Dana Thurston, who completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1991, display his AT Answer Shirt. Carey KIsh photo.

Right about now, the first wave of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers are headed north from Springer Mountain in Georgia, bound for the summit of majestic Katahdin in Maine’s Baxter State Park. Of the roughly 3,000 persons who begin the trek in each year, only about 1,000 hardy souls will complete this journey of a lifetime through the splendid scenery of 14 states.

Along the way, the gear that was shiny and new at the start will get worn and torn. Beards will grow long and legs will get hairy. Minds will wander and eyes will see farther than just the view at hand. And by the time these strong but smelly hikers reach Maine many months from now, they’ll have been peppered with countless questions from curious people.

My good friend Dana Thurston of Raymond hiked the entire AT in 1991. It was at Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia, some 500 miles into the walk that Thurston (trail name “Stryder”) happened upon an eminently useful and fun item, the Official AT Answer Shirt, which covered the seven most common questions asked of thru-hikers.

According to Larry Luxenberg, the founder and president of the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove Furnace, Pennsylvania, the Official AT Answer Shirt was created sometime around 1989 or 1990 by Carol “Lagunatic” Moore, a former AT thru-hiker from Laguna Beach, California. Wearing the shirt, a hiker queried about mileage, wildlife encounters, food, pack weight, accommodations and such could simply point to an answer and smile.

During a visit a while back, Thurston delved into his gear room and dug out his “Official AT Answer Shirt,” which was still in great condition, and over a few beers we had some good laughs with the keepsake relic while talking trail talk. This got me thinking about how much the AT thru-hiking experience has changed — or perhaps not — over the last 3 1/2 decades.

“The biggest difference is with answer No. 4. With all the ultralight equipment available, nobody carries 50 pounds anymore,” said Mel “Pack Flip” Boucher of Augusta, who thru-hiked from Georgia to Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, in 2024 before injury forced her off the trail. “My average walking weight, including food, fuel and water, was around 28-30 pounds. Plenty of hikers carried much less than that.”

As for mileage (No. 1), most hikers do 8-12 miles per day at first and gradually work up to 15-20 miles as physical conditioning improves, a pace that balances progress with enjoyment. Some of the young guns out there can and do hike 25-30 miles or more a day.

Black bear sightings (No. 2) are still common on the AT, especially in the Smokies along the North Carolina-Tennessee border, Virginia’s Shenandoah and New Jersey. There are deer up and down the trail, as well as moose in New Hampshire and Maine. Snakes to be wary of include copperheads and timber rattlers.

Three decades ago, macaroni and cheese (No. 3) was hiker-cheap at a buck a box. Tuna and Spam came in a can. There were noodle and rice sides, too. Today, there’s a good variety of tasty freeze-dried food, plus single-serve tuna, Spam, chicken and pulled pork packets. Ramen noodles are a staple, as are instant mashed potatoes and couscous. Back then, the MSR Whisperlite white gas stove was standard; today it’s the MSR Pocket Rocket with an iso-butane fuel canister. Some eschew a stove altogether and cold soak their food.

Most hikers still prefer the privacy and comfort of sleeping in their own tent (No. 5). But for shelter rats, well, there’s nothing like a night in one of the trail’s 265 three-sided lean-tos, especially when it’s raining (mice, odors and snoring be darned).

It takes most hikers anywhere from four to six months to complete the AT, then and now (No. 6 and 7). Most hike northbound, departing Georgia in March or April and arriving in Maine in August or September. A fraction hike southbound while others prefer to flip-flop.

The official length of the AT has increased from 2,150 miles in the early 1990s to 2,197 miles today thanks to relocations. Walk it all (No. 7), and you’ll have followed some 165,000 white paint blazes en route. The AT remains an extraordinary feat that’s worth every blister.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail, which earned him the Triple Crown of American hiking. Follow Carey’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram.