View Full Version : Miles per day?
garminator
03-17-2016, 13:44
Good afternoon folks, I'll be doing a section hike from Springer starting mid April and was wondering what the average mile per day works out to. I understand that there are several variable factors that play a role...ie: weather, fitness etc. So to give you an idea, I live an active lifestyle lifting weights as well as trail running approximately 12 miles a week. Any insight would be much appreciated
garminator
03-17-2016, 13:46
Oh and I plan on hiking sun up to sun down with a few reasonable breaks in between
LittleRock
03-17-2016, 13:56
Throw on a full backpack and see how far you can hike in one day on local trails. Then subtract 20-30% from that to account for terrain difficulty.
CoolBobby
03-17-2016, 13:57
The biggest factor here is the terrain. I am from Maine, where I averaged about 12 miles per day. I now live in Florida, where I average 20+ miles a day. On flat ground I can clip along at 2.5-3 mph...
Tough question to be asking from a diverse crowd. Only you know your fitness level, etc., and you may not know the whole story until you start hiking.
Beginning thru-hikers typically walk, 8, 10, 12 miles a day in Georgia. There's nothing technical about the walking there but the average elevation change per mile as actually pretty high, comparable to New Hampshire. There are too many variables involved to predict much more accurately than that.
The biggest factor here is the terrain.
Yes.
I am from Maine, where I averaged about 12 miles per day. I now live in Florida, where I average 20+ miles a day. On flat ground I can clip along at 2.5-3 mph...
Miles per hour doesn't count for much. Miles per week... now, that's more meaningful.
CoolBobby
03-17-2016, 14:27
Yes.
Miles per hour doesn't count for much. Miles per week... now, that's more meaningful.
Longest distance I have hiked in a week was 144 miles in 7 days. Averaged a little over 20 a day. I know folks that can crush that number though. I like to smell the roses...
Longest distance I have hiked in a week was 144 miles in 7 days. Averaged a little over 20 a day. I know folks that can crush that number though. I like to smell the roses...
Probably one hiker out of ten can manage that rate consistently on the AT. And north of Glencliff NH, maybe one out of fifty.
Smoky Spoon
03-17-2016, 14:35
How much elevation change do you think is involved in Georgia?
I hike roughly more than 7000 feet each day but I have asthma so trying to get a rough gauge at what I might be looking at altitude wise.
Thanks.
Tough question to be asking from a diverse crowd. Only you know your fitness level, etc., and you may not know the whole story until you start hiking.
Beginning thru-hikers typically walk, 8, 10, 12 miles a day in Georgia. There's nothing technical about the walking there but the average elevation change per mile as actually pretty high, comparable to New Hampshire. There are too many variables involved to predict much more accurately than that.
colorado_rob
03-17-2016, 14:44
People keep mentioning that "it depends on the terrain", and of course it does, but the OP already said what the terrain was, Springer heading north. Moderate terrain by AT standards, tougher than places starting in mid-VA and quite a ways north, much easier than places in NH/MA, of course.
I'm in decent shape but relatively "slow" (2-2.5 MPH on fairly easy terrain) but tend to hike all day (just like the OP says he/she wants to do) because that's what I'm out there to do, not to sit around in a camp or at a shelter. And there is a lot of daylight (and hiking time) starting in Mid April.
So for another data point, starting at Springer on April 10th, I basically averaged just under 18 MPD for my first 700 miles of the AT, including Neros (a few short days), but not including zeros, which I had two of in that 700 miles. It took right at 6 weeks to do 700 miles.
Slo-go'en
03-17-2016, 14:51
It's impossible to guess.
10 to 15 miles a day is fairly common for that end of the trail depending on fitness, experience and weather. Until you have some experience and can judge from that, best plan on lower mileage to start. Trying to go too far, too fast, too soon inevitably results in injury, sometime serious injury.
