Leaving NOBO March 1st 08

[frieden]

trailfoot, i will be hiking with merrils. they are a great boot for women with narrow feet. also, they last a long time. gortex merrils often are really warm but dont breathe much.

I love my Gortex Merril boots. I hiked for 3 weeks straight in the UK and Ireland with them straight out of the box, and never got one blister. They are amazing!

[Heater]

I love my Gortex Merril boots. I hiked for 3 weeks straight in the UK and Ireland with them straight out of the box, and never got one blister. They are amazing!

I am pretty sure that Merrell has thier own brand of water resistant material. At least that is what REI told me when I bought my Pulse II's.
Not "Goretex" but similar.

They do fit me great though. Thing is, they fit me so good I can't put inserts in! I'll have to see how they work on the trail. If I need more cushion in the soles I will have to move to another brand.

[frieden]

so i've started planning the technical parts of our hike.....the 2007 AT trail guide has taken up it's place next to my bed. How long is everyone planning on taking to get to their goal mileage? i don't want to push to far too fast and get hurt and have to take time off right at the start. my hubby and dog and i are all in pretty good shape....go running a few times a week and lift and I ride horses at least 3 times a week. what's everyone's game plan for mileage?

Beaker

Since we were supposed to be in the Class of 2006, I already have most of my planning folder done. It just needs tweaking. We're starting out at 10-12 miles/day. By Day 5, we'll be at 16 miles/day. At Day 55, we begin 18-20 miles/day. At Day 75, we will be at 22-24 miles/day. We drop back down to 18 miles/day on Day 136. We have 16 "Off" days, and 34 resupply days (although, I wanted to try to cut that down). We'll take a 1hr. lunch break, until Day 84, when it will increase to 2hrs. The lunch break increases to 3hrs on Day 122, and drops back down to 2hrs on Day 136. The increased lunch break is due to heat, where we will try to avoid hiking mid-day. We won't be staying in shelters at all, and can have up to 21 hotel/hostel stays.

[Heater]

Since we were supposed to be in the Class of 2006, I already have most of my planning folder done. It just needs tweaking. We're starting out at 10-12 miles/day. By Day 5, we'll be at 16 miles/day. At Day 55, we begin 18-20 miles/day. At Day 75, we will be at 22-24 miles/day. We drop back down to 18 miles/day on Day 136. We have 16 "Off" days, and 34 resupply days (although, I wanted to try to cut that down). We'll take a 1hr. lunch break, until Day 84, when it will increase to 2hrs. The lunch break increases to 3hrs on Day 122, and drops back down to 2hrs on Day 136. The increased lunch break is due to heat, where we will try to avoid hiking mid-day. We won't be staying in shelters at all, and can have up to 21 hotel/hostel stays.

And after 2 day you can probably throw out the whole schedule and just go with it!

[frieden]

And after 2 day you can probably throw out the whole schedule and just go with it!

Hahahaha! You're probably right!

[rafe]

Since we were supposed to be in the Class of 2006, I already have most of my planning folder done. It just needs tweaking. We're starting out at 10-12 miles/day. By Day 5, we'll be at 16 miles/day. At Day 55, we begin 18-20 miles/day. At Day 75, we will be at 22-24 miles/day. We drop back down to 18 miles/day on Day 136. We have 16 "Off" days, and 34 resupply days (although, I wanted to try to cut that down). We'll take a 1hr. lunch break, until Day 84, when it will increase to 2hrs. The lunch break increases to 3hrs on Day 122, and drops back down to 2hrs on Day 136. The increased lunch break is due to heat, where we will try to avoid hiking mid-day. We won't be staying in shelters at all, and can have up to 21 hotel/hostel stays.

You're joking, right?

[Nest]

Since we were supposed to be in the Class of 2006, I already have most of my planning folder done. It just needs tweaking. We're starting out at 10-12 miles/day. By Day 5, we'll be at 16 miles/day. At Day 55, we begin 18-20 miles/day. At Day 75, we will be at 22-24 miles/day. We drop back down to 18 miles/day on Day 136. We have 16 "Off" days, and 34 resupply days (although, I wanted to try to cut that down). We'll take a 1hr. lunch break, until Day 84, when it will increase to 2hrs. The lunch break increases to 3hrs on Day 122, and drops back down to 2hrs on Day 136. The increased lunch break is due to heat, where we will try to avoid hiking mid-day. We won't be staying in shelters at all, and can have up to 21 hotel/hostel stays.

What if on day 123 you get bored an hour into your lunch break? Sorry, but wow. We couldn't be any more opposite on our planning. You have every days mileage planned out. My mileage plans are I will average a little over 2100 miles within the first 6 1/2 months. Not picking on you. I'm a firm believer in PYOH (maybe someone will get that).

[frieden]

No, I'm not joking on the schedule, but I wanted to get that specific on "paper" to plan my mail drops, possible expenses, etc. Who knows what will actually happen out on the trail? One of our 20 mile days might turn into a 2 mile day. We'll just do the best we can, and know we can't plan for everything.

Ok, ok........sometimes I do get a little "A" type.

