How to Support a Thru Hiker
Tips from a triple crown thru-hiker who’s also supported thru-hikers
January 22, 2024
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Are you thinking of supporting your partner, friend, or family member on their thru-hike? I hope so! My introduction to the thru-hiking community was providing support to my partner on his first thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But wow was it fun - I have such great memories of meeting him and other hikers from around the world along the trail, many of whom we’re still in touch with. And because of my overwhelmingly positive and gratifying experience supporting him, I caught the thru-hiking bug too and three years later I also thru-hiked the PCT!
Supporting a hiker is a fantastic way to stay engaged with their journey and meet their fellow hikers.
I have a unique perspective, having supported a thru-hiker on the Triple Crown of hiking (Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail National Scenic Trail) while being a Triple Crowner myself. Over the years, I’ve learned the best ways to support a long-distance hiker on a long-distance trail (and be supported, too).
Here are my tips on what to expect, how to get prepared, and what to bring.
Naomi Hudetz (left) is a thru-hiker who also has supported her partner (left) on this thru-hikes. This article focuses on what you should know as a person helping to resupply from home or on the road.
Learn Thru-hiker Lingo
Before we get started, let's define some thru-hiker terms that will likely come up when supporting your hiker.
Supporting a thru-hiker
Supporting a hiker can be as big or small a job as you want to make it, depending on your time and interests. It can be as simple as mailing resupply boxes, or more involved such as meeting the person you’re supporting on the trail and helping with town chores. There are even people who support their favorite thru-hiker by following them in a van or RV for the entire trail, meeting them at nearly every road crossing!
Trail Magic
Trail magic has different definitions for different people. However, it generally refers to when a person offers unexpected help to a thru-hiker — usually through food or drinks. With the popularity of thru-hiking, more organized trail magic has sprung up. For example, on the Appalachian Trail, a hiker ran the “Leap Frog Cafe,” where he set up a giant tent to serve hungry hikers breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a donation basis. He even had a deep fryer where he made fresh french fries!
However, trail magic doesn’t need to be this elaborate to be meaningful-one of my favorite trail magic stories on the Pacific Crest Trail was a ranger who gave me a piece of ice-cold cantaloupe when it was 90F outside. It was indeed the best thing I’d ever tasted.
Read the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's definition of trail magic. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail and other National Scenic Trail organizations recommend doing hiker feed trail magic in person (vs. leaving a cooler by the road for hikers) to reduce trash and the chance wildlife may eat human food.
This trail angel followed his hiker in a van up the entire length of the PCT, supporting other hikers along the way.
Trail Angel
A “trail angel” is a person who provides support for people on a long-distance hike. Again, it can be a one-off situation or more elaborate, organized trail angeling. For example, a day hiker might offer a ride to town for a hiker they just met, while an organized trail angel might leave their contact information at a trailhead for those in need of rides to town.
Tramily
A “tramily” is a trail family. Many hikers on the more popular trails will find themselves hiking with a group of people who eventually think of themselves as a trail family. Of course, whether or not a hiker wants to become part of a tramily depends on the hiker! If you’re supporting a thru-hiker, chances are they will become part of a tramily. You may find yourself also helping tramily members with things like rides to the grocery store.
Nobo and Sobo
Nobo and Sobo are short for northbound and southbound — referring to which direction a hiker is traveling. Nobo hikers start at the southern end of the trail and hike north, sobo hikers start at the northern end of the trail and head south.
Flip Flop
Some thru hikers are neither nobos nor sobos — they start hiking, get off trail and “flip” up to another section of trail and start hiking again. They flip flop.
Section Hiker
A section hiker is someone who is hiking a section of trail, rather than the entire trail, in a season.
LASH
LASH stands for “long-ass section hiker”. A very specific kind of section hiker — they are usually on a long trail for a very long “section”, such as the entire state of Montana on the Continental Divide Trail.
Hiker Hunger
Many thru hikers develop what is commonly called “hiker hunger” during a long thru hike. It make take a few weeks to kick in, but hikers reach a point where their appetite is insatiable. Their bodies just can’t keep up with the calorie deprivation that is a thru hike.
Slack Pack
“Slack packing” or “slacking” refers to hiking trail miles, but with most gear removed from the backpack (hiking with a light pack almost feels like a zero for hikers). Slack packing happens in areas where crossing roads makes dropping off and picking up the hiker easy. At the end of the day, the hiker either returns to town for a restaurant meal and hotel room, or picking up their gear from the supporter and continuing on.
