View Full Version : Getting to the Trail by Bus
JimSproul
01-04-2007, 18:31
I want to share my experince with those of you considering heading to Georgia by bus.
When I decided to attempt a thru-hike in April of 2006 I had just lost my job. Not having a pile of money sitting around and not wanting to go thru the hassle of flying to Atlanta with hiking gear, I grabbed a Greyhound out of Dallas bound for Gainesville. Here is my experience:
It took 27+ hours
It was filthy beyond any bus trip I had every taken
The busses were packed, every rider complained how bad it had gotten
I had to watch my gear at every stop so it did not "wander" off the bus
I got little sleep
I did not save much compared to air fare
I would not do it again it I had any other choice!
Sleepy the Arab
01-04-2007, 18:51
A bus ride to Georgia is one of the many things that keeps me from considering another thru. It doesn't sound like I had as much of a bad time as the above poster, but I will confirm that I did not get any sleep.
My ride started in Manchester, NH, so it was 25 hours to Gainesville. It wasn't enjoyable, but did not get truly uncomfortable and crowded until southern Virgina. It was not that filthy, and I did save compared to airfare (look into buying your ticket more than a week in advance to save some bucks - I got $30 off my ticket). My gear was relatively safe - my driver would not let me leave with my pack until I produced my claim ticket which for one hair raising moment I couldn't find. Changing busses is a pain though, especially with a pack to lug around a bus station. Boredom is also a hassle.
Lastly, don't get hustled in New York City! Dang Yankee fans!
superman
01-04-2007, 19:17
I send my pack ahead via UPS to a secure location. It makes traveling a lot easier.
terrapin_too
01-04-2007, 19:41
A bus ride to Georgia is one of the many things that keeps me from considering another thru.
Eh? I don't know what the bus costs, but one-way airfare from Boston to Atlanta is just a bit over $100. So what are your other reasons?
Bloodroot
01-04-2007, 19:45
I too took a Greyhound from WV to Atl and decided I would never do it again....It was an absolute horrible experience much like Jim described.
I've taken two bus rides from the east coast to San Diego about 65 hours each, one from northern MT to southern CO, about 2 days, one from VT to NC, just over a day and another from Boston to Toronto. Would I ride again? Probably.
I send my pack ahead via UPS to a secure location. It makes traveling a lot easier.
Good idea, if you can do it. Even though I always had a watchful eye, during a transfer in Denver, the clerk assured me my pack would make it on the right bus. It didn't, but fortunately if arrived 24 hours later and I was able to continue hiking. My option was to re-outfit for the last 225 miles of my hike at Walmart in Alamosa CO
Sunset lost his pack on a bus to CA and didn't get it back for several months, with only the food missing. He needed to regroup and get all new/used gear to hike. Same situations happened to Flying Brian and Chase.
I would have to wonder..why go by bus?
You can get From Boson to Atlanta in 3 and a half hours for something like 140 dollars (at least thatis what I paid last March). You can save maybe 30 dollars or so by bus and take 10 times as long. I considered the train. But it would have meant all day a change of train and an overnight to Gainsville Florida. I don't think personally in retrospect that the small savings would be worth all that hassel and lack of rest.
David
terrapin_too
01-04-2007, 19:56
I've done short bus rides to and from some of my section hikes. No problems. Nothing beyond a 2-3 hour ride, though.
fishinfred
01-04-2007, 20:02
Did the bus trip from Mi. to Fla (visited grandkids before starting my hike) in 05 ....28+ hrs .The bus stops every couple hrs and they make you get up & out so sleep was hard to come by .The worst part was after my hike when I took the bus back to Mi......
When I got to Detroit and got off the bus my pack was GONE with ALL my gear and pictures .....after a couple days I gave it up as gone forever (it REALLY SUCKED ! :mad: ) but on the 4th day after I returned home I got a call saying my pack was at the station ,seems it somehow got transferred to a bus going to Calif. somewheres along the way at one of the many stops,so KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR STUFF at every stop . Needless to say I was overjoyed to get everything back "untouched" . I was lucky !:)
Some other things that come to mind about riding the bus ....
Besides being filthy
Toilet overfilled and STUNK up the bus so bad everyone was gagging...some kids sitting in the back actually taped the door seams which didn't help .
Had a couple getting it on in a seat across the aisle from me ...
