Planning AT thru hike quickly...

[Kirby69]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and this is my first post. Have been looking into hiking the AT starting in mid to late April as I will have lots of free time starting around then. I want to attempt a thru hike but have a few concerns. I have some friends and family that have hiked parts of the AT and have been giving me some advice. Another concern is that I am out of shape and overweight. Am 5'10 and 198 pounds and don't exercise consistently. I am still young in my early 20s though so I guess that's an advantage. I hiked some parts of the smoky mountain AT trails recently and was doing pretty well with a light weight backpack ( probably only 10 to 15 pounds). Anyways, is a few weeks enough time to prepare for a trip like this ? Would you seasoned hikers recommend this for someone relatively new to hiking ? I have camped and love outdoors type things like fishing and hunting but have never been outdoors more than a couple of weeks as I live in a city in Florida where it is mostly flat. Thanks in advance for any advice or help with this.

[lush242000]

Your not that overweight. Get some gear. Read some stuff here on wb and hit the trail. Good luck.

[trucker2015]

Go for it man do some reading get your gear and hit the trail.
Have a grate time!

[Pony]

This is a great thru hiking plan. If you have the money for it, get to Neels gap and they will help you get your gear together. After that, it's all about desire.

[rocketsocks]

You have much reading to do.Go to the left side of the home page and dive in,all you need to know is contained within those pages.Formulate some questions and ask away.Can a trip of this magnitude be undertaken in such a short time frame?sure,but I wouldn't waste another minute doing anything but preparations.If you feel your not in great shape,at a minimum start walking every day,the trail will get you in shape.Go slow at first so you don't injure yourself.Good luck! and to White Blaze.

[Chuch]

Do some research and put some miles under your belt quickly. If the opportunity is there, I say go for it!

[SCRUB HIKER]

Same here. I read another thread where someone said all you need to hike the AT is money, decent gear, 6 months off, and enough food to get to Neels Gap. I would add common sense to that. If you're a male in your early 20s, the physical problems are unlikely to stop you, even if you start out in questionable shape. Start doing gear research and then you should definitely go for it.

[ScottP]

11,000+ miles of long distance hiking here. There's a lot of guys on here with way more than me too! I started 1 long hike off a NCAA wrestling season. Started most of the other long hikes from a barstool. Started one coming off reconstructive surgery and 6 months bed rest. You can make it work, no problem.

If you have 4-5 months or more and $5,000+ then go for it. Start slowly and hike within your limits. 7-10 miles a day for the first week or two, max. Take rest days when needed Then start working up from there.

Getting a ride straight to Neel's gap and just outfitting there is probably smart. Just remember KISS: keep it simple, stupid. There's no reason to carry gear (not counting food/water) in excess of 10-12 pounds, and even as low as 4-6 pounds is pretty reasonable. Skip the odds and ends and carry the basics.

You probably want to show up to neel's gap in well-fitting shoes that are a bit broken in (bought 1 size too large) and whatever shorts/tshirt you'd wear to go running. That's what I hike in.

Down sleeping bag, tarp, closed-cell foam sleeping pad, frameless backpack, cord, tent stakes. I'd buy a 35 or 40 degree sleeping bag if you're starting mid/late april. Plan on wearing puff vest+sleeping bag for cold nights.

running shorts, T-shirt, long sleeve shirt, long sleeve tights, one 'puff' vest, raincoat, hat, 1 extra pair warm socks, 1 extra pair running socks, running shoes (non-gore tex), cotton bandanna. Puff vest, warm socks, and long sleeve pants get sent home once you pass Pearisburg, VA. Once you hit mid-PA pick up some bug netting.

canister stove, fuel canister, appx 1L titanium pot, titanium spoon, 3 1L gatorade bottles, aqua mira

Try to hit towns in the morning, get breakfast, run your errands, and get out before dinner. Eating before you go to the grocery store to resupply is key for me--a hungry shopper is a silly shopper. Ideally buy 3-5 days of food, until you hit the next town. If the next town is farther away then carry more. Add up how much everything weighs. At the start bring a touch under 2 pounds/day. You'll get a feel for it. Eat some fresh veggies on your way out of town, and don't be afraid to carry a few fresh things on the trail (fruits, veggies)

Staples:
Instant (anything): oats, grits, brown rice, quinoa, tabouleh, TVP, etc. You don't need to cook instant oatmeal
Storebought sauce to make foods interesting
Olive Oil
Flatbreads, cheese, sausage, tuna/chicken packets
Dried fruit, nuts, powdered milk
Crunchy Salty snack foods (chex mix, etc.)
Snickers bars (1 per day. AND NO EATING ALL OF THEM ON DAY 1)

I run best off of a high-complex carb diet, with a bit more protein+fat in my dinners. Fats are lighter to carry, but take more time and oxygen to digest. Find what works for you.
Some candy or gatorade type stuff on climbs can be nice too.
You need complete proteins. You don't need nearly as much as most uninformed opinions tend to think.

