Transportation for Section hikers

[dmmorris1217]

I am a new section hiker. I was just curious how other section hikers got to and from parts of the AT.
1.Take two cars and park them at two points and hike in between?
2. Hitch hike back to their car?
3. Taxi or shuttle?


Thanks.

[MedicineMan]

I've:
Hired shuttlers-leave car here shuttle takes you there, you hike back to car
Two people two cars-one car follows other car, leave here, both drivers get in one car and drive there, hike back to car, drive to other car
Two people two cars-one car here, one car there, hikers pass each other and exchange keys.
RV/Motorcycle-drop off motorcycle, drive RV to starting point, hike to motorcycle, ride bike back to RV.
Car/bicycle-drop off bicycle, drive to starting point, ride bicycle back to car..

Others have used trains, planes, and busses to get there :)
Some park on one side hike in half-way then hike out, drive to the other side and hike in and back out...

My personal favorite way is to leave car in a city at someone's home or business where it will be safe (had a break in or two over the years)...get shuttled downstream or upstream and hike back to car----then resupply at the car (next round of freezer bag meals, new canister, more alcohol,etc), get a haircut,maildrop,shower,check e-mail, etc.; then get shuttled upstream or downstream...40-60 miles either side of the car makes my carrying 3-4 days of food depending on terrain. I like having the car there because there is always someplace near the trail I want to visit (battlefields,breweries,museum,etc.)

I'm sure there are other possibilities-helicopter? canoe?

[Big Dawg]

I use a shuttle.

[peakbagger]

I got a lot of practice trying out the various methods over about a 10 years period of sectioning

1. Bum a shuttle from a friend of a friend. That worked although sometimes the shuttles took awhile longer as we usually bought the shuttler a meal along the way. This was offset as they tended to know shortcuts.

2. Pay for a shuttle, we did this only once, but strongly urge you to hike back to your car rather than being picked up at the end of the hike. We did look into a long shuttle once and the cost of the shuttle just about covered our out of pocket expenses to drive down. (nothing against the shuttlers rates, I have a Honda Civic that gets 40 MPG and its long since paid for so the cost per incremental mile is pretty cheap).

3. Two cars, two people, leave one car at the end of a one week section and drive to the beginning of the section. We linked together a couple of weeks of hiking this way and managed to hike every day (no zeros) by starting real early on the last day of the section and doing our town day in the afternoon while we shifted the cars around. Very convienient, but driving two cars from NH to the south was twice the gas.

4. One car, two people. We did a couple of weeks where we slackpacked every day. One person would drop off the other at a point along the trail, the other hiker would drive to a trail junction 14 to 16 trail miles away and the two hikers would hike towards each other and do a key swap. The person who ended at the car would drive back and pick up the other. One disadvantage was that the person picking up the car hadnt driven the route yet and on some of the back roads, its easy to get lost. I suppose this could be extended to a longer duration backpack over several days but we never did it. We tended to hike "off season" so when we did stay in a hostel, we werent taking away spaces from thruhikers and in the fall it allowed us to avoid the dry water sources along the trail.

We were trying to maximize the distance we could go each section as it was done on vacations, so the cost was less of a issue, therefore the two car worked well. My hiking partner had some ankle issue later on that slowed us down when he carried a full pack, so the slackpacking allowed us to keep our mileage up.

[Summit]

Had a Greyhound bus stop and drop me off where the AT crosses I-40 once.
Did a lot of hitch-hiking when I was younger - always parked at the end of the hike and got the hitch-hiking out of the way first.
Shuttles work well if you can afford them and are going solo.
If not going solo, between you and your partner, park a car at each end.

[Skyline]

For a one-segment hike, park where you want to end that hike; use a shuttle service to transport you to the beginning of your hike. Then hike back to your vehicle without the stress of meeting a shuttle service at a specific place and time (don't count on cell coverage to call a shuttler from the mountains, either).

For a multi-segment hike, repeat as above but keep your resupply or resupplies in your vehicle in a cooler. When you get to your vehicle you will have options to drive wherever you want to for a shower, restaurant meal, motel, a few fresh food items or other items you might need for the next segment of hiking, etc. (You may also prove to be a popular hiker on the Trail if you can offer a ride to others you meet who may not have a vehicle waiting.)

Then, move your vehicle a week or so up the Trail and repeat. Repeat for as many weeks as you'll be out.

Try not to park at vandal-easy trailheads. I often scout out a hostel, gas station, restaurant, B&B, or motel that will let me park—and hitch from the Trail to wherever that is. If I'm going to patronize that establishment, and tell them ahead of time, they sometimes don't charge for parking. If not, I offer to pay.

