[ncxj]

Ive always dreamed of doing since I hiked Mt.Rogers as a kid. A job offer fell thru and im thinking about taking off and hiking at least from GA to TN. Just wondering if anyone here had done it all the way. How long did it take you and how did you arange your food drops? Got any tips for planning it out, anything to look out for?

 

[LordOpie]

I've hiked small (relatively speaking) sections of it and have always wanted to do the whole 2000miles.

I'd get some books from the library. Some people have found all the cool spots of where to get off the AT to do laundry, shower, get a good meal, pick up drops from Post Offices.

Take pictures and keep us posted

 

[geargrrl]

www.backpacking.net/bbs.html
The lightweight backpacker... lots of thru hikers on this board.

 

[Echo]

A buddy of mine did it, he said it was one of those awesome life experiences that he wouldn't trade for anything. Definitely do it. Other than that, sorry, I don't have any advice for you

 

[urbaindk]

I've done a several of section hikes. I figure I have around 200+ miles of the trail completed. Just 1800 to go.

I'd love to be able to take off for 6 months to do it. If you think you can, go for it. Just remember, it takes some pretty significant financial commitment to be able to get away that long. I think I saw a rough estimate of between 10-20K for the cost of a thru-hike. Your cost may vary and there are lots of ways to economize. But you've got to pay for half of a years worth of food, postage and shipping of the food and other supplies to various drop locations, You also have to cover transportation to and from the trail head, gear that wears out and breaks at inopportune times, etc. I think a lot of people think that taking off and hiking the trail is a cheap vacation or and they don't think about the financial consequences.

In a way it is a cheap vacation - where else could you go for 6 months that costs only 10K?

 

[ncxj]

As much as id love to thru hike it, dont think I can disapear for 6 months. However, I am planning on hiking the NC section (from GA to TN), it shouldnt take more than a month and is much much more cost efficient. I was just seeing if anyone had any good advice, or cool stories.

 

[LordOpie]

In a way it is a cheap vacation - where else could you go for 6 months that costs only 10K?

Thailand?

I think I'd sooner cycle across the US before hiking the AT. It's faster anyway.

 

[bluebug32]

I've hiked a tiny portion of it in NY

 

[GumbaFish]

You should stop at that bar in VT, what was it called echo? That cool irish place where we saw/smelled two AT hikers.

 

[urbaindk]

As much as id love to thru hike it, dont think I can disapear for 6 months. However, I am planning on hiking the NC section (from GA to TN), it shouldnt take more than a month and is much much more cost efficient. I was just seeing if anyone had any good advice, or cool stories.

Sorry, I didn't quite read your post clearly enough. That's a really good section and probably a reasonable chunk to bite of and chew. The stuff in Nantahala National Forest is really beautiful. If you want to get psyched up rent "Last of the Mohicans". Parts of it were filmed in that area. As was the movie "The Fugitive".

Do you plan on stopping when you reach the Smokies at Fontana? I think that's what I'd do. The Smokies can be a bit of pain with permits and what not.

I've hiked north of that section into the Smokies but not south. So I can't say much more than I hear that is one of the better sections of the trail. I hear Waylah Bald is amazing. And lots of the little towns along the trail have a "trail culture" that is really welcoming and inclusive. It will be a great experience for you even for a week or a month. Good luck!

 

[BurlyShirley]

This is another of those adventures I feel like I need to complete. Saying "someday" wont quite cut it with a trip like this...maybe when I graduate?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Go for it, man. I spent a summer thru-hiking the Colorado Trail ("only" about 500 miles) and it was one of the greatest summers I've spent not working...

 

[Westy]

Go for it, man. I spent a summer thru-hiking the Colorado Trail ("only" about 500 miles) and it was one of the greatest summers I've spent not working...

The last summer I spent not working I was 14 years old.

 

[SkaredShtles]

The last summer I spent not working I was 14 years old.

That's so, so sad...

Don't let life pass you by, my good man. Take some summers off. There's still time.

 

[The Toninator]

I've hiked north of that section into the Smokies but not south. So I can't say much more than I hear that is one of the better sections of the trail. I hear Waylah Bald is amazing. And lots of the little towns along the trail have a "trail culture" that is really welcoming and inclusive. It will be a great experience for you even for a week or a month. Good luck!

i've done a little of the smokies and the permits arent that big a deal. I did actually have a ranger stop and ask for my credentials.

 

[LordOpie]

The last summer I spent not working I was 14 years old.

I took the summer of 2001 off to drive around the USA visiting ATL, St. Louis, Detroit, MN, Chicago, CO, UT, AZ... hiking, biking, rafting, partying, all sorts of -ings.

