Appalachian Trail has been overrun for years. Too many people and the people who are there will lean Lefty NPC. Logistically, you also can't carry more than a week +/- 3 days of supplies with you which means going into town for resupply and then being subject to all of the normal NPC and broken supply chain fun. You might have more luck on one of the western trails in terms of not running into people but re-suupply is more difficult out there. There are just fewer options due to smaller number of people and towns. You can put down bigger mileage numbers out west regardless of the time of year though. Which means being able to hike to more favorable weather conditions as the seasons change.