View Full Version : How long did your Thru-Hike take?
jonbobshinigin
03-09-2014, 13:57
I am planning/hopefully/tentatively through hiking northbound in huh 2015. My pack weight will be under 30 for sure but likely closer to 20 for 5-7 day stretches. I will have trekking poles for the Thru Hike. I'm trying to plan a timeline for what I can expect to complete the trail. I'm 27, 160lb, 5'7" and athletic and on the three or four hikes I've done on the AT (40 mile stretches) I've been fine for 10 miles easily. In fact, some slower, heavier packing friends were behind and I was able to stop and hang out for an hour to wait on them to catch up. One of these hikes I had a 33lb pack and the other was 23lb.
My goal is to knock it out in around four months, or less if possible, though I would allocate the time to be out there longer if I wanted/needed.
Okay, so there is the context. What I would love to hear is the following:
Age, weight, athleticism when you began your thru hike:
How long it took:
Miles per day that was doable:
Pack weight:
Anything else that may be valuable and provide a baseline. Thanks!
this might help
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php?44
Took me 5 months.
Age, weight, athleticism when you began your thru hike: 20, 175lbs 6'0", construction worker so pretty athletic i guess
How long it took: 180 days including 2 weeks in the middle where i was laid up with giardia, so 166 days
Miles per day that was doable: once you get into shape (really only after the first couple hundred miles) i was able to count unfailingly on at least 15, more often then not 20.
Pack weight: base (no food/water) 13 lbs, fully loaded i don't think i ever went above 25-27
Get out and try a couple long hikes on your own to get a feel for what you could do. 15 miles a day is about average, throw in some zeros and nearos and its going to take a lot longer than 4 months. I wouldn't get caught up in trying to do it fast. Your body will tell you what will work for you.
I was in pretty good shape, with a pack weight of around 20, it took me 4 and half months.
My goal is to knock it out in around four months, or less if possible, though I would allocate the time to be out there longer if I wanted/needed.
Ambitious unless you're seriously fit and seriously hard-core. Probably one in 20 (or less) thru-hikers finish in 4 months. That's my $.02.
Ambitious unless you're seriously fit and seriously hard-core. Probably one in 20 (or less) thru-hikers finish in 4 months. That's my $.02.
+1, I was on track to do this and all of a sudden I was by myself and not having that much fun, slowed way down and took way more town stops and zero days. Ended up on the slower end of time it took to finish but I had way more fun, and if you know what you're doing it doesn't cost too much more to add on a month.
With all due respect, what others do will have zero bearing on what you can do. If you want averages, those are on the home page. What is athletic to you may be a couch potato for others. The best way to determine what you can do is to do some very aggressive training hikes. Your starting average mileage will be somewhere in the range of 2/3rds what you can do in a single day hike in comparable terrain. If you could knock out a 30 mile day and still walk the next day then you have reason to believe you could average 20mpd.
While I usually encourage folks that want to do a fast schedule, I get concerned with your comment "My pack weight will be under 30 for sure but likely closer to 20 for 5-7 day stretches." It will be rare for you to ever have even 5 day carries on a 4 month AT hike, I wouldn't have more than a couple over 3 days. This shows you haven't done much homework on planning a faster style hike.
Finally, suggest that you read this:
http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?sid=96983e352ddca91484574ac7ddae59 1e&entry_id=27590
while it was a different trail, PCT and it was done on a faster pace, the concepts still apply. To simply answer your question, 98 days for the PCT. what shape i was in? Read the journal above especially the prehike training and decide for yourself. pack base weight - 8lbs. 6'2" -187lbs to start and 174lbs at finish. Miles per day that were doable - In normal conditions, 35mpd was generally the dividing line between easy and serious work. Good luck, what you are proposing is definitely possible. is it for you?????
Slo-go'en
03-09-2014, 16:21
30 years later and I'm still not through hiking :)
Do the math : 120 day hike, 2185 miles = at least 18.2 miles a day, every day. Every time you take a zero, or a nero, you have to make up for it by hiking more then 18.2 miles in a day. In practice, that means a lot of 25 mile days. In order to do those kind of miles and the way shelters are spaced, you'll have to do a lot of camping between shelters and take very few zeros and neros.
A 120 day through hike isn't uncommon, but it does take a fair amount of dedication and focus to stay on schedule. Once you get behind, it's really hard to make up the difference. Just don't try to do too much, too fast, too soon or you could hurt yourself or burn out before going very far.
jonbobshinigin
03-09-2014, 17:12
Malto - what you say is correct that I've not done tons of research on hiking quickly or a thru hike for that matter. This is the beginning for me as I begin a year out. I've been investing my time and resources into gathering good gear.
My base pack weight seems like it will be ~10 lbs. No, I don't want to be miserable on he trail and get caught of in the pressure of time, and I want to experience the people along the trail. I'm not at all trying to be a hero and like I said, I'll arrange my life where I can adjust on the fly and have a buffer. Thanks for all this info. Keep it coming!
It took me 201 days to walk from Georga to Maine. That includes "0" days.
If this was my first LD hike, NO WAY would I want to do it in 4 months or less. 150-180 days would be my target.
I haven't Thru-hiked but what I've read from those who have competed one is they were happy when it ended because of the accomplishment but later after reflecting on the hike they wish they would have taken more time to enjoy the experience. So I would say if you have the time, enjoy the hike!
ChinMusic
03-09-2014, 18:24
Some folks w your resume can do a 120-day thru. More cannot.
You won't know whether you are capable of it until you've been out there for a month. Having a target/goal of 120 is reasonable. Aim for it but be willing, have time, to adjust.