Putting on a 30 pound pack and climbing a 1000 feet in a mile with uneven and slippery footing a couple of times in any 10 mile stretch of trail slows you down a lot. The level of difficulty comes as a big shock to lots of people who thought they were in shape.
How much elevation change do you think is involved in Georgia?
I hike roughly more than 7000 feet each day but I have asthma so trying to get a rough gauge at what I might be looking at altitude wise.
Thanks.
A WBer named mapman has compiled loads of statistics on average elevation change per mile, state by state, on the AT. (Also data on typical hiking speeds, section by section.) If I recall correctly, Georgia was right up there with New Hampshire, only slightly less. Alas, I can't seem to locate mapman's files right now. They should be in the WB archives, ie., somewhere other than the forums. (Ie., click on the WB "Home" tab and start digging from there.)
Slo-go'en
03-17-2016, 15:08
How much elevation change do you think is involved in Georgia?
I hike roughly more than 7000 feet each day but I have asthma so trying to get a rough gauge at what I might be looking at altitude wise.
It's really hard to say how much elevation change there is, but I think somebody figured it out at some point. In any event, it's a lot. There are some pretty good climbs. Some are pretty good climbs (Sassafras and Justin always get commented on, even though those are relatively small climbs, but they are right at the start. There is a lot of little ups and downs that just wear at you.
When you say you hike 7000 feet a day, you mean linear distance with little or no climbing?
My daily work out recently is 1800 feet of elevation change in 3.4 miles (1.7 miles and 900 feet up then the same reverse). That should get me in shape for PA next month :)
As a section hiker, it's very useful, for planning purposes, to figure out YOUR average miles per day, because it allows you to plan town stops, food resupply, and, if you have limited time, to choose a hike that fits that timespan. After section hiking for many years, I use a conservative 10 miles per day south of the Whites, and maybe 6-7 miles in northern NH and Maine. I almost always hike farther than that, but as I said, it's a conservative estimate. So if it's 50 miles between resupply points, for example, I carry 5 days of food plus 1 (for emergencies). Probably you are younger and in better shape than me, so you can go farther, though it's always a good idea to start out slow to avoid soreness and overuse injuries.
Here's a link to at least one of mapman's reports:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php/184-AT-Hiking-Rates-Section-by-Section-%28AT-Data-and-Schedules%29
and here's the first table in the report
TABLE 1 -- Days to Complete Various Sections
DAYS ~~~ TOTAL DAYS ~~ SECTION
8.0 days..........(8.0)............Springer to Georgia Border (7.7 days)
7.9 days.........(15.9)...........Georgia Border to Fontana (7.7 days)
24.4 days.......(40.3)...........Fontana to Damascus (24 days)
28.7 days.......(69.0)...........Damascus to Waynesboro (28 days)
11.2 days.......(80.2)...........Waynesboro to Harpers Ferry (11 days)
19.2 days.......(99.3)...........Harpers Ferry to DWG (19 days)
12.6 days......(111.9)...........DWG to Kent (12 days)
23.5 days......(135.4)...........Kent to Glencliff (23.2 days)
9.7 days........(145.1)..........Glencliff to Gorham (10 days)
9.9 days........(155.0)..........Gorham to Stratton (9.85 days)
13.7 days...... (168.8)..........Stratton to Katahdin (13.6 days)
Here's the report on vertical miles per section
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php/49-AT-Elevation-Gain-and-Loss-by-Section
and the first table:
AVG~~SOBO~~NOBO~~MILES~~~SECTION
281.......285........276........31.4........Spring er - Neels Gap
334.......340........328........36.1........Neels Gap - Hiawassee
229.......216........242........40.0........Hiawas see - Franklin
311.......329........294........54.9........Frankl in - Fontana
302.......263........340........42.1........Fontan a - Gatlinburg
256.......305........208........33.7........Gatlin burg - Green Corner Road
276.......283........269........33.4........Green Corner Road - Hot Springs
273.......270........275........68.0........Hot Springs - Erwin