Zero-Day
A “zero-day” is a day with zero trail miles. It’s a day off to do chores in town such as laundry, resupply, gear repair, and recovery. Zero Days usually happen at a trail town, but hikers have been known to take zero days on the trail, too. If you plan to meet a hiker on trail, we recommend that they schedule a zero day in to spend with you.
Nero Day
A "nero day" is a near-zero day with minimal hiking miles - meaning that a hiker will roll into town in the morning, do all of their town chores, leave town in the late afternoon or early evening, and then camp just outside of town. Time in town is expensive, so many hikers save money by avoiding motel and restaurant expenses with a Nero.
Before the Hike
1. Familiarize Yourself with Their Trail and trail culture
Your conversations with your hiker will be more efficient if you start supporting with a working understanding of your hiker's trail of choice and what their needs will be. Our hiker-oriented guides to various trails can be a good place to start, but watching a documentary about the trail can work, too.
The amount of gear a hiker may need to prepare for a long trail can be astounding. Go over everything your hiker may leave behind. Don’t forget to set clear boundaries about what part of the house they can let their gear take over while they are gone on trail.
2. Organize extra gear before they leave
Before your hiker leaves, go over everything they have left behind and make sure you understand what it is. If they have gear that you’ll be sending, label it so that you know what they want when they ask for their “extra base layer.” Ideally, they should be the ones doing the labeling so that there’s no confusion!
Know where they get their gear. Many thru-hikers utilize ultralight backpacking equipment that isn't easily purchased from a brick-and-mortar store. For example, if a specialty stove needs to be replaced, you’ll want to know where to buy the replacement (or replacement parts).
3. Download the trail tracks to a GPS app
Before they leave, download the tracks for the entire trail to a GPS phone app (ideally from the same app they are using). The FarOut app (formerly known as Guthook) is extremely popular with hikers and shows waypoints like towns, trail mileage, water sources, and landmarks.
I also use the Gaia app for navigation. Having the trail tracks will help meet and track them on the trail. If you don’t know how to use the app, have them give you a tutorial and practice, practice, practice.
Keep an extra copy of the whole map and itinerary. Many hikers put together a tentative itinerary before they leave with approximate dates they’ll arrive in each trail town. Keep in mind that it is incredibly difficult to predict the exact date they’ll arrive in town on a long trail. As they get further along the trail, originally projected dates may become less accurate.
Suppose the itinerary is in a spreadsheet with formulas. In that case, you can update projected dates with actual dates as the hiker gets to town, potentially improving the accuracy of the remaining future dates.
4. Organize gear and resupply boxes
Let me hear you say organization! Food, maps, gear, etc. You and the thru-hiker should organize anything you may need to send to them or refer to for information. If you’re sending maps in the resupply boxes, make sure they are organized and labeled before the hiker leaves. It should be clear which maps go into which resupply box.
We used a dedicated big plastic bin. The thru-hiker put their resupply items in zip bags with numbers on them. The outside of the box had a list of what each bag contained. Then, for example, they could request packed bags numbers seven & eight, which made it easy to find what they needed in no time.
5. Know your resupply box addresses and labeling ahead of time
If you’re sending the box to “General Delivery,” verify whether that particular Post Office will accept it. Not all POs accept general delivery packages. In addition, most post offices will only hold general delivery packages for 2-4 weeks.
Your hiker should provide you with a list of boxes, addresses, shipping carriers (USPS, FedEx, or UPS), and the approximate date to mail them. Put these dates in whatever calendar reminder system you use. As the date gets closer, verify that they still want the box and the desired ship date.
HOW TO ADDRESS A GENERAL DELIVERY RESUPPLY BOX FOR A THRU-HIKER
When sending resupply boxes, make sure all boxes have an address label and are labeled appropriately:
Please hold for hiker name
ETA
Last name, written in big letters on all sides of the box or other easy way to identify the box (e.g., brightly colored tape)
Addressing boxes with “Hold for Hiker” is a way to let the postmaster know that the General Delivery box will be picked up by someone who is not a local.
6. Be prepared to add and remove stuff to resupply boxes
Ask if there’s anything else you can add, for example, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, leukotape (a type of anti-blister sports tape popular with thru-hikers).
