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View Full Version : Is 100 miles the longest distance between towns/resupplies?



bishbash
02-23-2018, 10:45
ie. the 100 mile wilderness? I'm wanting to do this without maildrops or anything like that - just buying stuff as I go. Possibly even do it without cooking faciliites and getting proper hot cooked food in towns. Say I do it in 120 days on average could I spend 30 days in towns and 90 days in the woods camping?

colorado_rob
02-23-2018, 10:57
I think the 100-mile wilderness is the longest stretch without easy town or other service access, though you can pay to have a food drop brought to you at the half-way mark (still, correct?).

Going through the White Mountains in NH, about 100 miles from Glencliff to Gorham (US2), is slightly better because you can buy stuff at the huts along the way to supplement your food if you're running low, but stuff along that stretch is expensive. And that stretch takes longer than the 100-mile wilderness, at least it did for me (7 vs. 6 days).

Lots and lots of folks go "stoveless", by the way. Not me! I like my hot coffee and tea. I'm guessing I spent more like one night in a town every five or so, not one in every four, but this varies wildly for everyone.

Slo-go'en
02-23-2018, 11:47
Spend 30 days in town? I suppose you could, but that will seriously cut into your 120 days.

There are a few towns you walk through and are generally overnight stops. Most towns are various distances off the trail and getting to and from them will cut into your day.

A 120 day thru hike is a fairly fast hike. You need to average just over 18 miles every single day. Any day you do less then 18 or take a zero (day off) you have to make it up by doing 20+ mile days. In some areas it's not to hard to do 20+ mile days but in others it's a struggle to do 10. Of course, your actual mileage will vary with weather conditions and the spacing of shelters or other campsites. You can't just hike exactly 18 miles and stop every day.

So, in order to keep your daily mileage reasonable in many cases you will want to get into town, resupply, do laundry (if you can), have a meal and head right back out again as quickly as possible.

colorado_rob
02-23-2018, 11:50
Spend 30 days in town? I suppose you could, but that will seriously cut into your 120 days.

There are a few towns you walk through and are generally overnight stops. Most towns are various distances off the trail and getting to and from them will cut into your day.

A 120 day thru hike is a fairly fast hike. You need to average just over 18 miles every single day. Any day you do less then 18 or take a zero (day off) you have to make it up by doing 20+ mile days. In some areas it's not to hard to do 20+ mile days but in others it's a struggle to do 10. Of course, your actual mileage will vary with weather conditions and the spacing of shelters or other campsites. You can't just hike exactly 18 miles and stop every day.

So, in order to keep your daily mileage reasonable in many cases you will want to get into town, resupply, do laundry (if you can), have a meal and head right back out again as quickly as possible. I'm guessing the OP meant staying 30 nights in towns, remember, folks from the UK don't exactly speak the same English as we do.... But I do agree, 120 days is pretty fast, the average is more like what, 150 days or so? But, who's average?

evyck da fleet
02-23-2018, 12:10
Yes. But if Nobo, by the time you get there you will probably have done a 100 mile stretch without resupply if you’re hiking that quickly. HarpersFerry to Duncannon is about 120 miles and can be done in 5 days without leaving the trail to resupply. It’s much easier but you’ll have a sense of how much to carry to get through that section. I carried five days of food and finished in four. Took me a little longer than 120 days.

MuddyWaters
02-23-2018, 12:12
Do the math. 2190/90 is average of 24 +miles per day.

No, you can't do that. Few can.

If you could you wouldn't need to ask.

bishbash
02-23-2018, 12:48
Well I'm not counting the zero days. so 120 days hiking, 90 nights camping in woods, 30 days in motel/bandb/bunkhouse etc. 18 miles per day. number of day not really important, just looking at ratio of days sleeping out and days in motel/bandb/bunkhouse etc. ratio. So my starter for ten was.... 3:1.

rickb
02-23-2018, 13:04
I am thinking a lot of people spend 30 nights in town ...

Others can comment on that better than me, however.

