Welcome to WhiteBlaze.net

[nitegaunt]

I don't think I've introduced myself here but I've been reading the forum for a while. I live a few minutes from the trail in TN and have pretty much explored from Roan Mountain to Mt. Rogers over the years. I dayhike on the AT and other trails in the area regularly with a couple of friends and hope to do a thru hike in the next couple of years. Well, that's about it for now. I haven't posted much on here but I love to read everyone's posts. It's a great source for information on just about everything! Thanks.

[-Animal]

I’m finally getting around to doing what I have dreamed of- hiking the Appellation Trail. This site is a huge help to me in planing my 2011 nobo thru-hike. A huge thank you to all the knowledgeable people who post advice for a novice hiker like me. Hopefully I’ll make some friends and meet some of you on the trail.

[strollingalong]

Hey. Jake from England, living in Mexico City. Was planning on walking in 2011. pHaving to put it off to 2012 now.... can't wait!

[Firefighter503]

Hey all, Justin (24) from Northern VA. Have been talking about/reading about hiking the AT for some time now with my brothers, and am (hopefully) going to pull the trigger next year (with atleast one of them coming along with me). We are trying to start getting ready logistically now.

[BadAndy]

Hey all, Andy from Harrisburg, PA here checking in. Been an avid hiker for a while, spend tons of time on the AT around Harrisburg and central PA, mostly day hikes and overnights. I'm currently getting into more serious backpacking, you can find some of my silly newb posts in the gear sections. I plan to start sectioning the AT and hopefully someday have the time and resources to do a thru. Looking forward to meeting any central PA locals that might be here,

[Mr. Chic]

Hey everybody, just found this site I live in Jim Thorpe Pa about 20 minutes from the AT in several places and have never set foot on it. I know shame on me. I want to change that. I figured I would say hello. I am 36 and married with a 4 year old and a 2 year old boys. If anyone near me is looking for hiking buddies give me a shout. My wife and I wouldn't mind meeting some nice people. We are complete novices but I really want to get back out in thick of it. Sorry for the personal ad. Hope to learn some cool things here.

[Kelleelynn]

Hello! New to the site and looking forward to hiking the entire A.T. spring 2011 with my daughter, she will be 9 when we start. I am interested if anyone has done this with their children and any tips or suggestions you may have!

[hpato]

I'm in Buena Vista, VA, and a group of us are working to make our town more hiker-friendly. Have talked with the local AT club and numerous thru-hikers, but welcome any ideas or suggestions anyone else may have. We're about 9 miles off the AT and many of us give rides to hikers coming off the trail to re-supply or heading back to the trail. What else can we do to make hikers feel welcome?

[LeafAndStar]

Congratulations! You've just won a free obligatory introduction post! *fanfare*

We are Leaf and Star (respectively) and we've got the itch to do some walking. With any luck, our happy feet (at least at the start) will find their way onto the AT in 2011. We've been hiking and camping together for the past 5 wonderful years that we've been married but we haven't had the chance to do it as much as we want. Our friends and family all think we're nuts but they've been polite and supportive on the surface. I think it'll finally sink in when they don't hear from us for weeks at a time or get that first postcard in the mail!

Well, thanks for listening, hope to see you all around when we get to asking real questions.

[Sergemaster]

Greetings all,
Although I have yet to hike the AT, I plan on doing this sometime in the near future. In the meantime, I have been an avid hiker for a few years and look forward to each weekend when I can keep on trucking by trekking!!

I find this site a plethora of information, and very inspiring indeed. I am looking forward to the knowledge that I will take away with each login and new post.

Cheers,
Serge

[Tennessee]

Hi all!
I need all the advice I can get!
I'm ready to finally start my adventures on the AT!
Looking forward to chatting with you all soon!

<3 Tennessee

[emerald]

For a wealth of information, click on the link and white blazes below.

[Special-K]

hello, new here. just saying hey and i appreciate this site. hiking A.T. this up comping March 2011. hope to gain much knowledge and friends.

