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You can read ad naseum about my travels, or comb through well over a thousand pictures. But if you a quantifying person like me, you want to see numbers: miles, elevations, averages, integrals, algorithms and matricies. Okay, maybe not the last three. These graphics may take a wee bit of time to download if you have a slow connection, but I think they are worth it.

Distance and Average chart

This chart shows each day's mileage, as well as several different averages. It includes only distance along the trail, excluding approaches and side trails (although the 8.8 mile approach trail may be included in some of the averages, it makes a minor difference overall). Each bar shows the distance hiked on each particular day (the first bar is June 4, the last October 17). In the background are orange state labels and green annotations showing towns and major mountain ranges.

There are four averages superimposed on this chart. The first is the overall average, shown in red and calculated each day as the total distance hiked divided by the number of days since leaving Springer Mountain. The orange line shows a seven-day, unweighted moving average. It is calculated as the average of each specific day and three days before and after. Two thinner lines show two more averages. The green line shows a 21 day moving average, each day and the ten days before and after, and the magenta line shows the average, but excludes days not spent hiking. Thus, the gaps in it is where it was not calculated on such "zero days".

Elevation chart

The next chart shows the high and low elevation attained each day, as well as the elevation at the end of the day (and, of course, the elevation at the beginning of the next day). These data are presented in a format often used for stocks, showing the high, low anc close. The vertical bar shows the high and low elevation for each day, and the horizontal bar shows the final elevation, intersecting the next day's bar.

Also shown on the chart are several prominent high and low points of the hike (in elevation, not in my feeling) in green and blue, respectively. Furthermore, the very approximate limits of the sub-alpine (coniferous) and alpine (above treeline) zones are shown with linear, dashed lines. It should be noted that these values are just estimates, although the are generally quite accurate, and elevation and latitude are the main factors which effect where these contacts occur. The first location treeline is encountered is on Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire, where it occurs around 4500 feet. The line accurately charts the lower, treeless mountains in to Maine (such as Bigelow and Saddleback, which barely break 4000 feet but are barren on the summit), Whitecap, which has small alpine areas near the summit, and Katahdin, on which treeline is encountered around 3500 feet. Further south, even though the mountains are much higher, alpine areas do not occur.

The sub-alpine zone is found at varying elevations which decline from south to north, and consists of mainly coniferous trees, as opposed to the deciduous forest below, and thin, dark soil. In the South, it is found on only the highest peaks, ranging from about 5500 feet in the Smokies down to around 5000 feet near Mount Rogers. Even the peaks above 4000 feet north of the Grayson Highlands do not break in to this zone, so it does not occur again until Massachusetts. There, Mount Greylock extends well in to the sub-alpine zone, which occurs around 3000 feet, and through the rest of New England, the sub-alpine zone falls further. By the time the trail winds through Northern Maine, any summit reaching much above 1000 feet is covered in dense, sub-alpine growth, which often becomes stunted as the trail climbs towards treeline.

Elevation - Distance overlay

This chart should be self-explanatory; it combines the two above, and has no annotation. The "hi-lo-close" black lines show the elevation for each day (using the scale on the left), and the green bars show the distance hiked (using the scale on the scale on the right), so you can compare distance and climbing. Of course, there is no way to convey the degree of difficulty, nor how many total feet are climbed, as some days incorporate several major climbs.

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