I mostly wanted to post so that I could post this link to one spot that you will be walking through on your hike:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash_Bish_Falls

colorado_rob
02-23-2018, 13:06
Well I'm not counting the zero days. so 120 days hiking, 90 nights camping in woods, 30 days in motel/bandb/bunkhouse etc. 18 miles per day. number of day not really important, just looking at ratio of days sleeping out and days in motel/bandb/bunkhouse etc. ratio. So my starter for ten was.... 3:1. I'm guessing your 1 night in town to 3 nights on the trail ratio is a bit higher than average, but just a guess. Nights in town cost money, nights on the trail are mostly free, that probably drives a lot of folks to spend fewer nights in towns.

Many times for me, at least, when passing through or very near a town, I would stop in the town during the day, take care of a few things, then continue hiking to the next decent camping place.

Wyoming
02-23-2018, 13:10
Well I am not sure why you would want to spend that many nights in a motel/etc and I expect it would be hard to plan it out that way unless you were zeroing a lot. But it probably 'could' be done.

18 mpd is no problem at all as an average. But like Muddy said if you have not already done enough hiking that you know you can do this then most find they have issues trying to make it happen. Most folks who are 20 mpd hikers on a trail like the AT would never consider staying 30 nights in motels/etc.

The Whites and the 100 mile wilderness are not that big of a deal really if you are a nobo. If you make it that far and have been hiking good miles (between southern Va and where the Whites start the AT is very flat and 20+ mpd is very easy to do) the Whites are strenuous but not really difficult - they are actually a lot of fun. The 100 mile wilderness is flat and you would have no trouble crossing it in 4-5 days - if you want to. By the time most folks hit the 100 mile wilderness they are deliberately slowing down to extend their time in the woods. They just don't want the hike to end. Same somewhat for the Whites as they are one of the rare scenic parts of the AT and folks want to stretch that time out.

Plus by the time you hit New England you are strong and it you want to slow down and have to carry an extra day of food to get where you are going it is no trouble doing it anyway. And you eat the weight down so the issue is not substantial.

Pack loads on the AT are amongst the lowest you will ever find on any big trails anywhere in the world due to the huge number of resupply locations and the large amount of water sources.

Slo-go'en
02-23-2018, 14:37
Using the AT lodging and hostel guide on the home page, I count 28 places I'd probably spend a night at. That's about once every 78 miles on average. What the ratio of town stays vs trail nights depends on how fast you can get between these places. If you do a more typical 15 MPD average, that's every 5 days, keeping in mind your actual day to day mileage is going to vary wildly.

bigcranky
02-23-2018, 14:42
Actually I think a 3:1 woods:town ratio isn't bad, that means 4 days hiking (3 nights on the trail), then a night in town to resupply, then another 4 hiking days, etc. If you're averaging 18 miles per day, that's approximately 70-75 miles between town stops, which is very reasonable. Towns are closer together in most places, giving you more choices, but really only the HMW is longer.

This is for a traditional northbound hike? When is your start date? I have gone "stoveless" in the past, but that was in the summer; in March it gets quite cold some nights and a hot meal is welcome.

peakbagger
02-23-2018, 15:05
One year I did a 5 week car supported section hikein VA. We had two cars and would spot a car at road crossing then drive 4 hiking days south and then would backpack back to the first car. On the last day of the hike we would get up early and hike out to the car without stopping for lunch. We would then do a resupply, stay at motel or a hostel and then spot the car for the next stretch. We would get up in the AM and then do another 4 days stretch. We never did a zero. We were slower initially and didnt have the daily mileage of thru hikers but we made up for taking no zeros for 5 weeks while most thru hikers would have had at least 4 possibly five zeros.

For many hikers, hiking turns into their "job" and they start to crave a town day. The standard commendation is hike a short day, hit town and then head out of town on the same day but most folks end up doing an overnight and they burn up a lot of time. Even if hiker is disciplined its hard for him to skip town and get ahead on the trail when the "crew" he was hiking with does.

Yes there are limited services where you may be able to do a basic resupply but the choice is limited and the prices are high. Many of the hostels set up shuttles to town to a real store but the only way you are getting that is to stay the night. Not sure what the hostel at Glencliff is doing these days but there are no stores within walking distance which means a shuttle or a box sent in advance. I think the hostel in Woodstock may do a shuttle to a store (check with them) but once past there is nowhere to resupply until Gorham unless you burn up half a day hitching to a store. The campground abotu 4 miles south of Crawford Notch in NH is a typical camp store, better then nothing but very limited. The AMC huts usually sell AYCE soup around lunch and left over breakfast in the morning plus they do various baked snacks mid day. They dont have any supplies to sell beyond basic snacks. As described a thru hiker may be able to stretch their supplies but they really cant resupply at the huts.

