I've noticed over the years that people who ask if a 100 day thru-hike is possible generally aren't prepared to do a 100 day thru-hike.
Good luck. And enjoy the journey.
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
http://pmags.com
Twitter: @pmagsco
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The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
Actually, I think he was only asking if someone wanted to go with him and we kind of hijacked the thread. He's pretty confident it will be no problem. Sorry about that...Originally Posted by Mags
I've noticed over the years that people who ask if a 100 day thru-hike is possible generally aren't prepared to do a 100 day thru-hike.
Oh boy - it's snowing out a little
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I hope you find a compatible hiking buddy. They are worth their weight in gold. I found it is easier to suffer w/ someone than suffer alone (for me, it was usually weather-related suffering rather than the hike itself). I hooked up w/ someone in NY & hiked w/ him for 700M. Great guy. Similar age & viewpoints.
I met (very briefly) some people doing some really big miles on the AT this year. On guy started almost 2 months after me (3/21 vs. 5/19) & he caught up to me at the MA/VT border. He was averaging around 35 mpd w/ no zeros. He was attempting a yo-yo hike. He was a triple-crown hiker w/ multiple AT hikes & one successful yo-yo hike of the AT. So, high mileage days can be done. But, I was surprised about how brutally hard the northern section of the AT could be.
I wish you all the best on your hike.
They told Columbus he was crazy also, and here we are!
Those that never fail, NEVER try!
Go solo, as that 2nd person may turn into a boat anchor!
Go for it, and enjoy it, whatever the result!
There will always be ... doubters, and negative opinions!
Go for it and enjoy the journey! Its a lifetime event, that may only come this way ONE TIME!
Cherokee Bill ..... previously known as "billyboy"
If the USC you attend is in South Carolina, is there any way you can get a head start on weekends over the Winter if the weather is good? A head start in miles and the "AT" learning curve could advance your odds. Finding another like minded and like motivated hiker will be decidedly difficult. I would plan on going it alone. My advice, "lighten the load" and save your feet.
But Columbus was totaly wrong on his geography, and failed in his goal. He also failed to avoid Anerica (which he would have known about from visiting Iceland earlier in his career). So maybe not the best example, though he was a very competent sailor.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
ditto. go alone. you'll see plenty of people and earn a big rep - gett'm scout!
thank yall for all of the input. well on my way at this point, very excited. in the middle of talking a few friends into joining in for 2 and 3 days at a time along the southern parts. can't wait to meet everyone this summer!
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took both.
Good luck B Rabbit. You plan on blogging your journey?
Your odds are better if you run solo. You are cutting your odds in half, looking for a partner, because if either one of you get ill or have injury, the one without sickness or injury will need to make the decision to sacrifice the relationship in order to accomplish the goal, or sacrifice the goal to be loyal to the partnership. Not even considering the biorhythm's that are unlikely to be in sync. You may find yourself in a rythm to do big days, while your partner is not, and viseversa.
03/07/13 - 10/07/13 Flip flop AT thru hike "It is well with my soul"
With this schedule, there will be very little time to do anything but hike & sleep. Personally I would hate to reduce a long distance hike to a contest or conquest. But then I am 57 years old & have learned to appreciate the finer things in life, like savoring a fine wine. Like we say on the trail hike your own hike, and if you want to slam the AT down like a cheap six pack for a quick buzz, do not let anyone get in your way.
03/07/13 - 10/07/13 Flip flop AT thru hike "It is well with my soul"
Ha ha! I can appreciate that.. I cant understate enough that my timetable is only a result of the fact that I only have 100 days. Not trying to say that I am going to do it in 100 days because that's what I prefer.. It's basically what I have to do or I can't complete it.
and foo I plan on keeping a journal in a notebook and uploading after my hike is through. cola sc huh? small world..
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took both.
your 100 day window is the same timeframe that I had for the PCT. My only suggestion to you is to choose, are you going to do a 100 day hike or is this a social event? I would be expecting to go at it alone and if you happen to find someone who is going the same pace great. This will likely occur later in the hike when folks lighten up, get into shape and have longer days. You will need to hit the trail at a fairly high starting pace and few will be able to match that. (I suspect you really don't know if you can match that either.)
as far as "talking a few friends into doing sections." I believe this is a VERY bad idea. First, I saw a few break ups early in my hike with the talked into friend saying screw this. You want this goal, the last thing you need is a partner that needs "talked into to". Second, I believe you will have to put schedule above most other considerations, I know I had to. Lets say you are hiking with someone for a couple of weeks. They want to slow down or take a zero that you know will put your schedule at risk. Are you willing to leave them? I can tell you this is real, partners slowing you down will stress both you and them. With one exception my goal to hit the border trumped all other Considerations. I made it clear in talking with folks I hiked with what my goal was and what it meant. Going north out of Crater lake, I pulled a strong 40 mile day after getting an earlier start than my hiking partner. He stopped short and I never saw him again. I hiked the last 900 miles with a young guy. He was a strong hiker and we always seems to catch up with each other at the end of the day. He had to go into Seattle to get shoes and I continued on. This was the only case where I slept in a bit the next day to allow him to catch up. He hiked late the night before to make it happen so we finished the hike together. I'm sharing these stories because you will likely be faced with the same decisions. It is one of the negatives of doing a fast hike.
finally, you are going to be on a schedule, maybe even found someone willing to crank out the miles. Your buddy calls you up and says "Dude, I just got a week off, I'm going to hike with you for a week.
1) what are the chances that your buddy is going to get off the couch and be able to come close to your mileage that you are and need to do to finish? Likely just over zero.
2) if you are hiking with someone will they be willing to slow it down? Will you have to make a choice between your buddy and current hiking partner?
3) Logistics. This may be a bit easier on the AT but you will have to hit a very specific schedule to meet up with someone. If you are ahead, are you willing to hang out in town (burning schedule.) to wait for their arrival? If you are behind, are you willing to pop off a 40 mile day to get there in time? There are ways around this but I know from personal experience that these is easy to plan in excel but harder to actually execute. (I met my wife in Tahoe for several days. The logistics ended up costing me an extra day. I took no true zeros for the next 1500 miles to keep on schedule.)
Good luck.
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