Tell your best friend that you'll be there for his NEXT wedding!Originally Posted by flemdawg1
Amtrak can be quite pricey. Chech out www.megabus.com.
There are so many unexpected things that will happen on a thru-hike.
This is just another blowdown on the trail.
Deal with it.
Experienced hikers don't get upset when they see a blowdown, they just immedietly look for a way around it.
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
It's too easy man!! My solution is a Win-Win Just convince them to get married at the point you'll be on the trail, think of it...beautiful scenery, complete with best man, free catering by the fire of chili and potatoes au gratin, plenty of people, perfume of Ode de Deet, showered in trail mix upon leaving, and the honeymoon? Just pitch a tent, like I said...win-win...Every girls dream ain't it?
Your mileage may vary, but I really liked having some interruptions to break up my hike. I got off for a few days for a wedding in southern VA, took three or four days to go back to Damascus (from Waynesboro) for Trail Days, took a long weekend off the trail at a friend's place in suburban NJ, took a long July 4th weekend with my parents in VT, spent a few days off with friends in Gorham, and took layovers in Oquossoc and again in Stratton, ME.
Personally, I found these to be very valuable opportunities to rest and recharge. They were tools toward my successful completion, not obstacles.
Whats more of a once in a lifetime event? Your thru-hike (think you'll do another)? Or your friends wedding (is the brides or groom's parents divorced)? Your choice.
From what I've observed. People who have to be in a specific place at a specific time and have to hike on a specific schedule are unhappy compared to those who can do what they want. This is true whether you are meeting up with friends to hike with them for a short while or going home temporarily for a wedding or the like. They often find themselves having to push hard at some point higher miles then they want and often complaining about the time pressure they are operating under since that is the last thing they wanted out on the trail as that was the sort of thing they wanted to leave behind for awhile. They hated seperating from friends they made on the trail and would have liked to finish with. And the problem of once being off the trail for a while, its mentally harder to get back on (a few days is one thing, but a week or longer becomes more difficult as time passes). Most hikers I've talked to that did something like that would not schedule time to hike with friends or family again and would prefer not to get off for a wedding ever again. Let your friend know just what a favor you are really doing for him because he probably is thinking its like coming home from a Florida vacation early.
My advice on making it work: You should make a conservative shedule on a spreadsheet (ie. don't over estimate the daily mileage) and stick with it even when you feel like hiking faster or farther. Don't join a group for more then a short time who may temp you to speed up or take extra zeros and put you behind. This will increase your chances of arriving on time where you need to get off. If you can take Amtrak or a bus instead of flying, you won't need to book as far ahead of time so you can remain more flexible on your scheduled departure point. Give yourself plenty of time off before the wedding (so that you have some play in your schedule and so you can do all the things a best man needs to do). Remember to mention at the wedding reception during your speach that you specifically got off the AT for the weddding and will be looking for a ride back to the trail as soon as the reception is over. *hint*
My kids have known my plan for a 2013 thru for years. My son gets married THIS summer. My daughter has been with her SO for like 8 years. I told her if you pick 2013 Daddy is gonna have a thick beard.
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
the cheapest transportation to/from Texas to the AT would most likely by Greyhound bus. I rode the Greyhound twice to/from Florida in 2010 to the AT.
As I said after, there should be another website called "Bus Journals" for all the drama and adventure at the Greyhound bus stations and on the bus. Like being in the front row at Jerry Springer show.
Thanks for all the advice y'all. I'll just make the most out of both situations and play it by ear I suppose.
Last edited by Half Note; 05-04-2012 at 02:06.
leaving the trail for a long weekend isn't such a huge deal...don't be dissuaded from going if you really want to. here are a few suggestions for how to make the trip home quick, fun, and painless.
first off, no one wants the bachelor party to be the night before the wedding. have you ever seen a groom have to wear makeup to cover up his black eye? i have. it's not pretty. don't be suckered into the whole, "but friends/cousins are coming from out of town so the bachelor party MUST be the night before to include everyone." schedule the party for a weekend comfortably before your departure for your through. i've done this twice. plan on casual drinks out after the rehearsal dinner since this is honestly all the grooms i've seen have ever really been up for anyway.
ask the groom/bride to lock-in the clothing needs of the bridal party before you leave for your hike. it's not that much pressure. if you're wearing a suit then you're fine...buy a suit. if you're renting a tux go in and get fitted before you leave to hike. tell the tailor that you might end up coming back a few jacket sizes smaller. see what they say.
stash whatever clothes you'll need (including dressy clothes for the rehearsal) with someone who lives near the event. if it's not near your home you can pack them in a box to be mailed to the hotel as the date gets closer. consider that you're not going to want to wear your hiker clothes around so pack some casual stuff, too.
