View Full Version : my planning for march '06 thru hike!
Hi,
here is a second attempt at my post. it had better work this time!!!
I am planning to thru hike the AT north bound this March of 06. I thought I would throw out where I stand in process and see of folks can help me out with suggestions and tell me to relax or to really get in gear.
1) I have a start date set. Teus March 21st I will hike from Amicolola falls State Park and spend first night at or near summit of Springer Mountain.
2) I fly down to Atlanta (have ticket) and spend Mon night at the hiker hostel (www.hikerhostel.com (http://www.hikerhostel.com)) where I have reservation.
3) I have most of my gear already purchased. A Gregory Forester Pack that I like very much, pair of EMS Summit II Goretex boots that are well broken in, and a Hilleberg tent that I have used several times and seems to be very functionable. I can list full gear details in another post if that is of interest to folks.\
4) I have a rough ..very rough..schedule that I have drawn up...starting on March 22 from Springer Mountain and finishing on or just after Labor Day. However, I have no deadlines for finishing other than the October 15th datewhen Baxter park supposedy closes to over night use. This schedule thing is not easy as I dont know how many zero days I will take or when I will take them or what my pace will be. I hope to start out around 10 miles per day and work up to around 15 to 20 miles per day from Mid Virginia to southern New England. I have no desire or intention to do over 20 miles in a day unless there is no way around it. I am not out to speed hike in any sense.
5) Mail drops is one of my big current concerns. I don't want to do more than necessary. Where there is access to a descent gorcery store I will use it to re supply on food. yet I think a mail drop at Fontana dam, another in perrisburg VA to send cold weather gear home, and another at Glencliffe NH to get cold weather gear back would be an advisable minimum. I have thought of doing a bounce box for things that might be used only in town such as razor, multi vitamins, extra moleskin etc).
6) I have a brother in northern Mass who has agreed to act as my at home support person. he will mail off or accept packages of stuff I may need. He is staring to get on my case about getting him specifics regarding schedules and preparing and schueduling mail drops.
7) I am getting some gym time in now but not nearly enough to get me into prime hiking shape..may just have to deal with that on trail!
8) any suggestions, comments, advice in my getting ready? The hike needs to be a success!!
9) Keep in mind please..I am new at this..while I have done a lot of hiking before I have never before attempted a 6 month 2000 plus mile hike! For many reasons..personal and otherwise..I need my hike to be a success!!! I am fairly sure though I know what I am getting into and can handle the mental challenges. Afterall..I have completed the Long Trail and, even if done in two batches..the trail was no walk in the park so to speak!
Only 85 more days to go!!!!
thanks in advance for advice and questions you may have!
David
First of all, I can't believe it's just right around the corner! Aaahhhh! This isn't real advice, just things I've noticed from my planning.
You'll need to make your deadline before October 15th, because of weather and reservation problems. You don't need to be in prime hiking shape. You just need a mind that won't quit, and a love for your feet.
I'm worried that you have "multi vitamins" in your town needs, instead of your daily needs. They aren't that heavy, and you should take them every day, especially while you are tearing your body down like that. I'll be using meal replacement powders in my food, instead of pills.
1) I have a start date set. Teus March 21st I will hike from Amicolola falls State Park and spend first night at or near summit of Springer Mountain.
Get a ride up to the top of the falls to start instead of trudging up the trail from the park HQ at the bottom. However, you might want to sign in at the Park HQ register as a way to start the hike.
2) I fly down to Atlanta (have ticket) and spend Mon night at the hiker hostel (www.hikerhostel.com (http://www.hikerhostel.com)) where I have reservation.
Make sure you have your stove and fuel bottle cleaned out and ready to pass inspection at the airport. They will want to go through your pack which will take awhile so get there early for the hassel.
