The Hike

[Atraain]

So the gear is got, the countdown clock is ticking and I've not been this excited since Bonnie promised second base in seventh grade. My attention turns to the hike. Hours of reading have lead me to this conclusion. Thru hikers carry minimal weight and just enough rations to get to the next town. My question is, is this just simply a weight thing or is there something that needs seen in these towns? Does anyone carry say ten days of rations and stay on the trail? I know I want to see Harper's Ferry and Damascus. Are there any other recommended must see towns along the trail?

[RED-DOG]

for me i get resupply on the AT normally every 5-6 days, it's your own personal preference, you can carry as much or as little as you want, if you want to carry 10 days of food COOL go for it, remember it's hike your own hike it's your hike, hike it the way you want to. theirs a section in NJ/NY where you don't have to carry any food you go from one deli to the next.
for me the only MUST see towns is Hot Springs and Harper's ferry the rest of them is just their to get resupplied in and relax your body.

[Slo-go'en]

10 days of food can be as much as 20 pounds. It can also take up a lot of space in the pack. My limit is about 5 days. The less weight you have to carry, the easier it is on your body. The only thing I want to see in a town is the supermarket and a restaurant.

[bigcranky]

What Slo said. Yeah, you can carry 10 days of food if you want. I thiink you'll figure out pretty quickly that a thru-hike is all about the hiking, and that hiking with 5 or 6 days of food out of town is easier than with 10 days.

[ALLEGHENY]

There is a fine line between a Thru-Hiker and a homeless person. When you get to town go see about a shower and a shave.

[johnnybgood]

Carrying less weight equals a quicker pace which increases daily mileage. In the big picture more mpd gets you to your next town resupply earlier. Doing this daily over time equates to a quicker thru hike .
In the end it gets you to the big K faster which means less money spent on consumables and hiker services.

[Deadeye]

Carrying less weight equals a quicker pace which increases daily mileage.

Or it can equal the same mileage with less wear & tear on the body, which becomes critical for those of us who haven't been 25 years old for 25 (or more) years! Whatever you make of it. Most town stops are just for resupply, good food, a shower, and a break from hiking, not a destination.

[Hangfire]

This is something that you will figure out as you go. Food is heavy and towns come along more often than you think, you will learn quickly about the importance of logistics and how to read your book correctly. Also you will be in constant contact with fellow hikers who will all have different resupply/food theories. One tip I can give you is the hiker box at Neal gap hostel is full of all kinds of good stuff, but you have to stay there to get at it.

[fiddlehead]

Carry as much as you feel comfortable with.
But, I can almost guarantee that by the 2nd half of an AT thru-hike, you will be hitting towns aprox every 3-5 days for resupply.
It's easier carrying 20 lbs than it is 35.
But, totally up to you.
Weather will be a big factor in your town time too.

[Old Hiker]

It's gonna be like that lying female collie Bonnie. (Unless you married her: in which case, congratulations.) People will tell you all SORTS of stuff - YOU have to decide what's best for YOU. Bonnie's second base might have been YOUR first, but for her...........well...............

If you hike slower (like me), you need more food to get to the next town. You will have to decide what is a good starting point and dial it in from there. Don't hike your fears (again, like me) and constantly take too much of ANYTHING, let alone food.

Good luck.

[Tipi Walter]

Back in the '80's when I did the AT I resupplied often, hitched often, ate what I could find in small stores and pretty much did okay. There's nothing like going to a tiny mountain store and finding a block of cream cheese 4 years past its expiration date. I bought it anyway. I lived on oatmeal mixed with wild edibles like wild mustard and chickweed and lamb's quarters. Excellent.

Now when I do AT section hikes I carry all my food for the hike and never resupply. On my last 3 AT trips I pulled around 21 days for each trip and carried 21 days worth of food. It's heavy but heck once I enter the woods I do not want to go to a store or handle folding money until the last day of the trip. It can be done.

[Tuxedo]

This question has HYOH

I can testify to loading up the first time with 9days of food, but I learned quickly that every town and resupply on the AT has you going down hill in and uphill out. I cant explain the sensation of 0-1meal, to leaving town with a full belly of breakfast and +20lbs 3-5day supply going uphill to climb out of town feels like. After I was experienced in both mail drop and town resupply the only time Ive done close to 10day is sobo Katahdin start thru 100mi wilderness.

Hiking with more then 5days food when doing 12-15mi a day didnt seem to bad. If like me 4-6weeks on the trail miles a day become 15-25+. You carry less food and less water because your passing more food and water sources. You will gain this knowledge is power too and my only advise when hiking is there is a Burger and Beer in that next thar town hike to em'.

[evyck da fleet]

Its personal preference. A lot of hikers will carry 3 days of food to be as light as possible. I carried 5 because that was as much weight as I felt comfortable with and that's about as long as I wanted to go without a shower. Also I burned more calories a day than I consumed so towns were a great chance to treat myself to a meal and pack on some weight. I also found that when I left town on day 1 and went back in at the end of day 3 to resupply I spent more days with time in towns than days spent solely in the woods. A random town stop to take a day off and avoid an all day storm is nice too.

[Tuxedo]

I know I want to see Harper's Ferry and Damascus. Are there any other recommended must see towns along the trail?

My favs other then your 2
Duncanan, PA The Doyle
Catawba, VA has the best restaurant on the trail
Daleville, VA has so many services for a hiker .3 from the trail you wish more gaps were like it
Port Clinton, PA Port Clinton Hotel had arguably the best Burger on the trail
Hanover, NH the Co-op on the trail is the Four Seasons of resupply expensive but YUMMMY
Hot Springs, TN 2nd best trail town to Damascus
Erwin, TN say hi to Mrs Janet, a great zero town
Dalton, MA was a great zero and full of Hiker love
Gorham, NH the trail used to route thru town but now is an easy hitch from 2 hwy's 20mi of trail apart.
Great Barrington, MA was a picture perfect New England town great food and hospitality
Palmerton, PA great zero town
Falls Village, CT best hot day spot ever
Killington, VT at the Inn
From DWG to Maine Junction You can be in a town every other day with a max 10mi hitch