279.......273........286........70.6........Erwin - Dennis Cove Road
235.......241........228........50.2........Dennis Cove Road - Damascus
227.......223........230........75.3........Damasc us - Atkins
239.......244........234........87.8........Atkins - Pearisburg
251.......253........249........91.7........Pearis burg - Daleville
258.......263........253........56.7........Dalevi lle - Glasgow
270.......262........278........77.1........Glasgo w - Waynesboro
212.......217........208........107.1.......Waynes boro - Front Royal
219.......226........213........54.0........Front Royal - Harpers Ferry
154.......150........157........78.7........Harper s Ferry - Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Northern Half
AVG~~SOBO~~NOBO~~MILES~~~SECTION
138.......143........132........45.0........Pine Grove Furnace - Duncannon
130.......129........130........70.0........Duncan non - Port Clinton
132.......133........131........76.5........Port Clinton - Delaware Water Gap
154.......152........155........63.1........Delawa re Water Gap - Vernon
226.......229........223........45.8........Vernon - Bear Mountain Bridge
216.......214........218........63.2........Bear Mountain Bridge - Kent
199.......195........202........102.9.......Kent - Dalton
222.......217........226........81.8........Dalton - Manchester Center
228.......228........228........49.8........Manche ster Center - Rutland
282.......299........266........45.6........Rutlan d - Hanover
272.......265........279........43.9........Hanove r - Glencliff
343.......341........345........53.5........Glencl iff - Crawford Notch
364.......369........358........47.1........Crawfo rd Notch - Gorham
366.......360........372........51.5........Gorham - South Arm Road (Andover)
307.......308........307........58.6........South Arm Road - Stratton
347.......353........340........16.7........Stratt on - East Flagstaff Road
164.......164........165........56.6........East Flagstaff Road - Monson
172.......173........172........109.3.......Monson - The Birches (Baxter SP)
404.......404........404........10.4........Up and Down Katahdin
236.......237........236........2180.1.....Entire Trail (about 515,000 ft. -- 97.5 miles)
rainydaykid
03-17-2016, 16:43
Probably one hiker out of ten can manage that rate consistently on the AT. And north of Glencliff NH, maybe one out of fifty.
On my 2010 thru I had people keep telling me that the whites would destroy my daily miles. It did drop them, but not by much. I did 24-26 daily, dropped to 18-20 through the whites, just stayed at huts and did work for stay. It was a beautiful hike through that section, that is what I remember most, not the difficulty of it. For some reason, the first 14 miles of NY sticks out in my mind as being particularly tough, but maybe I was having a bad day. Mahoosuc notch or however you spell it was another section, though kinda fun.
On my 2010 thru I had people keep telling me that the whites would destroy my daily miles. It did drop them, but not by much. I did 24-26 daily, dropped to 18-20 through the whites, just stayed at huts and did work for stay. It was a beautiful hike through that section, that is what I remember most, not the difficulty of it. For some reason, the first 14 miles of NY sticks out in my mind as being particularly tough, but maybe I was having a bad day. Mahoosuc notch or however you spell it was another section, though kinda fun.
Very impressive. Still, mapman's stats: 9.7 days average from Glencilff to Gorham (almost exactly 100 miles.) And that's for thru hikers just a few hundred miles shy of completion.
When my buddies and I did our White Mountain meanders as twenty-somethings, we did so with 50 lb. packs and were glad to do 8-10 miles a day. I think our record was 22 miles in two days, and that was only 'cuz the second day was mostly dead flat (from Thirteen Falls back to Lincoln Woods trailhead.) I think my personal best for the White Mtns. in later years was around 15 miles in a day, and I certainly couldn't sustain that rate, not in those mountains.
Throw on a full backpack and see how far you can hike in one day on local trails. Then subtract 20-30% from that to account for terrain difficulty.
Then take off a third to account for doing it days after day.
