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thebeast
10-08-2007, 19:59
i don't reallu know a whole lot about the trail. i heard about it just a few months ago and it seemed like the right thing for me. i just feel the need to leave behind the grind of every day life. i now live in a city after growing up in the mountains and realized lately that i've never been comfortable here. i know that for me walking the trail will be like coming home, it is the only thing i am sure of anymore. i will be leaving probably just after march 21 2008 and hiking the whole trail from springer to katahdin. i just wanted to know if there are others out there leaving the same time or for the same reason.

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 20:08
Actually walking the trail may not be like going home unless you're from an isolated cabin in the mountains. Very much indeed the opposite of going home, more like not being in one place at all for six months. If you are needing to feel grounded and at home instead of feeling cut loose to run free, you may be on the wrong track. Or I may be misunderstanding you. But yes, many people who thru-hike need a change from what has come before.

thebeast
10-08-2007, 20:11
you may be right but the only peace i have ever known came from the months i spent in the mountains as a child

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 20:16
Going to the mountains is a good thing, especially if you have found peace there before. Since you're not looking for a huge partying crowd, you may wish to take some other itenerary than a spring start NOBO hike, maybe a flip flop, or start a bit earlier down in Key West, do the BMT or an alternative trail in the south.

The city is certainly not for everyone. Indeed, most of the people who live in the city who can afford to leave it do so as often as possible.

thebeast
10-08-2007, 20:26
you are absolutely right about the city thing. though i am not sure what you mean by starting out early in key west. is there a trail that starts there and leads to the AT? thank you for the advice.

Appalachian Tater
10-08-2007, 20:48
you are absolutely right about the city thing. though i am not sure what you mean by starting out early in key west. is there a trail that starts there and leads to the AT? thank you for the advice.

Yes, starts in Key West, then you can go through Alabama on the Pinhoti up to the Georgia Pinhoti and then the A.T. or the B.M.T. and then the A.t. and then the International A.T. up into Canada, there are many possibilities. You could also take the Long Trail. There are also trails that head west.

http://www.floridatrail.org/web/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=5&MMN_position=22:22
http://www.alabamatrail.org/hikingAL/Pinhoti/PinhotiI.htm
http://www.georgiapinhoti.org/trail_guide.html
http://www.monmouth.com/~johno/A%20Large%20Detailed%20Map%20of%20the%20Appalachia n%20Trail.htm (http://www.monmouth.com/%7Ejohno/A%20Large%20Detailed%20Map%20of%20the%20Appalachia n%20Trail.htm)
http://www.internationalat.org/Pages/index
http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/archives/GET%20Map.jpg
http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/archives/BMT%20OverviewMap.gif

Pretty cool, huh? You don't have to wait until spring if you start in Key West. Hell, you could start next week. And there are many more trails than just the A.T.

Since you're in Alabama you should at least start there instead of Springer.

Two Speed
10-08-2007, 20:55
Or try the Alabama Pinhoti as a warm up.

frieden
10-13-2007, 10:04
Yes, starts in Key West, then you can go through Alabama on the Pinhoti up to the Georgia Pinhoti and then the A.T. or the B.M.T. and then the A.t. and then the International A.T. up into Canada, there are many possibilities. You could also take the Long Trail. There are also trails that head west.

I had that same thought. I'm sure people have done it, but there are some things to consider in FL that I found in my research/planning. Find out when gator mating season is, and don't hike in it. Be careful of the rainy season (or it's aftermath). Some people needed a boat on the FT. Don't worry about bugs or humidity. You'll adapt - and bring deet. There are very few open areas in FL. In other words, camping on many parts of the trail are an issue. There were long stretches on the FT (too far for a one-day's hike) where you couldn't camp, and there were no shelters. The FT is a great idea, and it is progressing, but it still isn't completely open (you have to be a member of the FTA for some sections), and many landowners do not want to embrace the hiker's lifestyle (camping on their land, pooping in their woods, etc). If money isn't an issue (where you could stay in a hotel), then this would be a neat hike. Resupply wouldn't be an issue! Besides, I wouldn't advise starting in the Keys. You'd never want to leave! :sun

FatMan
10-13-2007, 10:21
i just feel the need to leave behind the grind of every day life. You think life is a grind now, you ain't seen a grind until you get out on the trail. Heck, you're only 25...how much of grind can it be?
i know that for me walking the trail will be like coming home, it is the only thing i am sure of anymore.Are you really sure? Looks like you are setting yourself up for a serious disappointment. I'm not trying to put down your reasons for hiking the trail, but it looks to me like you are running from something, instead of running to something. You might want to re-think your motivations here.

thebeast
10-13-2007, 12:23
my motivations are quite clear to me. i've lived for others for years and given up parts of myself along the way. now it is time for me to be free. i intend to change the direction of my life for the better by having the courage and strength to give up everything and do something that really deserves being done. i want to be able to stand at the end and say that i was strong enough to make the change no matter what the cost.

