tight schedule

[MR_J]

is it possible to stick to a schedule of 5 months?

[Dirtyoldman]

anything is possible - are you up to it is the question and we cant answer it.
many would suggest a slower hike to allow more sight seeing time but a quick hike is still better then none.

[MOWGLI]

Are you asking if its possible to complete a thru-hike in 5 months, or stick to a schedule for 5 months? They are 2 different questions.

Can you thru-hike in 5 months. Yes. I did it in 5.5 with 25 days of zero mileage.

Can you stick to a schedule on the trail over 5 months? I suppose you could, as many hikers do. That's not my style however. It takes a lot of the spontanaity (sp) out of the experience.

[Grimace]

I finished in less than 5. 4 months 3 weeks. I had a schedule which we burnt after it became too stressful to follow. It took about 2 weeks before we burnt it.

[max patch]

No problem completing a thru in 5 months if that is what you want to do.

For most people, difference between a 5 month thru and a 6 month thru is 30 extra town days.

[A-Train]

Yes, 5 months is very doable. I just finished my hike in 1 day under 5 months. I took 6 Trail Zeros, 2 days at home and 9 days off for my brothers wedding/sickness.
I started off very slow, so id say there is no pressure to start out flying. Barely was averaging 11 miles/day when I got to Damascus, had hiked 2 20+ mile days. Although, NO viriginia is not flat, you can do good miles from here until New Hampshire. I felt myself naturally get into very good shape, and the climbs werent nearly as tough.
Id say over all 5 months is a perfect amount of time. Altough you can't hang out in towns for TOO long :)
A-Train GA-ME 03

[Coosa]

:banana
Be flexible with your maildrops and town stops and rest days.

Set nothing in stone. A thru-hike is an adventure, not a job.

Towns tend to suck the hike-life out of you if you stay too long.

BUT if you end up HATING the hike or the Trail, then do take a few days off to rest (you're probably overtired, deydrated and hungry) before you make the final decision to quit and head home.

Be clear headed when you make your decision to quit the hike and go home.

That's my suggestion.
Coosa
:banana

[bulldog]

five months is doable. my thru hike took 5 months 4 days and it took more than 7 weeks for me to hike the states of maine and new hampshire. :D i think i had 18 or so zeros during that span and a handful of 2-5 mile days. i was on pace to finish in 4 months when i stopped and asked myself why the hell was i flying along at such a grueling pace. to finish in 5 months with 10 zero days you need to average just under 15.5 miles a day.