My day planning:
Wake up, pack ASAP, 30-60 minutes hiking
Stretches and breakfast (I cook double-sized dinners and have leftovers for breakfast)
Break remainder of day up into three sections. So if you're hiking 10 miles and covered one in your warmup, each setion will be 3 miles
Hike a section, eat first lunch
Hike a section, eat second lunch
Hike a section, start dinner cooking, set up camp
Socialize +sleep

[Edwardo Rodriguez]

The BIG question for me is do you have enough trail skills to deal with the unexpected, how your minds works while you are getting tired at the end of a long day. There are so many unknown in a Thru hike, if you have your mind and heart set on setting off in a few week make sure you have all the right gear you are going to need and a great support system that will be able to send you stuff and help you out as you are on your journey good luck

[Kirby69]

Thanks for all the feedback so far, guys. I am actually going to get driven from tallahassee, Fl to Springer Mountain so if I get driven to Neel's Gap will it still count as a thru hike if I start from there ? Also I don't think I have many outfitter store options for me in South Florida besides Dick's sporting goods http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/home/index.jsp and Bass Pro shops so would it be best to get outfitted at Neel's Gap or do these large chain stores have good options for gear and knowledgeable staff ? I might be able to find a free backpack from some family members that did the hike a couple years ago. Also I don't think I will be doing mail drops unless there are some towns that I will absolutely need them. Any advice on just picking up food along the way or are mail drops needed for certain towns ? Thanks again for all the help.

[rocketsocks]

11,000+ miles of long distance hiking here. There's a lot of guys on here with way more than me too! I started 1 long hike off a NCAA wrestling season. Started most of the other long hikes from a barstool. Started one coming off reconstructive surgery and 6 months bed rest. You can make it work, no problem.

If you have 4-5 months or more and $5,000+ then go for it. Start slowly and hike within your limits. 7-10 miles a day for the first week or two, max. Take rest days when needed Then start working up from there.

Getting a ride straight to Neel's gap and just outfitting there is probably smart. Just remember KISS: keep it simple, stupid. There's no reason to carry gear (not counting food/water) in excess of 10-12 pounds, and even as low as 4-6 pounds is pretty reasonable. Skip the odds and ends and carry the basics.

You probably want to show up to Neel's gap in well-fitting shoes that are a bit broken in (bought 1 size too large) and whatever shorts/t shirt you'd wear to go running. That's what I hike in.

Down sleeping bag, tarp, closed-cell foam sleeping pad, frameless backpack, cord, tent stakes. I'd buy a 35 or 40 degree sleeping bag if you're starting mid/late april. Plan on wearing puff vest+sleeping bag for cold nights.

running shorts, T-shirt, long sleeve shirt, long sleeve tights, one 'puff' vest, raincoat, hat, 1 extra pair warm socks, 1 extra pair running socks, running shoes (non-gore tex), cotton bandanna. Puff vest, warm socks, and long sleeve pants get sent home once you pass Pearisburg, VA. Once you hit mid-PA pick up some bug netting.

canister stove, fuel canister, appx 1L titanium pot, titanium spoon, 3 1L gatorade bottles, aquamira

Try to hit towns in the morning, get breakfast, run your errands, and get out before dinner. Eating before you go to the grocery store to resupply is key for me--a hungry shopper is a silly shopper. Ideally buy 3-5 days of food, until you hit the next town. If the next town is farther away then carry more. Add up how much everything weighs. At the start bring a touch under 2 pounds/day. You'll get a feel for it. Eat some fresh veggies on your way out of town, and don't be afraid to carry a few fresh things on the trail (fruits, veggies)

Staples:
Instant (anything): oats, grits, brown rice, quinoa, tabbouleh, TVP, etc. You don't need to cook instant oatmeal
Store Bought sauce to make foods interesting
Olive Oil
Flatbreads, cheese, sausage, tuna/chicken packets
Dried fruit, nuts, powdered milk
Crunchy Salty snack foods (chex mix, etc.)
Snickers bars (1 per day. AND NO EATING ALL OF THEM ON DAY 1)

I run best off of a high-complex carb diet, with a bit more protein+fat in my dinners. Fats are lighter to carry, but take more time and oxygen to digest. Find what works for you.
Some candy or gatorade type stuff on climbs can be nice too.
You need complete proteins. You don't need nearly as much as most uninformed opinions tend to think.

