section hiking year to year

[beas]

Who all is section hiking the entire thing? The reason I ask is how do you do it logistically? My hiking partner and I have started this thing last year. We intend on doing 100 plus miles a year we did 110 last year and have 130 on our trip for this year. We live in Memphis Tn which is some distance from the trail. I have family in East Tennessee that will dothe shuttles for the Tn and N.C. sections. After that then what? How do ya'll get the shuttles lined up and transportation to and from the start finish? Time is of imprortance we both have families so we are using vac time to get this in so we can't dilly dally around with bus rides and things like that.

Any suggestions

Thanks

[Kerosene]

I did most of the Mid-Atlantic states and southern New England in the 70's when I lived back east. I've lived in southeast Michigan for 30 years now, and I've taken an annual section hike each year since 2000.

There are a lot of shuttlers who will take you directly to the trailhead and/or pick you up on completion. Typically, I like to walk back to my car rather than depend on someone to accommodate a changing schedule. You can find a list of some of these shuttlers here (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/atf/cf/{D25B4747-42A3-4302-8D48-EF35C0B0D9F1}/AT%20Shuttle%20List%20WEB%2010-22-08.pdf). WhiteBlaze members can recommend other shuttlers for specific sections.

As my target sections have get further away (notably northern New England), I've planned to use frequent flyer miles to fly into Portland, ME, Roanoke, VA and Johnson City, TN to get to the trail. The biggest hassle with flying is making sure you have a place to store the duffel that you checked your pack in. Airport lockers aren't as prevalent as they used to be, but sometimes you can get a motel to keep your duffel (and a change of clothes!) for when you return.

Another option is to get someone from the area you're hiking to either hike with you, or hike from the opposite direction and exhange car keys. I've hiked with two WhiteBlaze posters I met on-line.

Your biggest challenges will be transportation costs, overall logistics, and your initial fitness levels. Note that your weekly mileage will likely drop dramatically once you get into New England.

[trippclark]

I have been doing basically what you propose since fall 2000. In the 8 years since I started, I have completed the first 879 miles in the south. I am in South Carolina, so my travel time is now starting to be a problem. I have been trying to do about 3 weekends or long weekends a year . . . 35 - 60 miles usually. I (or often "we" when others can join me) often use shuttles, especially lately. If it is 4 or more hikers we take two cars. For a while, we had an interesting method to solve the transportation and shuttle problem. We used a towbar to tow a second car and drop one at each end. Lots of options.

In 2009, I am planning for 3 trips again to get me to (hopefully) Harpers Ferry. After that, in 2010, I'll probably switch to two trips a year of a week each, just because travel time will have gotten prohibitive of shorter trips.

[Tin Man]

Call the shuttle services at least a month in advance and you should do fine.

[Lilred]

If there are two of you, could you both drive? leave a car at your stopping point, drive to your starting point, then go pick up the other car when You've finished

I'm very spoiled, my husband drives me to the trailhead and picks me up when I'm done. I live in Middle TN, and I'm as far as the James River, where I'll be starting up again this year. Hubbie says I have to walk longer distances the farther from home I get, so he won't have to drive so far much longer. I'm going to oblige him and try to get through Maryland this trip. the sacrifices I make.......... ;)

[Tin Man]

The two car shuttle worked from my brother and I when we were less than 100 miles from home, after that the shuttles worked best for us.

[Cookerhiker]

I suggest contacting your fellow Tennessean Jaybird - he's on WB but doesn't post too often. He's also on TrailJournals.com and has methodically hiked S to N in segments very similar to what you desire.

[LIhikers]

My wife and I have been section hiking for a number of years now. We started at Harper's Ferry, WV and are up to Hanover, NH. We arrainge for a shuttle a couple of months before our trip. We like to park where we'll finish hiking and be shuttled to the start of our hike. That way we hike back to our car and our transportation home.

[jamarshall]

I live in PA and have been section hiking a week each spring since 2000. The drive from home keeps getting longer, but my husband finds plenty to do (fishing mostly) while I'm playing in the woods. I did PA first, then headed south as far as SNP. The streams there were too far from the trail to keep John happy, so I'm working my way through New England now.