Just a Hiker
10-13-2007, 12:29
my motivations are quite clear to me. i've lived for others for years and given up parts of myself along the way. now it is time for me to be free. i intend to change the direction of my life for the better by having the courage and strength to give up everything and do something that really deserves being done. i want to be able to stand at the end and say that i was strong enough to make the change no matter what the cost.

Hike your own hike and see what happens Beast. Thats all you can do!:)

Just Jim

thebeast
10-13-2007, 12:32
thank you. that is exactly what i was thinking

Appalachian Tater
10-13-2007, 13:03
Yep, just get out there and enjoy it and if you get tired of it, stop.

dessertrat
10-13-2007, 13:14
Just Jim is a wise man.

FatMan
10-13-2007, 14:09
i want to be able to stand at the end and say that i was strong enough to make the change no matter what the cost.Ah ha! That is what I wanted to hear. No where in your original post did you say you wanted to do it.

Dancer
10-15-2007, 06:07
my motivations are quite clear to me. i've lived for others for years and given up parts of myself along the way. now it is time for me to be free. i intend to change the direction of my life for the better by having the courage and strength to give up everything and do something that really deserves being done. i want to be able to stand at the end and say that i was strong enough to make the change no matter what the cost.

Good luck to you. This is not to discourage you, I'll be out there next year too. One thing I would ask you to do is read several complete trail journals before you start serious preparations. I've read lots of journals, books, and talked to several thru-hikers and it's not as romantic or profound as I once thought. It's pretty much walk, eat, sleep, walk, eat, sleep, walk.... for 6 months.

You have to be prepared to walk up to 10 or 12 hours a day in whatever weather comes along, no matter how bad your body hurts or if you are feeling sick because you only have a few days worth of food on your back and you have to make it to the next town. It might rain for 10 days straight or be 99 degrees the whole time you are in Virginia. You might get lonely, bored or if you are already thin, malnourished because the more calories you burn the more you need to eat so the more food you have to carry so you burn more calories and you just can't keep the weight on.

You will make good friends and be free, for awhile. Then you have to come home and get back into the grind. Some people have problems with that and can never find what it was that they had on the trail again.

Like I said I'll be out there too so go for it if it's what you really want. Do your homework first and make sure that it is what you are expecting. I hope that you find what you are looking for on the trail. We are all looking for something and that something might be on the top of a mountain in Maine or Georgia or that raw inner part of us that we will never see unless we sweat, bleed, ache, laugh, cry and curse a little to get to it.

See you on the trail.

Amazonwoman

Cannibal
10-15-2007, 09:22
I had that same thought. I'm sure people have done it, but there are some things to consider in FL that I found in my research/planning. Find out when gator mating season is, and don't hike in it. Be careful of the rainy season (or it's aftermath). Some people needed a boat on the FT. Don't worry about bugs or humidity. You'll adapt - and bring deet. There are very few open areas in FL. In other words, camping on many parts of the trail are an issue. There were long stretches on the FT (too far for a one-day's hike) where you couldn't camp, and there were no shelters. The FT is a great idea, and it is progressing, but it still isn't completely open (you have to be a member of the FTA for some sections), and many landowners do not want to embrace the hiker's lifestyle (camping on their land, pooping in their woods, etc). If money isn't an issue (where you could stay in a hotel), then this would be a neat hike. Resupply wouldn't be an issue! Besides, I wouldn't advise starting in the Keys. You'd never want to leave! :sun

The FT gets a bad rap! I've spent the last 5 months exploring the FT as prep for my AT thru. I've yet to find it difficult to locate camping sites. I admit to being a hammock hanger, but there are plenty of ground dwelling sites around. The landowners are fine with hikers, it's the local hunters that don't think much of us; blaze orange = target down here. I think that membership with the FTA is optional and the usage regulations do not apply to thru hikers in most, if not all, sections. Forgetting your deet is not an option. I don't know about the mating season, but the gators make lots of scary sounds at night, every night. :eek:

Lilred
10-15-2007, 18:05
I know how you feel. I section hike and every summer when I get out on the trail I feel like I've come home. Good luck and keep us posted.

