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Prettywoman0172
09-02-2010, 20:12
How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*) :)

Ann

rickb
09-02-2010, 20:24
People spent a whole lot less time planning before the internet-- for me it was something like three weeks.

To my way of thinking it shouldn't take much effort to discover what other people are doing for gear and food and stuff. Good to learn from others, but most of the decisions are just fine tuning.

On the other hand, I do think that Spirit Eagle's "Thru Hiking Papers" would be a very, very good thing for any prospective thru hiker to read. They can be found here:

http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/THP_top.html

4eyedbuzzard
09-02-2010, 20:55
How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*) :)

Ann
NORMAL people don't thru-hike. ;)
You need a pack, shoes, sleeping bag / pad, shelter, cookpot, clothing, AND MONEY AND FREE TIME AND DETERMINATION. Most anything will work except the last three which have some pretty well established limits. The water will be where it will be, and for the most part easily found as will food / supplies using the companion or other guide. People tend to over-plan because it is fun. You will be cold, wet, hot, dry, hungry, full, upbeat, downbeat, tired, rested, sore, and just about everything else. But beyond all that you just have to walk 2175 miles. No amount of gear or planning will get you there - only your feet, time, money, and determination will.

You should take a few short practice hikes to sort everything out. Even just some overnights close to home will answer a lot of your questions on what gear to use, what gear is unnecessary, how to pack, preparing food, etc.

Lone Wolf
09-02-2010, 21:08
How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*) :)

Ann

less than 9 months for me. most of that was watin' for my departure day. 99% of wannabe thru-hikers way-overplan. and most fail

leaftye
09-02-2010, 22:04
How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

The best planning is experience. That will teach you how much food you need and what kind, what to wear, how to camp, how to pack, etc. Resupplies & mail drops are still a consideration, but you don't really need to plan ahead more than 2 weeks. I usually spend up to an hour every night preparing for my next day and resupply (or two).

Most importantly, it will get your mind and body ready for the trip.

Spokes
09-02-2010, 23:20
How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? .....

Ann,
Did I send you these links to you already? They cover about all you need to know. I also met a couple times with a buddy who had hiked the trail the year before I did. He really just verified what's in the articles. Print them out. You'll refer to them often.

10 page Backpacker Magazine article on hiking the AT (http://www.backpacker.com/november_2008_american_classic_hiking_the_appalach ian_trail/destinations/12530)

Mountain Crossings Gear List from Trail Guru Winton Porter (http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4)

You sound like a fast learner so no fear!

Good luck.

khog03
09-02-2010, 23:22
You can find pretty much any info you need by lurking on this site, reading articles, and visiting outfitters and such. Do your own research and take into consideration your own needs above others. As a beginner it can be very time consuming..but very worth it.The most important thing is to make up your own mind about your hike, and don't listen to everything people say.

DapperD
09-02-2010, 23:40
How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*) :)

AnnI haven't thru-hiked but there is literature out there to help potential planners/dreamers. Someone mentioned the Spirit Eagle Thru-Hiking Papers, which I have read and liked. There is also a planning guide (I have an older version) which makes for interesting reading:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3030312.The_Appalachian_Trail_Workbook_for_Plannin g_Thru_Hikes There is also another book which I enjoyed:http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=60061

Jester2000
09-03-2010, 00:50
less than 9 months for me. most of that was watin' for my departure day. 99% of wannabe thru-hikers way-overplan. and most fail

Pretty much what Lone Wolf said. There are an awful lot of people who plan for years and years and then quit because "it wasn't what I thought it would be like."

Get out. Do some weekends, a week long trip or two. Figure out what you're comfortable carrying and what isn't worth the weight (for you). Then read an article or two about resupply here or elsewhere, and then just do it.

You'll be fine.

Praha4
09-03-2010, 01:32
get out and try some short backpacking trips first to see if long duration hiking is something you would enjoy. ask yourself why do you want to try thru hiking? if the reason is you think you will earn some kind of trophy, you may be disappointed. It is a day by day experience with day by day challenges, both physical and mental. I commend anyone who gets out and hikes on the AT for any period of time, when 90% of the american population prefers to sit on their fat *sses in front of the TV and eat pizza and donuts, thats why we have a national obesity epidemic. I would not label anyone a "quitter" who decides to stop a thru hike.