Ask if there’s anything you should take out of the box; hikers sometimes get sick of certain foods on the trail. Be careful about putting in freshly baked treats–I’ve known many hikers who had to throw away moldy cookies and brownies because the boxes are sometimes exposed to hot temperatures. Be aware of the weather changes-your thru-hiker may need fresh base layers or additional rain gear in the upcoming weeks.
Three pairs of used hiking shoes on the Arizona Trail after 400 miles. Depending on your hiker and what trail they are walking, expect that they will need to replace shoes about every 400 miles.
7. Have a hiking shoe plan
If you are sending a new pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots, your hiker should tell you whether they are still the same size feet. Yes, hikers’ foot sizes change over the course of a thru-hike. They also may have discovered that the particular model of hiking boots they pre-purchased doesn't work for them. They may request a new pair of hiking shoes. Alternately, many hikers find it easier to order themselves new shoes and have them shipped via Zappos overnight delivery.
All the resupply boxes for a thru-hike of the PCT by Treeline Review photographer John Carr. Note that he has not sealed the boxes so that his resupply support person can add or remove things as needed.
8. Learn how to tape and secure a resupply box
Be sure to tape the box well. Most hikers jam as much as possible into a box, so make sure to reinforce the sides and corners with lots of tape. Be aware that the post office may reject overstuffed boxes.
Flat rate USPS boxes usually save money because resupply contents are typically heavy. However, if you’re mailing it from someplace close to the box’s destination, regional rate boxes are an even better option. You just have to order the free boxes ahead of time.
If you’re sending boxes from a different country than the destination, this gets a lot more complicated-shipping delays, duties, and costs, to name a few ways. It may be better to keep resupply boxes to an absolute minimum in this case.
A note about mailing fuel canisters: there’s much debate about whether you can mail a fuel canister with the US Postal Service. I have mailed them in the past, labeled as required by the USPS, via surface transportation (i.e., not by air). However, I’ve found that it greatly depends on whether the postal worker will accept the package. A workaround used to be ordering the canisters from REI to be sent to the resupply point, but even REI has stopped doing this (fuel canisters are now for store pick up only). Therefore, it’s probably best for your hiker not to depend on mailed fuel canisters. These days, most trail towns on the big three trails know what hikers need and keep fuel canisters in stock.
For the Continental Divide Trail, one hiker support person we interviewed was sending not only my partner's resupply boxes but his hiking partner’s boxes as well. Therefore, she needed a collapsible hand truck to carry everything into the Post Office. She had the hand truck, packing tape, Sharpie pen, flat rate boxes, and scissors in her car at all times. If she got a message that her hikers needed something right away, she could purchase the item(s) and send them off that afternoon.
A list of all the gear the hiker expects to need on the trip. Each gear item is in a bag number and its contents are in the spreadsheet.
9. Be aware of the time commitment involved
Keep in mind that this won’t be "time off" for you at home, and limitations such as jobs, kids, and pets may not allow for a lot of free time.
You should be acutely aware that you are doing an essential job and deserve kudos for keeping the home fires burning while supporting a "dream come true" for your partner.
A treat for you might be taking the dog to daycare for a day, hiring a babysitter, or treating yourself to a lunch out.
Some support people may grow resentful of people thinking that it was a vacation for them. For example, one supporter I knew would get comments like, "you have all this free time, you get to do whatever you want." However, the reality was that she was tethered to home responsibilities: pets, keeping house, sending birthday cards and gifts, paying bills, tending the garden, etc. For her, it was twice the work PLUS providing trail support.
Most distance hikers these days carry a satellite messenger on the strap of their backpack for use in case of emergencies. In addition to an SOS button, it also makes it easy to two-way text with the folks back even in places without cell reception. Two-way texting means you can coordinate meet-up locations, resupply box questions, or just say that you miss each other.
10. Get your hiker a satellite communicator with an unlimited data plan
It can be challenging to suddenly be out of contact with your partner for days at a time. Your hiker may not miss text messages, but you might!
Cell phone coverage can be spotty depending on the trail, so if the hiker you’re supporting has a satellite messenger, it will help keep you feel connected. Plus, your hiker can use it to share their tracks so you can watch their progress. If your hiker is worried about being too connected, they don’t have to tell everyone in their contact list about their satellite messenger, just a select few (e.g., partner, parents). For more info on the subject, you can see our piece on satellite communicator reviews.