At the rate I'm going, I won't finish until I'm 90, but I'm hoping for more trail time after I retire :)

[Hikes in Rain]

It can get to be a logistical pain sometimes. At first, it was pretty easy; Georgia mountains are only six hours or so from Tallahassee. Now, I'm planning my next leg (probably I-40 to Hot Springs or beyond?). Wifely support section is helpful, but doesn't hike, although she's happy to drop off and pick up for short day hike trips. Less likely to help with multi-day trips, though, and who can blame her?

[Slo-go'en]

If you do really LONG section hikes like I do, you can go bus station to bus station for most of the way, though in a few places it might take an expensive taxi ride to get from the station to the trail or back.

Here are most of the convienent bus stops that I know of:

Gainesville, GA suttle with Hiker hostel to Springer
Gatlinburg, TN - $50 taxi to Knoxville.
Marion, VA - close to trail
Roanoke, VA - close to trail
Harpers ferry, MD - commuter train to WDC
Delaware Water Gap, PA - close to trail
Pawling, NY - commuter train to NYC on weekends
Cannan, CT 5 miles west to trail
Lee, Pittsfield, Williamstown, MA - all near trail
Rutland, VT?
Hanover, Gorham, NH - near trail
Maine, nada.

[Alligator]

Hitchhiking, bicycle, dual cars, shuttlers, buses, and trains. Whatever is cheapest and reasonably on time.

Post your starting/ending points and maybe we have a plan!

[Cookerhiker]

If you do really LONG section hikes like I do, you can go bus station to bus station for most of the way, though in a few places it might take an expensive taxi ride to get from the station to the trail or back.

Here are most of the convienent bus stops that I know of:

Gainesville, GA suttle with Hiker hostel to Springer
Gatlinburg, TN - $50 taxi to Knoxville.
Marion, VA - close to trail
Roanoke, VA - close to trail
Harpers ferry, MD - commuter train to WDC
Delaware Water Gap, PA - close to trail
Pawling, NY - commuter train to NYC on weekends
Cannan, CT 5 miles west to trail
Lee, Pittsfield, Williamstown, MA - all near trail
Rutland, VT?
Hanover, Gorham, NH - near trail
Maine, nada.

I would add Greenwood Lake and Bear Mountain, both in NY. You can catch buses to NYC. Also the Trail crossing at NY Rt. 17 is close to both commuter bus and rail.

And I believe there's a bus from Port Clinton to Philadelphia.

[bigcranky]

After you get beyond a certain driving distance, you really need to do some miles to justify the whole trip. Now that I've pretty much completed the Southern part of the Trail, everything in Central VA is at least a half day's drive away. That makes it difficult to get in a quick 30-mile weekend.

(Hikes In Rain, would you really drive the 500 miles from Tallahassee to Davenport Gap and hike the 30 miles to Hot Springs? Then drive back? Wow, man, that's some dedication. I'd need to have a full week on the trail to drive that distance.)

What this means, of course, is that I'll need larger chunks of time off from work as I get further north. I'm not sure I'd hike in New England for less than two weeks, but we'll see about that when I get there.

[Almost There]

It gets harder with the more miles completed. I'm sitting at about 630, most in the south, since spring of 2005. I did the Wilderness in Maine last summer, and it cost an arm and a leg. I was supposed to do all of Maine, but a sprained MCL ruined those plans. I agree you have to plan big hikes the further from home you are to make it worth your while.

This summer I'll be hiking in Va, trying to finish up the south.

I've done the shuttle thing, the two car thing, etc. Shuttles aren't that rough to find in most areas, and a lot of times a weeks notice will work. If I use a shuttle, I have always hiked back to my car. I'll do this in the spring, and in the summer. Should get close to 200 miles in this year.

[earlyriser26]

I've been section hiking since 1969 (1,075 miles so far). Actually I've hiked 2K on the trail, but alot of the same trail (Smokies 7X, etc.). I started hiking the areas I found the most interesting (ME and NH in the north / VA to GA in the south). Shuttles are available on all sections. I try to find a town or other safe place to leave a car and hike back. This cuts out the need for a second shuttle pickup and the worry that they will be on time. Next month I turn 53 so I need to pick up the pace which I plan to do when I retire in a couple years. the trail can be done in small bits. My longest hike was 60 miles. Most often I go out for 1 to 3 days max.

