A thru-hike on this system of trails requires almost a year to complete.

He also wrote the first guide for hiking the trail, after making his first thru-hike in 1983.

Experience using map and compass as well as the ability to read the landscape are necessary for a successful thru-hike.

Their thru-hike doesn’t turn out like Cheryl Strayed’s.

Later Shaffer also completed the first north-to-south thru-hike, making him the first to do so in each direction.

Shaffer's 1948 journey is still generally recognized as the first A.T. thru-hike.

A thru-hike of the Superior Hiking Trail typically spans this 255-mile section.

The current Long Path guidebook now has information on nearby post offices, motels and other things useful for those contemplating a thru-hike.

The 4th fastest Appalachian Trail thru-hike.

In 1948, Earl Shaffer of York, Pennsylvania, brought a great deal of attention to the project by completing the first documented thru-hike.

A thru-hike generally requires five to seven months, although some have done it in three months, and several trail runners have completed the trail in less time.

The current speed record for a self-supported (meaning no vehicle or crew support, implying carrying a heavy backpack) thru-hike was set by Heather "Anish" Anderson.

A PCT or CDT thru-hike also entails several months of planning in order to prepare gear and re-supply points.

On July 26, 2013 Daniel J. Rosenthal of Sunderland, Vermont, became the first person to complete a southbound thru-hike on the trail.

Although the story has been accepted by some members of ALDHA, a great deal of doubt has also been expressed and this earlier thru-hike has never been verified.

One famous thru-hike involves the story of Lillian Alling, a young 27-year-old Russian immigrant living in New York City, who became homesick and decided to return to her family in Russia.

The youngest girl to thru-hike the trail is Sierra Burror, who completed a continuous thru-hike of the trail from April through September 2012 at the age of 9.

However, since 2001, the number of people starting out in Georgia to do a thru-hike (or at least registering to do so) has dropped considerably, yet the number of people reporting that they have completed a thru-hike has remained approximately the same.

After several dozen hikers had earned these, it was perhaps inevitable that someone would be the Earl Shaffer of the Long Path, and on May 30, 1998, Mary Ann Nissley of Chalfont, Pennsylvania, a woman with experience hiking many long-distance trails, completed the first Long Path thru-hike in 25 days.

The oldest person to thru-hike the trail is not known.

A thru-hike on this system of trails requires almost a year to complete.

Since the trail is a circuit, it presents a good opportunity to thru-hike.

Per 2014 estimates around 2700 hikers attempted to thru-hike the trail.

Avery became the first to walk the trail end-to-end, though not as a thru-hike, in 1936.

He also wrote the first guide for hiking the trail, after making his first thru-hike in 1983.

Ryback carried an 80-pound pack on his 1970 thru-hike.

Experience using map and compass as well as the ability to read the landscape are necessary for a successful thru-hike.

Their thru-hike doesn’t turn out like Cheryl Strayed’s.

NPR interview, the day after his third thru-hike, on October 22, 1998

Later Shaffer also completed the first north-to-south thru-hike, making him the first to do so in each direction.

Shaffer's 1948 journey is still generally recognized as the first A.T. thru-hike.

Yo-Yo, to thru-hike a major trail twice in one season, equivalent to "out-and-back day hikes"

A thru-hike of the Superior Hiking Trail typically spans this 255-mile section.

The first thru-hike was made in the summer of 2013 by 33-year-old Bend resident Sage Clegg and took just under six weeks.

Thru-hiking a trail is a long and difficult journey: An AT thru-hike, for example, takes five months on average, covering 2,189.2 miles.

Simone hit the trail “because she’s convinced herself that no one can thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and be the same person as when they started.

The current Long Path guidebook now has information on nearby post offices, motels and other things useful for those contemplating a thru-hike.

The 4th fastest Appalachian Trail thru-hike.

Gene Espy (born 1926 or 1927) is recognized as the second person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

In 1998 Mr. Shaffer, nearly 80 years old, again hiked the entirety of the trail, making him the oldest person ever to complete a thru-hike.

Blog of Jacob Aronson's thru-hike

In 1948, Earl Shaffer of York, Pennsylvania, brought a great deal of attention to the project by completing the first documented thru-hike.

She was also the first woman to continuously ''thru-hike'' (completing the entire route in one outing), says the Appalachian Trail Conference, the nonprofit trail group.

He arrived in Altamont, New York, on July 6 to complete his thru-hike of the Long Path in 27 days.