My my rule of thumb is that you can start and maintain a daily average of 2/3rds your one day hiking distance on similar terrain. If that is a low number you will likely increase it over time. If you are in trail shape than that could be your long term average.
one more thought. If this is your first long distance hike then you really don't know that you will enjoy hiking sun up to sun down. If you have done long distance hiking then you know better than anyone what you can do.
HooKooDooKu
03-17-2016, 22:02
10 to 15 miles a day is fairly common for that end of the trail depending on fitness, experience and weather.
About in line with what I was thinking.
Not knowing anything about you, if you're not particularity over weight or out-of-shape, my educated guess would be an average of about 12mpd. You would likely start off at about 8-10mpd. If you where thru-hiking rather than just sectioning, I would guess that by the time you reached the Smokies, you'd likely be conditioned enough to be doing 15mpd. If you made it to Virginaia, I'd say you're a seasoned thru hiker and likely able to do 20mpd.
MuddyWaters
03-17-2016, 22:42
Depends only on pack weight, and how much walking per day you commit to do.Plan something you KNOW you can do. Somedays you will do more, then others you can slack IF maintaing schedule is important, it might not be. You can always change the plan, no biggie. Plan zeros too.
If you plan to carry 50 lbs, plan to average 8 mpd. If you will carry 20 lb, plan 15. Interpolate between the two. Change plan on day 3.
fredmugs
03-18-2016, 08:52
Oh and I plan on hiking sun up to sun down with a few reasonable breaks in between
I usually do the same. My moving pace is usually 2.5 MPH and at the end of the day, after adding in breaks, I usually average 2.25 MPH. What I usually do when I plan a hike it take the number of daylight hours - 1 and multiply it by 2 MPH. That gives me plenty of wiggle room for longer breaks, etc.
backtrack213
03-18-2016, 09:55
I section hiked PA/NJ border to the MA/VT border 15 days with a total of 305 miles I think. I averaged 20 miles a day basically. I'm pretty fit I go to the gym I trail run sometimes so if your joints can handle the terrain you should be able to do pretty decent miles.
Jealous of all you fast hikers. Best I could ever do was 15 miles/day sustained, and that was in the mid-Atlantic region, between eastern PA and southern VA, and in the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Springer to Pearisburg (ages ago) I averaged only 11 miles/day but that did include zeros -- too many of them, alas. Even on the easy stuff, I figured about 1.7 or 1.8 miles/hour, including breaks. So that would give me 17, 18 miles for a 10-hour hiking day. North of Glencliff, I'd never plan for more than 10, 12 miles a day (except for the HMW.)
Thing is, even at 11 miles/day, I was mostly holding my own with the starting horde at Springer. Most folks were moving slowly those first few days and first couple of weeks.
Zeros and nearos play havoc with your overall progress. Best strategy for me was to keep them to a minimum.
AlyontheAT2016
03-18-2016, 13:57
I'm a fast hiker (avg 3 mph -- maybe because of my long skinny legs) but I also live in Florida. I'm planning on keeping my first 5 days on the trail under 9 miles just so I don't hurt myself thinking I've got this. Will probably end up even less than that due to mountains :p
It's important to know what you're capable of though. I spent a week last August up in WNC and after hiking the Black Mountain Crest and other numerous day hikes in the area (Linville Gorge and Shortoff Mt were my favorite and I highly recommend them), it took about 3 days for me to get my hiking legs--which for me means I was able to climb a few mountains and still want to keep hiking even though we had an hour of daylight left.
The main thing is (I think) to start slow and easy. It's not a race. Maine is 2190 miles away and you have 6 months to get there if you start before May.
Just an avid dayhiker's 2 cents.
