Hi!
I will be hiking the AT NOBO this spring to complete the triple crown. I am wondering what the best single guide/data book is? Must be lightweight and include most or all town and resupply points as I mail no packages or food to myself. Not concerned as much about shelter locations and elevation profiles. Thank you for the help!
DATA
AT NOBO 2016
DATA
In 2013 I used AWOL’s AT Guide loose leaf NOBO. Small, light and I only carried what I needed and had the rest sent along the way. It is up dated yearly. At the time it was the most popular guide I saw also very inexpensive.
GRRRR
The Data book itself has the minimum information at the least weight and cost. But it does the job. The printed version that I used a few years ago was only available for South Bounders, so page one forward was Maine so as a North Bounder I started on the last page and worked backward. It was a slight pain in the neck. The AWOL guide is the most popular among hikers. It gained it’s following because it offered innovations like a profile map and a more personal style of writing with down to earth advice from a hiker point of view. The guy who invented was one of us, who did it all on his own with no backing. He gained a loyal backing by publishing his Trail Journal in a book, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. I used it every year for about 4 years based on it’s merit. One of the things I liked about it was it had an edge to it. It appealed to my personal “hiker trash”, outlaw, stealth camper, attitude and was in direct conflict with the conventional strait laced “Cider House Rules” dictated by the Trail Clubs sponsored “Thru Hikers Companion” who attempts to lay down the law on each and every page of the book. It is a book put together each year for ther ATC by a front organization also a non profit called the ALDHA. They produced a guide updated each year with pretty good trail information but usually had blaring errors and no maps. I chided it on social media for getting it’s butt kicked by a small time operator like AWOL who must make a profit. In the past 3 years things have changed. The Companion has improved it’s look, layout and maps, it still lays down to law too much(you should see this years 5 page Baxter warnings). But AWOL has removed the edge now and has taken on the boy-scout pledge. So after all this I say that AWOL and the Companion are about the same and will serve you well.
Francis
I also like AWOLs AT Guide as the best book to use for trail info. You will find the info you need in this book. If you prefer to save weight you can buy the loose leaf edition and have sections sent to you as you progress or buy the PDF version and use it on your smart phone.
Incidentally the data book was one of the first info book on the AT. I bought one in 2003 and found it so confusing I hated it immediately. ALDHA started to publish The Companion to clarify info in The Data Book. Their first attempts did not help me at all.
A fellow named Dan Bruce aka Wingfoot published The Thru Hikers Handbook which I used for my thru hike. Around 2008 AWOL started his book which included much of the same info and more than the Handbook. He was the first to include the profile in the text, GPS coordinates for trail heads, and other innovations. The Handbook ceased to be published in 2011 and merged with AWOL the next year.
Old Goat
Thanks for the input everyone. I like the idea of carrying no book and having all info on smartphone. Will most likely go with AWOL’s
DATA