View Full Version : Virginia, 550 mile AT Section Hike
Diamondlil
11-11-2015, 18:41
Hey Girls,
I am Fiftysomething, and am going to be section hiking the AT through the State of Virginia. I will be starting in Damascus on June 1, 2016.
This is my first long distance hike. I had planned to meet up with two thru hikers when they reached the border. However, they have backed out of the hike altogether and now I am searching for someone to meet up with.
Any forty-fiftyish women going to be at the border around that time, or making some section hikes around that time frame that would like to meet up??
[emoji457]
trailhermit
11-11-2015, 18:55
I was considering doing Virginia first. I don't have an official start date though. So I am open to ideas. If I decide to do the AT in sections, that's the first state I would tackle.
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Slo-go'en
11-11-2015, 19:07
Trying to keep up with thru hikers in Virgina isn't a good idea. You'll hurt yourself. Just starting out, southwestern VA is surprisingly difficult. It's not until you start getting near Pearisburg the trail starts to level out into primarily a ridge walk, but even then there are a lot of "microbumps" which wear at you. Virginia really doesn't start to get easy until into the SNP north of Waynesboro. A common refrain I heard from thru hikers while I was doing a 300 mile SOBO through VA last spring was "who ever said Virgina is flat lied".
Good luck finding a partner. Usually the best thing to do is just to show up and start hiking. There will be plenty of others out there and many will blow by you for the first week or two until you can keep up, but eventually you'll team up with someone along the way.
What Slo said. I did Virginia in May-June this year, and IMHO, is more difficult than Georgia.
Diamondlil
11-11-2015, 21:31
I've been told by numerous other thru hikers that VA is a tough hike. My contingency plan is to go it alone, however, my husband and my kids are all kinds of worried. I'm trying to settle their nerves.
[emoji457]
trailhermit
11-11-2015, 23:00
I never thought Virginia as being easy, I just thought getting through the longest state would be an interesting way to start. I wonder if people who start their hike in Virginia still get the Virginia blues?
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Slo-go'en
11-12-2015, 03:10
I never thought Virginia as being easy, I just thought getting through the longest state would be an interesting way to start. I wonder if people who start their hike in Virginia still get the Virginia blues?
Virginia is a great state and has some wonderful points of interest, but it is the longest so it does seem to go on forever. Family always worry, that's their job. Once on the trail you get plugged into the current social scene pretty quickly. If you need a hiking partner, one will come along soon enough. That's trail magic at work. In the mean time you'll be meeting like minded people everyday. Maybe lots of them.
jacob_springsteen
11-12-2015, 17:44
In the mean time you'll be meeting like minded people everyday. Maybe lots of them.
For the OP, she will meet many hikers. And hiking/camping groups like Boy Scouts and church groups. The month of June is crazy busy with trail traffic in Virginia.
Diamondlil
11-13-2015, 07:56
This is all good to know! I'm truly pumped!! June just can't get here soon enough!!!! My biggest worry now is getting my full pack weight under 35lbs. I have ultra light everything, and without food and water I'm at 22lbs w/no frills.[emoji15]
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Slo-go'en
11-13-2015, 13:20
This is all good to know! I'm truly pumped!! June just can't get here soon enough!!!! My biggest worry now is getting my full pack weight under 35lbs. I have ultra light everything, and without food and water I'm at 22lbs w/no frills.[emoji15]
Yea, at 22 pounds base, with food and water you'll be in the 35 pound range leaving town. Which is actually a fairly typical weight. But 22 pounds sounds kinda heavy if you really have ultra light everything and no frills. I have "fairly" light gear and yet my base is about 18 pounds with frills. You might want to post a gear list to be picked apart, but posted in either the General or gear forums.
bigcranky
11-13-2015, 17:35
I've been told by numerous other thru hikers that VA is a tough hike. My contingency plan is to go it alone, however, my husband and my kids are all kinds of worried. I'm trying to settle their nerves.
There's nothing seriously dangerous about the trail in Virginia, starting north from Damascus. June is a nice time of year to hike, there should be plenty of water in the springs and creeks, and the bears have usually stopped eating hikers by then. :) There are some decent climbs in SW Virginia, but the really big stuff is further north, and you'll be in better shape by then.
I am a little concerned about a 22 pound base weight of "all ultralight gear". June is warm enough that one doesn't require a lot of gear or clothing, and a 22 pound base weight with five or six days of food and a couple of liter of water can quickly push 40 pounds. The first real resupply will be in Marion, which you can reach from the Partnership shelter or from the Atkins I-81 crossing. There's a decent hiker motel in Marion, near the Super WalMart, grocery store, and a good Mexican restaurant. But that's 65-75 miles up the trail, requiring enough food to get there. 35 or 40 pounds is a lot in the summer, and can make the hike tougher than it needs to be.
So, on what I said about nothing seriously dangerous -- that's very true, but just avoid pushing too hard and injuring yourself. Nothing like blowing out a knee coming down a steep descent too quickly. (Ask me how I know this... :) )
Good luck and have a great hike.
Diamondlil
11-16-2015, 07:17
Yea, at 22 pounds base, with food and water you'll be in the 35 pound range leaving town. Which is actually a fairly typical weight. But 22 pounds sounds kinda heavy if you really have ultra light everything and no frills. I have "fairly" light gear and yet my base is about 18 pounds with frills. You might want to post a gear list to be picked apart, but posted in either the General or gear forums.
Well, maybe not "ultra" light gear. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll get my list on the Gear forum and see what I can do w/o. I really want to stay under 35lbs.
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Beltainelady
11-16-2015, 10:45
I'm hoping to be in the Shenandoah Valley area in early June. At least, that's the plan. I'm still working on getting gear together.
Diamondlil
11-20-2015, 10:49
I'm hoping to be in the Shenandoah Valley area in early June. At least, that's the plan. I'm still working on getting gear together.
Maybe we'll see each other on the trail. Are you thru hiking or section?
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