Words of Wisdom for New Hikers!

[Mrpokey]

Do you have any tips, advice, suggestions, to a new thru hiker attempting his hike in March? :-? All good ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Lone Wolf]

have good shoes, pack, shelter, sleeping bag, warm clothes. in that order. then have about $5000 and 5-7 months to kill

[jersey joe]

Take a 3-5 day warmup trip. Not only to test out your gear, but to make sure that you really want to be out backpacking for several months.

[johnnybgood]

Keep putting one foot in front of the other for 2,176 miles.

[Dogwood]

ENJOY THE JOURNEY! If U forget to do that simple thing kinda defeats the purpose! Realize that with every trial, smile, and mile U have the opportunity to grow and to experience something special. Be grateful for that opportunity. Know, U will never be the same after a thru-hike. Keep in the forefront of your thoughts and heart what positive benefits U will gain that will enrich your life and enable U to positively contribute to the lives of others.

[SGT Rock]

Hike with all your gear as much as possible before you go so you can see what works.

Don't kill yourself to keep up with anyone.

Be yourself.

Be ready to be really cold and/or wet - and stay that way for days on end and never warm up/drying out.

Have money.

[Cookerhiker]

As others have inferred, do as many practice hikes with your gear as you can manage.

But since you live in the flat area of VA a long drive to the mts., then I suggest working out aerobically. Personally, I like the ellipitical and stair climber but running would do fine as well.

Have fun.

Don't get hung up on mileage in the beginning. Hike at your pace. The miles will come.

[FritztheCat]

But since you live in the flat area of VA a long drive to the mts., then I suggest working out aerobically. Personally, I like the ellipitical and stair climber but running would do fine as well.


Yep. I'm just down the road from Portsmouth, VA and have been doing this too, except the running part. I really *hate* running. :D

[Rockhound]

Listen to your body. This becomes easier as you get older due to the increased number of creaking bones.

[fiddlehead]

It's more head than heel

[Cookerhiker]

Yep. I'm just down the road from Portsmouth, VA and have been doing this too, except the running part. I really *hate* running. :D

I stopped running really jogging over 5 years ago because of concerns re my knees and lower back. Just as well - the equipment probably gives me a better workout. Once Spring hits, I cycle 6 miles up the Great Allegheny Passage (http://www.atatrail.org) - all gradual uphill.

[Nearly Normal]

Have big fun.

[LIhikers]

It's easier to stay warm than to get warm.

[Runsalone]

If your 5 day pack weighs more than 35 pounds your probably carrying too much of something...

Unless your pack weighs 40 pounds on purpose cause thats the way you like it........then youre all set!!

[Jim Adams]

It's easier to stay warm than to get warm.
Warm-Maybe the wisest advice here as far as safety.
FUN- most important brain function.

geek

[buckwheat]

Kahtadin may be your destination, but you won't remember much about the destination.

You'll remember the journey ... not the miles, but the personal journey that you're on ... one of discovery and adventure.

Keep that thought foremost in your mind on that day when you're too exhausted to go on; too wet to care about finishing; too hungry to pick up your pack; too broken to care.

Then take one more step. Always just one more.

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

There are so many things, but here's some that I found important.....

1. Get fit before your start
2. Be serious about getting your pack weight down
3. Accept that you will be wet, cold, dirty, tired & sore. then figure out how you will stay happy regadless.
4. Don't push too hard at the start
5. Take lots of photos & write down names & addresses
6. Take a zero at Kincora & do a day of trail maintenance....it will make you feel good
7. Don't skimp on food to save weight
8. Stay hydrated
9. Be a good ambassador for the hiker community
10. Don't worry about stuff..... you will learn that on the trail things just always seem to work out OK.

Good luck & have a great hike !

Kaptain Kangaroo

[prain4u]

Develop a detailed hiking plan--and then immediately throw it away. If you really wanted a schedule and a timetable (and the stress associated with trying to follow a schedule)--you could always spend more time at your place of work!

Relax, and don't get uptight, if things don't go "as planned". (Things WILL NOT go as planned. So, get over it!).

It is perfectly O.K. to take some "Zero Days" (rest days) in the woods instead of in town. You will save money and probably get more REAL rest and relaxation if you occasionally skip going to town on your zero days.

[TOW]

Do you have any tips, advice, suggestions, to a new thru hiker attempting his hike in March? :-? All good ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Share your heart with others and in turn some will share their heart with you.....

[Marta]

Ditto on the pre-Hike hiking--do as much of it as you can.

If you start thinking about quitting, spend a couple of days in town, have more to eat and drink. If you still think you might want to go home, set the deadline for making that decision forward a few days--the end of the week or the end of the month. Spend some time visualizing yourself at home, thinking about your unfinished hike.

That image of myself, sitting at home, trying to explain to myself and others why I had quit hiking, was always enough to keep me going. Shallow, but it worked.

[DavidNH]

I would suggest the following:

Allow your self more time than you think you need. If you plan to do the hike in five months, allow six. If you plan six months, allow for seven. What can sap the fun faster than having to maintain high mileage and not being able to take a rest day when you want to?!

