Appalachian Trail Stages Version 2.0

I finished bouncing my Appalachian Trail (AT) plan (version 1.1) with a 2016 edition of "The A.T. Guide".  The original plan was made using a 2013 edition and in the three year between the editions things have changed.  As a result I updated my plan to version 2.0.

The main changes that I had to accommodate include:

• The elimination of all but one campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The park now requires you to stay in shelters.
• Shifted some stop days around by, mostly, shortening the length of some stages.  This allowed stopping in places where resupply was possible instead of resupplying "on the go".
• Changed stage lengths due to changes in the book.
• Removed Palmerton, PA as a rest stop when I discovered the only place to stay was "Clothing Optional".
• Moved some of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) stops to the secondary stops.  These shelters require reservations and are expensive (and lavish with showers and meals provided).  I kept one as a primary stop and will have to make a reservation once I've nailed down exactly when I will arrive.  These shelters also offer a very limited number of Work-For-Stay spots for thru hikers.

I also made some changes not related to changes in the book.

• Marked entrance and exit to special parks like Great Smoky Mtn and the Whites.
• Added Shoe replacement locations in the notes.
• Changed how I count stage days.  Before I wasn't counting the day I walked into a rest town.  This would not be a fair representation of the actual stage length.  Each stage is now a day longer than before.
• Added number of stages to the header information.
• Added day of the week to the date field.
• Corrected the misspelled word in the TITLE.  Sheesh.

If you would like to see the new version of my AT itinerary just click the Appalachian Trail tab at the top of the page (under the header image).