Good luck, and just enjoy time on the trail.

Marta
09-03-2010, 07:01
Planning is what occupies the time between when you decide to do it and when you can arrange your life to have the time and money to do it. For some people that's a day or two; for some people it's decades. There's a reason that a lot of thru-hikers are just out of college (or high school), just divorced, or just retired. The hiking is easy compared to stepping out of the normal obligations of life, with the twin shackles of relationships and debt.

Don't be so quick to dismiss what Lone Wolf is saying. It may not be what you want to hear, but it's true.

10-K
09-03-2010, 07:21
There's the thought of hiking and there's the work of hiking. Until you start hiking, you're just thinking about it and that's very different than doing it. When you start a long distance hike, how you think about hiking will certainly change as reality sets in. At that point you'll know what kind of hiker you are.

I love the idea of thru hiking but my practical limit is less than a thousand miles and/or 6 weeks or so. After that, it stops being fun and I'm ready to be done. I miss my family and the repetition of day after day of doing the exact same thing takes its toil on me.

I don't mean to diminish anyone's accomplishments - it's a major feat to walk 2175ish miles in one whack. But it's not lilke a miracle or anything. It's like running a marathon - most anyone can do it with some preparation and a lot of people can start and finish with very minimal training.

So.... go for it if it's what you want to do but know that if you change you're mind you're not a failure. Weekend, week long, and 2-3 week hiking trips are just as rewarding as a 6 month hike and have a much smaller impact on your life.

4eyedbuzzard
09-03-2010, 07:42
...Don't be so quick to dismiss what Lone Wolf is saying. It may not be what you want to hear, but it's true.

True. It was for me. I loved the idea of thru-hiking. But I didn't like the reality of it.
I tried back in the 70's and quit in Virginia. It was great for about two weeks. Honestly, I found that I get bored and especially don't enjoy hiking in wet and cold or hot conditions. I'm a certified fair-weathered hiker. I like hiking in nice weather, not caring about how many miles I hike, spending too much time in camp, cooking more than quick starchy meals, sitting by a fire, looking at the stars ... I simply prefer a few days to a week a few times during the year. For me it's about just being out there in the woods, doing a little hiking and camping and maybe fishing - thru-hiking makes it too much like work for me. Sometimes I wish that I had the determination to thru-hike, but I've come to the realization that I don't, and I'm comfortable with that.

Blue Jay
09-03-2010, 10:10
My original "plan" lasted about a day and a half. I made another one which lasted a whole week and that still stands as the record. Plans are great as long as you remain flexable and realize when they become counterproductive.

sbhikes
09-03-2010, 15:02
I gave my 2-week notice, and once I was free of my job, I spent 6 weeks planning and training. I was ready to go in 4 weeks so those last 2 weeks were hard!

Once on the trail it soon became clear that most of my plan should be thrown out the window. I hiked further each day than expected. I hated the food I purchased and sent way too much. I had been so overwhelmed by the guide book that I planned my stops based on fear and confusion. I was so afraid of hitchhiking I tried to only resupply in towns that didn't require it. I quickly learned

a) go with the flow and shop along the trail
b) stop at more town stops and carry less food
c) hitchhiking is actually fun
d) the only resupply planning needed is a list of towns and what kind of stores they have and post office addresses

With my list, I can ask Mission Control back home to mail me stuff, I can shop and mail resupply boxes from the trail, I can even order things from the Internet, ship them home and have Mission Control send to a post office.

I don't plan my whole life out at home. I just go shopping when the cupboards are bare. Trail life is just life.

Some people don't like to deal with resupplying on the trail, but I found it freed me from having to worry how far up the trail I would be able to go or whether my food would be fresh or whether I'd be sick of it by then.

