Southern Half of the AT

[MapleTree]

I'm a hiker from the Maryland area, and I have blocked out the from late February to mid-June 2009 to hike as much of the AT as I can, starting from Georgia - (my goal is to walk back to Maryland) - my starting date is somewhat flexible.

I just graduated from college and the bulk of my friends are now working so I don't have a hiking partner. I was hoping that either there was another hiker out there who was only planning on doing the south half OR a group of people who wouldn't mind me going with them for the first 3 months of their trip. I know I'll meet people on the trail, but I would like to at least start hiking with someone (if only to mollify my parents), even if we don't end up traveling the whole time together.

I'm a fairly experienced backpacker, so I'd be able to keep up. Let me know if you're interested!

-Jennifer

[Bigagnes]

Hey Jennifer -- I have the exact same problem in terms of mollifying my family. I've wanted/day dreamed about thru-hiking for a couple of years now and I just realized if I don't do it next year, I won't be able to for a while. The friend I was planning on hiking with probably won't be able to go in '09 but I'm gonna go ahead and go anyway. I'm hoping to start in early March and finish early August sometime. If you wanna meet up and start hiking together, that'd be exciting. If we had different hiking styles we could always part ways after we get our feet on the ground...

I'm 25, a grad student at UGA (graduating in December!!), I hiked 2 weeks last summer with just my dog (met some fun people!), and I'm pretty goofy.

[dudeijuststarted]

Jennifer,
My thruhike dreams have been crushed for the time being, but we've been hardcore weekenders in VA,WV,MD,and PA all summer. Getting back to the trail(s) this weekend. If you're interested in joining us for hiking or some fall car-camping let me know...
D

[Jack Tarlin]

Jennifer:

It takes most folks 80-90 days to get from Springer to Harpers Ferry WV, roughly 1000 miles, and the un-official "half-way" point of the Trail.

If you leave Georgia any time after mid-February (and for any number of reasons I think you should think about leaving later, i.e. 15 March to 10 April would be ideal), you'll be in great company with lots of other folks around.

Be aware that when most people start with a partner, i.e. an old friend, college roomate, someone they met on-line, etc., in most cases, these partnerships do NOT endure, for two main reasons: People either discover that they hike at a different pace than their original partner, and there's always someone that wants to go faster or slower than the other person. This means that the faster partner is either abbreviating their day's hiking, or they're sitting on a log or rock for hours every day waiting for their slower half to show up, or it means that the slower person feels bad about this and inevitably ends up doing more miles than they want. In any case, it leads to friction. And if there isn't a problem with pacing or mileage, many people who "partner up" before starting their hikes realize that they simply don't want to spend that much time (or every evening) with the same person. Which is a nice way of saying your partner starts driving you bonkers. The "trail partners" that endure are generally people from the same family, or people that have been in some sort of committed relationship for quite awhile before starting their hikes. Partnerships that begin on Springer frequently don't last.

That being said: I think you shouldn't worry too much about finding a Trail partner before you start your trip. No matter what day you choose to start, there will be cool men and women all around you, and you'll very quickly discover which ones hike at your pace and which ones are fun to be around.

In short, in my experience, the best trail partners are the ones you meet out ON the Trail, and not necessarily the ones you start with.

[TwistedToad]

Jennifer:

It takes most folks 80-90 days to get from Springer to Harpers Ferry WV, roughly 1000 miles, and the un-official "half-way" point of the Trail.

If you leave Georgia any time after mid-February (and for any number of reasons I think you should think about leaving later, i.e. 15 March to 10 April would be ideal), you'll be in great company with lots of other folks around.

Be aware that when most people start with a partner, i.e. an old friend, college roomate, someone they met on-line, etc., in most cases, these partnerships do NOT endure, for two main reasons: People either discover that they hike at a different pace than their original partner, and there's always someone that wants to go faster or slower than the other person. This means that the faster partner is either abbreviating their day's hiking, or they're sitting on a log or rock for hours every day waiting for their slower half to show up, or it means that the slower person feels bad about this and inevitably ends up doing more miles than they want. In any case, it leads to friction. And if there isn't a problem with pacing or mileage, many people who "partner up" before starting their hikes realize that they simply don't want to spend that much time (or every evening) with the same person. Which is a nice way of saying your partner starts driving you bonkers. The "trail partners" that endure are generally people from the same family, or people that have been in some sort of committed relationship for quite awhile before starting their hikes. Partnerships that begin on Springer frequently don't last.

That being said: I think you shouldn't worry too much about finding a Trail partner before you start your trip. No matter what day you choose to start, there will be cool men and women all around you, and you'll very quickly discover which ones hike at your pace and which ones are fun to be around.

In short, in my experience, the best trail partners are the ones you meet out ON the Trail, and not necessarily the ones you start with.



well said!