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CedarKeyHiker
01-05-2016, 09:47
I've signed up for an AT hiking seminar at the Jacksonville,Fl REI this coming Thursday evening. It's about 150 miles across the state and will require an overnight stay. My question to anyone who has ever attended an AT seminar REI: Is is going to be worth my time and expense to attend?

egilbe
01-05-2016, 09:59
I guess it really depends on how much hiking experience you already have.

colorado_rob
01-05-2016, 10:09
It really is hit and miss with REI seminars; I've been to a ton of them (and MC'd a couple myself), you just never know. REI folks generally have their hearts in the right place, but their experience level and lecturing skills vary all over the place. Tough call given your 150 mile drive. My reply here is fairly useless, sorry.

Traveler
01-05-2016, 10:10
Hard to say if its worthwhile or not given little information.

Is this a hiking or backpacking seminar? Will there be field craft demonstrated (fire making/cooking, pitching a tent, etc)? Are you going into a hiking environment for a planned trek around a local trail to look at various things you need to know about? Are you an adept hiker now and are looking to move into backpacking and if so, will the seminar offer information on that activity?

REI (and other retailers) put on some pretty good workshops and seminars, especially for beginners. The only fault I can find with them is they tend to solve trail/camp problems within their own product line offerings, but thats a minor issue. I would recommend attending if you've little or no experience and you have determined what the seminar will cover.

CedarKeyHiker
01-05-2016, 10:24
Thanks Rob, Your advice is not useless. As a matter of fact, it's spot on.

4eyedbuzzard
01-05-2016, 11:21
Just a few thoughts. Add the info to your growing knowledge base - but leave your credit card in your wallet. Not that REI is a bad place to buy gear - they have good merchandise, return policies and such. Just take some time to compare the knowledge received there vs. advice here on WB and other hiking sites before jumping into buying expensive equipment.

QHShowoman
01-05-2016, 13:09
If it's one of their hour-long seminars, I wouldn't drive that far for it with the expectation of learning a great amount. The information is usually pretty basic, it's all done inside in their community room and depending on who is facilitating it, it's more of like a gear show and tell... (i.e. "Foot wear is important to any long distance hike. Some folks prefer boots like these. Others, like trail runners like these..."). In a 60 or 90 minute time frame, there's little they can do other than recommend what general types of gear you should bring, which books will help in planning, etc.

However, what makes those sorts of events worthwhile to me is being able to make connections with other attendees, and sometimes, that is worth the lengthy drive alone.

RangerZ
01-05-2016, 13:20
I'm signed up for the AT trip planning seminar here in Pgh for later this month but, strangely enough, will be in Jacksonville this Thursday. I'm going to try to get on the wait list so if the schedule allows I'll hit that seminar too.

CarlZ993
01-05-2016, 14:32
I attended an AT forum @ REI. It was okay. Truth be told, you'd probably get more info on this forum (although much of it is contradictory - never take 'this'... always take 'this'). It might make a good excuse for a road trip, though. Ultimately, it's your call.

Funkmeister
01-05-2016, 14:57
I have attended this and a 'local places to hike' seminar at my local REI. In both cases they were a colossal waste of time. They were a thinly veiled sales pitch. My REI is five miles from my house. I could not recommend more highly to not attend this class if there's hours of drive time each way.

Lone Wolf
01-05-2016, 15:12
I've signed up for an AT hiking seminar at the Jacksonville,Fl REI this coming Thursday evening. It's about 150 miles across the state and will require an overnight stay. My question to anyone who has ever attended an AT seminar REI: Is is going to be worth my time and expense to attend?

everything you need to know is right here on this site. the AT is very easy logistically

chknfngrs
01-05-2016, 15:45
I think since you had to ask us, you already have reservations about attending. While it certainly won't kill you, you may try to use your resources otherwise. As already stated, the knowledge and resources on this site can easily provide you with truthful, honest, accurate information. Mostly.

dudeijuststarted
01-05-2016, 16:12
I went to an REI PCT thru hike seminar given by a guy who did not thru hike or complete the PCT. He spent the entire time talking about how he thru hiked the AT in 4 months. I learned nothing about the PCT. You might find a hiking partner in the seminar though.

perrymk
01-05-2016, 16:19
In the spirit of one piece of gear serving multiple purposes, I suggest have multiple destinations and purposes for this trip. Go, satisfy your curiosity about the seminar, but stay in St Augustine and take in a few museums and perhaps a ghost tour in the evening. Then perhaps swing by Anastasia State park and hike along the beach.

rickb
01-05-2016, 17:50
I can't speak to the seminar, but I do think there is a real value in getting a visual overview/story of the AT to provide some context for questions that can be answered in other places like right here.

For me that took the form a a slideshow put on by thruhiker. But there are so many options available now with videos and such.

To my way of thinking, seeing someone walking in the snow would have a way of focusing all the questions that everyone is sure to ask-- like, how early do I want to start? Or how warm of a sleeping bag do I really need?

Seeing a group of hikers cooking on their stoves sort of underscores the need to figure out what you will be eating.

Seeing everyone with tracking poles has got to inspire you to look into that right?

And and seeing people of all ages and body types serves as a reminder that the AT is not just for rugged young men.

The right person telling the right story could be great. Having someone pull out 3 different types of stoves and talk about the pros cons of each would suck, IMO.

Bottom line, I would want a seminar that helped you form the right questions rather than on that tried to supply the right answers.

rocketsocks
01-05-2016, 18:25
I attended an AT forum @ REI. It was okay. Truth be told, you'd probably get more info on this forum (although much of it is contradictory - never take 'this'... always take 'this'). It might make a good excuse for a road trip, though. Ultimately, it's your call.I love the fact there is so much controversy over what and how, that just forces people to make up there own minds with the brains they were given and is what should happen anyway. What fun would it be if we all used this or did that.

Wadadli
01-06-2016, 12:21
Last night I received an email from Backpacker Magazine, inviting me to sign up for a 6 week online course, Thru-Hiking 101, run by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas. Here is where you sign up:

https://www.aimadventureu.com/courses/plan-a-successful-thru-hike/?utm_source=backpacker&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=thruhiking_010616

And here is a description of the course from Liz' site:

http://www.eathomas.com/2015/12/23/the-thru-hiking-101-online-course-im-developing-with-backpacker-magazine/

TJ aka Teej
01-06-2016, 15:58
Love Cedar Key.
That REI hour? Depends on who the AT hiker giving it is. I suspect it's a gear selling gimmick.
When are you planning to hike the AT? The Florida Trail folks are very active down there, try to connect and get in a few three dayers. See if you can get to the Southern Ruck, or to an ALDHA Gathering. And just hike. Play with your gear. Practice cooking.
Met a hiker in Maine last year (Chair?) who was on his first backpacking trip ever. And was over 2000 miles in!
Good luck, and have fun.

CedarKeyHiker
01-06-2016, 16:38
Thank you Teej for the Cedar Key props. Besides being a beautiful locale it's right in the midst of Florida's most beautiful hiking, biking, and kayaking trails. Come for a visit and we'll hook you up. Stay warm.


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RockDoc
01-06-2016, 17:07
Your mileage may differ, but I've heard some real nonsense from REI sales people regarding hiking on the AT.

"You need at least an 85 liter pack"
"You need Goretex boots/shoes to keep your feet dry"
"You need Goretex mountaineering parkas and rain gear".
"You need this expedition quality tent"

All the advice seems geared towards selling a lot of very high ticket items from REI.
After extensively comparing gear, lately I don't find much that I want at REI. Invariably it is cheap import stuff from China.
I buy mostly from American boutique makers like Six Moons Designs, Gossamer Gear, TarpTent, Frogg Toggs, Western Mountaineering, ULA, etc (note that REI sells little or no gear from American suppliers!!). Excellent quality, fine follow-up service from English-speakers, and comparable prices to the REI Chinese gear.

Lately I wait until July and cash my REI dividend for money that I spend with American suppliers.

