View Full Version : How many miles
C Seeker
10-13-2010, 21:35
How many miles if the AT trail in your eyes? Everywhere you look there is a different answer so what do you think? Also is that adding hiking into towns or to shelters?:-?The world may never know :confused:
max patch
10-13-2010, 21:46
How many miles if the AT trail in your eyes? Everywhere you look there is a different answer so what do you think? Also is that adding hiking into towns or to shelters?:-?The world may never know :confused:
Trail is 2,179 miles.
Getting to Springer or Katahdin (you can't drive to either one), getting water, getting to shelters, taking blue blazes to scenic views, walking to privys or off trail for the same reason, walking to town and getting lost are all extra bonus miles for your enjoyment.
The sticker on my truck says 2179. :)
Moose2001
10-13-2010, 22:38
Whatever it takes to get there.
C Seeker
10-14-2010, 07:05
Thats what I thought, but when you go to differnt websites they have differnt miles it always confused me. I'm glad to see everyone says the same thing on here.
Cookerhiker
10-14-2010, 07:17
My bumpersticker says 2,175. I bought it a year or 2 after I finished the Trail in 2005.
My hiking of the entire Trail took 28 years. I kept track of my miles on a spreadsheet using the applicable Data Books for each year's hiking. The spreadsheet total amounted to 2,158 miles. So I guess the net affect of 28 years of relocations is more AT miles.
It is a long flippin way!! kevin
I think Max Patch is off by 1/10th of a mile.
At least by the last published numbers.
While Max Patch is usually spot on in these matters, I think he is slipping.
Every inch of the trail matters.
The 2175 0val stickers are great, but I really wish they had one showing 2138.5 (with an asterisk saying plus relo's, of course)
Cookerhiker
10-14-2010, 08:40
Maybe I can commission Fishin' Fred to make me a 2,158 sticker.
Knock yourselves out...
http://www.makestickers.com/
Old Hiker
10-18-2010, 13:28
Twice as long as half of it?
Tenderheart
10-18-2010, 15:14
Do you know that the first Data Sheet, compiled by Ed Garvey I think, listed the trail as 2011.* miles? I had a copy and it was 10 or 11 full size sheets of paper. Have no idea what happened to it. In 2000, the distance was 2167.2 miles, at least at the time that the Data Book was published for that year.
litefoot 2000
You could always carry a yardstick and measure it yourself...Why trust the man?
I think there is general agreement that it's a long way.
4eyedbuzzard
10-18-2010, 22:10
Do you know that the first Data Sheet, compiled by Ed Garvey I think, listed the trail as 2011.* miles? I had a copy and it was 10 or 11 full size sheets of paper. Have no idea what happened to it. In 2000, the distance was 2167.2 miles, at least at the time that the Data Book was published for that year.
litefoot 2000
2074.5 in May 1977 per Ed G. and ATC Guidebooks in Appalachian Hiker II.
I all ways say 2200 miles....
travisap
10-18-2010, 22:49
2178.5 miles. I might double back and forth to make it an even 2200 :p
C Seeker
11-03-2010, 06:38
I love how the answers will always change...but if you think about the trail you would now why. I think I might say over 2,200 and a long way
fredmugs
11-03-2010, 06:44
It's long enough and hard enough to keep most people off of it.
FlyPaper
11-03-2010, 11:53
The 2010 data book says 2179.1.
I'm convinced some of the trail clubs fudge their maps to accommodate reroutes rather than more carefully redraw maps and elevation profiles. In some cases, the map of the trail and the elevation profiles do not even match each other on the same side of the same page.
Nevertheless, the 2179.1 is the "official" number and you're not going to get much better unless the "official" number undergoes reevaluation and gets changed.
For example, if you travel up a rock face for 200 feet at 30 degrees and then back down for 200 feet at 30 degrees, do you count this as 400 feet of trail, or do you only count the horizontal distance (approximately 346 feet)? For those of you that think this is a no-brainer, what if instead of 200 feet it is 20 feet? Then what if it is 2 feet?
Then what if it is 2 inches? If you step over a rock that has 4 total inches of surface exposed (2 inches on each end) and a center elevation of 1 inch, do you count that as a total of 4 inches of trail or do you only count the horizontal distance of 3.46 inches?
As you can see, there will never be an exact distance no matter how hard you try. The only thing we'll have is the ATC numbers no matter how inaccurate they may be.
It's still a freakin' long walk whether it is 2160, 2175 or 2179 miles. :)
The mileage changes annually as maintaining clubs work to improve the trail.