[bpitt]

I and another guy are section hiking, yearly. I go one week a year, at least, and he goes twice a year. So far, Georgia down, working on North Carolina.

[fredmugs]

I have done it two different ways. One way is to find someone hiking in the same general area and work out an aggreement to meet somewhere and drive each others cars in opposite directions and then hike back to your car.

Last year I was fortunate enough to meet two different people who are into day hiking and we do the car shuttle thing, hike in opposite directions to our own vehicles, and then stay in a local campground. This spring probably in May we will be starting at the Hudson River and trying to get as far as the VT border - doing roughly 15 miles a day.

I am interested in finding a shuttle partner for the Smokies. I have hiked primarily southbound sections and would love to find someone who would meet me at Standing Bear (or somewhere further north) and drive my car to Fontana Dam. I hike to my vehicle and you hike to yours.

Anyone interested in the Hudson River hike are welcome to join us.

[tiptoe]

I'm section-hiking what I hope will be the whole thing. completed thus far: Delaware Water Gap to Moosilauke summit. It's a piecemeal endeavor: sometimes I head north, sometimes south. I try to use public transportation whenever possible so I don't have to deal with a car, shuttles, etc.

[Berserker]

I started in '07, and am blessed to have a good friend that started with me that also wants to do the whole thing. He lives in NC and I in VA, so we have the advantage that about half of the trail is less than an 8 hour drive away. Thus, we drive separately and meet up at the end point where we leave a car. Then we drive to the start point where we leave the other one. When we get far enough North that the drive becomes too long we plan to do longer duration trips with more mileage and do the shuttle thing.

We have done the section from Amicalola SP, GA to the first Deep Gap in NC, and the section from 19E in TN to Dickie Gap in VA...roughly 203 miles total so far.

[Cookerhiker]

After reading all this, I'm grateful that I've always lived near the half-way point of the trail and for my section hiking, didn't face the logistical issues those of you from further away have.

[Skyline]

The further you get from home, the less viable bringing two vehicles is. At some point, getting a shuttle is more cost-effective.

Federal Government allowable reimbursement rate, last time I checked, is about 58 cents per mile. That covers fuel, wear/tear leading to inevitable repair costs, other expendibles like oils, depreciation, etc.

So using the government rate, if you're driving 300 miles to your hike, plus doing a trip back to the other vehicle of, say, 100 miles, then driving another 300 miles home again your cost to drive the second vehicle would be $406. If you can get a shuttle between one vehicle's parking place and the starting point of your hike for less than that, obviously that's the way to go.

Section hiking ain't cheap.

Fortunately, few shuttles are going to cost you anywhere near $406.

[kofritz]

the tough part to me is trying to stay in shape from year to year. otherwise, i agree with all the proposals to hustle you around. the many hostels (like Johnnys in Erwin Tennessee) can assist you through all of east tennessee.

"The mountains are calling & I must go." John Muir

[Bumpa]

I drive down from Canada Spring and Fall now that I am retired. I usually stay down for 2 or 3 weeks and will be done from Springer to Harper's Ferry this year. I get around the "getting into shape" by staying active when not hiking and getting re-aclimatized to the trail by finding a hostel or cheap motel in the area I am sectioning and shuttle to a series of day hikes with a light pack.

Then I leave my car in a safe place and shuttle 4 or 5 days worth of walking down the trail and hike back to my car. I then repeat this procedure several times. This allows me to always have an end destination in mind, a safe place for my car and regular resupply. You have the option of going NOBO or SOBO but I always start where I left off the previous trip. Works for me, less wear and tear on my car and the shuttles haven't been too bad. I find that shuttlers are a wealth of information concerning the area I am in and that is an added bonus

[Kerosene]

Section hiking ain't cheap.You got that right.