[Nest]

Well, I'm not doing any maildrops so I wouldn't know for sure, but that makes sense to me. How else will you know when and where to have a mail drop sent unless you have a rough idea of where you will be. It's better than guessing I'm sure.

I really don't have any right to make fun of anyone. My pack is already packed and sitting in the hallway. All I have to do is fill my food bag and water bottles. It's gonna be a long year.

[rafe]

Ok, ok........sometimes I do get a little "A" type.

Yeah, I know how that goes... I'm utterly preoccupied with a hike that won't happen till August. I have a daily/weekly mileage in mind, but beyond that, no schedule. I'm not planning on mail drops.

[frieden]

My pack is already packed and sitting in the hallway. All I have to do is fill my food bag and water bottles. It's gonna be a long year.

Aren't you taking it out for test hikes throughout the year? We went out on a trail here with our packs, and I was worried that someone would look at me like I was a complete idiot. Part way out, a guy with a pack passed us going in the opposite direction. The smile he had on his face, and the look in his eyes said he had been thinking the same thing.

[Nest]

Aren't you taking it out for test hikes throughout the year? We went out on a trail here with our packs, and I was worried that someone would look at me like I was a complete idiot. Part way out, a guy with a pack passed us going in the opposite direction. The smile he had on his face, and the look in his eyes said he had been thinking the same thing.

Probably not. It's hard to get the time away to go hiking. With my job I stay in very good shape, and I do a lot of lifting and carrying heavy loads. I did go camping overnight last night just to test out my hammock setup. Plus I will be doing a hike from Springer to Fontana Dam this June to really test out my gear. Other than that my pack will just sit there fully packed waiting.

[ZEKE #2]

Well, anyone else plan on leaving as late as me? I didn't think April was that late.

I'll be starting April 1st. It is certainly doable starting then. Many of the trailjournals that I have read have hikers taking more zero days due to weather conditions. I don't like the cold. We'll be fine.

[Trailers]

yea, ill leave sometime around then too, i used to like the cold, but myu dodgy circulation has made the cold unbareable, im def starting later. im praying things will have improved...i really dont wanna flip flop

[Rosettr]

Count me in!! I've got the gear and I'm tired of waiting for the right time....08's the right time. I look forward to seeing all my classmates out there on the trail. Look out bears and mice and deer looks like you'll be sharing your wilderness with me. Speaking of mice, I hear the shelters get a little crowded so I was thinking of bringing a small ultralite tent. I'd appreciate any insight as to whether it's a good idea or not. I hate carrying anything I don't really need. March sounds good to me, but I'm down here in South Texas where it can be rather balmy in March so my classmates may find me shivering at the top of Springer Mtn. Oh well, forzen or not, I'll see ya there.

[Rosettr]

Count me in!! I've got the gear and I'm tired of waiting for the right time....08's the right time. I look forward to seeing all my classmates out there on the trail. Look out bears and mice and deer looks like you'll be sharing your wilderness with me. Speaking of mice, I hear the shelters get a little crowded so I was thinking of bringing a small ultralite tent. I'd appreciate any insight as to whether it's a good idea or not. I hate carrying anything I don't really need. March sounds good to me, but I'm down here in South Texas where it can be rather balmy in March so my classmates may find me shivering at the top of Springer Mtn. Oh well, forzen or not, I'll see ya there.

[Mammoth]

I'm bringing a tarptent. Lots of people start in March, and I've heard reports of upwards of 40 people in and around the shelters near Springer, so it's not reliable to always have a space in a shelter. It seems like most people bring either a small tent, a hammock, or a tarp.

[whykickamoocow]

I'm definitely bringing a tarptent aswell, I think they are great things, I only learnt about them on WB. The class of '08 is getting bigger by the week, how exciting. If anyone is looking to make contact, just to talk about how excited they are, please feel free to contact me. I've talked to a fellow Australian (meet them also on WB) who walked the AT in '06 and he has given me wonderful advice, on such matters as visas, etc...

I've also made contact with Cargo Drop and he is a great character, the people I meet on the way will be half the fun. I wonder how many of you shall I meet out on the trail, I hope it is a great number of you.

Just a comment on trail names, I've never come across such things before in my hiking days, although I have heard of groups of people hiking together giving themselves a name. There seems to be so many little extras that is involved with AT, and i really love it, most people seem to be slightly eccentric, just great to get into the swing of things.

[whykickamoocow]

Sign me up! I'm aiming for early-to-mid March.

Furtigan I have officially signed you up, if i ever get another lazy sunday with not much to do, and i make another list, then your name shall be proudly plastered across in Bold letters, lol...

I was compiling a list to get an idea of the people i shall have the possibility of running into on the trail. Furtigan we ssem to be planning on starting at a similar time, so just maybe we might see each other out on the trail.

[trailfoot]

It's been awhile since I visited WB so I thought I would say it's nice to see more and more people getting on board with their 2008 hike.

In my last post I neglected to state my departure date from Springer and that will be March 30 or 31. Just in time for the masses I guess my hammock will get a workout in the beginning.