If at all possible, have extra dough stashed in your bank account. Yes you could probably do the trip on 3 grand, but things can come up and a cushion will help you to relax more and focus on having fun. 5-6 grand in the bank for the trip and you can hike without (much) financial worry. Some hikers quit because their money runs out! You can avoid at least this reason for not completing the hike through good planning.

Don't make this the first hike you do! Even just doing a week long backpack before hand, or a few weekend trips will allow you to make some mistakes that you can learn from before the big trip!

Don't try and keep up with people. Hike at a pace that is comfortable for you. This was key for me. As one person told me early on, you only have to average 12 mpd throughout the trip to finish in six months!

Keep weight reasonable, but you don't have to obsess over it. Doing some backpacking before the AT will help you decide how much of a load you can handle or want to handle.

Being in shape before hand is always better than not, but if you aren't in tiptop physical shape at the start of the AT, the trail WILL get you in shape. The key is to not give up, to keep hiking!!

DavidNH.

[Slo-go'en]

I have noticed that those who have had at least a little prior backpacking experinace, even if it was only a couple of over nighters or weekends, have a better chance of getting through the first week or two. And if you can get past the first week or two, its not too hard to make it 3 weeks, then 4, then 2 months and so on.

For those planing on a 09 hike, theres not much time left as most of you will be leaving in a month or two. Start going out and doing at least a 2 mile walk every day, or as often as possible, with your new boots to break them in and toughen up your feet.

If your truely a newbe camper, put your pack on, walk to a near-by park and set up your tent and cook a meal. Or walk around the block and do it in your back yard. A little practice near home setting up and breaking down camp will make it a lot easier once you hit the trail.

The first two weeks on the trail are the hardest. It can take up to a month before your body is fully adapted to hiking. So, don't give up too soon! Lets see a 50% completion this year!

[Johnny Thunder]

#1 most important thing to do is to keep in contact with your friends. It's easy to imagine running into people again and again...and you will...but sometimes folks will slip away and if you didn't take the time to get their info you'll never have it. The class of 08 has used Facebook pretty heavily and one of our own created an Excel-based directory but you shouldn't count on that. Your journal is as much for compiling your thoughts as it is for saving contact info on your friends. Just get into the habit.

#2 Never chase anyone. It does take a full month to get into peak condition but in some people it will take longer/shorter. You'll find that by Erwin or Damascus everyone will be moving at similar paces. So, the folks who tore through Georgia will spend most of their hikes paced with those who started a few weeks earlier and went at a normal clip. You'll catch up with hikers and some will catch you. It just works that way...don't sweat it.

#3 Avoid making time/place arrangements at all costs. If someone is visiting you with a car remember that they have a car....you shouldn't have to rush or slow up to meet them. When planning to meet friends and family offer them a few trailheads as possible meeting places. Then call them a few hours before so's they know where you are. It is OK, in some cases, to make these sort of commitments to other hikers since they'll have a better understanding if you don't show.

#4 The guidebooks don't know everything so ask. ask. ask some questions when you're in town. I got my best recommendations on restaurants, campsites, and blue blazes from folks in trail towns.

#5 No trail problem is so insurmountable that it can't be solved by walking.

[Pony]

Don't let someone else make their plans your plans. If you are hiking with someone and they start telling you when to take a break, how many miles to do or when to go to town, you may want to think about seperating from them. You'd be surprised how quick they would leave you, so be selfish and do what's best for you.

[Marta]

Don't let someone else make their plans your plans. If you are hiking with someone and they start telling you when to take a break, how many miles to do or when to go to town, you may want to think about seperating from them. You'd be surprised how quick they would leave you, so be selfish and do what's best for you.

Very good advice.

[Jack Tarlin]

If you go to the Articles section of this website, you'll see a section called "Hiker Advice". There's a thread there that is called "Suggestions on What I'd Do Differently" where hikers who have previously hiked reflect on what changes they'd make if they were going to do it again. There's some very instructive stuff here.

[Blissful]

Take it one day at a time and throw your itinerary out the window on day one. :)

Oh, and take care of your feet. Dry out your socks and insoles every time you stop for a break.

And if things with your pack and gear don't feel right at Neel Gap, talk to Winton.

[stranger]

Don't waste your time doing any exercise other than walking on a trail with the same amount of weight you will be carrying.

Training by running, swimming, this that, the gym - is largely meaningless. It might help a tad, but won't make a noticable difference for most people in my view.

Nothing can prepare you for backpacking physically other than backpacking. Find a short, 3-4 mile trail and hike it with a pack a few times per week, for about 6 weeks if possible.

This is what I did and I easily averaged 17 miles per day straight from Springer, and I smoke.

[Bare Bear]

Take your time and build up miles gradually. Then slow down and enjoy the hike.
Take lots of PEOPLE pictures and get their names (at least trail name) right then, you will be amzed how many go away and are never seen again and you will forget the names.

[sheepdog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guZuuXt8qlk
Take care of your feet and try not to do something stupid, like getting yourself killed.

[JAK]

Try to integrate outdoor living it into your lifestyle, who you are, rather a diversion.
Think of it as the real world, and of yourself as a natural part of it.

[ofthearth]

check this thread out. good stuff

The One Thing I Wish I Knew Before Hiking the A.T.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=43591&highlight=differently