[Skyline]

I drive down from Canada Spring and Fall now that I am retired. I usually stay down for 2 or 3 weeks and will be done from Springer to Harper's Ferry this year. I get around the "getting into shape" by staying active when not hiking and getting re-aclimatized to the trail by finding a hostel or cheap motel in the area I am sectioning and shuttle to a series of day hikes with a light pack.

Then I leave my car in a safe place and shuttle 4 or 5 days worth of walking down the trail and hike back to my car. I then repeat this procedure several times. This allows me to always have an end destination in mind, a safe place for my car and regular resupply. You have the option of going NOBO or SOBO but I always start where I left off the previous trip. Works for me, less wear and tear on my car and the shuttles haven't been too bad. I find that shuttlers are a wealth of information concerning the area I am in and that is an added bonus


Bumpa, you absolutely "get it." That's the best way IMHO to section hike, and four or five days of hiking between stops is about right. Eliminates resupply packages, gives you options for resupply you wouldn't otherwise have, and sometimes can make you very popular with other folks you meet on the Trail who don't have the good options you do. :)

If you have special foods or other items you want or need on the Trail, you can keep most of those in your vehicle, and drive to wherever you want to buy the rest. You also aren't limited to just one hostel or motel if you want to stay indoors for a night or more.

Even the dayhiking you mentioned to get into trail shape has its benefits, tho it gets kinda pricey if you do it for a lot of days. I did it twice to ease myself back into daily hiking after trail-induced injuries. :eek:

For the 4/5-day sections, I always tried to find places to park long-term other than trailheads. Gas stations, restaurants, motels, hostels, etc. It might have meant a hitch at the end of a section, or perhaps a short paid shuttle to a nearby town, but I had a lot more confidence my vehicle wouldn't become a crime victim.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn how to section hike this way until I was well north of the Mason-Dixon line. Almost everything seems to cost more up there.

[Hikes in Rain]

(Hikes In Rain, would you really drive the 500 miles from Tallahassee to Davenport Gap and hike the 30 miles to Hot Springs? Then drive back? Wow, man, that's some dedication. I'd need to have a full week on the trail to drive that distance.)



*sigh*
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm contemplating for April/May. Between work and familial issues, that's about the time frame we can afford. It's getting tough, I admit, but career wise, I'm doing the biggest thing I'll likely ever do, and I'm just not willing to let that go. On the familial side, well.....let's say I'm really pressed there, between my family and hers.

That's about all I can afford at this time, and yeah, hiking the trail is that important to me. I'm looking forward to see if I could possibly stretch it out, but this is unfamiliar territory to me, so I'm not sure where I could leave a truck, get a shuttle, and hike to the vehicle. I've got a few months to plan, so any suggestions are most welcome!

[bigcranky]

That's about all I can afford at this time, and yeah, hiking the trail is that important to me. I'm looking forward to see if I could possibly stretch it out, but this is unfamiliar territory to me, so I'm not sure where I could leave a truck, get a shuttle, and hike to the vehicle. I've got a few months to plan, so any suggestions are most welcome!

Understood. More power to you.

Davenport Gap to Hot Springs is a nice section. You can hike it either direction -- the first climb is tough either way. You can park safely at either end, and get a shuttle from the outfitter in HS or Curtis at Standing Bear Farm.

Hot Springs is a small, out of the way town, but it's a nice place for hikers.

If you can add more time, you could hike southbound from Allen Gap, which would add a day, or from Sam's Gap, which would add three days. In those cases, I would leave my car at SBF and get Curtis to drive me to my start point. My partner and I did Sam's Gap to Davenport Gap in March a couple of years ago -- thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Del Q]

Just an idea, if you can afford it, ask your employers if you can take an extra week per year for this endeavor, at no salary. They save some money, you get two weeks to hike. More miles per year, balances out travel time. I have started taking 10-14 days hikes and seems to be working much better than a week at a time. Shuttles are great, when I get to my car I have my transpo home.

[Hikes in Rain]

Been looking at both suggestions, but had the mind set of hiking south to north, which is coloring my view. Those ideas, with a little paradigm shift, make a LOT of sense. I was planning to make use of one or the other shuttle service you'd mentioned, but still had the NtS mindset that's been blinding me to other options.