Prettywoman0172
09-03-2010, 17:54
I will not commit to a thru hike, its just something in my head. I might not like it at all. I dont feel bad about the gear purchases though, because if I dont end up doing the hike, everything is still useable for camping, which Ill never get sick of :)

Geo.
09-03-2010, 18:05
How much planning is usually involved for a thru hike? I am inexperienced (very green) and it just seems like there is so much to plan for - gear, food, clothing, water sources, and then mail drops/resupply!

How much time does a NORMAL person usually spend planning a thru hike? (I am not really *normal*) :)

Ann

Hi Ann,
May sound daunting, but basically all you have to plan for is how you're going to eat and drink and what you're going to be wearing - kind of like anytime really! ;)
Internet and forums should make the planning stage easier. I haven't hiked the AT, but my PCT thru was prepared for without computer input, from outside the States and with very little hiking experience, so be daunted not!
What I did was sent off for the Wilderness Press trail guide books and from them got postal locations that I could have food mailed to and then arranged for an agency in the States to mail dehyd food there as required. If you already live there and have friends or family there, then getting someone to mail food as required should be no problem. There were also stops along the trail that had a store or diner of some sort to suppliment the diet, so hitching off trail is not necessary if you don't want to do that. (Though if you're contemplating the AT then that may be different, I don't know.) The guide books were also good for describing water sources.
As far as clothing goes, there's plenty of advice around on that, just keep it as light as possible without compromising safety. (sun protection/cold weather protection)
Apart from that it's just a matter of getting yourself to the starting line followed by a series of day hikes until you get there! I found that the longer I hiked, the more 'trail hardened' I got and the easier it was. In fact it was a strange mixture of elation and sadness to reach my objective and to realize that after five months it was all over.
Main ingredient for success is determination and really wanting to accomplish a through hike.
Good luck, it'll be a grand experience!

4eyedbuzzard
09-03-2010, 19:01
I dont feel bad about the gear purchases though, because if I dont end up doing the hike, everything is still useable for camping, which Ill never get sick of :)

Yep. In the end a thru-hike is just 20 to 30 one week hikes anyway. Kinda. Not really. But it might help to look at it that way.

Cosmo
09-04-2010, 12:29
Ann--
Here's a really great book about a through hike. The author did very little planning, faced and overcame some pretty serious challenges.
http://skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html

This book really inspired me, and I set off in a serious way to get some long distance miles. Found out it wasn't for me--but I still love to hike and backpack, just in smaller chunks. And I still get to use all the gear I accumulated. My shorter hikes really let me savor the trail when I want to, or try and bust a couple of 20's if I'm feeling particularly perky.

Marta's right, start slow with situations you can just walk out of back to your car if things go awry. I often recommend a trip to Upper Goose Pond Cabin in Mass. If things go badly, there's a place you can hang out until you get squared away. You can choose a sub 2 mile approach or a longer one based on where you start from.

Cosmo

Shadowman
09-05-2010, 21:31
The second time I hiked the AT I only had three mail drops and if I do it again I probably will do none, so I would not worry about that too much. I would just concentrate on the gear mostly, take a water filter if you feel you must and you can send gear home that you decide you personally do not need. You don't need one except a time or two you will wish you had it. A camera with plain AA batteries, not much recharging on the trail. Simplicity and utility. I would prefer a 10 degree bag for the whole gig, others would argue 5 degrees this way or that or switch out a certain time of year. A lot of it is personal preference or opinion and nothing that must be this way or that to be successful. Good luck.

jersey joe
09-06-2010, 08:57
The planning and anticipation was half the fun!
The more you plan, the more likely you are to complete!

SpecialK
09-06-2010, 09:07
As crazy as it seems, I watched APPALACHIAN IMPRESSIONS and I learned a few of the basics. Find a person who is experienced that you can bounce questions off of. Also check out the movie Southbounders, great indie movie but you can actually learn from it.

Remember - Its not about the miles, its about the smiles. ;)

Jester2000
09-06-2010, 16:30
The planning and anticipation was half the fun!
The more you plan, the more likely you are to complete!

There is zero correlation between amount of planning and completion success.