don't travel with your pack or gear if you can avoid it. find a safe place (hostel, outfitter, etc) to leave your pack/bag/tent and anything else you won't need while home. this saves the inevitable lost bag or security confiscation.
plan your travel so you arrive on the day before the rehearsal dinner and leave on the afternoon after the wedding. unless you want more time at home then make it short and sweet. arriving a day early should be enough time to avoid any weather or itinerary related snafu's.
fly. don't ride the bus. don't take a train. if you're from texas you don't want to waste the 3 days each way that greyhound's going to take you. book in advance and get something cheap. here's how to do it:
first, hike a 6 month hike. even a 5 month hike. it's easier to plan all this logistically, plus it's more fun than a 4 month hike.
if you plan and hike a 6 month hike then fly out of the following airports.
weeks 2-6 - asheville.
weeks 7-12 dc
weeks 13 - 20 nyc/ewr
weeks 21 - 24 boston/bangor (don't bother...it's probably the hardest to fly from this section without major travel to/from the airport)
getting to asheville from franklin north to damascus is a breeze. by the time you pass damascus and until you get to duncannon, getting into dc will be easy enough. you'll figure it out. you walked there from georgia. getting to new york from duncannon through rutland is easy peasy. you can even get there from hanover (using a few connections). after that the options become sketch.
sure, there are some more convenient regional airports which might get you home quicker since they're closer to the trail. tri-cities in bristol comes to mind. or the airport in marion. harrisburg, pa. the problem with booking in/out of these areas is that the trail window in which they're convenient is relatively small and the number of public transport options into these small regional cities are not as great as getting into boston/new york/dc. the only reason i included asheville at the beginning of the hike is b/c of the way that the trail curves around the city and not b/c it has some big, amazing public transport infrastructure.
good luck. i've traveled home for stuff. timed my hikes around weddings. even worked a consulting job that sent me out to california and back while on a long hike. if you set your priorities you can do it.
and if she wants you to shave, be a man and shave. it's her wedding pictures. beards grow back.
I recommend Megabus. I took it from New Orleans to Atlanta last month. They have wifi and outlets to keep your phone charged. Make sure you carry enough food and water for the entire trip. They may not stop where you can get those things.
Bingo. When I'm out - I'm out. Weddings suck anyway :-)
So true. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with this paranoia
oh boy - well... let me see... you hit the nearest town on your through hike and you get onto a transportation vehicle(s) that will take you to the wedding's location. You go to the wedding, pig out on the entrees and then you get onto transportation vehicle(s) to get back to the town to continue your through hike.
seriously though - a through hike takes almost half a year. There are so many possibilities during that time that you might be home before the wedding even starts.
Here's my advice;
First, make a general estimate of where you'll be on the trail when the wedding happens. Find the nearest airport and buy in advance a round trip ticket. Don't go the bus route or train route... too easy to back out of. Also, the more expensive plane ticket will be harder to justify backing out of.
Second, when you get back on the trail, take it slow and easy! Seriously. Even a short time away from the trail will weaken your hiking stamina. And those first three days back out on the trail are going to be harder physically, and more important, mentally. You'll be missing friends, the hiking will be tough, you'll be questioning why you came back out. So take it easy, cut your mileage way down till you get back into to trail mentally and physically. Plan a special treat for yourself back on the trail... bourbon for camp at night, or soda if you don't drink, or something along those lines.
People will tell you that if it's your dream you'll only want to be out on the trail. This. Is. Nonsense. Don't expect your dream to overpower basic human emotions of missing friends and family, physically hurting, being exhausted, etc. Especially those first few days back on the trail. Once out for a week or so, you'll get back into it and be feeling much, much better about hiking.
Just my $0.02. YMMV.
Don't take anything I say seriously... I certainly don't.
Did he know about your thru-hike plans BEFORE he picked the weddding date?
If so, I wouldn't feel any obiligation to be there, although I might still crash it in full thru-hiker glory. Open bar and AYCE?
One other possibility to consider: renting a car and driving home. It's a haul but will probably take less time than bus. Flying would probably only be cheaper if you know where you'll be and make the reservations in advance. I don't recall seeing where you'll be when the wedding occurs but you can rent a car in Roanoke or in the DC area after taking the train from Harpers Ferry. With a rental car, you'll also have more flexibility once you're back in TX.
It's at least worth looking into i.e pricing it out.
Actually, extended family weddings are terrible. Non-family weddings have tons of potential!Bingo. When I'm out - I'm out. Weddings suck anyway :-)
I think "Hikus Interruptus" is a better thread title.
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
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