View Full Version : WANTED: Thru-hiking partner for Mid-March
mirandaminer
02-10-2016, 22:20
Hey there! I have had my heart set on a NOBO thru-hike for quite some time now, but my original partner has backed out due to a job opportunity (Great for him!). Unfortunately, my parents aren't comfortable with me going on this adventure alone and I would enjoy having someone to share this adventure with as well. I've made plans to hit the trail on March 16th, so if your interested please PM me or reply to my thread and we can get to know each other and hopefully have the journey of a life-time.
Slo-go'en
02-11-2016, 00:04
Good thing your planning on the 16th as there are only about 20 others who have registered to start that day. If you started a day earlier it would be more like 50. And that's just the ones who bothered with the voluntary registration, so expect 20 to 50% more. So, there will be plenty of others to hike with and some of them might actually make it all the way.
bigcranky
02-11-2016, 09:13
Everyone here will tell you to just go and hike -- there are a lot of others starting on the same day, and you'll quickly meet other hikers who have a similar pace. Hikers look out for one another. The trail is (in general) extremely safe.
Sorry about your partner backing out, but then there's no guarantee he would have made it out of Georgia and then you'd be looking for a group on the trail anyway. :)
Good luck and happy trails.
I'm planning a thru hike beginning March 17th from Amicalola. Some other things to consider. The points made by Big Cranky are valid. Based on statistics, the trail is a very safe place. I know I'm sure hoping that's true! Also given the ebb and flow of the daily grind, how an individual feels one day to the next, the odds of completing a thru hike are actually higher when starting alone than when hiking with someone else. Although I'm also sorry to hear about your partner backing out, who knows, it could be a blessing in disguise.
Regardless, safe travels.
mirandaminer
02-11-2016, 11:44
Thanks gentlemen! These are things that I have been telling my parents, but they don't seem to believe me. Showing them your third party responses should help though! I haven't so much been looking for someone to hike the whole trail side-by-side with as much as I would just like to be able to camp next to someone or have a support system when things get rough... Luckily, from everything I've heard and read the AT seems great for that.
mossy.oak
02-11-2016, 12:50
My group decided not to start until march 1st, but I am still trying to beat most of the crowd by leaving February 23rd. If you are willing to head out a little earlier,, I wouldn't mind the company!
bigcranky
02-11-2016, 14:57
I haven't so much been looking for someone to hike the whole trail side-by-side with as much as I would just like to be able to camp next to someone or have a support system when things get rough... Luckily, from everything I've heard and read the AT seems great for that.
This is exactly what you'll find as a solo thru-hiker starting in March -- people to camp with and provide a mutual support system.
I have a daughter a couple of years older than you, and would have zero qualms dropping her at Springer by herself. (She's currently in Ukraine, so actually I'd be way less worried if she were on the A.T. :) )
mirandaminer
02-11-2016, 15:51
My group decided not to start until march 1st, but I am still trying to beat most of the crowd by leaving February 23rd. If you are willing to head out a little earlier,, I wouldn't mind the company!
Hey! I've already bought my bus ticket and arranged my shuttle plans...
Perhaps purchasing a SPOT GPS would make your parents more at ease. They can track your progress and you can send prewritten message.
radevil5
02-11-2016, 21:16
I plan on leaving the 3rd week of March. You may be way ahead of me but I'm also looking for people to hike with, as I'm the only hike me out of all of my friends lol
Don't worry about meeting hiking partners. Here's a pic of a typically campsite in the first two hundred miles of the trail.33648
Otter Boy
02-14-2016, 23:01
I will be leaving March 14th! I live in Georgia so it will be easy for me to get there.
johnupton318
02-15-2016, 18:07
I will also be trail bound March 14th.
Also, someone mentioned the SPOT GPS. I have the SPOT gen 3 and have tested it on several trails and haven't had any issues.
Happy Trails!
Trail bound 12th of March, see you!