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One Half
03-17-2018, 16:12
Yep! I am starting this thread because while we have often talked about thru hiking from when my husband and I first started backpacking 25+ years ago this has been a "dream." Well about 18 months ago we sat down and"decided" we would continue working for 5 more years, had several things we needed to "accomplish" before we set out, etc. Then about a year ago we almost blew the whole plan but luckily didn't (like committing major money which would have kept us from leaving jobs for 6 months). Been discussing it again and we are committed. So at this time in the year 2022 we will be in some stage of getting rid of the vast majority of our possessions, visiting our son, and then packing up the rest of our stuff for our "post hike" life and getting to the trail head!

AllDownhillFromHere
03-17-2018, 17:42
Talk about "Plan Ahead and Prepare"!

Good luck!

DuneElliot
03-17-2018, 18:03
I barely know what I'm doing next week, let alone in 4 years! At least you'll know you're well prepared well you hit the trail...right up until you realize you aren't...lol

BCPete
03-17-2018, 20:04
My wife & I were practically in your exact shoes back in 2010 ... 5 years away from retiring (with over 25 years of hardcore backpacking under our belt), and then wanting to do the AT for a retirement kickoff. We've been accused of planning things way too far in advance, but we were only 50 when we quit the jobs, and every one of our accusers is still trying to pay off their mortgage. :-? It's pretty darn nice be a long range planner!

We did retire right on schedule, and we did start the AT ... but quickly found out that the AT was the exact wrong thing for us at that particular time. There are numerous reasons why we bailed on the trip, but it basically boiled down to the fact that we ended up hating almost everything about East Coast hiking. We're from the Central Interior part of British Columbia, and our home backpacking territory is basically Jasper & west into BC ... pretty different from the AT. I'm not trying to start a troll war here, but for us that was what it was. It only took us 2 weeks to figure it out on the AT, and we're pretty good at making big fast decisions so we bailed. No regrets. We came back to BC and had the spring/summer/fall backpacking season of our lives.

One big time recommendation would be to plan a two week vacation to hike the Georgia to the Smokies section ... a year or two before you retire, and at the exact dates you plan on starting the AT. You'll find out a bunch of stuff that you might not have thought of, and conclude the AT is just not your thing. We knew a bunch of facts from research, but that only gets you so far and very little of that is emotional. I was surprised by how much of a negative vibe my wife & I got from not seeing a single animal track on the AT in all of Georgia ... not something that would even be noticed by most people I suspect, but we are huge wildlife fanatics and Georgia left us feeling somewhat hollow. The other shock was just how bad the water sources were compared to our baseline thinking of water ... while most people we met were saying that the water sources were doing great that year because of all the rain. We did know from research that water was going to be different, but the reality hit us as a big negative vibe that brought us down. These two relatively minor things (and a few others) made us start thinking about what we could be doing the Canadian Rockies in the spring & summer instead ... and that basically sealed the deal on our bailout.

So do your research, but get out to the actual trail and do some hardcore testing of your gear ... and your brain! I hope it works out for you, and you end up on top of Katahdin ... it's a worthwhile physical endeavor for a lot of folks.

One Half
03-18-2018, 10:00
I barely know what I'm doing next week, let alone in 4 years! At least you'll know you're well prepared well you hit the trail...right up until you realize you aren't...lol
I don't know what I'm doing next week either! But I know that in 4 years we will be getting ready/be on the trail!

One Half
03-18-2018, 10:08
My wife & I were practically in your exact shoes back in 2010 ... 5 years away from retiring (with over 25 years of hardcore backpacking under our belt), and then wanting to do the AT for a retirement kickoff. We've been accused of planning things way too far in advance, but we were only 50 when we quit the jobs, and every one of our accusers is still trying to pay off their mortgage. :-? It's pretty darn nice be a long range planner!

We did retire right on schedule, and we did start the AT ... but quickly found out that the AT was the exact wrong thing for us at that particular time. There are numerous reasons why we bailed on the trip, but it basically boiled down to the fact that we ended up hating almost everything about East Coast hiking. We're from the Central Interior part of British Columbia, and our home backpacking territory is basically Jasper & west into BC ... pretty different from the AT. I'm not trying to start a troll war here, but for us that was what it was. It only took us 2 weeks to figure it out on the AT, and we're pretty good at making big fast decisions so we bailed. No regrets. We came back to BC and had the spring/summer/fall backpacking season of our lives.

One big time recommendation would be to plan a two week vacation to hike the Georgia to the Smokies section ... a year or two before you retire, and at the exact dates you plan on starting the AT. You'll find out a bunch of stuff that you might not have thought of, and conclude the AT is just not your thing. We knew a bunch of facts from research, but that only gets you so far and very little of that is emotional. I was surprised by how much of a negative vibe my wife & I got from not seeing a single animal track on the AT in all of Georgia ... not something that would even be noticed by most people I suspect, but we are huge wildlife fanatics and Georgia left us feeling somewhat hollow. The other shock was just how bad the water sources were compared to our baseline thinking of water ... while most people we met were saying that the water sources were doing great that year because of all the rain. We did know from research that water was going to be different, but the reality hit us as a big negative vibe that brought us down. These two relatively minor things (and a few others) made us start thinking about what we could be doing the Canadian Rockies in the spring & summer instead ... and that basically sealed the deal on our bailout.

So do your research, but get out to the actual trail and do some hardcore testing of your gear ... and your brain! I hope it works out for you, and you end up on top of Katahdin ... it's a worthwhile physical endeavor for a lot of folks.
I appreciate the advice.

We won't be retiring but taking a "sabattical." Basically quitting our jobs and then needing to go back to work when we are done. So the financial considerations are pretty big, thus the planning so far in advance. We also have a 20 year old son who lives on his own but still needs us enough that we want to give him more time to be a little more settled, stable, etc.

We have no idea where we will live when we get done. We may return to where we currently live, nearby or in a completely different state. If our attempt "fails" we would likely spend the rest of the planned time away traveling with a travel trailer and seeing more of the country.

We are pretty familiar with the AT having lived in MA, ME and NH and hiking it and being trail maintainers there. I also spent some time last spring on the AT in GA - 5 days but missed my husband too much - so I am familiar that it is very different from the Whites.

We also have plans to do short sections in the next couple of years but don't really want to "spoil" too much of the surprises. We also have a "new to us" State to explore so we will likely spend the bulk of our time hiking here in Texas and seeing the beauty here.

BowGal
03-18-2018, 16:35
And here I thought I was over preparing for next year.
Lol, my gear is laid out on my living room floor, have a base of 17 lbs. and 29 total weight. My hubby thinks I’m overthinking, but he’s not hiking the AT, I am.

I’ll be doing a number of trails this Spring and Summer to get in a few miles.

gracebowen
03-18-2018, 16:38
I've been planning my 2020 hike for a while now. Early planning and dreaming seems ok to me.

blazinraisin
07-26-2018, 21:04
hey pennypincher, as you have plenty of time ...look into doing a flip flop hike. some of the benefits are: you don't have to be as hard pressed to make it to Katadyhn before it closes, you tend to have milder weather throughout, and you don't have to fight the hordes on the southern end as a northbounder from Georgia. From what I can tell more people are doing that especially those in their forties and up. I'm 46 and that's my plan for next year.....! best of luck!

MyMusclesHurt
12-22-2018, 19:32
Started March 29th, 2022. My 65th Birthday. I lifelong present to myself! Happy Planning all...



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jb11386
02-20-2019, 11:33
I'll be hiking in 2022 after graduating high school early, so hopefully I'll see you out there- I'm crazy about early planning too hahaha... Was originally planning a solo thru, but I'll most likely be with my mom, as she wants to do it if it is feasible financially (it will be the 40th anniversary of her 1982 thru hike)

Paul C
08-03-2019, 18:16
I am also planning a 2022 hike..retiring March 1 and plan to be on the trail sometime around the 15th

pdcollins6092
10-01-2019, 07:50
I am planning on being out there in 2022 as well. It will be my 10 year anniversary from.my first thru-hike of the trail.

~Skunkape~

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filmfan787
01-07-2020, 13:31
I also plan on embarking in this journey in 2022. Still working on the logistics, obviously but shooting for a late February start. I have a lot to learn still! Not my first overnight hike but definitely will be my first long distance thru hike.

SerenitySeeker
06-17-2020, 03:53
I had to scratch my hike I was planning 10 years ago. Now I'm planning a 2022 also. Most likely a SOBO late summer after retirement.
Hoping our class of 2022 has a great hike year!!

Gary1
09-30-2020, 14:22
I plan to be part of the 2022 class as well. Plan a SOBO starting June 1st 2022. Anyone else doing SOBO?

