Any Section Hikers Around

[MoStevens]

I'm a school teacher and I'm planning to section hike during my summer breaks. I'm thinking in like 400 mile increments each year.

Has anyone done this? For example, starting in June and going NOBO?

[Rain Man]

LilRed did this. Maybe she'll see this thread and jump in. If not, you might PM her.

Rain:sunMan

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[Bags4266]

I section hike, and what I do is look for areas where transportation goes. A starting place that I can take the train to and finish where there will be some type of hub, train bus etc. to get me back.
My wife isn't to keen on driving 6 or more hours to get my smelly arse.

[pafarmboy]

I, too, am a teacher and started section hiking 2 years ago. We are fortunate to have enough unpaid leave (Yeah, it's not "3 months of paid vacation" for all you teacher haters out there) to have flexibility in the hiking timetable.

Thoughts:

I learned after the first section it's better to drive my car to my ending point and then get a shuttle to the beginning of my hike. No pressure to get done on a certain day/time. Easily worth the "buck a mile" that most charge.

I also learned that I liked to do about 300/400 miles a summer, but not all in one shot. Do 2 weeks, go home and kick back til you get the itch again, and then go out for 2 more. 400 miles as a first section might be a bit much IMO. Because of your job, you dont need to hike 400 miles all in one shot.

Plus, in those first 175 miles I figured out where I could cut pack weight, improve food choices, revamp gear selections, and get a better feel of my miles per day. I was MUCH more prepared during my second 175 miles last summer. Use those first 2 weeks to go from clueless to at least competent.

Finally, in April, when you are ready to run acreaming down the halls due to the daily grind, you can start daydreaming about revisiting that last white blaze you waved goodbye to last summer. Heck, I already have my shuttle arranged for next year. Life is good.

[Matty427]

I too am an teacher and started doing the same thing last year. Had a 4 week trip planned out from the approach trail to Clingman's Dome. Due to a series of poor choices/uncontrollable events I had to leave trail early.

I switched schools to a year-round school now, so I track out every 9 weeks. With that schedule, I'm going to do a week of hiking 3 times a year (October, April & July). My next trip is actually next weekend. I'm finding that I'm enjoying packing for 7 days much more enjoyable and less stressful than for 4 weeks. My wife is happier too that I won't be gone for a month, only a week. There was physical pain and discomfort but by far, the biggest obstacle was missing my family.

We have one of the few jobs where we can pursue something like this! Take advantage of it! Good luck with the planning!

[honu]

That's sort of what I've been doing the past several years. I've done everything from a three month hike (attempted thru) to one week hikes and found that 300-400 mile hikes in the fall (retired teacher) was the sweet spot for me. (I'm heading out in a couple of weeks to do a 340 mile section.)

I train before the hike but find it takes me 7 to 10 days to make the physical and mental adjustment. Usually, I've been able to get a ride one way (either from home to the trailhead or from my ending point to back home) and have taken the bus the other way.

[MoStevens]

Okay... thanks for the encouragement! I'm getting excited for next year. I found some places around here to hike (North Texas) and start making preparations. Guess I'll see y'all out on the trail!

[honu]

A couple of follow-up thoughts:

Several years ago I met a hiker (from Texas, coincidentally) who, like me, was doing a 300-400 mile section. His method was to drive his car from Texas, park it one week down the trail from his starting point, get a shuttle back to his starting point, then hike to his car. When he got to his car, he had transportation so he could get a motel room, resupply, and take care of whatever other errands or make any adjustments he felt necessary. After a day or two of rest, he would drive to another spot a week down the trail, get a shuttle back to where he left off, hike to his car, and repeat.

This (or something similar) is not a bad approach if you have not done a long distance hike before. As has been pointed out, on your first section hike you will probably discover things will not be exactly as you imagined and you will have to make adjustments -- in gear, mentally, length of hike, or in other ways. There is a learning curve and leaving yourself a way to move up the curve quickly and relatively easily will make your first and subsequent hikes more enjoyable.

I usually figure on hiking 80 - 100 miles a week. That means a 400 mile hike will take four to five weeks. IMHO, there is a big difference between a one or two week hike and a continuous four to five week one (with no easy way to bail). Personally, I prefer the latter. But everyone is different and you'll have to discover what you like best.

[Red Hat]

I'm a school teacher and I'm planning to section hike during my summer breaks. I'm thinking in like 400 mile increments each year.

Has anyone done this? For example, starting in June and going NOBO?

Back in 2003, my plan was to hike about 450 miles each year, which would have me finishing at age 60. It didn't exactly work out that way, but I finished my section hike this year, with 2089 miles this year (yes, that is right). Altogether I have more than 3000 someodd miles, but who's counting.

[LIhikers]

My wife and I are doing the AT in short sections. We can only get away for a week, or two, at a time. That translates into 5 to 10 days of hiking. So far we've gone from Harper's Ferry, WV to Crawford Notch, NH.

[bob gingrich]

I am also a school teacher. I go out every summer for 2-4 weeks. It's a blast. I have made it to Harper's Ferry so far. Can't wait till mAY.