*eagerly grabbing maps and guidebook!*

I have the time, my wife doesn't at this point, and she's almost as dedicated to me making this goal of hiking the trail as I am. It's actually her suggestion I take the time to do this, even if she can't be with me, before the next leg of the work project starts in earnest. I have great people to watch things for me while I'm gone; it's mostly my own sense of propriety that keeps me here, so I could afford an extra day or three.

Great ideas, my friend. Thank you for removing the scales from my eyes! Much appreciated.

[OldStormcrow]

I have been doing basically what you propose since fall 2000. In the 8 years since I started, I have completed the first 879 miles in the south. I am in South Carolina, so my travel time is now starting to be a problem. I have been trying to do about 3 weekends or long weekends a year . . . 35 - 60 miles usually. I (or often "we" when others can join me) often use shuttles, especially lately. If it is 4 or more hikers we take two cars. For a while, we had an interesting method to solve the transportation and shuttle problem. We used a towbar to tow a second car and drop one at each end. Lots of options.

In 2009, I am planning for 3 trips again to get me to (hopefully) Harpers Ferry. After that, in 2010, I'll probably switch to two trips a year of a week each, just because travel time will have gotten prohibitive of shorter trips.
Like Trippclark, I have reached about the same point headed north section hiking. Once you get over about 850 miles, the drive gets to be over half a day. I've enjoyed rehiking sections of the trail through the Smokies and around Hot Springs many times, hiked a little in central Virginia, but am having trouble working out enough time off for driving that far north now. One thing that I have enjoyed while section hiking that most thru hikers miss out on is the interesting drive to many of these trailheads. In North Carolina I would see farmers out planting tobacco in the early morning mist, cool old gas stations, artists' studios, tiny mountain roads, local folks going about their rural thing, etc.

[sheepdog]

I started out hiking the sections that interested me. I would like to hike the whole trail. I have been trying to resist getting too linier. My wife got bad arthritus in her knees about 5 years ago. You never can tell what might happen soooo... I am trying to hike a sampling of what I like best and will fill in the gaps as time goes by. Being in Michigan every trip is a long ways.

[JAK]

I should think about section hiking a little each year. Some of it is a bit of a drive though. Perhaps if I started with the IAT, between Katahdin and Gaspesie, some each year, then at some point, say by the time I got to Katahdin, I might have an opportunity to finish the rest in a swoop. For now I am content with the Fundy Footpath and Dobson Trail, which is sort of like blue blazing maybe, even though the blazes are white. If I kept going after the Dobson Trail I might end up on the IAT. It's nice to feel connected. :D

[dperry]

We are fortunate in that we have a pretty central location (suburbs of Philly), and the trail kind of wraps around us, so we have a good chunk that is close. We've divided the trail up into two major sections. The first is that part within a half-day's drive of us, basically Williamstown, MA to Rockfish Gap (south end of Shenandoah). We will take a couple of three-day weekends a year, drive down on Saturday morning, hike Saturday noon to Monday noon, and return Monday afternoon. We'll knock out twenty or so miles each weekend. There are some parts where the campsites aren't conveniently spaced, so we'll do those as day hikes. (Right now, we're doing the part between the NY Thruway and NJ 94 in Vernon as three day hikes and a two-day trip.) For the parts that are farther away, we'll take an entire week each year (maybe more when we get more vacation.) We'll travel on Saturday (for the parts south of Hanover and north of Pearisburg we'll probably drive; the rest we'll fly), get picked up if necessary, and stay somewhere Saturday night, then get shuttled Sunday morning and hike Sunday through the next Saturday. We'll get picked up Saturday afternoon, and travel home on Sunday. We'll do about 70-80 miles on those trips, so that's about 110-120 miles each year. With a couple of years off to have kids, we figure we'll be done in about 25 years. We've worked out a rotation so that we're not going to the same area each time, and we're also trying to work up from easy sections to harder ones.

[Mocs123]

I am working on Springer to Damascus and should finish this year, when that is said and done, I will probably continue on to Roanoke, but any further than that is too long of a drive for me. If I am able, I will fly in and do week long trips and try and finish, but otherwise, I will just start on the Benton McCaye Trail.