First time AT trip

[pattydivins]

I have not done any long-distance/backpacking type excursions before, however, I plan on getting my gear together and doing a few weekend trips to get a feel for it. My buddy and I intend to start from a location around the Delaware Water Gap and hike to the Northern Terminus in Maine. If I was to try and plan a 4-6 week hike, what would be a good starting location?

Thanks for any help

[Blissful]

Not sure I follow you. You say you want to start at DWG yet you are asking where to start for a 4-6 week hike? Just start at DWG then and go as far as you can. Enjoy!

[mooseboy]

My buddy and I intend to start from a location around the Delaware Water Gap and hike to the Northern Terminus in Maine. If I was to try and plan a 4-6 week hike, what would be a good starting location?

It sounds like you want to know where to start if you want to reach Katahdin in 4-6 weeks. Bearing in mind that you have little backpacking experience, and that Maine and NH are considered 2 of the Trail's hardest states, you might just want to tackle those two, starting in Hanover, NH. That section alone will take you at least 4-6 weeks, especially if you're just getting your trail legs.

...The downside to that, however, means you'd be attempting the hardest mountaineering (the Whites) within the first week, possibly a bad idea. Then again, it could be just what you need to strengthen up for Maine.

OTOH, if you want to start simple and get gradually more challenging, I'd suggest starting closer to S. Massachusetts, and hiking north as far as you can. Vermont gets a little harder, and NH a lot harder. If you can get that far, then you can get through Maine too, though maybe not in the timeframe you'd prefer.

On the (Third) hand , DWG is also a good place to start if you want to start easy and get gradually harder. Just bear in mind that you won't reach the Northern Terminus in 6 weeks. 894 miles in 42 days... that's more than 20 miles per day every day, including the Whites. (I wouldn't count on doing more than 12-15 per day the first week...sometimes as few as 8 if the terrain is challenging.)

If you're a distance runner, or super-fit already, go ahead and add a few miles per day to my estimate.

Best of luck!