A close friend and I are planning our thru-hike for the middle of March 2023. I have most of my gear minus a few odds and ends and taken it out for a few days with more on the books. I feel like now I just want knowledge and am looking for a good couple of books on the AT. I have done research but I feel like a good guidebook that I can physically hold would help things stick better. I have seen the ones on here and thru friends and youtube but they all seem a few years old and maybe outdated was wondering if there was a modern one for the upcoming year. And has anyone gotten the guidebook I see all over the site and what are your thoughts on it.Secondly, I am a big man and anytime I hike with friends I always get eaten up by ticks and mosquitoes more than my friends. Without Fail ill find anywhere between 1-5 ticks more than my friends on average. As a result, I am looking into permethrin and DEET to help with that on the trail. So my main question regarding this is do they work and if not what are some nice alternatives?