[bullseye]

Shuttling w/ a friend can be cheaper since you can split the cost of the shuttle, as well as all travel related expenses.

The thing I discovered about shuttles the hard way is that it's better to get the shuttles up front if possible, since you are hiking back to your vehicle at yourpace, vs trying to make a deadline to meet a shuttle or waiting for a shuttle to show up.

[Skyline]

Had a Greyhound bus stop and drop me off where the AT crosses I-40 once.
Did a lot of hitch-hiking when I was younger - always parked at the end of the hike and got the hitch-hiking out of the way first.
Shuttles work well if you can afford them and are going solo.
If not going solo, between you and your partner, park a car at each end.



Another thought: Shuttles also work well, financially, if you're not solo, but going with one or more friends/family. You can split the cost of a shuttle. The per-person cost doesn't present as much "sticker shock."

For example, a shuttle in my area from Swift Run Gap (US 33) to Front Royal (US522) runs about $120 at present. For a solo hiker, that might seem steep. Split among four hikers, it's only $30 each.

[Cookerhiker]

I section-hiked the AT over 29 years and did all of the above. Re. using a bicycle, I recommend doing the cycling portion first; park your car, cycle to your starting point, hike back to your car, drive back to your bike. I've found that the cycling part is significantly more taxing than the hiking so it's better to cycle first.

Probably the best stretch of the entire AT to cycle-hike is the Cumberland Valley in PA - Boiling Springs to Rt. 944. The cycling is easy and most of the roads reasonably safe.

[Blissful]

I've done two of the three. If you go with a buddy, the two car system is a good idea. Unless you are planning a long haul. Also, plenty of friendly hikers here on WB who can help with shuttles.

[fredmugs]

I've been fortunate to meet a few great people on here where we meet at some spot and take each other vehicles to opposite directions and then hike back to our own vehicles. This is the main reason why I am section hiking SOBO.

The guy I primarily shuttle with has already done GSMNP. I would love to knock that section out over the Fri - Mon in Oct during Columbus Day if anyone's interested.

[sly dog]

I usually do the 2 car thing but have been dropped off by girlfriend a couple times and hiked to my car days later. The one time that I had to find a ride was when I met my brother on his thru in while he was in VT. I actually wasn't on whiteblaze at the time so I went on myspace and found someone in the Hanover area and sent her an e-mail asking for a shuttle. I picked her because her interests were hiking,outdoor activities and camping. If I didn't get a response I was going to hitch but she actually e-mailed me then called me. It worked out perfect, I met her in Hanover and parked there then she drove me to the trail somewhere after Killington. I paid for gas and she was very cool with helping out a hiker.

[trippclark]

I am a new section hiker. I was just curious how other section hikers got to and from parts of the AT.
1.Take two cars and park them at two points and hike in between?
2. Hitch hike back to their car?
3. Taxi or shuttle?


Thanks.


Over the past 10 years I have done 29 section hikes (some duplicate sections), and have used most of the options discussed, especially:

1 - drive two cars and hike between
2 - shuttle service (never a bad experience yet)

A couple of variations that I have used that I do not think have been mentioned . . .

3 - several hikes we drove one vehicle and towed a second vehicle with a tow-bar, dropping one at the end point and then driving back to the starting point and hiking between. This used a good bit less gas than driving two cars (but more than one since towing burns more gas than driving without that load), plus allows two hikers to ride together so the drive is less boring.

4 - I've been real fortunate on a few recent trips to have folks interested in coming that preferred to camp in the area and not backpack. We share travel expenses (gas) and then "self-shuttle" with them providing drop-off and pick-up for those of us that will be hiking.

[The Mechanical Man]

Download the SHUTTLE LIST from the official ATC website,.......
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805499/k.547C/Getting_to_the_Trail.htm



Lots of nice folks willing to shuttle you, from Georgia to Maine. :sun

[dmmorris1217]

thank yall for all the help!!

[Kerosene]

I've done a little of each, but usually rely on a shuttler to take me from wherever I parked my car to where I start hiking, walking back to my car. A taxi is typically pretty expensive, and it's a challenge to find a hiking partner. I've never had a whole lot of luck hitching.

[Plodderman]

Last few trips, Smokies and Damascus we used shuttles.

[sasquatch2014]

I know of some folks that do the passing of the keys as well but this is only good if you are hiking with two or more people and don't mind hiking solo. I have done shuttle, Bus, and Taxi as well so far. I also have gotten rides from friends and always give a lift to people in need, figure i am banking up my ride karma and who know they may do me a solid down the road one day when i need it.