Treeline photographer John Carr’s mom tries on his pack as he organizes for a thru-hike. She found that getting involved in John’s hike was one of the best ways to alleviate worry she had that he was hiking solo. He became one of his biggest trail champions.
During the Hike
1. Be flexible, but set boundaries
Be prepared to be flexible. Your hiker may need an additional package delivered on relatively short notice or even an emergency pickup in case of injury or bad weather.
However, make sure to discuss boundaries about this sort of thing beforehand. For example, if you know that you have a big project at work happening during a specific week and you for sure won't be available for support that week, make sure the hiker understands that. Discuss back-up plans.
2. Keep your social calendar full
If you tend to do most of your social activities with your partner, find ways to stay social while they are gone; this can be especially challenging if you’re an introvert.
Be explicit with your friends-tell them, “hey, my partner is gone for the next 5 months, please consider me for any activity no matter how small.”
Or better yet, invite your friends out on a hike, to the beach, for a weekend campout, whatever. Consider trying out new adventures of your own separate from your partner, even if they may seem less "adventuresome" than thru-hiking. For instance: binge-watch that TV show you know your partner doesn't like. Explore new activities, restaurants, and places to go that you might want to show them after they get back some time.
Sending handwritten notes or box designs may seem hokey but will likely be treasured by your hiker.
3. Put handwritten notes in or on their resupply boxes
Many hikers struggle with homesickness, especially on 4+ month-long hikes. Even if they have made friends and are hiking with a tramily, they will still miss you and miss home. I’ve carried handwritten notes from my friends for hundreds of miles, even though it added weight to my pack.
Even if your hiker doesn’t get homesick, a handwritten note can go a long way. The joy it will bring is immeasurable!
Visiting your thru-hiker on the trail can be a fun experience.
how to Visit your thru-hiker on the trail
Even if you must travel to them, try to visit your partner at least once on their thru-hike. Being apart for 4-5 months can be extremely hard on the partner left at home. Factor this in as part of your overall thru-hiking budget; it’s non-negotiable. And if possible, you can take a zero-day with them!
It’s common for thru-hikers to go through physical and mental changes during the course of their hike. For example, most hikers will find they can consume astronomical amounts of food at restaurants.
1. Be prepared for physical and mental changes.
If you’re meeting someone on the trail only once or twice (as compared to every few days at a road crossing), be prepared for the person you’re supporting to change. Physically, they may lose weight-sometimes a shocking amount. Maybe their beards or hair have gotten longer, significantly changing their appearance. But their personality and values also may have changed. Hiking a long trail is a transformative experience, so try to be sensitive to that.
2. Be prepared for some interesting smells
Thru-hikers are notoriously smelly. Sometimes oppressively so. So if you’re picking up the person you’re supporting at a road crossing before they’ve had a chance to shower, you may need to drive with the windows down-especially if you’re picking up a whole crew of hikers. Protect your car upholstery with a towel or tarp and invest in some Febreze. Note that Febreze is not an air freshener, it’s an odor eliminator, and you’ll need it! A standard car air freshener won’t cut it. My car still smells from picking up a hiker 4 weeks ago!
Treeline Review editor Liz Thomas planned to have her friends meet her at Sonora Pass on the PCT, which can be one of the trickier road crossings to be able to hitchhike into town.
3. Choose your meeting places strategically.
BEST MEETING PLACE FOR THE HIKER:
There are a few places where hitchhiking into a town to resupply is notoriously tricky on every trail. Choose those places to meet so that your hiker doesn’t have to worry about how to get to town-you’ll be picking them up and taking them back! And have them take a zero-day when you meet them. Maybe a double zero, especially if you have to fly to meet them.
If you’re flying into meet them, you’ll have to rent a car to get to the trailhead. These areas are often remote without public transit or taxis or rideshares.
BEST MEETING PLACE FOR YOU:
Alternately, you may choose your meeting place based on the parts of the trail that may be easier for you to get to. For example, Bear Mountain, New York on the AT is only 34-miles from New York City, which is easy to fly to from anywhere in the United States and access by bus from Port Authority.
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia on the AT is a train ride away from Washington D.C. Similarly, the Pacific Crest Trail actually goes east-west in the Los Angeles area instead of south-north, so it's easy to fly into one of the many Los Angeles area airports to meet your hiker.
