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Published by TreeTop
08-11-2004 |
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#2
By
MOWGLI
on
08-11-2004, 13:51
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Quote:
I would swim more in Maine. I would carry a flyrod in Maine. I would rarely stay in shelters. I would time my hike to arrive in New England during the fall foliage. Little Bear GA-ME 2000 |
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#3
By
Bear Magnet
on
08-11-2004, 14:07
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Balancing zeros
I would take less zero days, and balance out the ones that I did take. I took 26 days off from Springer to Maryland, and 4 days off the rest of the way (not including a week at a wedding).
Bear Magnet Jonathan Amato |
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#4
By
Bear Magnet
on
08-11-2004, 14:10
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Trout
Quote:
Bear Magnet Jonathan Amato |
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Last edited by attroll; 08-12-2004 at 01:34.
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#5
By
Blue Jay
on
08-11-2004, 14:38
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I would never thru hike again. A thru forces you to become at some point a mile slave. You can get caught up hiking just to complete the entire trail in some weirdly defined period of time, 365 days. If you make 1900 miles and have absolute joy the entire way are the missing miles so important? Don't get me wrong, I have also thouroughly enjoyed being a mile slave from time to time, but it was my choice not something I felt forced to do just to meet some external justification.
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#6
By
TankHiker
on
08-11-2004, 15:38
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yeah...
Yeah, I would save a few zero days for the end of the trip. I pushed a little too hard in the beginning, only to over-compensate with too much time off in the middle. So at the end I was rushing to finish before Katahdin closed. I also regret that I never took a complete zero day in the woods (not in town).
I would also love to hike a second time with less of the purist attitude. As already stated, I very much enjoyed the challenge and reward of hiking past every white blaze, and I wouldn't change that. But I also admired the folks who did it their own way. I'd love to hike it all again at my own pace. Now that I know the trail, I would skip Pennsylvania and take the chairlift up Wildcat.  -Tank |
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#7
By
Footslogger
on
08-11-2004, 16:39
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If I had it to do all over again ...
I'd leave Springer earlier and hike more slowly. Maybe it's just me, but I always felt the pressure to hike on, even when what I really wanted to do was to pitch my tent in a nice place with a great view and spend a day or two.
I would also cut down a bit on the number of town days. For starters ...I would only budget 2 days in Damascus instead of the 4 that I spent in 2003. I had fun but but the third and forth days weren't really necessary. Anyway ...that's my .02 'Slogger AT 2003 |
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#8
By
Jack Tarlin
on
08-11-2004, 17:56
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Next Time.....
Next Time..... By Jack Tarlin 11 Aug 2004 I'm not planning to thru-hike again, at least not for awhile. But if I were to do so, there are any number of things I'd do differently. In no particular order..... * As others have suggested, I'd try to go slower. I'd adjust my planning so I'd leave earlier, hike later in the season, and I'd try and take fewer town days. I'd encourage my "town" friends to spend time with me on the Trail, rather than spend so much of my time in town, hostels, motels, etc. * I'd make more of an effort to start my days earlier, which gives you the option of taking extra breaks, exploring side trails and points of interest, and stopping for the day earlier so you can enjoy your campsite, instead of pulling in at the end of the day exhausted, in which case all you do is set up camp, eat, and fall asleep. If you make an effort to start early, you effectively own the day and have all sorts of options as to how you spend it. * I'd buy a food dehydrator and spend lots of time learning how to get the most out of it. With time and effort, a dehydrator will save you pack weight and will greatly improve your diet. * I'd try and avoid basing parts of my trip on other folks and their schedules. It's inevitable that on a long hike, you're going to get ahead of some folks you really like, and you'll fall behind others. Some times, you'll meet up with them again , some times you won't. But you can't base your trip around what other folks are doing. * I'd keep off-trail committments to a barebones minimum. There are way too many times I hiked further or faster than I wanted because I absolutely HAD to be at a certain place at a certain time to meet up with friends, attend an event, hit a hiker feed or party, etc. One should only do big miles when one WANTS to, and not because you HAVE to. * I wish I'd been better about exchanging addresses (E-Mails and perm- anent mail addresses) with Trail friends and hiking partners, especially as the trips drew to a close. There are a great many folks I'd love