3) I have most of my gear already purchased. A Gregory Forester Pack that I like very much, pair of EMS Summit II Goretex boots that are well broken in, and a Hilleberg tent that I have used several times and seems to be very functionable. I can list full gear details in another post if that is of interest to folks.\
Have you planned getting replacement boots somewhere along the trail or to be mailed out to you?
Do you have a removable lid on the pack? If you can remove it you might want to dump the lid as extra weight you can do without.
4) I have a rough ..very rough..schedule that I have drawn up...starting on March 22 from Springer Mountain and finishing on or just after Labor Day....
Ahh, don't worry about the schedule. It's going to change anyways. Just figure it out as you go along. Maybe you could plan on taking a zero day once a week. If you don't feel the need to take the day off then just keep on hiking.
5) Mail drops is one of my big current concerns. I don't want to do more than necessary. Where there is access to a descent gorcery store I will use it to re supply on food. yet I think a mail drop at Fontana dam, another in perrisburg VA to send cold weather gear home, and another at Glencliffe NH to get cold weather gear back would be an advisable minimum. I have thought of doing a bounce box for things that might be used only in town such as razor, multi vitamins, extra moleskin etc).
You should take multi-vitamins with you. Just dump a small bottle into a baggie and keep them in your food bag. Some hikers just let the beard grow through the hike so maybe you don't need a razor? I'd avoid the bounce box if at all possible. It just ties you the post office schedule just as regular mail drops to.
You could also mail yourself a package on ahead to do your own mail drops. I've seen hikers who had to wait for a mail drop that didn't get out to them in time which slowed them down a couple of days. They also missed the Saturday morning pickup time (most POs close at noon on Saturday) and had to wait until Monday to get a package. If you mail it yourself you might avoid these problems.
6) I have a brother in northern Mass who has agreed to act as my at home support person. he will mail off or accept packages of stuff I may need. He is staring to get on my case about getting him specifics regarding schedules and preparing and schueduling mail drops.
You ought to just have the boxes addressed and postage paid but without a mailing schedule. Let him know you'll email or call from the trail when you want them mailed to you. Do you have some sort of calling card you can use for some long distance calls?
7) I am getting some gym time in now but not nearly enough to get me into prime hiking shape..may just have to deal with that on trail!
IMHO the best thing you can do right now is load up your pack and just go hike around town with the weight. Concord has some short trails that you might be able to use for practice (http://www.onconcord.com/trails/trails). At the worst you could do some walking around the high school track.
Too Tall Paul
neighbor dave
12-26-2005, 20:04
this is your pilot speaking..... fasten your seatbelt and prepare for takeoff. commence hiking!:welcome :clap :sun :banana :jump
Just a couple things..
I plan on sending stove, feul bottle, probably poles as well..on ahead via ups to the hostel. Last think I need is trouble with airport security!
Multi vitemans..I guess I could carry some on trail with refills in mail drops. Could I ask..is this TRULY necessary to have multi vitamens on the hike? I mean with all that wonderful ample town food.. what is a little less than nutritious food on the trail? I will take vitamins if really necessary..but if they aren't necessary for health reasons..
I will probably subsist largely on lipton dinners, cocoa, hot cider mix for dinners, pop tarts or oatmeal or cereal for breakfasts and candy, crackers cheeze, bagles for lunches.
And again..mail drops..how many should I really have? perhaps just a couple? for gear switches etc.
I was planning on going with just my onepair of boots. Buying a second pair en route if and when necessary. I have never been sure on this..would it be better to buy a second pair ahead of time ready to be mailed? right now I have JUST THE ONE pair of boots to use.
man there's gotta be more to ask but that is it for now.