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 19:28
I don't know about the mating season, but the gators make lots of scary sounds at night, every night. :eek:

And you're giving it a GOOD rap?

How much of a problem are the alligators? They move pretty fast in the water and I don't want to know how they think I taste.

Cannibal
10-15-2007, 20:46
I've been challenged by more gators on the golf course than on the trail. But, you do hear them and they seem especially scary at night.

Cannibal
10-15-2007, 20:47
I've not done any of the far south sections of the FT. I'm sure gators are more of a concern down near the everglades.

Appalachian Tater
10-15-2007, 20:54
I'm scared of those surreal noises some birds (owls?) make at night. I really don't want nothing but a layer of mosquito netting and silnylon between me and an alligator. This crazy dream I have of hiking from Key West up to Springer will have to be reconsidered.

Cannibal
10-15-2007, 23:55
I really don't want nothing but a layer of mosquito netting and silnylon between me and an alligator. This crazy dream I have of hiking from Key West up to Springer will have to be reconsidered.

Nah, just get off the ground and gators are no worry. The trade-off is becoming a bear pinata. :D

jnetx
10-16-2007, 10:43
I've not done any of the far south sections of the FT. I'm sure gators are more of a concern down near the everglades.
BUt you know someone who has, right?:)

I have hiked the lower half of the FT in a combination of day, weekend, and week long sections (as Cannibal knows). I have seen many gators, but the majority of them are in drainage ditches, culverts, etc where I would not consider getting water anyway. In the southernmost (wettest) section so far, where we were walking IN the water for a couple of days we did not see a single gator. North of I75 we saw a couple of gators beside the drainages, but on the opposite side from us. The first water source I actually had to share with a gator was in Ocala NF, where I inadvertently bathed with a gator due to my own inattentiveness. I should know better than to enter a body of water at dusk without checking irt carefully first! I also kayak, and we see, and often run over gators regularly, but I have never yet heard of a hiker or kayaker being attacked by one.

In the first 600 miles or so of the FT I have found only one section, the lower 60 miles of the western connector, where camping was limited due to it being road walk. However there were still several places where I woulkd have considered stealth camping if needed. This walk is also through an area where I would have welcomed a couple of days of motel to motel camping if I had been through hiking. I have plans to complete my FT hike this winter, and intend to camp as much as possible until I reach the westernmost week or so of hiking, where motels again seen the most viable option. Another alternative for anyone who does not wish to have to motel through the built up beaches area would be to take the alternate north route to the FL/AL border where camping all the way is possible.

FT membership is recommended as some of the trail DOES pass through sensitive, private or military property where the landowners or managers do not want anyone passing through their land, but have made a concession to the FL Trail to allow passge through.

Cannibal
10-16-2007, 11:10
But you know someone who has, right?:)

Didn't want to speak on your behalf, but yep I know someone that has. :D

maxNcathy
11-03-2007, 20:54
Good luck The Beast.
They say Jesus went to the mountains to find Peace within...so can we all.
Blessings to You,
Sandalwood

AT-HITMAN2005
11-03-2007, 21:04
speaking of gators...

at punchbowl shelter in virginia, with the pond right near the shelter. there was a frog choir there pretty much all night. but along with that was a sound that was definitly not made by a frog. it was much deeper, like the sound a gator makes. there was a rumor going around that there was a gator there, and it should sounded like one to my florida ears. but i just don't see how it could survive there even with hibernating and stuff. anyone have any proof that it does or doesn't exist?

Programbo
11-03-2007, 21:26
i want to be able to stand at the end and say that i was strong enough to make the change no matter what the cost.

How is that making a change?..Unless you intend to live on the trail or after your hike is over not go back to the city again..If you just go back to the city after your hike then all you`ve accomplished is a short break from a life you don`t care for..If you really want to make a change in your life take all the money you would spend on a thru-hike..Hop in your car (Or buy a cheap used car) and drive to say...Butte, Montana..Find a cheap room for rent..Spend a few montsh getting to know the area and then find a job :-?

Hurley
11-04-2007, 04:06
FT, ewww. I've lived in Florida all my life. There is nothing worth gaining hiking around in Florida. It will be hot, it will rain, and it will all be ugly.