My day planning:
Wake up, pack ASAP, 30-60 minutes hiking
Stretches and breakfast (I cook double-sized dinners and have leftovers for breakfast)
Break remainder of day up into three sections. So if you're hiking 10 miles and covered one in your warm up, each session will be 3 miles
Hike a section, eat first lunch
Hike a section, eat second lunch
Hike a section, start dinner cooking, set up camp
Socialize +sleep

Wow ,you make it sound so simple,and it is when we don't over complicate it.Your post should be in the quick,down and dirty,no BS section.If I were to pull a Schaefer at 3:00AM I'd reread this and go,don't think just do and then read it once a day until it sunk in...great job Scott.

[Odd Man Out]

Hey ScottP

That's the best AT Hiking Guide I've ever seen! You covered everything (almost) in 60 seconds. I will keep that one. OP doesn't need a few weeks. He could leave tomorrow.

[rocketsocks]

Hey ScottY

That's the best AT Hiking Guide I've ever seen! You covered everything (almost) in 60 seconds. I will keep that one. OP doesn't need a few weeks. He could leave tomorrow.

Are you freaking kidding me,I mean if I read 30 books(and I have)he just summarized all the notes I would have written,Absolutely amazing.Odd man I think Scott should call this paper "Gone in 60 Seconds"and it should be placed in the Home page for all to see.How do you make that happen........I just spotted

[ScottP]

Thanks for all the feedback so far, guys. I am actually going to get driven from tallahassee, Fl to Springer Mountain so if I get driven to Neel's Gap will it still count as a thru hike if I start from there ? Also I don't think I have many outfitter store options for me in South Florida besides Dick's sporting goods http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/home/index.jsp and Bass Pro shops so would it be best to get outfitted at Neel's Gap or do these large chain stores have good options for gear and knowledgeable staff ? I might be able to find a free backpack from some family members that did the hike a couple years ago. Also I don't think I will be doing mail drops unless there are some towns that I will absolutely need them. Any advice on just picking up food along the way or are mail drops needed for certain towns ? Thanks again for all the help.

If I were you I'd drive to Neel's gap, spend an afternoon getting gear set up from there, and then get driven to Mt. Springer, camp, and start your thru the next morning.

[stranger]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and this is my first post. Have been looking into hiking the AT starting in mid to late April as I will have lots of free time starting around then. I want to attempt a thru hike but have a few concerns. I have some friends and family that have hiked parts of the AT and have been giving me some advice. Another concern is that I am out of shape and overweight. Am 5'10 and 198 pounds and don't exercise consistently. I am still young in my early 20s though so I guess that's an advantage. I hiked some parts of the smoky mountain AT trails recently and was doing pretty well with a light weight backpack ( probably only 10 to 15 pounds). Anyways, is a few weeks enough time to prepare for a trip like this ? Would you seasoned hikers recommend this for someone relatively new to hiking ? I have camped and love outdoors type things like fishing and hunting but have never been outdoors more than a couple of weeks as I live in a city in Florida where it is mostly flat. Thanks in advance for any advice or help with this.

This is the best place to start, read the articles and pay attention to the 'helpful' posts. Send PM's to people who have been around or post something you appreciate or identify with, people on here are good and will respond in most cases.

5' 10' and 198...c'mon bro I'm 5' 11" 195 and rock solid - muscle weighs 4 times more than fat so don't judge anything by weight, put on a pack and walk 1000 stairs and see how you go, that's the test.

[rocketsocks]

11,000+ miles of long distance hiking here. There's a lot of guys on here with way more than me too! I started 1 long hike off a NCAA wrestling season. Started most of the other long hikes from a barstool. Started one coming off reconstructive surgery and 6 months bed rest. You can make it work, no problem.

If you have 4-5 months or more and $5,000+ then go for it. Start slowly and hike within your limits. 7-10 miles a day for the first week or two, max. Take rest days when needed Then start working up from there.

Getting a ride straight to Neel's gap and just outfitting there is probably smart. Just remember KISS: keep it simple, stupid. There's no reason to carry gear (not counting food/water) in excess of 10-12 pounds, and even as low as 4-6 pounds is pretty reasonable. Skip the odds and ends and carry the basics.

You probably want to show up to neel's gap in well-fitting shoes that are a bit broken in (bought 1 size too large) and whatever shorts/tshirt you'd wear to go running. That's what I hike in.

