Camping and hiking trip the Appalachian Trail

In April 2019 when we visited my son’s school for a tour we learned that one of the graduation requirements is completing a camping and hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail. I immediately wanted to leave the tour. Five days in the forest camping in tents and hiking 50 miles where bears live no way! Many questions were being asked and little did we know the pandemic would interrupt the trip the following year. In this post I’m going to share what we had to do to prepare for this camping and hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail.

The Director was very clear about the boys fulfilling this requirement. No you will not be able to withdraw your child from the school near the approach of the camping and hiking trip. The school has completed this camping project for 47 years and everyone has returned safely. So why was I tripping. I guess the thought of them sleeping outside for four nights in the middle of nowhere was freaking me out.

Preparing for the Appalachian Trail

Due to the pandemic the project was delayed a year. So Naif’s sophomore year is when they began to prepare for the hiking trip. They trained for five days outside on the school campus which included running, exercise daily, going over protocol, taking notes, assigning teams, jobs (responsibilities) and weekly covid testing.

They were exhausted by the end of the week. Naif had to spend his 16th birthday training for the hike. He had a delicious cheesesteak waiting after training … lol

Essentials for camping & hiking trip

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I started buying Naif’s gear roughly around March. They provided a list of items to buy or borrow if possible to save money. I was able to buy his waterproof North Face hiking boots, rain jacket, wool socks, pants, and hiking backpack from Sierra. The tent, metal bowl, spork, bug spray, sleeping bag, and lantern I purchased from Walmart. The toiletries trial size deodorant, powder, baby wipes, flushable wipes, toothpaste, first aid kit, peroxide, gauze, mole skin, and bucket hat we picked up at Target and Walgreens.

Monday came and it was time to drop Naif off at school to depart for the Appalachian Trail. No cellphones were allowed on the trip, so this was the last time we could actually talk to Naif until Friday. Monday was a little struggle for me it was cold and raining that evening so I worried about them but I survived (no news is good news). The second day the motivation for me was three more nights to go and Naif will be home. Needless to say I made it through the week. I didn’t think I could miss my kid so much. What’s going to happen when he goes off to college.

Camping hiking trip experience

By Wednesday or Thursday the team started tweeting messages to give us updates on the trail which was a relief. They shared pictures and the status of the daily hikes. Finally Friday arrived and it was time to pick up Naif. Whew I was so relieved they were returning. As I saw the students arriving I yelled out the window welcome back! They were looking at me like who is this crazy lady but they graciously smiled back ….. lol

When Naif turned the corner and I was so happy to see my child I couldn’t pull over fast enough. To my surprise he wasn’t as dirty or smelly as I expected. Naif was extremely tired he stated his back and legs were hurting. I tried to resist asking questions but of course I couldn’t help myself. He said, “Ma I’ll tell you tomorrow,” however he did share a little.

Naif said the hike was easy but there were slow people on his team. He stated he would never do it again but he had fun. Naif said it was cold a couple of nights and the sleeping bag didn’t live up to it’s standard. Overall he was able to manage. The camp leaders advised that they pair up in the tents to help produce more body heat.

Naif saw 5 orange lizards and a rattlesnake. The lizards were extremely small but they were able to pick them up and pet them. Naif picked up a rock at the 30 mile mark. He stated they climbed a cliff that was almost vertical which was extremely steep. They also walked along a cliff approximately 1000ft high with only boulder rocks to protect them. At the top of the cliff Naif stated he was able to see NY to the East and PA to the West.

The team had to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and motivated to complete the task. They made jokes and laughed along the way to keep each other encouraged. Naif packed Quaker strawberry yogurt bars and oatmeal granola bars for the hike. Naif complained of his lips and fingertips being dry. Overall the experience was life changing teaching the young men life and survival skills.

Friday morning Naif’s classmates stated it was a bear near the campsite but Naif didn’t witness it himself. Until next time Appalachian or maybe not!