In 2011 at age 56 I averaged 13.5 mi/day from Amicalola to Hot Springs, including 3 half-days with less mileage (no zeroes). I am not in great shape but carry a fairly light pack. I would think you would do better than that based on your description of fitness.
colorado_rob
03-18-2016, 16:17
Mapman's stats are very cool, but keep in mind those stats include what I call "shelter rats", a good percentage of AT hikers down south. They get up kinda early and race to the next shelter quitting very early, noon-1pm even, and hang out there all afternoon and hence wind up doing short days, every day, but they get their shelter space.
Which leads to one question: Are you planning on tenting a lot or will you tend towards shelters? If shelters, your milage gets more restricted. I was a tenter, almost exclusively, thus had much more "freedom" as to my daily mileage.
Drybones
03-18-2016, 19:58
You don't have to walk fast, you just have to walk, I find that 9 hours of moderate walking will give me 20 miles with a reasonable morning, afternoon, and lunch time stop, regardless of the terrain (which I don't understand) this seems to work for me.
Traveler
03-19-2016, 05:58
You don't have to walk fast, you just have to walk, I find that 9 hours of moderate walking will give me 20 miles with a reasonable morning, afternoon, and lunch time stop, regardless of the terrain (which I don't understand) this seems to work for me.
This. If I really push it, I can maintain a 3.5 mph pace on variable terrain these days, which delivers fast miles but I cannot maintain a pace like that for more than a day or two. Conversely, I can easily maintain a 1.8 mph pace (which includes breaks/photos) that seems slow, but at 10 hours delivers nearly 20 miles and is a sustainable pace for many days.
dreamweaver21
03-24-2016, 23:20
This is my trip from Springer to Newfound Gap 2 years ago having never long distance hiked before. I am in my 30s with a desk job but I work out 4-6 days a week and always have since high school. Anything under 10 miles involved a town trip or getting a ride or something besides hiking that day.
Day
Start Location
Stop Location
Start Time
Stop Time
Miles from Springer
Miles Hiked
Hours hiked
1
Springer Mtn
Gooch Shelter
10:30
17:30
15.8
15.8
7:00
2
Gooch Shelter
Baggs Creek Gap
8:15
19:00
35.9
20.1
10:45
3
Baggs Creek Gap
Cheese Factory Site
8:15
18:00
56.6
20.7
9:45
4
Cheese Factory Site
Dicks Creek Gap
7:45
14:30
69.6
13
6:45
5
Dicks Creek Gap
Standing Indian Shelter
9:00
18:00
86.3
16.7
9:00
6
Standing Indian Shelter
Rock Gap Shelter
8:00
17:00
106
19.7
9:00
7
Rock Gap Shelter
Winding Stair Gap
8:00
11:00
109.8
3.8
3:00
8
Winding Stair Gap
Wayah Shelter
11:00
16:00
120.8
11
5:00
9
Wayah Shelter
NOC
8:00
16:00
137.1
16.3
8:00
10
NOC
Cody Gap
9:00
18:00
155.9
18.8
9:00
11
Cody Gap
Fontana Dam
8:15
12:30
164.7
8.8
4:15
12
Fontana Dam
Spence Field Shelter
9:30
19:00
182.5
17.8
9:30
13
Spence Field Shelter
Mt. Collins Shelter
7:30
18:00
205.1
22.6
10:30
14
Mt. Collins Shelter
Newfound Gap
7:30
13:00
206.8
1.7
5:30
Another Kevin
03-25-2016, 11:59
If you're a long distance hiker, you already know your pace and wouldn't be asking the question.
Since you're not a long distance hiker, plan on 8-12 miles a day out of the gate and let your body tell you when you're ready for more. Even really good athletes sometimes find that long distance hiking simply works the body differently from the training that they've been doing, so have to start slow anyway. Remember that if you take weekly zeroes, you can finish the trail in six months averaging 14 miles/day on the days that you do hike. Having a week or two of short days isn't going to put you insurmountably far behind your time.