Do it before you're too old to really enjoy it.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I took the summer of 2001 off to drive around the USA visiting ATL, St. Louis, Detroit, MN, Chicago, CO, UT, AZ... hiking, biking, rafting, partying, all sorts of -ings.

Do it before you're too old to really enjoy it.

Yup. Spent a summer hiking the CT, a summer bumming around Europe, a winter skiing with my wife-to-be....

Good times - wouldn't trade any of 'em for anything.

Made "settling down" easier, too.

 

[Westy]

That's so, so sad...

Don't let life pass you by, my good man. Take some summers off. There's still time.

Catch 22. Back in the day I busted my ass so I could go to college and eat at the same time. I had to work right out of school to pay the cripling debt I was in. Debts paid off but they will just laugh at me at work if I ask for the summer off. Only way to get a summer off would be to quit and find a new job. There really are no other job opportunities in the area so that would require moving. I don't want to move right now.

 

[Wumpus]

i've done a little of the smokies and the permits arent that big a deal. I did actually have a ranger stop and ask for my credentials.

What do they do if you don't have a permit?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Catch 22. Back in the day I busted my ass so I could go to college and eat at the same time. I had to work right out of school to pay the cripling debt I was in. Debts paid off but they will just laugh at me at work if I ask for the summer off. Only way to get a summer off would be to quit and find a new job. There really are no other job opportunities in the area so that would require moving. I don't want to move right now.

Sounds crappy. I was lucky enough with scholarships and stuff to get out of college debt-free. And IT work was sooooo easy to find in the 90's. I probably changed jobs 5 times in 5 years.

I feel for you, but still think you should do it!

 

[Wumpus]

What do they do if you don't have a permit?

Hmmmmmm...

This seems silly.

"Backpackers and hikers are subject to all Backcountry Rules and Regulations. Failure to abide by park regulations may subject you to a fine under Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations. Maximum fine for each violation is $5,000 and/or 6 months in jail."

You can run a cyclist down and not end up with that amount of jail time.

 

[bluebug32]

I enjoyed hiking the AT via Bill Bryson's book, A walk in the woods. Entertaining indeed.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I enjoyed hiking the AT via Bill Bryson's book, A walk in the woods. Entertaining indeed.

That is a fine read.

 

[JRogers]

I hiked the Long Trail (Mass. to Canada) this summer. Ended up being a bit less than 300 miles. iirc, over 100 miles of it are on the AT. I think I wrote a report in the Lounge a couple months back if you want to have a look.

It was a great time. We had one food package sent to us general delivery (that's a good option for resupply), but we were lucky enough to have friends in convenient places. The AMC should have guides for the AT. Really, you don't need too much info. A halfway decent map and mileage charts are necessary.

As far as planning, tips, etc, do you have a lot of backpacking experience? What's the longest trip you've done? I've thought about doing the AT, but I have some second thoughts after my Long Trail trip...It was awesome, but I have my limits....

 

[ridefast]

http://www.whiteblaze.net

 

[BIRDMAN111]

ive section hiked parts of it and am planning another section hike soon in virginia. but you should read "a walk in the woods" if you havent already, its about this guy who through hikes it and the book is really funny. also get some NICE, WORN IT BOOTS. thats pretty much the most important thing. because if your feet get wet or blistered then your fvcked. also dont plan to make 20+ mile a day hikes, because day after day that get really hard. move from shelter to shelter, maybe just make camp somewhere else once and a while but i would stick to a 12 or 15 mile max per day. walking up and down mountains is much harder than walking down the street. also if you arent experienced at camping or hiking you may feel very overwhelmed the first week or so, just remember tons of people start on a thru hike in Ga and drop out in like a day or two. also planning when you leave in the year is key, you dont want to be hiking in maine and vermont or up north anywhere durring the winter unless you have some zero degree bags. even then its miserable. also, before you leave give a FULL itinerary on where you will be and when. give one copy to your wife girlfriend whatever. and just handthem out incase something happens. also keep one for your self, of course. make arrangements for food drops and such every week or two, also some other fun things to do so you dont get bored.

also, there is this guy somewhere in maryland or pensilvania that offers the deal of a free gallon of blueberry icecream, as long as you can eat the whole thing infront of him. otherwise you have to pay for it. also up north somwhere the farmers that have ostriches let them out durring the colder months to run around the mountains, so if youre woken up by one you will have no ****ing clue what it is. trust me that has happened.

i cant think of anything else besides obvious hiking/outdoors safety and commonsense. if you need that, ASK! because not asking can get you killed.

