day hiking the AT
Just wondering, can the AT be done mostly by day hikes with some backpacking trips? Not new to the trail, I've done about 200 miles in about half a year.
Sure,why not.At the rate your going it should take you 10 more years.The longest Iv'e heard of was something like 45 years.
people have thru hiked with only day hikes.
I'm on my "20 year plan" (check out my map: http://www.gdbdp.com/at). So far, 52 hikes, 474 miles (almost 25% done!). I've done 2 overnights and will definitely do some more. I haven't done enough homework, but there are definitely stretches that are near impossible to do without staying overnight for a few nights.
Hiking long sections doesn't fit my life with job/wife/kids, so this is the only way I can do it (not to mention that I just don't think long sections would be my thing anyway). A few suggestions:
- Connect with shuttlers through the Shuttle List on this site (found here: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiki...transportation). This can run you some $$ but it's worth it to avoid doing round trip hikes. Why hike 5 miles out and back, when you can do 10 miles of nothing but new trail!?!
- Connect with hiking partners who can meet you with a 2nd car, they can break up the solitude (or spoil it sometimes, which is where the shuttlers come in handy) and help avoid more wasted miles.
- Check out the Rohlands AT parking site (http://rohland.homedns.org/at/at_menu.aspx). I don't know how much it's kept up to date, but it's really useful.
- Check out the AT site's interactive map as well, it has parking markers. (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiki...nteractive-map)
- Sign up for some Hotel Rewards plan. You're going to find yourself staying in hotels to and from hikes. I'm on the Choice Hotels plan... it's free and I earn points towards free nights just for staying.
Hope that's helpful. One nice thing about small section hikes, is that, if you have a shuttler or hiking partner with a car, you often get to pick the way you want to go... don't feel like doing the big haul up that mountain? Go the other way!!!
Happy Hiking,
Alpha Pig
Pretty difficult to slackpack the 100 mile and some other sections.
The Smokies, as well. But you can do a whole lot of the trail in day hikes. For example, I did from Standing Indian Mountain to Fontana in a series of day hikes. Wife would drop me off, carouse through the antique shops while I hiked, then whisk me back to the cabin for hot tub, steaks, and soft comfortable bed. Really roughing it!
“Anywhere is walking distance, if you've got the time.”
Stephen Wright
I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.
It can be done, I know a woman who did. (slack pack the 100 mile wilderness) But it's expensive. I slack packed Andover to Rangely with her and my half of the bill was nearly $300 just to do 75 miles! That was 4 years ago too. Sure made it easier on the knees though.Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard
Unless you have someone to shuttle you back and forth and you stay primarly at either road crossings or near-by commercial camp grounds, day hiking (or slack packing) the AT would be one very expensive way to do it.
The Smokies are the one area which overnights on the trail are required, unless your one those people who can do 50 miles in a day. I think there is one more long section without road crossings, but I forget where that is.
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day hiking the AT
Thanks for answering. I do about 10 miles with my dad and my mom picks us at the next road crossing, so no round trips which is great. Reason why I can't do alot of backpacking trips is my mom doesn't like us being out there for more than a few days. I do know I got the 100 mile and the smokies to do.
You could walk across the country one day at a time if you wanted to. My childhood Doctor did the trail over many, many years. I am almost done with Ga, and have never been more than 2 nights at a time. It took me 4 weekend hikes basically. I am going to continue north a little here, a little there. I can't thru hike. Not possible with small kids, business, etc. This is my only option until my kids are off to college at least. My son is 6 lol
Some people I've met on the trail stick in my mind . . .
- two ladies from Pennsylvania who would drive to their destination, rent a second car, set up at a B&B, then hike their section a day at a time by shuttling themselves.
- a gentleman we met in Massachusetts who had a motorcycle and a truck, shuttled himself, and slept in his truck.
- a man and wife who parked at a trail head, hiked out and back, repeating at each road crossing (essentially hiking the trail twice).
- a thru-hiker whose wife followed him up the trail in her car, meeting him with food and supplies, spending her days managing the hike, sightseeing, reading, knitting, and providing encouragement and trail magic to other hikers.
As others have mentioned, there are some places where overnights are necessary. Lots of options, though.
That's a lot of driving, and you wouldn't get the thru-hiker experiance, but yup it's possible.
day hiking the AT
Go to Trailjournals.com and read "Seeks It" journal. It is well written and he is doing the very same thing you asked about.
For every hiker/dreamer there are that many ways to do the trail.
Good Luck to ya
There is a book that was written by a coupke that did it. The longest stretch of the AT without a public or private road crossing north of the smokies is the Mahousucs and even those can be dayhiked with by taking side trails. There are plenty of private roads that cross or get quite near the AT in the 100 mile wilderness. I did a couple of weeks of key swap dayhiking with a friend down south. We could do longer miles everyday as we didnt have a full pack and got to see a lot of the surrounding country that thruhikers would never see just sticking to the trail.
ATRagamuffin, you may've just convinced me to buy a motorcycle and a truck
I would like to start the same type of map you have, but when I went to the ATC website I was not able to find where to create the same type of map. Thanks.
I'm on my "20 year plan" (check out my map: http://www.gdbdp.com/at). So far, 52 hikes, 474 miles (almost 25% done!). I've done 2 overnights and will definitely do some more. I haven't done enough homework, but there are definitely stretches that are near impossible to do without staying overnight for a few nights.
Hiking long sections doesn't fit my life with job/wife/kids, so this is the only way I can do it (not to mention that I just don't think long sections would be my thing anyway). A few suggestions:
- Connect with shuttlers through the Shuttle List on this site (found here: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiki...transportation). This can run you some $$ but it's worth it to avoid doing round trip hikes. Why hike 5 miles out and back, when you can do 10 miles of nothing but new trail!?!
- Connect with hiking partners who can meet you with a 2nd car, they can break up the solitude (or spoil it sometimes, which is where the shuttlers come in handy) and help avoid more wasted miles.
- Check out the Rohlands AT parking site (http://rohland.homedns.org/at/at_menu.aspx). I don't know how much it's kept up to date, but it's really useful.
- Check out the AT site's interactive map as well, it has parking markers. (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiki...nteractive-map)
- Sign up for some Hotel Rewards plan. You're going to find yourself staying in hotels to and from hikes. I'm on the Choice Hotels plan... it's free and I earn points towards free nights just for staying.
Hope that's helpful. One nice thing about small section hikes, is that, if you have a shuttler or hiking partner with a car, you often get to pick the way you want to go... don't feel like doing the big haul up that mountain? Go the other way!!!
Happy Hiking,
Alpha Pig
I've thought about it myself!ATRagamuffin, you may've just convinced me to buy a motorcycle and a truck
Yes, it's possible (noting that you asked if one could do the AT with mostly day hikes, not entirely day hikes). I've done about 460 AT miles, and I've slept on the trail 9 nights. Most or all of those 9 weren't entirely necessary. In addition to the good advice above...
1~Find the hostels that are short walking distance from the trail, such as Abby's Place & Kincora & Standing Bear. Your mom would presumably be more keen on you spending the night in a hostel than in a shelter or tent.
2~If you're not already, get familiar with www.atdist.com. It's great for planning trips. Sometimes a map isn't clear about whether a road is passable by car. Generally speaking, if it's on atdist.com then it's car accessible.
3~You're going to have to do some days in the 20-mile or low 20s range. If you're not in that range, work up to it.
The map on my site is my own that I built using Flash. You can't customize the one on the ATC site (although it's still VERY useful
Thanks for your reply.
The map on my site is my own that I built using Flash. You can't customize the one on the ATC site (although it's still VERY useful
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