David
looks like you got it david...the LT is a LDT and hard won experience there is very applicable and puts you ahead on the LDH shamoo
i think you'll find schedules will come and go, and some days 25's or 30's is not racing, and fun to experience....the 6 and 7 mile days the following week will keep ya humble enough...hahaha
i thought after standing indian was smooth trail why now test this battle hardened body...was a nice 20 or 21...but heck it was graded smooth.
after Kinkora and wataga lake its cake walk into damascus so don't be surprised if you planned 12 that with the proper mindset you'll cruise all the way in.
my internet mentor, before i knew anything about the terrain told me, don't go too far, too fast...even 10's can be tough in GA....but i did a 20 from tray to plumorchard...so when yer fit, don't worry it'll be fun
since yer doing the approach, do it...some folks miss the beauty of that place...even tho it's just another state park, i found that if i took my time, enjoyed the view, let the adrenaline subside...i was fine and it was a nice walk. but i've done it 4 times.
what's funny to me now is, folks who are beat at 3 forks who started at the parking lot....trust me, its down hill from springer to 3 forks
You're in perfect shape considering the time you have left. Don't sweat it, and don't overplan, just let it come to you. I got a little too crazy, even going as far as writing down where I thought I would be each night and how much money I would spend in every town. It's hilarious to look back now, and see I finished a month earlier than I thought, and stayed at different places than I thought.
Don't sweat maildrops. You don't sound like a picky eater. Sending one to Fontana might be a nice idea, but if you stay with the Hoch's (recommended) they'll drive you to the supermarket. I ended up with too much food from drops early on and regretting sending them.
IMO, forget the bounce box. Just buy things in town when you need them. You're not gonna die on the trail.
Don't sweat mileage. Having an ending date is a good goal, but don't get carried away. Start slow (I did mostly 7-12 mile days for the first month). You'll naturally build up to 15-20 without problems and will probably be capable of more. A big day now and again is fun, and allows you more rest time in a town or a pretty spot.
Lastly, don't get boots. Your feet will swell, change shapes, and you may end up wanting to go with a low cut shoe or trail runner as most do later on. There are plently of outfitters to stop at and buy something new when you need it.
Good luck, you sound ready to go. Now you just gotta wait 3 more months!
digger51
12-27-2005, 02:07
Sounds like you have a plan, just remember that everything changes when you put feet on the ground. One thing I did for my support person for maildrops was to print address labels for the major post offices and hostels so she could cut the label out and tape it to the box for mailing. That way I never worried about her putting the wrong address. Since I hope to leave about a week before you say hi when you pass me.
Just a couple things..
I was planning on going with just my onepair of boots. Buying a second pair en route if and when necessary. I have never been sure on this..would it be better to buy a second pair ahead of time ready to be mailed? right now I have JUST THE ONE pair of boots to use.
David
Your feet may flatten out and get wider as you hike. So I would not buy the second pair in advance. Wait and see.
Panzer
Your feet may flatten out and get wider as you hike.Please, God, no. I already wear a size 17 and can hike only because Columbia makes boots that fit. They don't make a size 18.
Spirit Walker
12-27-2005, 13:01
If your feet are large or really wide, keep handy the phone number of a place where you can get a new pair sent to you as the options near the trail may be limited.
Many new hikers find their feet changing/growing/flattening - but if your feet are already flat/wide that may not be a big problem.
Bubble Toes
12-27-2005, 13:31
I got a maildrop in Fontana because I stayed at the village. They had food at the outfitters but it was expensive. It was also nice to have one at Ft. Montgomery (Bear Mt, NY) but I could have worked around it. I also got one in Monson, MA because late in the season the food was slightly cleaned out. It was also really nice to have exactly what I wanted for the 100 miles of wilderness. Start without a bounce box, if you need one, you can get it any town with a PO.
3) I have most of my gear already purchased. A Gregory Forester Pack that I like very much, pair of EMS Summit II Goretex boots that are well broken in, and a Hilleberg tent that I have used several times and seems to be very functionable. I can list full gear details in another post if that is of interest to folks.\
----------------------------------
Yea, sure, let's see it.
Panzer
I flew down to ATL and stayed at hikerhostel.com. I have nothing but good things to say about the experience.