SC Ryan
11-04-2007, 23:08
How is that making a change?..Unless you intend to live on the trail or after your hike is over not go back to the city again..If you just go back to the city after your hike then all you`ve accomplished is a short break from a life you don`t care for..If you really want to make a change in your life take all the money you would spend on a thru-hike..Hop in your car (Or buy a cheap used car) and drive to say...Butte, Montana..Find a cheap room for rent..Spend a few montsh getting to know the area and then find a job :-?


Why are some of you being discouraging? Would he not have the potential to learn lessons that will help him once he's off trail again or perhaps gain a different perspective? If thats the case, does it even matter what his motivations are now before his hike? If someone feels a calling to venture into the mountains and I say follow it until you feel differently. Don't let others tell you what is best for you or that you dont care about your life. I'm sorry about some of the responses you got here.

EWS
11-05-2007, 00:33
I don't think Programbo was being discouraging. A change in thebeast's life sounds much more important than going hiking, and prgmbo was offering some worthwhile advice on that.

warraghiyagey
11-05-2007, 04:46
Actually walking the trail may not be like going home unless you're from an isolated cabin in the mountains. Very much indeed the opposite of going home, more like not being in one place at all for six months. If you are needing to feel grounded and at home instead of feeling cut loose to run free, you may be on the wrong track. Or I may be misunderstanding you. But yes, many people who thru-hike need a change from what has come before.

If I take it right, thebeast is speaking more of the metaphoric and spiritual home. It's also the home that I walk to when on the trail.:)

Bare Bear
11-10-2007, 10:26
Having done about half of the Florida Trail I can say a little. I went in 2006 as prep for the AT thru hike as well. That was the wet year right after three major Fl huricanes, bad idea........READ my FT journal and look at the photos. BUT I did lose some weight, get in some better shape for the AT and especially shook my gear from 45 pounds down to 27 plus food and water. Weight is Everything if you are to finsih. GO DO IT and enjoy everyday, you are there for your reasons, no one else can carry your pack or walk those miles. No one else can stop you either...........

nitewalker
11-10-2007, 10:52
you may be right but the only peace i have ever known came from the months i spent in the mountains as a child


this holds true for all of us....the trail is a grind and if your just learning about it you need to get out and have some practice, its just practice but it will give you a sense of trail life..i have never done a total thruhike but ive done many a 7 -14 day trips and i loved ever1 of them..some can thruhike and some cant you will figure this out by week 4 on what you are capable of.....good luck on whatever path you choose. having a partner will go along way in keeping your spirits up although we all need some ocasional solitude......peace out, nitewalker:D

rob123ufl
11-13-2007, 04:52
...This is not to discourage you, I'll be out there next year too. One thing I would ask you to do is read several complete trail journals before you start serious preparations. I've read lots of journals, books, and talked to several thru-hikers and it's not as romantic or profound as I once thought. It's pretty much walk, eat, sleep, walk, eat, sleep, walk.... for 6 months.

You have to be prepared to walk up to 10 or 12 hours a day in whatever weather comes along, no matter how bad your body hurts or if you are feeling sick because you only have a few days worth of food on your back and you have to make it to the next town. It might rain for 10 days straight or be 99 degrees the whole time you are in Virginia. You might get lonely, bored or if you are already thin, malnourished because the more calories you burn the more you need to eat so the more food you have to carry so you burn more calories and you just can't keep the weight on.

You will make good friends and be free, for awhile. Then you have to come home and get back into the grind. Some people have problems with that and can never find what it was that they had on the trail again.

Like I said I'll be out there too so go for it if it's what you really want. Do your homework first and make sure that it is what you are expecting. I hope that you find what you are looking for on the trail. We are all looking for something and that something might be on the top of a mountain in Maine or Georgia or that raw inner part of us that we will never see unless we sweat, bleed, ache, laugh, cry and curse a little to get to it.

See you on the trail.

Amazonwoman[/quote]

First of all, I don't believe any post should start out with "this is not to discourage you"...and second of all, nobody should use the term "have to be prepared..."

The whole point is to get away from the "have to's" and discouragers. Beast , you've made up your mind and don't let anything stand in your way brother. ****, don't read anything before you get out there. It's not that easy to die on the Appalachian Trail (I've been out there a few times). Granny Gatewood finished it with a shower curtain for a tarp and a canvas duffel bag. Walk only 5 miles a day if that's what you want to do. There's time to make it to Maine. Just a Hiker has the right idea. I'll see you out there man, doin it for the same and different reasons.