View Full Version : Advice and Comments needed....
This has probably been covered....the student's thread gave me the idea...
My husband and I are heading out from Georgia around March 1st, 2005. When we originally planned this hike, we talked about doing 6-7 months. As it turns out, I need to be back in England for September. Is it possible, without rushing, for us to finish in this amount of time?
Also, which parts of the trail are the hardest? easiest?
We have experience in long distance hiking. We finished Pembrokeshire Coastal Path (Wales) in 14 days (roughly 200 miles with off path hiking factored in). And the terrain along the coastal path is steep up and steep down for nearly the whole path.
We did the West Highland Way in Scotland in 10 days (95ish miles)....we took that one slow and easy.
Each of these hikes we began with 40 pound packs. (We carried all of our food as resupply was not an option).
I am just concerned as I really need to be back here at the beginning of September for a teacher training program that only starts every September!
Thanks in advance!
that gives you 6 full months...whats the problem?
most thru-hikers finish in an average of 6 months!
good luck with your hike! :D
This has probably been covered....the student's thread gave me the idea...
My husband and I are heading out from Georgia around March 1st, 2005. When we originally planned this hike, we talked about doing 6-7 months. As it turns out, I need to be back in England for September. Is it possible, without rushing, for us to finish in this amount of time?
I did the trail in exactly 5.5 months (March 7 - August 21), and that was with 24 rest days where I did not hike at all. You can definitely complete the trail in a 6 month window.
The toughest parts of the trail are the White Mountains of NH and Western Maine. Since you will be heading northbound, you will reach that area at the peak of your physical condition. That won't make that part of the trail "easy" however. A day of backpacking in Western Maine can knock the wind out of just about anyone.
Best of luck!
Jeffrey Hunter aka Little Bear
GA-ME 2000
gravityman
07-07-2004, 10:08
My husband and I are heading out from Georgia around March 1st, 2005. When we originally planned this hike, we talked about doing 6-7 months. As it turns out, I need to be back in England for September. Is it possible, without rushing, for us to finish in this amount of time?
You absolutely CAN do it. HOWEVER, you might want to set your sights a little different. Trying to gauge how fast and how far to hike each day to finish in 6 months can be overwhelming. You add in a little extra distance to make sure that you will have some buffer time. You add in a little extra for the days off. You start getting worried because you didn't make you mileage one day, or you had to stay an extra day in town for the post office to open.
It gets very stressful. So, to mitigate that stress, you might want to plan on going as far as you can go. If you fall behind, but still want to get to katahdin, skip ahead a section. Chances are you will make it just fine time wise, but still, relieving that stress can mean the difference between an enjoyable 6 months in the woods, and a 6 month death march.
Gravity Man
Let me add something to what Gravity Man said. I would not worry about adhering to a schedule your first month on the trail. Let your bodies acclimate to the terrain. Some people become overly fixated on adhering to a schedule early on, to the detriment of their physical well being. Once the days get longer and the terrain becomes gentler (in the Mid-Atlantic states) you should have no problem knocking out big mile days. That'll make any hurrying in the first few hundred miles seem silly.
If I was to do it again, I would not do any mail drops. if you don't have any special dietary or medical requirements, that is probably the best way to go. It will add to the adventure (IMO) as well as eliminate the boredom of eating the same things over & over again.
Thats my experience anyway.
Thanks for all the replies. I think my husband is the one causing all my stress. He just turned in his request for unpaid leave and he put on the form 7-8 months! I have to be back here for September, so I started to panic that 7-8 months was actually realistic.
If I was to do it again, I would not do any mail drops. if you don't have any special dietary or medical requirements, that is probably the best way to go. We are not doing any mail drops at all. I plan to use a bounce box for some things. If we end up needing to take some stuff out of our packs, I can ship them to my mom's in Florida or my sister in Virginia for them to hang on to.
Jack Tarlin
07-07-2004, 12:17
Everyone so far is right....you have plenty of time.
A few considerations: A March start invariably means you'll run into some rough patches of weather your first few weeks; make sure you're prepared for this by bringing appropriate gear, and also you can expect some abbreviated days, unplanned days off, etc. You may well fall a bit behind your "planned" schedule.
Don't worry about it; you'll have ample time, come warmer weather and easier terrain, to make up for any unplanned "lost" time."
A few tips to make sure you stay within your time frame:
*Obtain current Trail maps and Trail elevation profiles, as they will help a great deal before and AFTER you start, especially when it comes to planning your daily objectives and mileage; in other words, they'll be a great help in telling you when you can best go for a big-mileage day, and when it'd be foolish to.
*Whenever possible, break camp and get on the Trail EARLY. You'll feel more positive about your day, and you'll achieve your daily mileage "quota" earlier in the day, meaning you'll have more chances to exceed this figure if you feel like it. (Meaning that by starting the day earlier, you'll have more opportunities to go for big-mileage or extra mileage days WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT, and this is important: You should go for big days when you WANT to and avoid doing the long days cause you HAVE to).
*In warmer weather, consider taking an extended break during the heat of the day, but then continuing your hiking til early in the evening. By doing this, you'll make it easier on yourselves by avoiding the hottest part of the day, but you'll still get your miles in.
*Increase your mileage where it's easy and sensible to do so, so you won't have to do big miles late in the trip where it gets more difficult. As a rule, from Virginia til Vermont you'll be able to have bigger days; things WILL slow down in Northern New England, so get your big days in when you can.
*Limit your town time and time off; by all means take rest days when you need them, but don't overdue it. Consider doing "in and out" resupplying, which means leaving the Trail, going into town for your shopping and other town stuff---phone calls, laundry, a restaurant meal, etc.---but then GET OUT OF TOWN that same day and camp back on the Trail, even if you only do a few miles past your town stop. Advantages: You'll spend less time in town, have fewer zero or near-zero mileage days, and you'll wake up in the woods after your townstop, which means you'll have a full hiking day, as opposed to the usual short one which generally follows a town stop, as in many cases, one doesn't start hiking til mid-morning or later the day one leaves a town. If you stay overnight in a town, it's VERY difficult to be disciplined enough to be hiking early the next morning as there are too many temptations: more shopping, breakfast stops, more phone calls, etc. If you wake up in the woods instead, these temptations aren't there.
*If possible, get your pack weight down a bit---it'll make for easier hiking, which means a quicker pace: Going just a mile or so further each day, which will be easier to do with a lighter pack, could shorten your trip by a week or more. This may be important towards the end of your hike; better to have that extra week to play with and not need it than the other way around.
*Most important of all, don't worry overmuch about your schedule.....six months is ample time for a great trip!