[evilgenius]

I use the new Katadyne water filter that has a half liter pouch with a screw on filter. It's much better than the pump version for cutting down on crap you have to carry. The pouch is kind of small, though. You can buy a bigger one separately. And you can get an extra screw on filter, if you think you will go past the capacity of the first one to filter. If you have to drink from murky water they can fail a lot sooner than the marketing people at Katadyne claim. You'll find that water is more important than anything else you will put into your mouth, so something that filters will be important.

Otherwise, I'm 55 and go prospecting by myself in the woods every summer. I spend days alone. Sometimes I have cellphone coverage, but you can't count on it. If you do have coverage, make sure you have a plan that can take advantage of whatever signal you get from whatever provider. You don't want to reach a spot where you get coverage and not be able to communicate in whatever way makes the best sense because for some reason the provider whose tower you are receiving from denies you. Test your device with your email provider first, so that they don't cock block you when you can't just send a code to another device in order to unlock the account which you are trying to use. Get a GPS mapping app, and load all of the maps into your phone beforehand. That way you won't use up all of your battery too quickly if you need it to find your way when you get lost, even if you do have a connection.

The best thing about being in the woods is what it teaches you. By far the greatest lesson I've learned is the value of other people. I know, that sounds like an odd lesson to derive from being alone. I like solitude, but it has its limits. What goes on with me and solitude is that I have plenty of it even while I interact with people every day. I'm an introverted person, therefore, I get my energy from inside myself. That being said, there is a certain level of allowance for interaction which I engage in while surrounded by others which I am tempted to over do. The woods teach me to relax that. They especially do because I am pursuing something while I am out there. I am not hermiting per se. What I do requires all kinds of supplies. Sometimes it requires relying upon others for finished goods. You know, you can't just snap your fingers and get those things when you are a six hour hike from the nearest place to park a vehicle. So, think ahead about testing to see how long the average lighter lasts. Pack more than one. Have things like string with you that you can improvise with. Does it really matter if you carried those few strike anywhere matches all the way and never used them? Carry at least one piece, a few inches long, of aluminum tubing that is the same size as the ferrules that connect your tent poles. If a ferrule breaks in high winds and the remaining pieces of it aren't long enough to work anymore, your tent won't ever be the same.

The gaining of resupply becomes a metaphor for my interaction with people. It happens on various levels. I let it teach me about the relative value of other people at each level, metaphorically as well as concretely. As I go along I realize how beautiful and wonderful the world of humans as a whole really is. They are also more dangerous than any bear. I see lots of bears, but it is sometimes more troubling to meet another person out there. You can come away from some people feeling really creepy. You can't really say if that is just your imagination. You can wrestle with whether you were too judgemental later. I give them the respect of facing them. Sometimes, respect is not the reason, though. Don't turn your back on other people. This world is full of people who don't, somehow, know the basics of when it is, or isn't, their turn. When we meet those people in this world we may honk at them. Out there, you have to worry if a whole set of thoughts is taking place inside their heads which they are prevented from acting upon in most situations where they act similarly but are checked by their fellow man.

[vtsnowedin]

You don't have to do the AP in a continuous shot. It crosses highways on a regular basis with parking lots near most crossings. You can take it one mountain at a time.
I once picked up a seasoned hiker that had bitten off more then his new knee could chew near the Dartmouth ski-way in Lyme New Hampshire. He was all done in and he and his wife were very glad I took the time to stop and give him a lift home to central Vermont. Have a plan that is reasonable and someone or a parked car waiting for you at each road crossing.