Once you get to Maine the selection goes way down in most towns and the prices stay high. The hostels in Andover offer several days of slackpacking where they drop a hiker off in the morning with a daypack and pick them up at night. Rangely has good resupply but its hitch into or out of town several miles. Not much in Caratunk. Monson has local resupply or a grocery stores in Greenville several miles north.

Venchka
02-23-2018, 18:13
Question:
How long in AT trail miles is the 100 Mile Wilderness? I seem to recall that it’s less than 100 AT miles.
As for resupply approaching BSP, it’s all pretty remote eh? A mail drop kind of place? Trail food in Monson?
Wayne

Martzy13
02-23-2018, 18:21
The 100-Mile Wilderness is not as "big and bad" as it's made out to be. I'm not a mile maniac and I did it in just over 3 days of hiking. No need for a big resupply, unless you are planning on swimming in every pond you cross on the way.

Dogwood
02-23-2018, 18:23
I'm guessing your 1 night in town to 3 nights on the trail ratio is a bit higher than average, but just a guess...

I'd agree with Rob. I'd add it's a higher avg for one opting to do such a speedy AT thru too. But, HYOH and all that stuff.

Dogwood
02-23-2018, 18:27
The 100-Mile Wilderness is not as "big and bad" as it's made out to be. I'm not a mile maniac and I did it in just over 3 days of hiking. No need for a big resupply, unless you are planning on swimming in every pond you cross on the way.

+ 1 especially if you're on a NOBO Thru anticipating summitting Mt K during typical timeframes?

Slo-go'en
02-23-2018, 18:48
The 100-Mile Wilderness is not as "big and bad" as it's made out to be. I'm not a mile maniac and I did it in just over 3 days of hiking. No need for a big resupply, unless you are planning on swimming in every pond you cross on the way.

Maybe if your in your early 20's. I doubt a whole lot of people can do it in 3 days. 5 would be pushing it for most. It's just a mile shy of 100 miles from Monson the Able bridge, 115 to the summit. Granted the last bit is pretty easy, but you got a few serious fords in there and the Chairback range. That's enough to slow the average hiker down.

map man
02-23-2018, 20:16
I am thinking a lot of people spend 30 nights in town ...

Others can comment on that better than me, however.

In the study of NOBO thru-hike completers that I've done, hikers take 169 days to complete the trail and 53 nights are spent in hostels, motels or private homes -- that's 31% of nights spent in these places out of all the nights of a thru-hike. So 30 nights in town on a 120 day hike is not abnormal. In fact, only 9% of hikers in the study spent less than 30 nights in a dwelling. The other 91% spent 30 nights or more in dwellings (and the large majority of dwelling nights are spent in a town, not out in the country). Think about it -- a single zero day in a town involves two nights spent in that town (and NOBOs take a mean 21 zeroes). And that's not counting the overnight town stays that don't involve a zero day.

For those wondering about these numbers here is the thread addressing the topic:

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/105232-Where-thru-hikers-spend-their-nights?highlight=

As for the question about 100 miles between resupplies, most thru-hikers try to avoid carrying more than three or four days of food in their packs (though there are exceptions, of course) and are willing to hitch or shuttle a fair distance away from the trail, if necessary, to resupply with a frequency that will let them avoid having to carry too much food.

And as others have mentioned, there are multiple businesses you can pay to do a food drop for you in the middle of the 100 Mile Wilderness.

evyck da fleet
02-23-2018, 20:23
There are two major ranges in the first 45 miles of the Wilderness. After that it’s essy providing it doesn’t rain.

i must be an exception. I had 45 town nights and 87 woods nights on my thru. But I found my body worked better if I did a 30 into town and then a zero instead of two fifteens. The zero helped me keep my weight up.

