View Full Version : Thru-Hike planning
Chex Mix
10-21-2010, 23:01
How long before a thru-hike does the planning need to start?
StormBird
10-21-2010, 23:11
No set time really. I took 3 months to plan, but i know people that just through gear together and took off one day. It's a pretty forgiving trail in regards to planning. Just make sure to have your basic gear and one of the trail guides. (ATC Companion, AWOL or 501) Everything else you take care of along the way.
4eyedbuzzard
10-21-2010, 23:17
2 days to 20 years ;) Depends upon how complex your life is.
Long enough to get your gear and life together. Most important is taking care of all the real world responsibilities you'll put on hold - the biggest is often a relationship or spouse, but there is also debt payments on houses, cars, student loans, etc. Making arrangements for taking care of any real property, storing cars and personal belongings, figuring what to do with pets, etc.
Other than that, most people could physically be at Springer in 24 hours with a pack and gear ready to go. You can get all the necessary gear in one day if necessary - it's all the non-physical stuff that's more time consuming..
To increase your odds of success, I'd suggest a rule of thumb that the less experience you have at backpacking (and particularly the less experience at somewhat long trips), the more prep time you might want to have in order to figure out the right gear mix and --- I highly suggest --- at least a couple of decent length shakedown trips. Culminating, I would also suggest, in a solo hike with intended gear of at least 50 miles.
Of course there are people who hop on the trail with no experience and minimal prep and make it. But if you want to improve your odds of success ...
I had 6 weeks to plan for the PCT. I only needed 4 of them. Most of that was doing day hikes with my gear to test and get in shape.
turtle fast
10-22-2010, 13:02
We took 2 months...others I know 2 weeks. A big help is reading the thru hiker information here....also its nice to have a trail guide and/or the thru hikers companion book. The AT is nice in that an excellent outfitter Mountain Crossings is ON the trail after a few days from the start on Springer mountain...that way if you screwed up in bringing too much or brought something that does not work for you...you can ship stuff back and buy what you need.
Here's a little gift from me to you. These are really the only 2 articles you need:
Backpacker Magazine- Hiking an American Classic (http://www.backpacker.com/november_2008_american_classic_hiking_the_appalach ian_trail/destinations/12530). (Just "x" out of the initial pop-up ad). It's a full 10 pages. Print it out since you'll probably refer back to it often.
The Mountain Crossings Gear List (http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4). This list gives you an 18 lb. base weight winter pack. Tweak it for summer.
Enjoy!
A lot of good info Here (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26564&hig=planning+thru-hike).
kayak karl
10-22-2010, 21:48
a day, unless you need to go to a laundromat before you leave, but then there is the food thing. maybe 2 days or ask stupid questions for a year.