Hit 500 miles on the AT this season and my knees filed a complaint, need route advice for the next stretch

Dakota Knight · 2026-09-17T18:30:05.203236+00:00

So I started at Amicalola Falls in early April and just crossed the 500 mile mark near Damascus last weekend. I was honestly shocked because I never thought I'd get that far with how bad my first week went, I was doing like 8 mile days and dying. But now the number itself is messing with my head because I feel like I should be going faster and pushing bigger days, and my right knee has started aching on every downhill. I'm running a 30 pound pack which I know is too heavy but I keep talking myself out of dropping stuff. The next section through Virginia looks way more forgiving than what I just did in the Smokies, but I'm worried if I don't change something now the knee thing will end the whole trip. Has anyone else hit a mileage number that made them totally rethink their daily pace or pack weight mid thru hike? Specifically wondering if I should zero for 3 days in Damascus or just cut back to 12 mile days and keep moving.

Librear

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Hit 500 miles on the AT this season and my knees filed a complaint, need route advice for the next stretch | Backpacking Routes - Librear