Although meeting mid-trail is more important, consider picking your hiker up at the end of their trail. For example, after an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker summits Mount Katahdin and finishes the entire AT, they still have to get back from the remote Baxter State Park. For Southbound hikers, Springer mountain is similarly remote. Many hikers treat the endpoint as an event akin to high school graduation and may appreciate having you there for an important moment in their life
A group of thru-hikers waiting for a ride at a spot where the trail crosses a road on the Continental Divide Trail. Many of these areas are remote and see little traffic so it can be tough to get a ride into town where there are food and showers.
4. Use GPS coordinates to set a meeting place
When setting your meeting place, be as specific as possible. Ideally, you should use GPS coordinates. Sometimes the trail crosses the same road twice, so it’s best to know exactly where you’re meeting.
5. Download the driving directions before you leave
Before you leave to pick them up, download the driving directions onto your phone because you might lose cell service.
6. Not all road crossings are paved
When figuring out where to meet your hiker, make sure you research road conditions. Some roads are not paved and may require a high-clearance vehicle. And unfortunately, Google Maps may send you on sketchy roads without warning. For example, located in the middle of the most remote section of the entire trail, Stony Pass on the Colorado Trail looks like a promising meeting spot. But it's actually up a rugged ATV road inaccessible to most vehicles.
Suppose your meeting place is in a national forest or national park. In that case, the Forest Service or National Park Service may have information about getting to the trailhead (including whether roads are gated and inaccessible during certain months of the year).
In addition, I sometimes use Google Maps satellite view to determine whether a road is paved or gravel (although this may not work if the terrain is heavily forested). Before you head out, equip your car with a battery jump starter, spare tire, and portable air compressor.
Treeline Review writer Mike Unger resupplying at a grocery store along the PCT.
7. Expect to help with errands in trail towns
There’s a lot to do in town as a thru-hiker-laundry, resupply, eating a lot of food, gear repairs, gear replacement. The list goes on. So if you’re in town to support your thru-hiker, expect to shuttle them around town–a lot.
8. Expect to help other hikers, too
When you’re in town, expect to help other hikers with their errands too. Even if your hiker isn’t part of a tramily (trail family), many other hikers will need help. Most trail towns don’t have public transit or Uber. Giving other hikers a ride to or around town might be the single most appreciated help you can give.
After he sustained an injury on the PCT, I gave my partner’s hiking partner a ride back to Portland from Ashland, Oregon (almost 400 miles away). I’ve also given unknown hikers rides to airports, urgent care centers, shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, and more.
9. Don’t expect to hike with them
Unless you’re a super fit thru-hiker yourself, it’s difficult to keep up with a thru-hiker in the middle of a thru-hike. The hiker’s focus will be on making miles-not a typical day hike with a picnic. It’s best just to let them do their thing.
If you do want to get some hiking in while you visit, plan to do it separate from your hiker. You may even consider hiking to intercept them and bring them food. They’ll appreciate it!
Don’t expect to go sightseeing. You’ll likely be helping your hiker and others get their town chores completed. Here, hikers are waiting at a post office to get resupply boxes of new maps and supplies.
10. Don’t expect to go sightseeing
When you meet up with your hiker in town, don’t expect to see the local sights. They will want to get their errands done and then relax. In other words, walk less than a mile and spend as much time as possible off of their feet. Movies, yes. A walking tour of the town, probably not.
11. Don’t buy diet soda
Thru-hiking is one of the few times in life when calories don’t matter. Thru-hikers go out of their way to find extra calories. Most hikers are in a constant state of calorie deprivation (although we know precisely one hiker who gained weight on trail-think a diet of Doritos dipped in butter). So if you’re providing trail-side trail magic for your thru-hiker and their tramily, think the opposite of what you usually do for calories-in other words, don’t buy diet soda. Don’t buy low-fat chips or cookies. Don’t bring sorbet instead of ice cream.
12. You May Get Asked to Support a Slack Pack
If your schedule and road access allow, some hikers like to be slacked — or hike with most of the gear removed from their pack. If you’re staying in a motel room, you can pick up your hiker at the end of the day and drive them back to town for one more night in town. It’s a rare luxury to hike like this!
13. Be Prepared to Witness Hiker Hunger
Most thru hikers experience hiker hunger to some degree on a long thru hike. I’ve experienced hiker hunger on most of my thru hikes (although it seems to be waning the more I hike). So be prepared to see people ingest incredible amounts of food in one sitting at restaurants — think multiple breakfasts or entire pizzas. Then dessert. Then 30 minutes later they’re hungry again. And yes, this is normal.
