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Sue_Bird
12-23-2008, 06:32
I made the decision a few months ago to hike at least a major part of the AT this coming spring. Job stress (ER nursing is at least somewhat unique in that regard, I think...) plus the strains of innercity DC living plus needing a break from a fast pace before my hopeful grad school start in the fall, all kind of made the decision for me. Been slowly buying gear, reading, doing little one or two-day hikes and having more fun than I've had in a long time.

Here's my question: I have five months from when I stick it to the man at gw hospital until grad school starts. I don't want to run. Does it make more sense to just plan to do a section? I've been thinking about starting in Damascus but am concerned that I'll be too alone on the trail especially in the beginning with a start date of April 1st (won't most people still be more south at that time?) Or is 5 months enough to comfortably do the whole trail?

TOW
12-23-2008, 07:31
Most people will still be south. The biggest time of the year is from March 1st and on into June or so.

Depending on the weather though you may or may not get to meet some other hikers out there doing a section also. But don't let that stop you, get your butt on down here and go for a hike.

DDuhon
12-23-2008, 09:08
You would run into a fair amount of section hikers and weekend folks in VA in March--maybe me being one of those. And...I always like getting out there for the running of the bulls, thru hikers that is. They certainly carry a certain energy that is nice to experience. If you are not driven to do this, you certainly have a lot of choices available. If you started in Harper's Ferry mid or late march, waiting for what looked like nice weather, and went south into the pack, that might be nice, seeing different folks every night instead of running with a certain ebb an flow. And in my humble opinion, if you were only to do one state, VA is a nice one to do, and NC great as well. And if a month or two in, you are all toughened and wanting more, and have had enough thru hikers, go to Katahdin and do the 100 mile wilderness. Law of the second best says that your second best choice may be quite different than your first choice. David

garlic08
12-23-2008, 09:19
To answer the last question, yes, a five-month through hike is definitely possible. Pickle and I, combined ages 114, though with lots of previous trail experience, had a very fun 106-day hike last year. If you can lighten your load and get in mindset to hike 2 miles per hour for 10 or 12 hours a day, take just a few days off, you'll have plenty of spare time next summer. That'll only work if you really enjoy walking!

Blue Jay
12-23-2008, 11:10
Here's my question: I have five months from when I stick it to the man at gw hospital until grad school starts. I don't want to run. Does it make more sense to just plan to do a section? I've been thinking about starting in Damascus but am concerned that I'll be too alone on the trail especially in the beginning with a start date of April 1st (won't most people still be more south at that time?) Or is 5 months enough to comfortably do the whole trail?

This is an excellent idea. You will not be alone there will be plenty of early starters and speed burners that will be blowing past or even hiking at your early pace. It will help you not stress about your own pace. A great added advantage is that you will often be hiking through the peak blooming season for both major rhodedendrum, two azaleas including the unbelievable flame, and the begining of the mountain laural. There are no downsides as you'll most likely miss cold weather (which I like but most do not). Just don't get pulled in by the mile slaves, which is easy to do. IMO the slower you go the more fun hikers show up. Of course, then you have to not drink too much. Your plan gives you options abd low stress, which I believe to be the best way to hike. You'll have a mind blowing great time. :sun

Freeze
12-23-2008, 14:46
If it were me in your shoes, I would start at Springer and hike as far North as possible. Once on the trail, if I determined that there wouldn't be enough time to finish, I would ride up to Maine and flip-flop back down until it was time to get off the trail. That way you get to see both Termini.

max patch
12-23-2008, 14:53
Welcome Sue.

You're my favorite basketball player!!!

A-Train
12-23-2008, 15:06
Start at Springer April 1st and do the whole trail. You'll have avoid a lot of bad weather early and will finish before the bad weather up north.

5 months is perfectly adequate for a motivating, somewhat in shape young person who is travelling fairly light. And this includes plenty of time to smell the flowers and take days off here and there.

Jack Tarlin
12-23-2008, 15:14
You could certainly start in Damascus and would have plenty of company, but you'd also be starting with folks who'd been on the Trail for five or six weeks already.

I like the idea of starting in Springer and going as far as you feel like going.

This gives you all sorts of options:

*You could head North (with plenty of company with a 1 April start) and go
as far as you can. And on an accelerated pace, you could do the whole
Trail in five months.
*If this proves impossible, or too fast a pace, you could go as far North as
you could, and then save the remaining parts for another time.
*You could start at Springer, and go as far as Waynesboro VA, or maybe
Harpers Ferry. You could then skip a bit of the Trail, "buying" yourself a
few extra weeks of hiking time, get back on in MD or southern PA, and
then proceed North to Maine. The "skipped" bits in Virginia, Maryland, or
Southern Pennsylvania could be finished at your convenience later on, and
if you're still in the Washington DC area, this shouldn't be too hard to do.

So there are all sorts of possibilities here.

But I think this is the best one: Try, if at all possible, to leave a week or two
earlier than 1 April. Even 7-10 days extra would make a big difference. If you're disciplined with your hiking and even more disciplined with your time off, you could certainly do the Trail in a bit over five months. This would be a better trip for you, it would mean not leaving Trail friends; skipping a section; flip-flopping; or having a chunk of Trail hanging over your head when you get to Maine.

I think you should start at Springer and walk to Katahdin, and I think you'll find a way to make this happen.

Blissful
12-23-2008, 15:28
You're young, you could do the whole trail in five months. If you want to do good miles and not take too many zeros.

Tennessee Viking
12-23-2008, 18:11
We should start seeing the first of the crowd in TN/VA/NC around April. But you will still be seeing a fair amount of people.

SawnieRobertson
12-23-2008, 20:25
Designing your thru just as you like it makes it more fun for you. You did not tell us where your grad school is, but, if it is in DC, for instance, I think you could--if you kinow that you will not be able to hike all 2176 in one season--hike to a point within a day's distance of your grad school and then resume hiking where the trail is about a day's distance farther on up the trail. I'm saying, if you must skip something, skip what you can get done on weekends after you begin school. Very likely though, you will get the trail done in five months. Absolutely do begin at Springer. Lifetime friendships are made in the first 30 miles.--Kinnickinic

Blue Jay
12-23-2008, 20:32
If you're disciplined with your hiking and even more disciplined with your time off, you could certainly do the Trail in a bit over five months.

You know if you look up "disciplined" in the dictionary there are several meanings. All of them are really really awful.:eek:

Captain Slider
12-29-2008, 16:06
I am planning to leave Damascus on April 1.. going north for 2 months.. I have many hiking miles in my pack.. but will be very slow on my start.. when one is 50-10 . I think it would be interesting to talk to anyone that has the same plan..Slider

Mike Way
12-29-2008, 18:27
Sue,

Right now (I've changed my mind a number of times), I intend to start in Damascus in April. My plan is to at least hike VA. If I'm doing o.k. to continue to MA then flip flop. I'm 61, not in shape and made the decision to thru hike really too late so I'm just going to see how I do. Between now and then, I'm hiking and buying gear. Mike

Bare Bear
12-30-2008, 02:01
I have done 500 miles sections starting at Springer, Harpers Ferry, Damascus, etc. I also thru hiked. I say start in Ga and walk north with spring the way Earl and GOD intended. :)
Whatever you do, go slow enough to enjoy it, don't let artificial deadlines make you go so fast that you do not enjoy the journey. It would be better to stop short then go back and do just that part on Spring Break or whatever, after Grad school even.