I did 500 miles of the AT a few decades ago and it was super safe. There was a community of hikers that you basically kept pace with and would share meals and stories with whenever you met up. I'm assuming things are similar now because most of the trouble makers don't know about the AT and won't go through the trouble to hike days into the woods to get someone.
you don't need to hike to get someone... the trail crosses over roads and goes into towns
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