Beware: I'm NOT a long-distance hiker. The longest hike I've attempted was 138 miles. I planned 8-10 mile days on that hike, but found that the going was easier than I expected. 12-15 was a comfortable rhythm. Nevertheless, the first couple of days, I consciously held back, because I know that a pace that's comfortable for a day or two will not be comfortable for a week or more. I would take a longer lunch break, do more photography, stop someplace nice and just read, and so on.
I'm kind of old (60) and I'm surely no athlete. Georgia is harder than where I was hiking, so if I were to do that section, I'd still plan the 8-12. Since I've done hikes of the same length over terrain that's just as difficult, I'm confident that I would find my rhythm down South too.
booney_1
03-25-2016, 12:10
When planning section hikes with older boy scouts (upper teens), who are generally in shape...a good number is 1 to 1.5 miles per hour on the AT.
To do better you have to be in hiking shape and carrying a light load. Hiking sunrise to sunset is a lot of hiking. Most groups I've hiked with are ready to call it a day at 4:30 or so.
Hikingjim
03-26-2016, 23:53
Lots of good info here. I would say your most important thing is to not make your schedule too rigid. Give yourself some flexibility
A hike where you're always on the clock or trying to "get in big miles" can be terrible.
Just hit the trail and enjoy.
If you're in good shape and don't overload your pack, then you'll do a minimum of 10 miles (that would take about 5-6 hours at most in that area.....). And then just carry on as you like. So no one can really say if you'll do 10 or 20 miles.
On another note, going to springer in mid-april is an interesting choice. Very busy still.
Stitches
03-27-2016, 07:03
I'm section hiking GA from Springer to Blue Ridge and plan to finish in 8 days, with one nero day to meet up with my resupply guy at Lake Winfield Scott and do a night of "car camping"( one mile off AT on Jarrard Gap Trail. Showers and bathrooms and water... bacon, eggs, pancakes, and perked coffee.... Ah....) I live in N. GA and have been training weekends on the AT with a full pack, mostly between Springer and Hogpen Gap. !0-14 miles a day is comfortable for me. I don't lift weights, except for my pack, but I walk briskly 5-6 miles per day.
You should know this sort of thing before you go hiking.
You should know this sort of thing before you go hiking.
Got to agree. I supposed it's a fair question but seriously, ask a ten strangers this question and you'll get twelve answers. Statistics don't dictate outcomes, they simply reflect prior outcomes. So who are you gonna believe? I suppose the intelligent conclusion is: there's no way to know 'till you've done it. We don't know you, we don't know your level of fitness, experience, preparedness, or your familiarity or comfort level with terrain such as you'll find on the AT.
MuddyWaters
03-27-2016, 14:51
You should know this sort of thing before you go hiking.
The good thing is that mountain crossings is 3 days / 30 mi from springer for most newbs, and by the time they get there, theve got it figured out for the next leg to usually hiawassee. So in reality....just start walking with 3 days food works for most.
lonehiker
03-27-2016, 14:56
The good thing is that mountain crossings is 3 days / 30 mi from springer for most newbs, and by the time they get there, theve got it figured out for the next leg to usually hiawassee. So in reality....just start walking with 3 days food works for most.
We could muddy up the waters a bit here by stating that you only need 2 days of food for a 3 day trip...
MuddyWaters
03-27-2016, 15:07
We could muddy up the waters a bit here by stating that you only need 2 days of food for a 3 day trip...
I call it 2 .5. But even if it takes a snails snail 4 days, they arent going to starve with 3. Days food.
[QUOTE=garminator;2051720]I'll be doing a section hike from Springer starting mid April and was wondering what the average mile per day works out to./QUOTE]
My on-line northbound AT thru-hike journal has daily mileage for my thru-hike and I started on April 10th. I was in pretty good physical shape starting my thru-hike and my backpack weighed 37 lbs with food and water when I weighed it at the Amicalola Visitors Center. I got my tral legs in Virginia (trail legs to me meaning I could sustain uphills at a decent pace without regularly stopping to catch my breath).
