Planning. '10/'11

[sebBarendt]

I'm 16 and I live in England. I'd like to hike the AT in my gap year which will be from '10 to '11 and any help or info would be great. Things like what time in that year to go, how long it would take, how much would it cost, should I travel with someone, do I have any restrictions because I'm not American, things like that.

I'm pretty experienced hiker, done D of E silver on my Gold now, I'm also going on an expedition to Greenland in the summer of '09 so I know what I'm in for on the AT, I've done my research. Any info would be great thanks.

[wilconow]

The official AT site has a great start for Thru-hiker research (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.786999/k.548/ThruHiking.htm)

[roadtripper]

A few basics:

Most start in Georgia in early March to early April.
It will cost you about $3,000-$5,000 in US funds, not including flights or gear.
The hike will take about 6 months with a pace of about 12 miles (19km) per day
It may be difficult to get a 6 month VISA from our government to hike the A.T. Start your research with this here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1264.html

[sebBarendt]

Thanks for the link. I doubt it'll take me 6 months seeing how I'd hope to get at least 20 miles a day done.

[skinny minnie]

Seb, the best way to figure things out will be to hike as much as possible, and read as much as possible. Check out www.trailjournals.com (http://www.trailjournals.com) - pick a few journals that get updated often and read people's entries as much as possible. It will give you a really good feel for what's out there. Do a lot of searching on here, too. There are threads where people discuss why they quit or what they struggled with, what helped them, and so many other helpful and interesting topics that will enable you to realize what is going to work for you on your hike. There are also guidebooks out there specifically about the trail as well as books about distance hiking in general.

There are so many different attitudes and approaches to hiking, and that will affect how much money you spend and how quickly you get there.

A hike does NOT have to take 6 months, or cost up $5,000. That will be up to you. You can budget your meals wisely, opt not to stay in hostels or take as many zero days, and just hike more miles per day - you'll get there more quickly and cheaply. Just be realistic. It depends on how you want to experience your hike and spend your days. You could end up only going 12 miles a day, tops... or you could be averaging a lot more miles per day. You could take lots of zero's and spend lots of time relaxing, or you could opt to push through with a lot less leisure time. When you read the trail journals, if you do - take a look at the average mileage people are doing on a daily basis and take a good look at trail conditions and weather. Only you know your own abilities and what you want to get out of this hike.

You have two years to figure all this out, which is great! Don't just rely on a few expeditions for experience... get your gear set up the way you want it for the trail, and get out there and hike as much as possible.

If you think you'll want a partner, get as much experience in with them beforehand as you can. Or you can try and connect with someone in the states who is planning as well - just be flexible. Things may work out, they may not. Odds are you'll have lots of company on the trail, though. Lots of people make connections there and end up hiking with several partners.