George
02-23-2018, 23:12
my take: lets say 135 days - on the quicker side but my no means exceptional speed (assume luckier than average weather)

30 full resupplies + 10 times that you will obtain 1-3 meals

15 nights off trail (average every other resupply)

2 zero's (assume no injuries/ health issues)

full resupply days average 10 miles - the remaining (full trail days) would need to average 18 miles

not at all leisurely, requires some luck, and a strong start - but still realistic

Deacon
02-24-2018, 06:49
In the study of NOBO thru-hike completers that I've done, hikers take 169 days to complete the trail and 53 nights are spent in hostels, motels or private homes -- that's 31% of nights spent in these places out of all the nights of a thru-hike. So 30 nights in town on a 120 day hike is not abnormal. In fact, only 9% of hikers in the study spent less than 30 nights in a dwelling. The other 91% spent 30 nights or more in dwellings (and the large majority of dwelling nights are spent in a town, not out in the country). Think about it -- a single zero day in a town involves two nights spent in that town (and NOBOs take a mean 21 zeroes). And that's not counting the overnight town stays that don't involve a zero day.

For those wondering about these numbers here is the thread addressing the topic:

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/105232-Where-thru-hikers-spend-their-nights?highlight=

As for the question about 100 miles between resupplies, most thru-hikers try to avoid carrying more than three or four days of food in their packs (though there are exceptions, of course) and are willing to hitch or shuttle a fair distance away from the trail, if necessary, to resupply with a frequency that will let them avoid having to carry too much food.

And as others have mentioned, there are multiple businesses you can pay to do a food drop for you in the middle of the 100 Mile Wilderness.

Wow, those numbers are right on the mark when I look st my own hike. 167 trail days and 53 Hostel/motel stays


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

colorado_rob
02-24-2018, 09:03
In the study of NOBO thru-hike completers that I've done, hikers take 169 days to complete the trail and 53 nights are spent in hostels, motels or private homes -- that's 31% of nights spent in these places out of all the nights of a thru-hike. So 30 nights in town on a 120 day hike is not abnormal. In fact, only 9% of hikers in the study spent less than 30 nights in a dwelling. The other 91% spent 30 nights or more in dwellings (and the large majority of dwelling nights are spent in a town, not out in the country). Think about it -- a single zero day in a town involves two nights spent in that town (and NOBOs take a mean 21 zeroes). And that's not counting the overnight town stays that don't involve a zero day.

For those wondering about these numbers here is the thread addressing the topic:

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/105232-Where-thru-hikers-spend-their-nights?highlight=

As for the question about 100 miles between resupplies, most thru-hikers try to avoid carrying more than three or four days of food in their packs (though there are exceptions, of course) and are willing to hitch or shuttle a fair distance away from the trail, if necessary, to resupply with a frequency that will let them avoid having to carry too much food.

And as others have mentioned, there are multiple businesses you can pay to do a food drop for you in the middle of the 100 Mile Wilderness. Mapman come through again! Good stuff. I would have thought less nights off trail, but that I wast a wild guess based on the folks I hiked the AT with.

Thanks for post real Stats MM. Sounds like our friend from across the pond is spot on.

garlic08
02-24-2018, 09:21
For an experienced hiker, I think the OP's plan is right on the mark. My stats show 33 nights in civilization (inns, houses, hostels) over a 106 day hike, with three zero days at friends' houses (two nights in the same place).

My longest distance between resupplies was just over 100 miles somewhere in VA, just because I didn't feel like hitching. In fact, I only hitched thrice, once in New Hampshire, twice in Maine (one of those leaving the terminus). I'm comfortable with 100 mile food loads, since that's the norm out West where I did most of my prior hiking. I often skipped common resupply towns where they were numerous.

A couple of times I walked a mile or two off trail for a restaurant, especially in the more populous mid-Atlantic states. I called that stretch the "diner-a-day" tour--ten days in a row with restaurant meals, mostly very convenient, but usually camping in the woods.

I went stoveless and it was a fine strategy on the AT, I thought. One attraction was not having to resupply fuel, making town stops just a little easier with one less chore.

I also made very good use of the cheap lunches and free breakfast leftovers at the huts in the Whites, though it's not wise to count on that.

Elaikases
02-24-2018, 12:25
That is interesting. It is exactly the same ratio my wife has decided on after several section hikes -- what she needs to feel recharged rather than beat down.

Thank you for the data.

garlic08
02-24-2018, 18:33
And I think it's interesting I never thought of that as a ratio, nor heard about it before. And I'm a numbers kind of guy (though not nearly as much so as Mapman).