Bus driver (must of been a new one) got lost in Cinncinatti for 2 hrs ,I guess he was embarrased to call in for directions, finally stopped a local bus and asked
Different driver dozed ( a couple times ) swerving onto the shoulder and rumble strips
I'm sure there are alot more stories like these out there , in fact, one hiker I met who came down from Me. in 03 had his bus catch fire and spent 4 hrs on side of the highway in the cold rain waiting for another bus to get there .
Not a good experience at all , yet quite the adventure ....:eek:
Not trying to scare ya , just prepare ya
Hope your trip is more pleasant than the above scenerio !
Have a great hike it will make the bus trip worth it! :D
Bring a good book and tunes !!!!!
Perhaps I'll see you out on the trail somewheres and you can tell me all about YOUR bus trip
Good luck!!!!!!
FF
I would have to wonder..why go by bus?
You can get From Boson to Atlanta in 3 and a half hours for something like 140 dollars (at least thatis what I paid last March). You can save maybe 30 dollars or so by bus and take 10 times as long. I considered the train. But it would have meant all day a change of train and an overnight to Gainsville Florida. I don't think personally in retrospect that the small savings would be worth all that hassel and lack of rest.
David
Yeah, if you can get a cheap airfare, fine. The bus sometimes ends up costing more as with the frequent stops you spend more on snacks. other times you'll save $100 or more by bus.
. I considered the train. But it would have meant all day a change of train and an overnight to Gainsville Florida. I don't think personally in retrospect that the small savings would be worth all that hassel and lack of rest.
David
Better check that. AFAIK, the train goes to Gainsville, GA not down to FL and back.
terrapin_too
01-04-2007, 20:07
Yeah, if you can get a cheap airfare, fine.
Cheaptickets.com (http://www.cheaptickets.com/)
Sleepy the Arab
01-04-2007, 22:24
Eh? I don't know what the bus costs, but one-way airfare from Boston to Atlanta is just a bit over $100. So what are your other reasons?
ManchVegas to Gainsville: $77. The difference between that cost and a plane ticket is an extra night at Ms. Janet's.
As for other reasons...which do you refer? Other reasons for not taking a plane versus a bus or other reasons for keeping me from another thru?
Cheaptickets.com (http://www.cheaptickets.com/)
Yup, good place to shop. In 2005 flew out to Reno and a friend's sister was able to give me a buddy pass. $170 RT from Asheville. I saved about the same...
Jack Tarlin
01-04-2007, 22:32
Last long bus trip I took was from Johnson City to Hagerstown MD and it was pretty horrible. (Many years ago I went from Boston to Santa Cruz California by Greyhound and I would sooner shoot myself than repeat even half of that trip!)
I've taken the train from White River Junction Vermont (near Hanover) to Gainesville GA twice. Not bad at all, and you can save money if you buy your ticket well in advance. Or of course one can fly.
Best bet is to try and find someone who's driving down and share driving and gas expenses. If you end up with the right person, this can make for a very pleasant trip.
I would have to wonder..why go by bus?
You can get From Boson to Atlanta in 3 and a half hours for something like 140 dollars (at least thatis what I paid last March).
It can sometimes even be cheaper than that. Airtran from Bos to ATL (direct flight) is $79 (I randomly selected Mar 13, 2007).
I did a section hike last may - I left NH at 4:30 am, flight was from 6-9, and with marta and a shuttle, I was hiking the approach trail by 11:30 am.
The only disadvantage was I couldn't carry fuel, but the shuttle guy picked up a canister for me.
Flying is definitely the way to go.
It can sometimes even be cheaper than that. Airtran from Bos to ATL (direct flight) is $79 (I randomly selected Mar 13, 2007).
I forgot to go to the final page that includes all costs - with taxes it is $89
Pokey2006
01-05-2007, 06:21
The bus is the bus. You have to go into it expecting it to be hell.
I think that's what kept me from going home early on -- the thought of another 24-hour bus ride home. Easier to walk over the mountains.
I also did an east-to-west-coast Greyhound trip once...and had a blast! You just gotta bring plenty of booze and hope for a cool crowd on the bus.
