rainy Vermont…
June 25. We finally said goodbye to Sunshine, Nick, and Josh around noon and stopped by the local deli to get food before hitch hiking the 10 miles back to…
What Next?
So what next? I know I am not even done with the Appalachian Trail, but as it is winding down (I still have 480 miles to hike!) I have been…
Vermont Hills
July 28. Woke up in the lodge…4 hikers and our gear in one room, it did not smell very good. The coffee brewing downstairs did though and we all headed…
New Hampshire!
June 29. Woke up before 6 and thought about getting an early start on the day. Around 4 it had started to sprinkle so my tent was a little wet…so…
Big Mountains Coming!
June 30. I woke up in the basement of the fraternity house around 7:30 AM and started moving around. The frat brothers were going to have Saturday Cleaning Day starting…
Into The Whites!
July 1. This morning I did not want to get up and hike. The hike out of Hanover had been a good one, pretty tough, and I was not looking…
Franconia Ridge
July 3. Woke up in the hotel at 5 AM and thought about getting going…but I rolled back over and slept until 7. This was another hotel with shower soap…
A Presidential 4th of July
July 4. We woke up a little before 6…the cook was in the kitchen making breakfast for the guests and we needed to clear the dining room. We packed our…
Mount Washington
July 5. Woke up in the dungeon of the Lakes of the Clouds Hut…it was nice and quiet until breakfast upstairs. Everyone was moving the tables and benches and each…
Out Of The Whites
July 6. We had stealth camped near a visitors center and lodge so I wanted to be up early and on the move. Besides, today was a Trail Friday and…
Zero Day In Gorham
July 7. I could finally sleep in a bit in a nice hotel bed! We did not have time to resupply yesterday so we had some town work to do…
Welcome To Maine
July 8. Four months ago today I started hiking the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia. Today I woke up in New Hampshire, 15 miles from Maine, and 298 miles…
Mahoosuc Notch
July 9. Woke up early in my tent…not because I wanted to, but because someone’s phone alarm clock was going off. Another hiker rolled in late, after dark, not a…
Andover, Maine
July 10. The plan was to wake up early and get into Andover by 8:30 when the post office opened…but after the 26 mile, 15 hour hike yesterday it was…
Rangeley, Maine
July 11. Woke up in our stealth camp around 7…I woke up earlier but I really didn’t want to move. I had slept for 10 hours but I felt like I…
Saddleback Mountain
July 12. Another lazy morning…which seems to happen in towns and hotels. We finally decided to get up and start moving around 8:30. It is harder and harder to get…
Stratton, Maine
July 13. Happy Trail Friday! We were going to town! It is a lot easier waking up and going to town rather than leaving town. We started moving around 5:30…
2,000 Miles
July 14. I went to bed stuffed with a stomach ache from the fish fry and drinks. At 3 AM I got up to use the restroom and realized I…
The Kennebec River
July 15. It was a hot night…and something kept running around my tent all night. I think it may have been a frog or a mouse, either way it kept…
Fording Rivers…
July 16. The beds were rock hard and the AC shut off during the night so it was hot and stuffy in the room in the morning…I think I would…
Monson, Maine
July 17. We woke up before 6 AM…we were heading into Monson today for a resupply. The hike was going to be a mostly flat 9 miles. We made it…
100 Mile Wilderness – Day 1
July 18. Woke up this morning…there had been no storm overnight and the sky was clear…shoot. A wasted afternoon in town yesterday but now it was time to get after…
100 Mile Wilderness – Day 2 (40 Miles!)
July 19. First night sleeping in the 100 Mile Wilderness…cold! Around 3 AM I woke up frozen…probably because I sent home my 15 degree sleeping bag in Monson and traded…
Wilderness Done & Baxter State Park
July 20. Another cold night in my fleece sleeping bag liner, but another night closer to being done and back in a warm bed! I was up again at 3…
Katahdin – I AM DONE!
July 21. SUMMIT DAY! I wasn’t too cold overnight…which was good, but it also meant that I slept in until 5 AM. No matter, I thought if I woke up…
Heading Home…
July 22-23. I went to bed in the hotel room last night, with no more hiking or camping in my near future. As I drifted off to sleep though I…
The Beard Update
I have been asked a lot about how long I plan to keep the beard (mostly from Amy, with a bit of an agitated and annoyed tone). Well, even though…
What is this “Day Hiking” you speak of?
The alarm rang at 5:45 AM.It was only a little over a week since I’d finished the Appalachian Trail and I’d been mostly relaxing, but I was ready to get…
Sweet Home California
Three weeks have already gone by since I reached the summit of Mount Katahdin and I don’t know where the time has gone. I spent two weeks traveling across the…
MEAT Completes The AT!
Hot off the press…my hiking buddy (and college roommate) Meat just completed his 2012 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail! We hiked the first 900 miles together and then both “hiked…
A Hiker In The City
It is well over a month now since I completed the AT. I have been working on settling back into “reality” and I’m not sure if I’m being successful or…
Giving Presentations
As I settle into the “real world” after the trail I’ve realized one thing…that I like talking about the trail! I don’t mind rounds of rapid fire questions about me,…
Getting Published!
Shortly after returning from my Appalachian Trail thru-hike I was asked to contribute a feature article to a fitness magazine. The focus was to be on the sport of “Fastpacking”…
The Hometown Newspaper
My hometown newspaper (the same one I used to be a paperboy for) included a story about my Appalachian Trail journey last week! The article started with a big front…
Humor – I’m Going To Hike The Appalachian Trail
A little bit of humor today, Appalachian Trail style.This video showcases a typical conversation when you tell someone you are going to hike the Appalachian Trail. I don’t think that people…
A Tribute To Kilimanjaro
Here is a tribute video to Kilimanjaro (aka Flosser, aka Brian Sarvis, aka Flossermnajaro-AT)…the man of many names… Kilimanjaro hiked with us for the first 700 miles of the Appalachian…
Running Shoes – Brooks Cascadia Review
Strava keeps sending me emails. At first I thought it was nifty. You can document the shoes that you used for your run, you know, so other people could see…
Adventures in Self-Publishing
Ever had a bad case of writers block? Yeah…well, that’s not what happened to me. After returning from my Appalachian Trail thru-hike I had no problem writing, proofing, and re-writing…
Scott Jurek on the Appalachian Trail
When Luis Escobar asks “Do you want to do something epic?” you should either sit down, or run away. You never know what to expect. You might end up hitchhiking…