Enjoy the approach trail. In the scheme of things a short distance, but it is some nice trail and it is a nice way to start your hike. By the time you've been on the trail for awhile it really doesn't matter, but it's nice trail, so why skip it? There was a lot of peer pressure at the hikerhostel to skip the approach trail, but I am glad that I didn't cave in, and I pretty much had the trail to myself that day.
It sounds like your first day plan is good. The advice on averaging somewhere around 10-12mi/day for your first month is good advice. Let your body get used to hiking and the mileage will naturally build up. Many people don't do their first bigger days until somewhere around Damascus or even later.
Gear is gear. People start and finish with a wide variety of gear. Trailjournals and other places have plenty of gear lists and you'll figure out fairly quickly what stays and what goes.
Enjoy not having a schedule. Take zero days when you feel your body needs them or if there is someplace you want to explore a bit longer. Six months plus is very generous for finishing the trail and it doesn't take a superhuman to do so in this timeframe. Your mileage plans look fine and I was in no hurry, but ended up hiking many >20mi days. Once you get going you may find that 20mi really doesn't take that long to hike, so keep an open mind about hiking bigger mileage, but don't be afraid to call it a day earlier than expected either.
A maildrop to Fontana is reasonable. The store isn't bad, but they were sold out on a lot of items when I was there. I did do a (vegetarian) resupply that got me through the smokies though, so it's not the end of the world if you don't do a mail drop here. The costs weren't out of line with the location and you won't save much money so this would be a selection thing more than anything else.
Send the cold weather gear home after it's no longer cold. People were sending their gear home this past year due to rules of thumb and froze their butts off due to not paying attention to what the weather was like. I waited until Waynesboro/Rockfish gap and it worked fine. Glencliff is a good place to get your cold weather gear back, but the store that you can get a shuttle from the hostel to is good enough to resupply from, so don't bother with food. A bounce box is overkill. Things are cheap enough and accessible enough along the AT that it isn't worth it.
The hardest part of the trail is the mental aspect. Read a few good trail journals. Then The Hail Came, Jan LiteShoe's, and Chris Suge's. These will give you a good idea of what long distance hiking is like. I was out to hike and minimized town stays and expenses. I also avoided heavy drinking and the like.
Alligator
12-29-2005, 12:16
Please, God, no. I already wear a size 17 and can hike only because Columbia makes boots that fit. They don't make a size 18.
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
If you ever get custom boots, ask for the Sasquatch tread for winter fun.
The Solemates
12-29-2005, 12:36
Just a couple things..
I plan on sending stove, feul bottle, probably poles as well..on ahead via ups to the hostel. Last think I need is trouble with airport security!
Multi vitemans..I guess I could carry some on trail with refills in mail drops. Could I ask..is this TRULY necessary to have multi vitamens on the hike? I mean with all that wonderful ample town food.. what is a little less than nutritious food on the trail? I will take vitamins if really necessary..but if they aren't necessary for health reasons..
I will probably subsist largely on lipton dinners, cocoa, hot cider mix for dinners, pop tarts or oatmeal or cereal for breakfasts and candy, crackers cheeze, bagles for lunches.
And again..mail drops..how many should I really have? perhaps just a couple? for gear switches etc.
I was planning on going with just my onepair of boots. Buying a second pair en route if and when necessary. I have never been sure on this..would it be better to buy a second pair ahead of time ready to be mailed? right now I have JUST THE ONE pair of boots to use.
man there's gotta be more to ask but that is it for now.
David
you dont need vitamins. we bought some for along the way, but ended up never really taking any. and we did fine without them.
you will definitely go thru more than 1 pair of boots. buying along the way is okay, but i bought beforehand and just mailed them to myself whenever i needed them. my feet, nor my wife's, did not flatten or grow in size at all. i think the people's feet that flatten are those that dont exercise their feet much in the first place before the hike.
we did half and half on the maildrops thing, but id say we were out of the norm. most people buy along the way. we had 33 resupplies, 17 of which were MDs.