 

[BIRDMAN111]

also georgia is really rainy, and the whole time you will be there it will probably be wet and foggy, but for somereason as soon as you pass into north carolina it will be remarkably more beautiful.

oh also there is this set of books that are written about each section of the AT that talk about cool things to see, have a topo map and have an altitude map that shows all the uphills and down hills for each mile you hike. i forget the name of those but you should buy each of the following "the appalachian trail official map......(ex. "apringer mountain to bly gap Georgia") and "the appalachian train thru-hikers companion" this one tells all of the food areas in towns that you will go past, hostiles you can stay in and also has maps of some towns. it also describes all the shelters along the trail. very usefull

 

[BIRDMAN111]

and keep a jornal after every day you hike. its good to remeber some sweet stories

 

[ncxj]

JRogers, I spent alot of time a few years ago backpacking, and throughout my life have probobly already hiked around 100 miles of the AT just not continuosly (sp?). Ive ben on a few week long hikes also so I have a general idea of what im up against. Im picking up a map and a few guide books this weekend. I think I might be able to rope a few friends to maybe hike a week or so with me, thatll be good to restock supplies instead of having to mail stuff and pick it up. Also Im planning on going around July so I wont have to pack that much in the way of clothes (not so many layers).

Westy I feel your pain. I spent most of my young life working it away trying to prove something to everyone, getting engaged, and generally peeing it all away. Thank God I woke up in time. Im looking to be a firefighter, its got great hours and all but theres no way ill every be able to take off a whole month or so to goof off in the woods, so its a now or never thing.

 

[Westy]

Sounds crappy. I was lucky enough with scholarships and stuff to get out of college debt-free. And IT work was sooooo easy to find in the 90's. I probably changed jobs 5 times in 5 years.

I feel for you, but still think you should do it!

I had scholarships for 75% of my tuition and borrowed the rest. I worked to pay for living expenses and really never went home after I left for school in the first place so living expenses lasted 12 months out of the year.

Although I always worked I had some great summers during school. Spent one running a campground on Lake George. Work consisted mostly of learning how to shoot guns really well and building home made explosives, my boss was a paranoid whack job who thought we would would be fighting a civil war rebelling against the government in a few years.

Summer before my senior year I spent in a chemically fueled rampage. My job painting ended at three and the northern summers offered close to another 8 hours of daylight to play with. Good times.

 

[JRogers]

JRogers, I spent alot of time a few years ago backpacking, and throughout my life have probobly already hiked around 100 miles of the AT just not continuosly (sp?). Ive ben on a few week long hikes also so I have a general idea of what im up against. Im picking up a map and a few guide books this weekend. I think I might be able to rope a few friends to maybe hike a week or so with me, thatll be good to restock supplies instead of having to mail stuff and pick it up. Also Im planning on going around July so I wont have to pack that much in the way of clothes (not so many layers).

Westy I feel your pain. I spent most of my young life working it away trying to prove something to everyone, getting engaged, and generally peeing it all away. Thank God I woke up in time. Im looking to be a firefighter, its got great hours and all but theres no way ill every be able to take off a whole month or so to goof off in the woods, so its a now or never thing.

Cool. Not that I'm an expert or anything, but it sounds like you know what you're doing. If you want to do this and you think you can then go for it. I graduated from college in May, did my hike, came home for 2 weeks and then spent about 4 weeks in Colorado mountain biking. It was well worth it. Everyone I talk about my summer to says one of two things: "I did xyz when I was younger and it was great" or "I wish I did xyz when I had the chance." Nobody ever does a big trip like that and regrets it- no matter what the outcome or the sacrifice.


As far as tips I've picked up: one thing is to pack light. Most people think it's obvious, but they still take too much stuff. The longer the trip, the more important the weight. It takes a toll on your muscles and joints. I'm not a gearhead and I don't go ultralight, but weight is always important. Pack weight has a much greater influence on fun factor and speed than, say, bike weight does for riding.

Another thing is if you do food drops, see if you can get someone to send the packages for you and who may be willing to add some stuff if you call and request it. If you're out for a few weeks, your eating habits will change, your body will change and you'll want different stuff. Most long distance backpacking books I've seen talk about how thru hikers will end up throwing out half the stuff in their packages. If you go with other people, make sure you're on the same page in terms of abilities, objectives etc. Things can get ugly between people...

Ideally, I think 5-6 days is good for food drops. Try not to go too much longer than a week at most. If you are out a long time, try and get to a hotel or something once in a while to get a beer and a shower.

Be flexible. Setting an itinerary day-by-day for a month+ won't work. Know the mileages, plan ahead as you are going, get general guidelines- but you can't plan it all out. There are too many variables. Besides, a flexible schedule means more time for adventure and possible side trips. I averaged 14 miles a day with a buddy. I'm in decent shape and we moved quick in spite of bad weather and crappy trail conditions. I find that most people take a week to get up to speed and at the end of 2-3 weeks you are really moving.