to hear from, swap photos with, etc., and I neither have their real names, their contact info, or any other data. * I wish I'd taken more photos of people, especially trail friends. *I wish I'd kept better photo logs, so I would definitely know where and when a particular picture was taken. *I wish I'd been better about getting addresses of folks I met in towns, especially folks who helped me out, gave me rides, asked about the Trail, etc. I wish that every time I told someone that I'd let them know how I was getting along that I actually would do so; likewise, I wish I'd been better about sending completion photos and thank-yous to the folks who'd been such a big part of my travels. *I wish I'd kept a better journal, especially as regards the people I was with on any given day, or where I was camping, or where the cool campsites were. This information would be very useful in later years if I wanted to return to favorite areas or hike certain sections. I also wish I'd made more journal entries DURING the day, instead of at day's end, when all I wanted to do was eat and go to sleep. *I wish I'd paid more attention to deteriorations in my gear and in my health. On the Trail, little things tend to turn into big ones if you neglect them. I'd have fewer aches and pains now if I'd paid more attention to myself earlier. And maybe I should have realized that a healthy breakfast is not coffee, two Camels, four Ibuprofen, and a shot of bourbon. Dinner maybe, but not breakfast. *Along those lines, well, yeah, I wish I'd carried a smaller pack! *I wish I'd taken more side trips and side trails, to views, waterfalls, etc. One gets so caught up in one's "schedule" or one is so afraid of falling behind schedule or behind one's friends, that all too often, people refuse to go even .3 or .4 off the Trail to check something out, and often, this "side trail" or blue blaze stuff is just as, or even more pretty that what's on the actual Trail. *I wish my entries in Trail registers were fewer, shorter, better, and, at times, kinder. *I wish I'd been less judgmental of other folks, and didn't hold them to standards that were either unrealistic or more likely, unimportant. I wish I hadn't let inconsequential, petty things get me down. I wish I'd remembered that out there, you can't sweat the small stuff, and in any case, it's ALL small stuff. *I wish I'd done more Trail maintenance or other volunteer work while en route. *I wish I'd brought along some nature guides, especially as regards plants, trees, and wildflowers. There are still things I've seen twenty times but don't know for sure what they are. Likewise, I wish I'd brought along an astronomy guide so I could identify more stuff on clear starry nights. *I REALLY wish I'd taken more zero days in the middle of nowhere, even if it meant taking longer to do a particular stretch or carrying extra food. There are so many places I either breezed right thru or spent only a short time at, instead of stopping for long enough to enjoy them. *Along those lines, I wish I had the discipline to COMPLETELY throw out my daily schedules more often; I wish that at more of the places where I said "It's only 11, it's too early to stop" that I'd either stopped for awhile, or even stopped for the day. Remember, most folks only do the Trail ONCE....most of the places you see, you'll never see again. Stop and enjoy them. When the trip is over, there are a great many folks who regret that they travelled too quickly, and wish they'd spent more time on breaks, enjoying a view or a beautiful campsite or whatever. I've met very few who've felt that they should have gone faster, or wish that they'd finished sooner. *I'd have talked less, and listened more, and I wish I'd given less un- asked for advice or commentary. People have to find stuff out for themselves, and I wish I'd have let them done so. The good Lord gave us two ears but only one mouth.....there's a definite object lesson there. *Oh, and I wish I'd gone swimming more often. |
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Last edited by SGT Rock; 03-21-2005 at 14:27.
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#9
By
Highlander II
on
08-11-2004, 18:31
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what I'd do differently...
Take this with a grain of salt as I really like to hike...
Carry a lighter pack. Never carry more than 3-4 days of food. Train more so I could start out faster (20's). (Started with 12-15s in 2003) Hiker longer days (30+) on the less difficult part of the trail (southern 3/4). Take fewer zero days. (Took 2 in 2003) Stay in shelters less or not at all. (They were way too crowded in early April) Start in the middle to the end of April so I'd miss the black flies and mosquitoes in ME and most of the snow in GA, NC, TN. (Started March 31 in 2003) Actually, now that I think of it, I'd probably hike the PCT and/or CDT before hiking the AT again. |
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#10
By
Alligator
on
08-11-2004, 22:37
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Quote:
You may now return to your regularly scheduled thread. |
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#11
By
TedB
on
08-11-2004, 22:58
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I was actually writing about this last night, so it is funny to see this topic come up today. Here are a few things that came to mind in no particular order.