Down sleeping bag, tarp, closed-cell foam sleeping pad, frameless backpack, cord, tent stakes. I'd buy a 35 or 40 degree sleeping bag if you're starting mid/late april. Plan on wearing puff vest+sleeping bag for cold nights.

running shorts, T-shirt, long sleeve shirt, long sleeve tights, one 'puff' vest, raincoat, hat, 1 extra pair warm socks, 1 extra pair running socks, running shoes (non-gore tex), cotton bandanna. Puff vest, warm socks, and long sleeve pants get sent home once you pass Pearisburg, VA. Once you hit mid-PA pick up some bug netting.

canister stove, fuel canister, appx 1L titanium pot, titanium spoon, 3 1L gatorade bottles, aqua mira

Try to hit towns in the morning, get breakfast, run your errands, and get out before dinner. Eating before you go to the grocery store to resupply is key for me--a hungry shopper is a silly shopper. Ideally buy 3-5 days of food, until you hit the next town. If the next town is farther away then carry more. Add up how much everything weighs. At the start bring a touch under 2 pounds/day. You'll get a feel for it. Eat some fresh veggies on your way out of town, and don't be afraid to carry a few fresh things on the trail (fruits, veggies)

Staples:
Instant (anything): oats, grits, brown rice, quinoa, tabouleh, TVP, etc. You don't need to cook instant oatmeal
Storebought sauce to make foods interesting
Olive Oil
Flatbreads, cheese, sausage, tuna/chicken packets
Dried fruit, nuts, powdered milk
Crunchy Salty snack foods (chex mix, etc.)
Snickers bars (1 per day. AND NO EATING ALL OF THEM ON DAY 1)

I run best off of a high-complex carb diet, with a bit more protein+fat in my dinners. Fats are lighter to carry, but take more time and oxygen to digest. Find what works for you.
Some candy or gatorade type stuff on climbs can be nice too.
You need complete proteins. You don't need nearly as much as most uninformed opinions tend to think.

My day planning:
Wake up, pack ASAP, 30-60 minutes hiking
Stretches and breakfast (I cook double-sized dinners and have leftovers for breakfast)
Break remainder of day up into three sections. So if you're hiking 10 miles and covered one in your warmup, each setion will be 3 miles
Hike a section, eat first lunch
Hike a section, eat second lunch
Hike a section, start dinner cooking, set up camp
Socialize +sleep

Bump,great read!

[Floyd Wanderlust]

only true way to see if you can do it is to ask yourself, "can I walk 12+ miles, then sleep in the boonies? Then wake up and do it all over again for four or more months?" Don't worry about being in shape. I mean don't get me wrong, it will definitely help, but you will have one of the best gyms known to man at your exposure, the trail. If you can stick it out the first few weeks, you'll be fine. Fine just fine. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you have to want it. Planning is a good thing to do for many reasons, but don't get bogged down with logistics. There are too many packs, too many bags, too many things to look over. After you get out there, you'll see that it's just you and the trail. Everything else is just along for the walk. Good luck.

[bobtomaskovic]

I worried alot about all that stuff too. Then I started walking and found out 99% of it dosen't matter. I carried 45# to 55# in a 20 year old pack the whole way, the only gear less than 10yrs old was my sleeping bag, so gear don't matter. I didn't train ahead of time,so training don't matter. I didn't plan past the first 30 miles so planning dont matter. I was sure I wanted to do this, I think that's all that mattered.


Good Luck-COG 2011

[error]

Don't worry about being out of shape. Within a month you'll be in shape, and then some. Just start slowly. My first day off Springer, I did 2.8 miles (plus 0.9 from the forest service road), then 5 miles, then 7.3, then 5 to Woody Gap, where I got off and went to the Hiker Hostel for a couple of days due to some nasty storms that trashed downtown Atlanta and made a big mess of northern Georgia. Then I was easily able to do the 10 from Woody Gap to Neels Gap in a day. It just got faster from there.

Speaking of the Hiker Hostel, they'll shuttle you from Neels Gap to the hostel, and then up to Springer in the morning. So you can get your gear checked out at Neels Gap, get any last-minute stuff you need, and start out fresh in the morning.

As for buying gear, the lack of local sporting goods stores should not deter you. Before I got to the trail, I bought everything online, including boots. Did the same thing this year, though I'm reusing most of the gear from last time.

The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy your little walk in the woods.

[Kirby69]

Thanks for all the support so far everyone. I'm planning on leaving in about a week and have about half my gear and haven't made an itinerary or done much planning. I will make a few mail drops for my family to send when its needed. One more thing that worries me is how exactly do you plan out when you will reach a town and if that town has a sufficient grocery store ? How many days worth of food should I bring with me at once and how far are the towns apart from each other usually? Thanks very much for any help.