View Full Version : Quick and Early Thru hike
sburke15
12-03-2009, 15:34
Hey guys I just had a few questions considering my situation is little different than most people from what I have read. I guess it’d be best to start with some background information about me, and my plans as of now.
I’m 19 years old going to college at UNCC, originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I am an Eagle Scout as well, so I’ve had my fair share camping and backpacking. I’ve been athletic my entire life, swimming from the time the time I was 5-18, and diving. Right now I am undeclared in school and kind of feeling a little cooped up and overwhelmed with everything, I’m planning to be an engineer and will declare in the next year or so if I can sort out scheduling issues.
So I figured no time like the present. I want to hike the AT, and everything seems to be perfect now. I Am not super involved in school, (not involved deeply in my major, nothing will really happen if I take a semester off now), my back is back to normal (Had a bulging disk in l4, l5, ridiculopathy for the past 2 years), and I’m sure after college I’ll get a job, and then not be able to hike the trail until retirement? In summer (starting may) I have a job I love more than anything in the world, working at my local pool with my best friends as a lifeguard, swim coach, and chemical manager. So I would like to take one semester off hike the trail and then be back at work.
Would an early January start be possible? NOBO?
Would it be reasonable to do the whole trail in less than 5 months? Be back in Chapel Hill by early may. I have done my research and seen people have done it in less than 5 months but I would like to see opinions based on my situation and the season.
I was planning to hike the trail in Nike frees 5.0 (http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/products/free5?blogSource=en_US) Would that be possible with a January start, (ice and such) I have strong ankles and really like the shoes (have a pair now). They're comfortable to hike in.
Also would I see any other hikers at this time? I would like to hike solo, but meet up with people at shelters and such although I plan to stealth camp with a hammock for the most part.
Any opinions or ideas related to my situation at all would be great as well.
Thanks,
Sean
Sean,
Hiking the trail in 4months is totally possible for someone young, fit and going light. I'm not sure it's very feasible in the time frame you have. You take the risk of running into deep snow in spring up in New England and there is still major opportunity for late storms in March and April. The streams in Maine will be dangerous and the early season bugs might make you go insane. You'll have virtually no company after the first couple days (there are always a few Jan 1 starters) and you will need to carry more weight than a "normal"thru-hiker with winter gear, extra food, etc. You'll also be spending 12-15 hrs in your sleeping bag at the start and days will be short making it difficult to hike big mile days.
I'm not trying to overwhelm you, just be realistic.
With that time frame, I'd take your time and set your sights on half the trail. If it were me I'd wait till Feb 15th and then hike north to Harpers Ferry by May1.
If this is the only opportunity you'll have to thru-hike, why not forego the pool job for a summer?
sburke15
12-03-2009, 15:54
Alright a lot of that is what i expected. Would it be possible to hike at night in the first part? As a college student i am a big night person. Kind of flip flop night and day at first, so the colder part of the day(night) would be spent walking generating heat with all my gear on. Then sleep during the day where its a little warmer, and shorter.
One of the main reasons I would not forgo my summer job is it will be paying for my trip, and most of the people I work with are people I only see in the summer. I grew up with most of these people and now that I'm "aging out" of the job I won't really get to see my friends again. Thats my second family and in another year or two i won't get to see them again because they're all going to colleges across the country and moving for real jobs.
Jester2000
12-03-2009, 15:59
It's entirely possible that you'd be hiking in snow for most of your hike. This, combined with the limited daylight hours mentioned by A-Train, will make it difficult.
You might want to consider working most of the summer, taking the Fall semester off, and starting a SOBO hike in August. That would most likely get you through the Whites before the really bad weather hits, and the rest of the trail won't be any worse that a NOBO hike with a Jan. 1 start.
But as A-Train also mentioned, and what I'd recommend, is foregoing the job this summer, unless you are absolutely financially dependent on it.
kolokolo
12-03-2009, 22:44
Would it be possible to hike at night in the first part?
I have never through-hiked, but I hiked all of the AT in Georgia, and part of it in North Carolina last summer. I would not count on hiking at night. If it were very cloudy, I think it would be hard to stay on the trail, and also hard to avoid rocks and other obstacles. In January, too, it will be slippery and icy, so seeing where you are going will be especially important.
I've got to agree with previous posts that you should try to find a way to hike in summer.
white_russian
12-04-2009, 00:24
You would not be able to complete the hike and be back by early May. Katahdin opens whenever the ice clears in late May.
sburke15
12-04-2009, 15:00
alright thanks, All this info is great. I think the option that looks most appealing/viable right now is working up until august in summer then taking fall semester off and hiking southbound. Would that be possible?
alright thanks, All this info is great. I think the option that looks most appealing/viable right now is working up until august in summer then taking fall semester off and hiking southbound. Would that be possible?
when does your spring semester start?
