Event Description

Please join us as we lace up our shoes and earn our trail legs virtually on the Appalachian Trail.  

As winter begins to give way to spring, hikers from all over make their way to the scenic mountains of north Georgia.  It is a place to imagine possibilities.  It is a time to chase dreams!

By participating in this virtual challenge, we will be ALMOST THERE with them!

OVERVIEW.  Virtually hike the world famous Appalachian Trail from its southern terminus atop Springer Mountain all the way to the NC border!

HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE.  As a virtual hiker, you will have options!  We offer DISTANCE (no elevation) and DISTANCE + ELEVATION versions.  If you want to do the miles, you can definitely do that - all 78.1 of them.   If you are looking to virtually section hike the entire distance of the AT, you will be able to "check" GA off the list!   Or, if you would like to try to add the elevation to get a better idea about what it is like to take on those north Georgia mountains, you can do that!  

Not sure which to choose?  That's okay because when you sign up for distance + elevation, the elevation is still optional!  That way, you can try it.  You might have fun tracking it and earning milestone badges along the way.  If you sign up for distance only, you will not have an option to track elevation.  No matter which you choose, as long as you get in 78.1 miles you finished the distance!

RUN, WALK or HIKE.  To complete this challenge, participants will need to travel in a manner that simulates travel on the actual Appalachian Trail.  The AT is foot-traffic only; in fact, it is the longest trail of that type on earth!  For this challenge participants may run, walk, hike, use a treadmill, do the stair master or take the stairs.  That's pretty much it.  Other forms of activity - such as cycling or swimming - will not count because they do not represent how we could travel on the actual AT.

ENOUGH TIME TO FINISH?  If you can average 1/3 a mile per day, you can do it!  Of course, if you want to finish in a month or a week or a day - go for it! 

WHAT ABOUT THE ELEVATION?   It is OPTIONAL.  It will NOT be easy!

There are approximately 37,587 feet of elevation for the Appalachian Trail in Georgia!  That is the combined ascent and descent.  For this challenge it will not matter whether you do it all as ups (Wow!), all as downs (Ouch!) or as a combination. It's the cumulative that counts.

To get all of the elevation in within 8 months, the virtual hiker will need to average the equivalent of nearly 8 flights of stairs (up and down) per day!  

Too much?  You might consider doing some of it to try to earn digital milestone badges and/or achieve your own personal goals.  Someone might try to average 1-2 flights of stairs a day.  Someone else might try to do enough elevation to virtually climb Blood Mountain.  You can "hike your own hike" and decide how much works for you.  However you choose to do it, there is the possibility for fitness and fun.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?  

• Progress tracking
• Custom "race" bib
• Digital milestone badges
• Custom finisher's certificate
• Finisher’s patch

Spring will be here soon!  We hope you will join us as we earn our trail legs virtually on the AT in GA!

GO FAR.  BE FIT.  HAVE FUN.

Disclaimer:  Data from this challenge should not be considered "official" and was developed for use for the purpose of these virtual challenges ONLY.  The mileage, data or routes are not intended for reference, guide or use for travel in any real place and anyone attempting such use does so completely at their own risk.

Copyright Almost There Virtual Events, 2023.