30 years later and I'm still not through hiking :)
Do the math : 120 day hike, 2185 miles = at least 18.2 miles a day, every day. Every time you take a zero, or a nero, you have to make up for it by hiking more then 18.2 miles in a day. In practice, that means a lot of 25 mile days. In order to do those kind of miles and the way shelters are spaced, you'll have to do a lot of camping between shelters and take very few zeros and neros.
This point is especially important. I put together this page to show exactly the difference between trip averages and realities of the trail.
http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?sid=c7ea5e9341c1edb965a00625519c0e 45&entry_id=26640
4eyedbuzzard
03-09-2014, 20:13
Ambitious unless you're seriously fit and seriously hard-core. Probably one in 20 (or less) thru-hikers finish in 4 months. That's my $.02.I'd assume that's 1 in 20 of the 25% (or less) who do finish. So maybe 1 out of 80 who start are able to complete a 4 month thru-hike? Kind of goes with my initial reaction of a 120 day thru-hike as being about a hundred to one shot.
I'd assume that's 1 in 20 of the 25% (or less) who do finish. So maybe 1 out of 80 who start are able to complete a 4 month thru-hike? Kind of goes with my initial reaction of a 120 day thru-hike as being about a hundred to one shot.
Yes that's what I meant. I don't really have a citation for that, so if anyone's got supporting or contradictory numbers, I'd be interested.
Ox97GaMe
03-09-2014, 22:57
In 97, it took me 178 days. That included nearly 5 weeks of side trips and time off the trail. (sick, family reunion, wedding, etc) I dont remember how many 0 or Nero days I also had. 135-150 would be achievable if you focus on keeping your town stays to a minimum You can hike 20+ miles and then go into town for the night. i was also able (during the long summer days), to make a mid-day town stop/resupply and get back on the trail to get in 20+ miles. If you keep your pack weight to the 20-25 lb range, 20+ mile days wont be too bad in the TN - VT section. GA/NC and NH/ME may be challenging to get more that 15-18 mile/day for multiple days in a row.
I would also suggest that you plan for additional days. Part of the trail experience is the friends that you make and taking time to smell the roses along the way. Have a great hike. :)
vic_doom69
03-10-2014, 00:31
29 years old, 220 lbs, work out regularly and just completed p90x
April 7, 2010 - August 23, 2010
20
32lbs
took a week off in gatlinburg and a week off in new york and also a 4 day weekend in vermont. other than that i had 3 zeros. many many neros. for me i could do 20 miles a day everyday no problem. when i did 25 miles days about the third day my body really started to take a hit. kept it between 20-23 and all was good.
jonbobshinigin
03-10-2014, 01:22
So it seems like the consensus is that a five month trip is much more reasonable. Ox makes a good point about "smelling the roses". Despite my introversion, I know there will be times that I want to take trips into town with people I have met. Something else that I realizes is how at my pace, I will be passing people a lot and not actually hiking WITH others. I do plan to start my trip a bit later so as to avoid the need for packing sub 20 degree equipment.
Due to extenuating circumstances my thru-hike took 18.5 months.
jonbobshinigin
03-10-2014, 02:16
That is quite extenuating indeed!
It took me 6 months and I planned for 5-6 months. I took it slow and easy during the first half of my journey taking 30 zeroes. At least 10 of those zeroes were for illness and injury. Interestingly, people that started in March last year took almost as long as I did starting in April because of the icy and snowy weather of March. There are intangibles that can force you off the trail for days and weeks that cannot be controlled. For example, illness, weather, injury, or family issues. You can plan for 4 months but realistically you should add a month to your plan to enjoy the trail rather than missing most of its beauty by speed hiking.
I don't want to be miserable on he trail and get caught of in the pressure of time, and I want to experience the people along the trail.
Most people can easily do the trail in 6 months so that's what I would plan on. If it takes less then so be it.
That being said most people (about 4 out of 5) don't finish a thru-hike.
garlic08
03-10-2014, 09:14
My AT thru took 3.5 months at age 52, but I was in prime long distance hiking condition having hiked the PCT and CDT in the previous three seasons. That was 20 miles per day and it was not a speed hike, just my normal pace developed on the previous hikes. Key for me was keeping a sustainable pace, only three days off to meet friends and family, so I maximized my trail time which was my goal. Pack base weight was about 10 pounds, typically a max of 20 with food and water for an average of 80 miles between resupplies, usually four days. I met a few young, athletic four-month hikers finishing in ME who were keeping a similar pace with no previous experience.
I think athleticism has less to do with long-term hiking pace than your hiking style and experience. If you have your gear dialed in, keep a sustainable pace, streamline and minimize your town stops (master the art of the "near-O" ("near-zero day")), prevent skin and health problems, eat well, rest well--there's no reason you can't hike the AT in 120 days and have fun (and save money, by the way) doing it. Best of luck to you.
wookinpanub
03-10-2014, 09:24
24 years ago, I was 23 and in decent shape before I started out on Katahdin southbound. I was 6'2" and 175lbs with no previous backpacking experience. The trip took me 109 days, including 8 zeros. The entire hike was done solo, so there was no peer pressure to stay in towns or hostels. On paper, I had planned the hike to take 108 days and it took 109, so I wasn't far off. There were sacrifices, though. When I started at Baxter State Park, my pack weighed 63lbs. I did not want to know the weight, but my dad weighed it and told me when I finished. (Remember the no backpacking experience statement.) Over 6lbs of that weight was my 6100 cubic inch external frame backpack. At Springer, though, my pack weight was down to 32lbs. My mail drops were mostly planned at a 5-7 day carry, with one ten day carry (through the Whites......idiotic).
All of this is to say that you can make some royal screw-ups in planning, equipment, and experience and still have a successful hike. It just takes commitment..........and a little bit of luck.