Slo-go'en
12-04-2009, 15:30
alright thanks, All this info is great. I think the option that looks most appealing/viable right now is working up until august in summer then taking fall semester off and hiking southbound. Would that be possible?
You will get a lot farther doing that then trying to go north in January!
bigcranky
12-04-2009, 15:36
If you start on, say, August 15 and hike southbound, you can be finished by January 15, which is five months. Being finished by the Christmas holiday is potentially doable for a very fit hiker, but you'll have to be committed.
If you want to see what it's like to start January 1 and finish as quickly as possible, find Flyin' Brian's trail journal. He did a Triple Crown hike a few years ago, starting Jan 1 at Springer. If I recall correctly, he got off the AT in southern New England when he could no longer find the trail in all the snow. (Then he went out West and hiked both the PCT and the CDT and came back and finished the AT, all before the year was out. Tough dude.)
sburke15
12-04-2009, 16:22
Spring semester starts January 11th this year, and i would imagine some time around that next year as well. I feel like the SOBO plan will work out great. In summer, since my job is a lifeguard and swim coach, I have to be pretty fit, so i get in great shape throughout summer, so hopefully i should be able to get home for Christmas and have a week or two to settle back into real life and get ready to go back to college, hopefully revitalized. I am really committed to doing this, and can't wait to start!
Will there be other people starting SOBO at this time, or will I have the trail to myself?
Thanks again,
Sean
bigcranky
12-04-2009, 16:54
You will meet plenty of other hikers in late summer and early fall, especially on weekends. Probably not a lot of thruhikers starting then. By early November the trail will be a lot quieter.
sburke15
12-04-2009, 21:19
Flying Brians Trail log is a great read, as fun as it sounds to hike NOBO in January (not sarcastic), I think august SOBO is much more doable.
I feel like the AT should be hiked north though, Maine seems like such a logical ending point... i guess its further away from home for me. Oh well. Either way will be awesome.
Thanks again
http://royrobinson.homestead.com/index.html (The trail log if anyone else is interested)
Blissful
12-05-2009, 21:47
You're still going to have weather issues southbound that late. Not as severe but they will be there for sure.
you may also hit black fly season in may in maine.
Panzer
One of the problems with walking at night that time of the year is the trail will not have been recently maintained. There are a few places where it can be easy to wander off.
A couple of weeks ago I walked AFSP to 3 Forks and where the trail followed a creek bottom it got a little tricky. I commented to my son, I would not want to try to walk this part at night. If you add snow on the ground it gets worse.
I have a similar problem. I teach at New Mexico State University. I will be taking one semester off and not working in the summer.
It appears that you want to be back in May for summer school? Why not take off the spring semester and return to college in the fall semester. That way you can start in February or March and not be too rushed to finish. The weather will be much nicer too.
sburke15
12-06-2009, 21:12
I need to be back in may for my job over the summer which will be funding my hike. Right now I think my best bet would be to start a southbound hike mid august, and then take fall semester off. Be back by december, and then restart Spring semester
The Solemates
12-06-2009, 21:57
I need to be back in may for my job over the summer which will be funding my hike. Right now I think my best bet would be to start a southbound hike mid august, and then take fall semester off. Be back by december, and then restart Spring semester
so wait a minute...you are "paying" for your hike after you hike it?
sburke15
12-06-2009, 22:20
No. I start work in may and work everyday until school starts in august. But instead of going back to school for fall semester I would hike. My plans have changed from a january NOBO to a august SOBO, but if i was to hike a NOBO i could either ask to borrow the money from my parents until this summer where I could pay them back or I could take it out of my savings accounts from summers past and then replenish it after the hike (which I would rather not do since I set it aside for emergencies and such).
Walking Thunderbird
12-08-2009, 12:46
I started a SOBO thru-hike on July 31 this past year, and I finished on October 13. While I don't expect most people to do it as fast as I did, I think you should definitely be able to finish before classes start for the spring semester (presumably in January). A few advantages of starting a SOBO around the first of Aug:
1) Your chances of having to hike through snow are definitely minimized
2) Longer days to start with (when you'll be hiking slower). I did very little after-dark hiking and still finished in a rather short time.
3) Avoid the worst of the hot weather. You'll be getting to the hot parts (VA and PA) in Sept/Oct.
All these things are conducive to speed. For negatives, I would say that hitting the hardest stuff first (southern ME and the Whites) can be bad, but once you get past that you can cruise. Also, Springer is fairly anti-climactic compared to Katahdin.
sburke15
12-08-2009, 14:14
Nice. That all sounds great. I don't mind starting hard and having to push through i''m committed and I'll be in shape. I am kinda upset about the springer katahdin switch, I feel like its gonna be like ...I'm done? Thanks for the experience