As crazy as it seems, I watched APPALACHIAN IMPRESSIONS and I learned a few of the basics. Find a person who is experienced that you can bounce questions off of. Also check out the movie Southbounders, great indie movie but you can actually learn from it.

Remember - Its not about the miles, its about the smiles. ;)

What can you learn from Southbounders? Don't get involved in a drama-filled love triangle?

Lone Wolf
09-06-2010, 16:32
The more you plan, the more likely you are to complete!

absolutely not true

jersey joe
09-06-2010, 16:45
absolutely not true
Then we disagree...I'll take the person who plans their resupply, has the right gear that they have used before and are in shape. You can have the out of shape person who does little planning and just goes out there. I'm putting my money on the person that did some planning.

Jester2000
09-06-2010, 17:30
Then we disagree...I'll take the person who plans their resupply, has the right gear that they have used before and are in shape. You can have the out of shape person who does little planning and just goes out there. I'm putting my money on the person that did some planning.

And when your person breaks their ankle, LW & I will collect your money. There is no proven correlation between planning, experience, or fitness and completion success. There just isn't.

For you, planning was half the fun, and planning may have been a positive towards you completing the trail. But that's you. Making a broad statement saying there's a correlation between the amount of planning and likelihood of completion? You're free to believe that, but let's not pretend that there's any proof that it's true.

BobbyNoel
09-06-2010, 17:52
I loved this reply; right on.
Friendly.

levidoug
09-06-2010, 20:29
What works for one may not, will not, or maybe it will work for next.
Each to "hike your own hike", includes before and after.
Just my my 2cents.

levidoug

jersey joe
09-06-2010, 21:36
And when your person breaks their ankle, LW & I will collect your money. There is no proven correlation between planning, experience, or fitness and completion success. There just isn't.

For you, planning was half the fun, and planning may have been a positive towards you completing the trail. But that's you. Making a broad statement saying there's a correlation between the amount of planning and likelihood of completion? You're free to believe that, but let's not pretend that there's any proof that it's true.
Of course I don't have any proof that this is absolutely true, it is my opinion.

DapperD
09-06-2010, 23:22
Then we disagree...I'll take the person who plans their resupply, has the right gear that they have used before and are in shape. You can have the out of shape person who does little planning and just goes out there. I'm putting my money on the person that did some planning.I haven't thru-hiked, but have read different accounts where people did not plan and succeeded and where they planned they succeeded, and also where they both failed. I would have to agree with Joe however, because with most endeavors, the person who at least does some planning is going to have somewhat of an edge, so to speak, say an ability to sidestep a few problems, that may befall the person who has done none. And as far as breaking an ankle, this can happen to either the planner or the non-planner. But as the old saying goes, "plans are useless, but planning is indispensable".


And when your person breaks their ankle, LW & I will collect your money. There is no proven correlation between planning, experience, or fitness and completion success. There just isn't.

Datto
09-06-2010, 23:55
Ann -- I am a planner type so I did quite a bit of planning to prepare for my AT northbound thru-hike. It was loads of fun -- the planning as well as the actual thru-hike.

I'd hiked all the name-brand trails in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan in the year before I started my AT thru-hike and that paid off in spades -- that is. hiking in the rain, the snow, the good weather the bad prior to starting my AT northbound thru-hike. Just getting used to hiking in all kinds of conditions and learning to enjoy being out and hiking on a trail pretty much every weekend just paid off in spades prior to the start of my AT thru-hike.

Now on the other side of the coin, I hiked with people who were not planner types at all -- some had just showed up to the AT with little notice or forethought and started hiking north. God these were the people who were so much fun to hike with. They struggled just like the rest of us but made it so enjoyable to be around becasue they had no preconceived expectations and took life one day at a time. Hairdressers, Army Generals, history teachers, journalists, FBI agents, carpenters, furniture salespeople. Pretty much a microcosm of America is what I found on the Appalachian Trail.

To be honest. most did little to no planning and completed their thru-hike start to finish. Pretty amazing to think they did so little planning and finished just like I did who had done quite a bit of planning and preparation ahead of time.