[Old River Rat]

Hello to all members of this forum. I am new to hiking and backpacking but I am not new to camping. In the past, I was able to load my truck with ice chests, lanterns, gallons of water and all of the comforts of home. I am now exploring backpacking and it is fascinating, to say the least. A great deal of knowledge is necessary to pursue this endeavor. I am close to retirement and hopefully will be meeting you on the trail starting in 2013. So, I have a while to research and train. My main concern now is water. I am researching a good filter. I am close to choosing the Katadyn Pocket. My question is, is filtering enough? Or, do you need to also chemically treat? Has anyone fell sick from filtering alone? Katadyn says in North America the Pocket is all you need because there are no water borne viruses, but I would like to hear from some of you about this. I also am very interested in hammocking. The Clark NX-150 looks real good to me. Maybe I will find answers already posted on this forum but I am new at this also and do not know how to look just yet. Thank you all.

I am no where near in shape for the Appalachians. I am going to start small and flat here in Louisiana and work my way up. I have always loved the

[Old River Rat]

I have always loved the mountains and I feel I am going to really enjoy this activity. Take care.

[Turkey Sandwich]

Hi there,

My name is Connor. I've always loved hiking, though I've never really had any experience backpacking or camping. I've lived in Pawling, NY all my life, and the AT is only 2 minutes away from my house (I may have even given one or two of you a lift into town), so my brother and I have been planning a thru hike for a while now.

In poking around for information, I came across this site and have read many of the articles and prep tips, so I figured I'd introduce myself and ask a few more questions. Our plan is to begin in late February or early March of next year, because I start graduate school in the third week of August. That gives us about 5 and a half months to complete it. We're both in fairly good shape and my brother does have some backpacking experience, so my question is: is this a reasonable enough goal? If we were to take a few less zero days and pick up the mileage, would we be able to finish by August without being thoroughly miserable? Also, if we're starting that early, I'm guessing we'd need two sets of some gear, for warm and cold weather. Is that correct?

Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks, and I hope to learn a lot more from this site before I set out.

[Cookerhiker]

Hi there,

My name is Connor. I've always loved hiking, though I've never really had any experience backpacking or camping. I've lived in Pawling, NY all my life, and the AT is only 2 minutes away from my house (I may have even given one or two of you a lift into town), so my brother and I have been planning a thru hike for a while now.

In poking around for information, I came across this site and have read many of the articles and prep tips, so I figured I'd introduce myself and ask a few more questions. Our plan is to begin in late February or early March of next year, because I start graduate school in the third week of August. That gives us about 5 and a half months to complete it. We're both in fairly good shape and my brother does have some backpacking experience, so my question is: is this a reasonable enough goal? If we were to take a few less zero days and pick up the mileage, would we be able to finish by August without being thoroughly miserable? Also, if we're starting that early, I'm guessing we'd need two sets of some gear, for warm and cold weather. Is that correct?

Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks, and I hope to learn a lot more from this site before I set out.

Welcome to WhiteBlaze. You may want to re-post your questions by starting a thread in a specific forum. I recommend the thruhikers forum (here) since you're contemplating a thruhike. Starting a thread is easy - just click on "New Thread." Or you can first browse through existing threads and latch onto one that's similar to your questions. Have a good hike!

[snorz]

happy to be aboard!

[ki0eh]

Hey all, Andy from Harrisburg, PA here checking in. Been an avid hiker for a while, spend tons of time on the AT around Harrisburg and central PA, mostly day hikes and overnights. I'm currently getting into more serious backpacking, you can find some of my silly newb posts in the gear sections. I plan to start sectioning the AT and hopefully someday have the time and resources to do a thru. Looking forward to meeting any central PA locals that might be here,

to WB! Sorry I had missed this post earlier. What makes you "Bad"? Are you in SATC?

[bert304]

Hello everyone


New to hiking and to this Forum. I started hiking with my 3 kids here in Berks county about 2 months ago. I only live 15 miles from the AT at Port Clinton. Trying to figure out what I need for a weekend getaway with the 2 older children thinking of hiking from Port Clinton going north to the Pinicale.