1) Guide books Last time I took the Data Book and Thru Hiker's Companion, but did not take maps. This time I think I might take maps, but not the Data Book or Companion. One reason is to just change things up. The other reason, is that looking at the Data Book makes you think about miles too much. I rather not know exactly how many miles I have gone. There is a certain feeling of freedom when you just don't know. For towns, I think I can remember most of what I need to know, and when memory is lacking, I think I can be resourceful and make due with what I find. Earl did ok in 1948 using road maps. It will be an adventure. 2) More than an adventure I approached my first hike as an adventure and it definitely was that, but what makes it so memorable is really something more than that. It was the inner journey. The result of challenging myself physically. The result of immersing myself in the outdoors. The result of stepping away from some of the rush of modern society. For my next hike, I'll will be making the inner journey part of my hike a more deliberate goal. I'll make the most out the limited time I get to spend in the woods. 3) Homemade gear Having homemade gear adds something special to the hike. A feeling of satisfaction. A feeling like you can take care of things if something breaks. A feeling nothing is going to break, because you made it yourself and you did things right. I had some homemade gear on my first thru hike, but I'll have even more on my second hike. 4) Take the time to stop, and enjoy a moment or a day at some beautiful spot in the woods: Whose woods these are I think I know His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep. -Robert Frost |
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#12
By
U-BOLT
on
08-11-2004, 23:03
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You could avoid a lot of the hurrying if you went SOBO, right? From what I hear the Smokies are passable year round, though it may take a few days longer in January or February if the snow is heavy but you can make it through. That way, finish whenever the hell you want. No clocks, no phones, no schedules ... retarded.
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#13
By
DMA, 2000
on
08-12-2004, 02:16
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My do-overs
- Carry a lighter load with more appropriate gear. (That's a given, I've changed my ways)
- Start out in shape. Hitting Justus Creek exhausted at the end of the third day is evidence of lousy preparation. - Get my sleeping in sync with trail sleep schedule. No more lying for hours in the dark and then sleeping away half the morning. - Disregard the advice to use a ziploc as a wallet. Carry a real wallet. - Speaking of wallets, I'd avoid CHAD WAYNE TERRY of Abingdon, VA. That dude'll F up your hike. - More pictures of people, on and off the trail. - Fewer zero days. Live on the trail, not around it. - I'd avoid looking at maps. I love looking at maps, normally, but it's better not to obsess about the elevation profile. I'd keep the data book though. I don't mind obsessing about the next water source. - Eliminate off-trail personal entanglements before the start. Obviously things happen. People die, parents get sick, etc. It's the routine stuff I'm talking about. Romance, and garbage like that. As L. Wolf once said around a campfir...never mind, this is a family forum. - Go into town more often to buy a watermelon, and then carry it to the shelter. Maybe even the occasional canned ham. - Would I take an I-Pod? I appreciate the silence of trail life, and the relative absence of technology. On the other hand, so much of the music I've acquired since then I like because it reminds me of the trail, and it would be nice to have it out there. Probably not. - On the other hand, as Jack said, most people do this once. In case I'm an exception, better to spend my time dwelling on all the good I did, all the good I saw, and all the good it did me. Would I change things? Yes. But I'm still profoundly grateful to have done it at all. - A small flas |
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#14
By
A-Train
on
08-12-2004, 07:50
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I would have:
Tented way more, in both shelter areas and stealth spots. Stayed at the Cabin in Andover ME Been 21 when I reached the Doyle Not trimmed my beard for my brothers wedding Walked until I felt like stopping, rather than settling for the shelter at 4-5-6 pm. Cared and worried less about what others were doing, planning etc. and stuck with my gut and what I wanted most. Not spent money on a pack cover. THey don't work. Not wasted time on maildrops. A couple spots they are handy for, but wasting food isn't cool. spent town nights in the woods, just outside of town instead of settling for a motel/hostel. Wasting a night at Fontana Inn instead of either the Hoch's or the Hilton. Eating better. Taking better care of my teeth. caring less about miles, destinations, shelters, times, shcedules. Just walk. Just walk. I'd start later in mid-april or early may. Not because March 1 was bad, just that if i were to hike the AT again, I'd want a different experience. I'd probably hike the trail in almost the exact same number of days again, I bet. I'd just know where to spend more time and where to move a bit quicker. For instance, I probably didn't need to take 3 days to hike from Atkins to Bland, but it was stupid to only spend 2.5 days from Gorham to Andover. Not be afraid to have experiences off trail. This wasn't a negative thing, since I felt I was really focused on the Trail itself and not just the lifestlye, but I always felt the tug of having to get back to the Trail instead of take a day off to do this, or hang out with others. I don't regret a thing about my hike, it all contributed to the experience. But were I to give it another go, I'd probably follow these parameters. |
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#15
By
Jersey Bob
on
08-12-2004, 09:48
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at least 10 characters
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Last edited by Jersey Bob; 10-27-2004 at 14:11.
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#17
By
Texas Dreamer
on
08-12-2004, 11:39
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Hey 'Troll,
I would like to put forth a motion for Jack's entry on this thread to go into the "articles" section. Any seconds? |
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#18
By
Dainon
on
08-12-2004, 12:48
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I haven't posted much on this site because I know so very little about hiking and the outdoors, but I would like to say that I've read most of the threads in Whiteblaze in their entirety and have learned a great deal. This thread, however, and from a rookie's perspective, has been especially helpful. Many thanks.
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I'll second that!!!
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