Looking back, I think it was a mindset that made the thru-hikers I hiked with enjoy their time on the AT and complete their thru-hike. Not so much planning ahead of time but a mindset of wanting adventure and wanting to thru-hike the AT and willing to accept what came with a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I hiked with underweight people and overweight people. Those from the inner city and those from Bumpkinville. People of different races and from different countries as well as people of different persuasion. I can tell you all of that was swept aside on the AT. That is one of the most beautiful things about the AT -- that what you have done in the past is just not important at all on the AT.

It's who you truly are that counts and is meaningful. And your true self comes out plain as day on the AT. Everyone knows who you are and you can't hike it or fake it or put on aires.

I was sitting with Godfather on the edge of a shelter overlooking what must have appeared to others to be a Chinaman laundry of sorts -- tarps and clothes and stinking socks hung from clotheslines, trying to dry out from excessive rain that had accumulated for days. Up the sidetrail to the shelter came an insurance sales executive from a well known insurance company. Godfather and I both had come to know him and to know the trials and tribulations he had experienced to that point along the AT. The insurance executive had completely blown a gasket about the incessent rain and was throwing stuff around and pointing to the sky with his hiking poles while yelling at the top of his lungs. Godfather had said to me,. "he's not gonna make it" and I had said, "I know" and we, together I guess, had made it a point to see what we could do to help the insurance executive through is tribulations on the AT. I guess the main thing was that the AT was not what the insurance executive had expected -- that's the big thing -- and the insurance executive was used to getting his way about things. At least, that was how I had read it at the time. You really do not get your way on the AT -- you get what is coming to you. If you accept it then...

Along that way was the lesson in adaptation -- that the AT is a doctoral degree in adaptation. You learn to accept things as they are -- not as you expect them to be -- on a daily basis and live in the moment and enjoy the experience.

To be honest, I don't know of anything that can exceed the positive effects of a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. It is a most fantastic experience and you'll meet the best of people in your life and have the most amazing memorable experiences. I can't imagine anyone every choosing to bypass the opportunity to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. It is that big of a deal.

When I met up at the base of Katahdin with the people who I'd started the same night on Springer Mountain, I can tell you it was such an exhiliration of joy to have seen them ready to summit Katahdin. Some would write on the side of my maildrop boxes to let me know where they were ahead of me along the trail -- for a thousand miles or more. Others I would hug in a shelter in Connecticut who I hadn't seen for a thousand miles but had followed their messages in shelter entries up ahead of me.

What a joy to have climbed Katahdin with these people. These are the best people I have met in my lifetime.

Isn't that what the experience of life is all about?

Datto

Datto
09-07-2010, 05:26
Three things you can do that would, in my opinion, significantly increase your chances of completing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (none of these have to do with hiking gear):

1) Get your house in order before you arrive on the AT -- love life, work life, family life. I saw quite a few people get bothered greatly by not having their life in order before they landed on the AT and then have their thru-hike stopped by having to deal with something eating at them from back home. Since the biggest challenge you'll likely be facing on the AT is mental (rather than physical) having your life in order before you show up to the AT for a thru-hike can give you more peace of mind while on the Trail.

2) Get your finances in order and have enough money to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. How much is enough? Only you can answer that and the range of "enough" varies widely. For me enough was $4,950 which I thought was just a bit above the average thru-hike cost in Year 2000.. Someone else might have been able to do a thru-hike for $2,000. Others may be at $10,000. You have to know yourself to know where you fit into the financial picture of a thru-hike.

3) Hike lots before coming to the AT to start your thru-hike -- including multiple times where you're hiking for say five consecutive days or more. Through inclement weather will also help since you'll likely be hiking through rain for multiple days in a row on the AT. If you're going to start on the AT next Spring you've got plenty of time to get in considerable hiking to know ahead of time what it's probably going to be like on the AT. People certainly have completed a thru-hike with no previous hiking experience at all but I'm talking about playing the percentages. If you already have a clue about what you'll likely be facing when you arrive at the Trail, less trepidation occurs.

