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View Full Version : Trail Towns - Confused!



keidallmer
07-29-2009, 14:57
Alright. So I've been reading the articles here and learning a good deal (thanks so much to the folks who dedicated their time to them; excellent content!). Though I'm still a little fuzzy on the topic of getting to trail towns.

How does one exactly know where a trail town is, and how to get to wherever you need to be in order to walk or hitch? Do you take a blue blaze tail down? Are there signs on the trail that indicate nearby towns?

Thanks so much for any information you can pass on. :D

Jeff
07-29-2009, 15:07
A few trail towns you walk right thru on the AT. Most however, require a hitch or road walk into town. That can be anywhere from 0.5 mile to 10+ miles though most are less than 5 miles. If you don't like to hitch you will need to do alot more homework regarding local taxi's or shuttle services found here:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/atf/cf/%7BB8A229E6-1CDC-41B7-A615-2D5911950E45%7D/AT%20Shuttle%20List%20WEB%207-09-09.pdf

Most hikers hitch......and my daughter partners up when hitching (dads law!!).

Frick Frack
07-29-2009, 15:30
Don't worry, my wife and I had never hitched before our sobo last year and it was cake. I was nervous the 1st few times but it got to be fun and it is amazing how fast you get a ride, get to town, and get back...I thought it was going to be a hassle. You will meet lots of great people. It probably is best to hitch with someone else but as a couple we never had any problems. I hitched more than once just for an ice cold Coca Cola....

Jack Tarlin
07-29-2009, 16:18
The best information on where Trail towns are, and what you'll find when you get there, can be found in a current Trail guidebook.

There are three main ones, all updated annually:

*There's "The Thru-Hiker's Companion" available from the ATC at
www.appalachiantrail.org
*There's "The Thru-Hiker's Handbook", available at www.trailplace.com
*There's "Appalachian Pages", available here at www.whiteblaze.net

All of these books are very similar and will contain all the information you'll need on where towns are located, how far they are from the Trail, which direction you need to go, and most of all, what sort of facilities and businesses you'll find in them when you get there. Most A.T. hikers use these guidebooks both before and during their hikes, and find them invaluable, especially when it comes to info on re-supplying food and supplies, gear, overnight lodging, etc.

As far as whether or not you'll want to walk or hitch to town, as a general rule, at least for me, if it's any more than a mile away, I'll probably put out my thumb, assuming it's safe and legal to do so (some places are better to hitch at than others).

In some cases, especially up North, where the Trail towns and re-supply places are quite distant from the Trail, you'll HAVE to hitch, but it's easy to do so, and it's always easy to find another hiker to hitch with if you'd rather.

And getting back to the Trail is also pretty easy, just find a place where drivers can see you, and where it's easy and safe for them to pull over. In every Trail town, there are folks who'll stop for hikers when they see them, so in almost every case, hitching back and forth from Trail to town is pretty simple.

If you're interested in seeing what a Trail guidebook looks like, go to www.aldha.org where you'll find the 2008 edition of the Thru-Hikers Companion available for viewing On-Line.

emerald
07-29-2009, 16:33
Appalachian Trail strip map (http://www.nps.gov/appa/planyourvisit/upload/APPA%20Map.pdf) (pdf 1.92MB)

Lone Wolf
07-29-2009, 16:36
How does one exactly know where a trail town is, and how to get to wherever you need to be in order to walk or hitch? Do you take a blue blaze tail down? Are there signs on the trail that indicate nearby towns?

Thanks so much for any information you can pass on. :D

AT Data book https://www.atctrailstore.org/catalog/iteminfo.cfm?itemid=626&compid=1