Backpacking is awesome, but it can suck like nothing else sometimes. I've had some tough moments, but I always remind myself that this is, more or less, as good as life gets.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> thats pretty much the most important thing. because if your feet get wet or blistered then your fvcked.

When you're walking that much you just kind of get used to somewhat hamburgered feet. But the advice to get as comfy a pair of boots as possible is really good.

also dont plan to make 20+ mile a day hikes, because day after day that get really hard. move from shelter to shelter, maybe just make camp somewhere else once and a while but i would stick to a 12 or 15 mile max per day.

After about a week 20 miles/day is actually a piece of cake. I had to consciously slow down and only do ~15 miles because I was getting too far ahead of schedule. And I really wanted the trip to take all summer.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I had scholarships for 75% of my tuition and borrowed the rest. I worked to pay for living expenses and really never went home after I left for school in the first place so living expenses lasted 12 months out of the year.

Yeah - after my sophomore year that's pretty much how it was with me. It taught me how to live *really* cheaply. After I got out of school and got a "real" job I couldn't believe how fast the money piled up. Three months later a buddy got out of the Air Force and we spent the winner on a ski road trip. Every time I got a new job they pitched more and more money at me. It was *way* too tempting to just work for a few months and then take a few months off....

 

[macko]

I'm actually planning on thru-hiking the PCT not this summer, but next. You should do it; I can see myself deeply regretting never trying.

 

[untitledsince89]

I enjoyed hiking the AT via Bill Bryson's book, A walk in the woods. Entertaining indeed.

just about to post this
an amazing book
also has a lot of insight into through hiking
I've hiked a lot of the AT and the rockys out west
all in preparation for Philmont
Scount ranch in Cimiron*sp New Mexico
that was all when I was 15
I'm 17 now and haven't gotten to hike half as much now that I've been riding

 

[JRogers]

When you're walking that much you just kind of get used to somewhat hamburgered feet. But the advice to get as comfy a pair of boots as possible is really good.

After about a week 20 miles/day is actually a piece of cake. I had to consciously slow down and only do ~15 miles because I was getting too far ahead of schedule. And I really wanted the trip to take all summer.

I think it depends heavily on terrain. 20 miles a day in some areas is much more doable than others. Although I only saw limited portions of it, what I did ride/hike of the CO Trail was in decent shape and generally had a good amount of switchbacks. Other things

At least on my last trip (Long Trail), 20 miles a day was Superman pace. We met one guy doing that...but he had a 7 lb base weight pack and had thru hiked the AT, Pacific Crest Trail and the CO Trail. Southern portions of the AT vary a lot in condition. Northern parts can be very rough and, through the whole thing, weather can be bad for long stretches.

 

[macko]

just about to post this
an amazing book
also has a lot of insight into through hiking
I've hiked a lot of the AT and the rockys out west
all in preparation for Philmont
Scount ranch in Cimiron*sp New Mexico
that was all when I was 15
I'm 17 now and haven't gotten to hike half as much now that I've been riding

Sounds to me like you're more than prepared for Philmont. Over-prepared, most likely. I did Philmont back in the day when I was in scouts and ... yeah it's tough ... but c'mon, it's the boy scouts.

 

[urbaindk]

Sounds to me like you're more than prepared for Philmont. Over-prepared, most likely. I did Philmont back in the day when I was in scouts and ... yeah it's tough ... but c'mon, it's the boy scouts.

One of my biggest regrets in life is not going to Philmont when I had a chance. When I was in scouts I really didn't enjoy backpacking that much. I really got into it after scouts in college. What a fool I was to pass up that opportunity! I just hope that one day one of my kids will want to go some day so I can tag along as a scout leader.

 

[Bad DNA]

Originally Posted by bluebug32
I enjoyed hiking the AT via Bill Bryson's book, A walk in the woods. Entertaining indeed.

That is a fine read.

Honestly, I didn't care for it at all. I have hiked the whole trail, and his was nothing more than a yellow blaze romp up the countryside. Made fun of the hikers, the locals -- really didn't get the whole 'hike your own hike' mentality. Met him at a presentation. He's a bit of a snob, so that may have colored my read. yeah, I know this thread is way old, but I rarely have time to read forums.

Do this kind of thing if you can. It is transformative.

 

[BadDNA]

Honestly, I didn't care for it at all. I have hiked the whole trail, and his was nothing more than a yellow blaze romp up the countryside. Made fun of the hikers, the locals -- really didn't get the whole 'hike your own hike' mentality. Met him at a presentation. He's a bit of a snob, so that may have colored my read. yeah, I know this thread is way old, but I rarely have time to read forums.

Do this kind of thing if you can. It is transformative.

Douchebag...get an original user name and stop trying to make me look bad by using intelligent polysyllabic words.