Keep in mind that all plans centered around a schedule made ahead of time in the comfort of your living room will likely be out the window within a week of starting on the AT. That would be normal.

If you have specific questions where you need answers, this is the place to ask. Lots of people frequent these forums have loads of experiennce and you'll likely get a wide variety of answers to the same questions.

Also know there may not be a single answer to your question since everyone sees the world through different eyes.

Datto

Blue Jay
09-07-2010, 10:00
Three things you can do that would, in my opinion, significantly increase your chances of completing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (none of these have to do with hiking gear):

1) Get your house in order before you arrive on the AT -- love life, work life, family life.
2) Get your finances in order and have enough money to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. How much is enough? Only you can answer that and the range of "enough" varies widely. For me enough was $4,950 which I thought was just a bit above the average thru-hike cost in Year 2000
3) Hike lots before coming to the AT to start your thru-hike -- including multiple times where you're hiking for say five consecutive days or more. Through inclement weather will also help since you'll likely be hiking through rain for multiple days in a row on the AT.

I found your post to be very interesting and thought provoking. Thank you.
1) In most cases would eliminate your chances of even attempting a thru as I've rarely met people who have been able to achieve your first item, which in itself is much harder than a thru.
2) I agree with you on this one. Doing a thru with tons of money would turn it into a series of very fun day hikes. You could often carry no tent, no sleeping bag, stay in great B&Bs most of the way and I am available to Serpa for you.
3) Could help, but also if you did actually hike multiple rain days, could eliminate an attempt because you would not have the goal as an incentive. It is really hard to replicate your internal feelings during a thru. I could be wrong but I think over estimating the difficulty of a thru happens as often as under estimating.

Slo-go'en
09-07-2010, 10:38
I don't think you need to plan much for a thru-hike. Just plan to do it.

However, you do need to prepare for a thru-hike.

Datto listed the three most important things to prepare for, and if you take care of those, your pretty much good to go. The little details, like how far you will hike each day, where you'll camp and what you'll eat are day to day decisions which you can't accurately plan for in advance, except in a very general way.

weary
09-07-2010, 11:58
The best planning is experience. That will teach you how much food you need and what kind, what to wear, how to camp, how to pack, etc. Resupplies & mail drops are still a consideration, but you don't really need to plan ahead more than 2 weeks. I usually spend up to an hour every night preparing for my next day and resupply (or two).

Most importantly, it will get your mind and body ready for the trip.
Absolutely true. Most failed thru hikes are attempts by hikers with no significant past experience with backpacking.

The best way -- perhaps the only way -- to plan for the cold, misery, hardships, and exhaustion that comes with long distance hiking is to experience the cold, misery, hardships, and exhaustion, along with the joys that also come with hiking, first hand.

A few muddle through despite not having prior experience. Most quickly find an excuse to quit.

Spend a few weekends on trails and take an occasional weeklong walk. PLanning then becomes easy.

Weary

sbhikes
09-07-2010, 12:12
Good advice here. That expectations thing gets a lot of people. Even former thru-hikers. I've witnessed a lot of successful AT hikers quit the PCT because it wasn't what they expected. So even having experience doesn't guarantee success.

I'd say that if you had the mental toughness to change your life around like you did, you probably have the mental toughness to thru-hike.

I'll just add that a thru-hike isn't the only way to have a great time on a long trail and sometimes there is too much pressure to look at it as "success" vs. "failure", as hiking the full distance vs a section. This is a false dichotomy, really.

Penn-J
09-07-2010, 14:29
Might I suggest hiking the Long Trail in Vermont first. There is much less planning and you will find out what kind of hiker you are. The terrain there is as tough as any place on the AT.
Doing an End to End hike will give you a sence of accomplishment and will let you know if you would want to Thru-hike the AT.
I feel if you can End to End the Long Trail you can definitely Thru the AT.
Thats what I did and I feel I was much more confident when I started on Springer Mountain.
I guess some people like to dip thier toe in the water before jumping in and other people just jump.
There is no right or wrong way.