Socrates
01-05-2007, 06:56
As if it hasn't been confirmed by now, yes, Greyhound sucks on so many levels. The head of the company should be given a public lashing and then forced to spend a night in one of those bathrooms. When I was younger, I took it a few times and miserbale is an understatement. By the time I get somehwere, I'm just waiting for someone to piss me off. It's like being covered in that negativity slime from Ghostbusters 2! First of all, the workers could give a crap less about you. I'm 6'4" so leg room is an absolute joke and sleep is wishful thinking. You're forced to ask yourself, "Does the bus smell like the bathroom or does the bathroom smell like the bus?" And in Denver, my bag was stolen, not lost. So I never got that back. One time, a guy started acting wierd, the bus driver pulled into some small town gas station, made us sit on the bus for an hour while he called the police and had him arrested. If you step outside the doors of the big city stations for any reason, you're warmly greeted by dealers, hustlers, homeless, and prostitutes and the security guards are friends with them so it's GHETTOOO all the way. If you've got the money for equipment to hike and bus it, DEFINATELY just cough up a little more and fly. In my pot smoking days, it was barely tolerable and I know now that it would just drain me of happiness. But if you want to tell your friends some great stories like mine, then go for it. It's definately an experience.
Amtrak and ClubCars!!! Civilized!
I want to share my experince with those of you considering heading to Georgia by bus.
When I decided to attempt a thru-hike in April of 2006 I had just lost my job. Not having a pile of money sitting around and not wanting to go thru the hassle of flying to Atlanta with hiking gear, I grabbed a Greyhound out of Dallas bound for Gainesville. Here is my experience:
It took 27+ hours
It was filthy beyond any bus trip I had every taken
The busses were packed, every rider complained how bad it had gotten
I had to watch my gear at every stop so it did not "wander" off the bus
I got little sleep
I did not save much compared to air fare
I would not do it again it I had any other choice!
'Nuff said.:D
TurkeyBacon
01-05-2007, 08:59
I might have that story beat. Illinois to GA.
-got offered medication from an old man in Indy, almost got bags left off the bus in Cincy, almost not allowed to bet back on bus after getting new luggage tags in Cincy as well, got shot in back of head by spit wads by teanagers in SC, arrived 12 hours late and missed planned pickup.
The upsides where that we had an awsome cabbie drive us to the Falls and heard the phrase "slicker than owl *****", got to the shelter at Amacolola and had no butterflies as I was so happy to get off the bus that I didn't care what I was about to be starting, just as long as it did not involve a bus.
TB
Maybe long distance bike trips suck, but I enjoyed the the bus ride from Medway to Bangor, and then Bangor to Boston. Express bus, not crowded, and plenty for room for me to stretch out legs and talk with others who had recently completed their hikes.
Like Jack, train to Gainesville was an overnight, and we changed trains once, but other than that, a great way to get to Georgia.
TwoForty
01-06-2007, 17:57
I don't suppose you can get near the trail via train and then a taxi can you?
JimSproul
01-06-2007, 20:00
Yes you can, to the Springer end at least!
The thing about the train is it go to gainesville but it is just a drop off point you can't get you pack or what ever else you have in the bagg car the best bet would be to take it to atl the get a bus to gainesville that what i plan on doing.Of course you can get a little bunk car so you can keep you pack in their with you that in only a ex 300.00 plus you rail fare:welcome
The thing about the train is it go to gainesville but it is just a drop off point you can't get you pack or what ever else you have in the bagg car the best bet would be to take it to atl the get a bus to gainesville that what i plan on doing.Of course you can get a little bunk car so you can keep you pack in their with you that in only a ex 300.00 plus you rail fare
What?
You just walk on the train with your pack and keep it with you. Atleast that's been my experience.
I don't suppose you can get near the trail via train and then a taxi can you?
You could, but I'd call Josh & Leigh Saint at www.HikerHostel.com before I did that. They could fetch you, put you up at their beautiful hostel, and take you to the trail the next day.
I took Greyhound from San Francisco to Merced this summer to get to the JMT. The bus ride was only about 3-4 hours, and it wasn't bad. The only downer was the skinheads with the swasticka tattoos. :eek: Both of the dudes had a scary look in their eyes - like they'd done too much Meth or something. I just minded my own business.
I don't know that I'd want to spend any more than 3-4 hours on a Greyhound. Especially if that meant changing buses a bunch of times.
Sometimes you don't have much of a choice. I just looked up from Denver to Kalispell/East Glacier MT.
Train- 3 days via CA $234
Plane- 4 hours $269
Bus- 26 hours $81
You have size limit to what you can take on the train it is 28x22x4 mine is a ex it is 36x20x4 to big would have to be put in the bagg car and like i said in the early post they do not have a way to unload your pack in gainesville. I got this info right from amtrak. But you can alway jut do like i said take train to atl then catch bus to gainesville and get pickup and took to hostel :rolleyes:
You don't really think they measure packs, do you? You're 8" too big one way and 2" short another. If you want to take the train to Atlanta and the bus back knock yourself out, but plenty of others have managed to take the train to Gainesville.