14. Ask What They’re Craving
Find out if there’s anything they’re craving to eat from home, such as homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies. Maybe it’s not sweets at all — maybe they’re craving salty, like chips. What we crave on trail is not always what we crave in real life, so be sure to ask if there’s anything they miss.
Every day on trail can feel like an adventure made with the best of friends. Life after the trail can be a shock for many hikers.
After the trail
1. Know about Post-trail Blues (sometimes called Post-Hike Depression)
Post-hike depression is real for many people, especially after their first thru-hike. I experienced it after my first thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t ready for my hike to be over–I felt like I was in the best shape of my life and wanted to keep that going.
I also felt like I had changed so much (both mentally and physically), but the rest of the world was the same, and I didn’t know how to handle that. There is also evidence that low endorphin levels can contribute to depression, so the loss of the steady stream of exercise endorphins from thru-hiking may be an adjustment. Everyone responds differently, so be aware that your hiker may experience this.
2. Prepare yourself for stories and photos
You’ll also need to be available to listen to their cool stories from the hike — even if you don't necessarily find it as cool or exciting. Be prepared for lots of photos, which may start to look like the same landscape after a while.
3. Prepare yourself for hanging out with hiker friends
If you hang out with their hiker friends after the trail, they’re going to rehash trail stories–which is great! But you may feel left out of the conversation. My advice is to listen and nod, but you probably won’t be able to steer the conversation away from “that one time on trail” or the best gear for ultralight backpacking. Alternatively, skip these events altogether and let them talk freely!
Gear failures happen on trail. Your hiker will likely want you to bring a replacement.
What to bring when you visit a hiker on trail
If you’re meeting your hiker on the trail, here’s a list of things they will likely want or need. Even if you’re taking them into town to resupply, some small towns won’t have everything they need. Over the years, this is the list I’ve developed:
Homemade treats (cookies, brownies, fruit cobbler, etc. - but not in the mail!)
Fresh food of any kind (fruit, vegetables)
Cold drinks for the car ride (or hot drinks if it is cold/wet outside)
Cooler (read our reviews for models we'd recommend)
Good sports laundry detergent (read our reviews for detergents that actually keep hiker stink at bay)
A change of clothes (shirt, shorts, underwear, socks, and sandals/ flip flops)
Batteries (AA or AAA - check with your hiker for what they need)
Extra medical supplies
Vitamins and supplements like electrolytes
Sunscreen
Lip balm with SPF
Insect repellant
Electrolyte drink mix packets (see our guide for the most trail-friendly electrolytes with minimal packaging)
Gourmet instant coffee packets (see our favorite instant coffee for backpacking)
Toilet paper and dog poop bags (which hikers use to sanitarily take used TP out of the backcountry to a garbage can in town)
Ziplock bags. Most hikers will use a combination of gallon-sized freezer bags and quart-sized freezer bags, depending on what they are carrying.
Fuel canisters. Most hikers prefer the 3.5-oz size.
Replacement trekking pole tips (check with your hiker for what model they need as they are not all compatible with one another)
New hiking socks (read our gear review for our recommended pairs)
New trail runners — read our gear reviews for the best trail running shoes women’s and men’s)
Good shampoo and conditioner
Razor
Hair clippers for cutting hair and beards
Treeline Review co-founder Naomi Hudetz is the rare Triple Crown thru-hiker who also has the experience of having supported a thru-hiker, Mike Unger (also in this photo). From this experience as hiker and a support person, she’s able to provide the most comprehensive tips on supporting a hiker.
About the Author / Why you Should Trust Us
I supported my partner on his first thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, and three years later, I set out on my PCT thru-hike. Since then, I’ve supported my partner on the rest of his Triple Crown National Scenic Trails (the PCT, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail), and I’ve also hiked and completed the Triple Crown Trails myself.
I caught the thru-hiking bug and went on to hike other long-distance trails, including the John Muir Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, Great Divide Trail (twice), Tahoe Rim Trail, Arizona Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, Lowest to Highest, San Diego Trans County Trail, (most of the) Idaho Centennial Trail, Blue Mountains Trail, and Oregon Desert Trail. In addition, I wrote the town guide for the Blue Mountains Trail.
Have any tips of your own? Let’s keep the listing going! Let me know with the contact form, and I’ll add it!
