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I did an 85-mile and 100-mile trails in Ireland by myself.
There are always discussions about personal safety, as a solo female hiker you will be told you should be scared. That's up to you to decide... You should definitely read 'Wild' by Cheryl Strayed and 'The Cactus Eaters' by Dan White. They are about the Pacific Crest Trail but the same principles apply.
The Appalachian Trail DOES have bears and dangerous snakes. It is really important to be able to identify what animals you should and should not be afraid of.
Get GOOD gear. Spend the extra money for the lightweight, durable stuff. Get a membership with REI - if anything happens to your gear and they can track your purchases, they will ship you a replacement for free to the nearest post office on the trail. Decide what your comfort level will be. Do you need to keep your gear with you in your tent or do you want to hang it from a tree, allowing you to carry a smaller one-person tent, or do you want a lightweight hammock that keeps you off the ground? Can you leave your razor and deodorant at home? How okay are you with looking and smelling like a hobo? Cause you will. How many hot meals are you expecting per day? Get a camping stove that runs on denatured alcohol, aka isopropyl alcohol. The propane canisters suck because they take up weird space in your pack and you cannot tell how much is left. I did the calculation once with my Trangia mini stove about how much it would cost me to boil one liter of water and how long it would take and how much fuel I would use, if you want me to go find those numbers I can dig thru my notebook.
Get Bridgedale socks.
Think about how you want to document the trip. Photos, journal, video? Nothing at all?
Packing IS a big challenge! The general rule is that you can go as far, as fast if you are carrying up to 20% of your body weight as you would if you were carrying nothing. I find it to be true.
Also, A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson.
Water purification. Chlorine dioxide. There is plenty of water on the AT but always assume it is contaminated with chemicals (there is fracking in some areas of the AT and god knows what else)
If you have any specific questions I could help with, PM me, I loooove chatting about distance hiking.
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