4eyedbuzzard
01-06-2016, 19:13
Last night I received an email from Backpacker Magazine, inviting me to sign up for a 6 week online course, Thru-Hiking 101, run by Liz "Snorkel" Thomas. Here is where you sign up:

https://www.aimadventureu.com/courses/plan-a-successful-thru-hike/?utm_source=backpacker&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=thruhiking_010616

And here is a description of the course from Liz' site:

http://www.eathomas.com/2015/12/23/the-thru-hiking-101-online-course-im-developing-with-backpacker-magazine/

With all due respect to Liz, whose hiking resume obviously puts her in a class of very noteworthy and accomplished hikers, I'd recommend that a person simply invest their time here on Whiteblaze, Backpacking Light, Hammock Forums, etc., or at minimum at least research these sites for the vast amount of info that they contain. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge available from some very experienced and successful long distance hikers on the sites mentioned, and it's not just one person's experience or opinion (as the ad states, Liz had "veto power" on all content).

One of my concerns would be that very experienced hikers tend to become very tied to their own hiking methods and routines - because those methods work for them. Elite hikers, especially those who seek speed records, can have a very different mindset than even most successful thru-hikers do. But hiking is definitely not a one size fits all endeavor, and so many factors come into play - age, fitness, experience, personality, economic means, style, etc. The more sources you have the better, IMO. Yes, it requires more effort than being spoon fed more limited info in a class, be it either online or brick and mortar, but you only get out of education what you put into it in time and effort.

In the ad Liz states, "I’ve been teaching one-on-one and small group clinics on long distance backpacking for years, but have always felt like unless a prospective hiker can make it out to an in-person session, that the resources to get started have been limited, inaccessible, not approachable, or boring. While the best way to learn thru-hiking is just to get out and hike, many people (myself included) learn best from a class—especially if there is an instructor who can help answer my questions along the way."

As someone who grew up and hiked a lot in the pre internet age, I strongly disagree with the statement "that the resources to get started have been limited, inaccessible, not approachable, or boring". There is now an abundance of info, and a lot of it right here on WB (and other sites) from what is collectively an extremely knowledgeable, experienced and helpful group of hikers. Yes, there are some "personalities" as well, some you'll enjoy, and some you might not. But get past that (which isn't difficult) and the info available at WB and other sites (from hikers with collectively millions of AT and other trail miles), and the collective knowledge found far exceeds that of ANY one person, regardless of their individual accomplishments and hiking resume.

That all said, if someone has $300 to burn, there are obviously worse things they could spend it on.

HYOH / YMMV / act now, quantities are limited / offer void where prohibited . . .

TJ aka Teej
01-07-2016, 16:05
AWOL is giving a presentation on thru-hiking the A.T. at the Mims Library
http://staging.brevardcounty.us/docs/default-source/Files/mims-awol-jan-28-2016.pdf?sfvrsn=2

dervari
01-07-2016, 16:47
Looks like more of a presentation on his particular hike.

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Rain Man
01-07-2016, 17:16
It's about 150 miles across the state and will require an overnight stay. My question to anyone who has ever attended an AT seminar REI: Is is going to be worth my time and expense to attend?

As much as I tend to support REI (my thru-hiker daughter worked at three of them, and I attended an AT seminar just last night at my local one), I can't say it'd be worth 300 miles of driving and an overnight stay.

NOW ... if you could combine it with other things? Maybe so in that case.

If you are undecided, I'd recommend you call the REI and ask for details on the seminar and qualifications of the presenter(s). Last night I got to hear two past REI thru-hikers speak for almost two hours and answer a ton of questions from the audience. They did NOT "push" any REI products whatsoever. One presenter was an older male pretty much an ultra-lighter, and other was a young woman whose mother cried at the thought for the month before she departed. Thus, a spectrum of experiences and advice. It was well worth the time of the four dozen or so folks there, IMHO. So, depends on the presenters and their specific topic.

And yes, there was networking that went on, so I'd recommend you speak up and make connections as part of your investment in such a trip, if you go.

rickb
01-07-2016, 20:12
Looks like more of a presentation on his particular hike.

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They are pretty much the same-- which is a good thing in this context, I think.