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=162040
Note the treadway smoothness was also be a factor in my hiking speed as well as the weather and if I had blisters (feet/hips/shoulders) or not. Also, the Georgia/North Carolina section was the 2nd toughest part of my AT thru-hike -- New Hampshire/Maine being the toughest.
Datto
greentick
04-01-2016, 19:00
1. Dude is from south florida, no elevation. Going to very nearly constant elevation change up or down.
2. Running has minimal comparison to rucking. IE good running fitness does not translate into being able to hike with a pack.
OP, plan in extra time and if you find you are knocking it out easily then either come home early, sleep in/stop hiking earlier and chill out in camp with some bourbon and enjoy being outdoors.
As a section hiker, it's very useful, for planning purposes, to figure out YOUR average miles per day, because it allows you to plan town stops, food resupply, and, if you have limited time, to choose a hike that fits that timespan. After section hiking for many years, I use a conservative 10 miles per day south of the Whites, and maybe 6-7 miles in northern NH and Maine. I almost always hike farther than that, but as I said, it's a conservative estimate. So if it's 50 miles between resupply points, for example, I carry 5 days of food plus 1 (for emergencies). Probably you are younger and in better shape than me, so you can go farther, though it's always a good idea to start out slow to avoid soreness and overuse injuries.
X2 I think this is right on.
Heather1027
04-06-2016, 11:56
Heh.
I have only hiked the AT once so far from Carvers Gap to Overmountain Shelter. We got dropped off at about 11 am and made it to the shelter right before it started to get dark at about 4:30. That's what, 5 miles? We were walking so slow because the scenery is AMAZING. Plus, I'm an amateur photographer so I swear I took photos of everything. It was raining, extremely muddy, I overpacked, my pack was two sizes too big and I completely wiped out on the rocks. We had to call it quits the next morning and got a ride back at the shelter. Best trip ever and I can't wait to do it again!!! (BTW, I got a new pack & I'm hardly bringing anything! Lesson learned! LOL)
garminator
04-06-2016, 13:00
One week away!!!! I can't wait, thanks for all the advice guys! be well.
Don't carry over 35lbs.
I did from Springer to Fontana in 10 days.... and I spent a day goofing off at the NOC watching some stupid Freestyle Kayak Championship and drinking beer.
Limit your party time b/c it's easy to get caught up in it from Georgia to Fontana (the Hilton is a trap for some people). Then again people slack in Hot Springs, and especially around Uncle Johnny's in Erwin.
garminator
04-07-2016, 23:01
Cool thanks Trance
greentick
04-08-2016, 11:16
Looking forward to the trip report.
MtDoraDave
04-08-2016, 21:45
A bit late, but I'll throw my two cents in.
I only get out on the trail once a month or once every two months to try to maintain some semblance of "shape" for when I drive up to section the AT for a week. I ride a mountain bike sometimes, but that's about all I "work out" (besides having a somewhat physical job).
When I get to the AT for a week, I usually do about 7 or 8 miles on the first day, if possible. Next day, stretch it out to 10 or so, then bump it to 12 to 14 or so the rest of the week. My last trip a few weeks ago, I felt so good on my last day, I ended up doing 16.9 miles (not counting backtracking to two shelters for breaks). It was a mostly downhill day - from Tricorner Knob shelter to Davenport gap, then down the gravel road back to Big Creek Ranger Station where I parked.
That 17 mile day was too much - I was sore for over a week after I got home; mostly the balls of my feet.
Georgia is tough. My friend and I averaged almost 14 miles per day from Springer to Franklin. I tent so I am not confined to shelter-hopping. Hike until about an hour before sunset. I also don't cook anymore so all I need is ample water and a small, flat spot to pitch my tent.
For getting started on your hike I think that 15 miles per day is a beefy average out of the gate and in Georgia
Its easy to toss numbers around, 15 miles with elevation, uneven terrain, whatever weather..........is a long day.