Gary1
11-20-2020, 09:41
Yep! I am starting this thread because while we have often talked about thru hiking from when my husband and I first started backpacking 25+ years ago this has been a "dream." Well about 18 months ago we sat down and"decided" we would continue working for 5 more years, had several things we needed to "accomplish" before we set out, etc. Then about a year ago we almost blew the whole plan but luckily didn't (like committing major money which would have kept us from leaving jobs for 6 months). Been discussing it again and we are committed. So at this time in the year 2022 we will be in some stage of getting rid of the vast majority of our possessions, visiting our son, and then packing up the rest of our stuff for our "post hike" life and getting to the trail head!

I plan my SOBO 1st of June 2022. See you out there :)

One Half
12-12-2020, 22:36
Wow! Things have changed for us and plans changed drastically but the new plans STILL include me hiking the AT in 2022! Husband will be supporting from our new home - a school bus conversion into a full time mobile home - as I hike and he continues to work remotely.

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Spotter
01-04-2021, 20:49
Wow! Awesome!

I plan to be NOBO in 2022, but I'm planning on starting at the southern terminus of the Pinhoti and connecting it with 72 miles of the BMT to start my NOBO on the AT. So I don't have a start date. I'll get there when I get there!

buzz48843
01-05-2021, 10:29
It is good to see fellow hikers planning for 2022! I am planning a NOBO starting late March. I look forward to talking with other hikers starting that year!

Hanabi
04-24-2021, 04:18
Hi all,

I am Hanabi. I too am planning to thru hike in 2022. Currently planning on a NOBO starting late February (weather permitting). Not my first long backpacking trip, but it will be my longest. Just finished college and I need to figure out what I want to do with my life. Looking to talk to other people I may meet out there.

Cheers,

Doc Theo
05-24-2021, 18:04
Just registered for my thru hike in 2022 starting March 26th - going to flip-flop starting at Harriman in NY going SOBO to Troutville, then NOBO from Harriman to Katahdin, and finish SOBO from Troutville to Springer.

March 26th is my late brother's birthday and I'm hiking in his honor; something I've wanted to do for the last 20 years.

Joeseph
05-31-2021, 15:17
I am planning on starting a NOBO thru in the second week of March 2022, already registered with the ATC, have all of my gear just about set and will be doing some overnight shakedowns over the rest of this year, I fortunately live fairly close to the A.T., I had originally planned a thru-hike in 2012 while living in Gorham New Hampshire when I first read about thru-hiking in an article, changed my plans at the last minute and bought a new Harley Davidson Road King Classic and moved to Virginia, 5 days after I got there, a guy crashed into the back of me and my bike, totaled it and laid me up with a back injury for two years, things could still change but right now my plan is 2022.

Shade22
06-24-2021, 13:51
I'll be starting a 2nd thru attempt in mid-March. Not excited about hiking with the bubble, but I guess that drastically raises my chances of meeting some cool people.

billtrull
07-11-2021, 23:56
Been retired a while now and needed something big to look forward to. My son graduates from college this December, and since we have done a week or so each summer on the AT in Virginia the last 7 years or so, we decided that something "big" should be a 2022 thru hike. We have all of the equipment that would be needed, but I am now in a serious research mode for lighter and lighter items. We are scheduled for a late Feb. start. See 'ya on the trail!

LetsDoThis!
08-25-2021, 15:17
Registered and will start March 11th '22 NOBO. Was originally going to do it in 2015 but life and job held me back. However, 2020 and 2021 have been to crappy years and I now have the free time to do it. 2020 - Lost 2 parents 2 months apart, but got engaged in October 2020. Fast forward to 2021 and my fiancée broke up with me, I think, and I got terminated from my job, ha! So, now there's nothing holding me back. I think it will be a breath of fresh air and I'll have plenty of time to think out there. LetsDoThis!

SAWNIE
08-26-2021, 11:21
Well thought out plan! And the quotation at the bottom of your page is perfect. Thanks for sharing.

One Half
08-27-2021, 15:29
I wonder if any of y'all are rethinking the plan for 2022. This year has seen really heavy use. I wonder what next year will be like.

For me, I likely won't thru hike next year as plans changed. We were going to do a "scouting trip" this year (for my support "team") and thru next year. This year we ended up in CO and will do our "scouting trip" next year. I will likely hike sections and maybe do some trail magic in 2022. Hopefully thru in 2023. Really depends on so many moving pieces.

Spotter
10-05-2021, 18:27
Every year the number of people on the trail increases. 2022 will be no different. If you wait for the number of people to decrease, you'll never do a thru.