View Full Version : 2011 March NOBO female hiking partner needed!
Maddie13
10-24-2010, 20:27
Hey,
I plan on leaving March 5th Springer Mountain and doing a thru hike. I plan on reaching Mt. Katahdin late July/early August. I want to average around 15 miles per day. I will probably be bringing a dog on the journey, and I need a female partner that would at least hike with me until the end of May. Let me know if you're interested!!!:D
Maddie - you will find plenty of hiking partners right from the start. March is becoming more and more popular for starting a thru. Mt. Squid will post a list before too long listing each hiker and their start date - as have registered with him through this site. This will only represent a part of those who are starting then. You'll get a good idea and see what I mean. Hooking up with someone who hikes at your pace won't be hard at all.
Maddie13
10-24-2010, 23:24
Thank you, I'll let my parents read that asap! They are worried about me doing the hike alone, my dad is mostly worried about me being attacked on the trail (he brought up the meredith emerson story) I understand where he is comming from, I plan on getting a SPOT gps but there's really not much more I can do to assure him. At the end of May my mom plans on meeting up with me to finish the hike.
Check out this journal: http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=228457
You can also contact Wags by posting an entry in her guest book. She'll be glad to answer questions about starting as a solo female hiker.
bigcranky
10-25-2010, 07:45
Speaking as a dad of a 20-year old daughter, I completely understand your father's fear. It's natural. However, if my daughter told me she wanted to thru-hike next year, I'd be first in line to drive her to Georgia. There will be plenty of starting thru-hikers out there, and hikers look out for each other. (Also, the Trail is a lot safer for single females than, say, a college campus.)
You might consider staying at The Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, GA, the night before your hike. That way you can meet several other starting thru-hikers in a slightly less stressful environment, and you'll already know some hikers when you hit the trail the next morning. The Hostel has a very reasonable rate to pick you up in Atlanta, feed you, and take you to the Trail the next morning. Your other option, especially if your family is coming to drop you off, is to stay at the lodge at Amicalola Falls SP, which has an awesome view and a great breakfast buffet. You'll meet starting thru-hikers there, too.
Read up on the SPOT before buying one. You might find that a Verizon cell phone provides more utility. I found I was able to get good coverage at some point every day if I wanted to call home. Speaking as a father, I'd rather hear your voice every couple of days, than rely on computer tracking.
Good luck and happy trails.
Turtle Feet
10-25-2010, 08:51
Hi Maddie! Be sure to 'register' on our "Class of 2011" thread under "Thru-Hiker Classes", you'll be added to the list of over 200 names (and growing) and other hikers starting around your date might contact you or visa versa.
I'm a mom of 3 boys - 19, 23, & 27; I can totally appreciate where your parents are coming from. Even though I'll be starting the trail 'solo' in March, I'd be a little nervous if my 19yo were doing the same. Very hypocritical I know, but we're parents, we love you so we worry. ;)
Like the others have said, there are hundreds of people starting the trail each week in march and April. You'll find a group who's company you enjoy and who can keep up with you!!! I have a feeling you have a good head on your shoulders and you'll do just fine....
TF
walkin' wally
10-25-2010, 10:41
Hi Maddie! Be sure to 'register' on our "Class of 2011" thread under "Thru-Hiker Classes", you'll be added to the list of over 200 names (and growing) and other hikers starting around your date might contact you or visa versa.
I'm a mom of 3 boys - 19, 23, & 27; I can totally appreciate where your parents are coming from. Even though I'll be starting the trail 'solo' in March, I'd be a little nervous if my 19yo were doing the same. Very hypocritical I know, but we're parents, we love you so we worry. ;)
Like the others have said, there are hundreds of people starting the trail each week in march and April. You'll find a group who's company you enjoy and who can keep up with you!!! I have a feeling you have a good head on your shoulders and you'll do just fine....
TF
Did you tilt that turtle just for a video?? We will be watching you on the trail you turtle tilter.! See you in March.:D
Turtle Feet
10-26-2010, 10:39
Did you tilt that turtle just for a video?? We will be watching you on the trail you turtle tilter.! See you in March.:D
Oh no, I hear a new trail name coming on...lol!
IamCONDOR
11-21-2010, 17:09
whhhaaat?! another young female on the AT?! i'd like to see anyone try to mess with us maddie! i have a feeling they wouldn't even know what hit them :) i'm 21 and planning on hiking solo as well. I get my adventuresomeness ( pretty sure thats not a word) from my parents so they can't be too upset with me. They are worried of course, but they know i am going either way so they might as well be supportive. Just remember the best hiking partners are found on the trail, hope to see you out there! Lets prove them all wrong and show them girls ARE just as capable as boys ;)
Right on Iamcondor!
Maddie - I'll be considerably behind you and unlikely to catch up, but I'm a 31yr old solo female hiker, and - even though I'm older - you better believe my family thinks I'll be butchered on day one. :eek: We'll all watch out for each other, and we'll be fine. ;)
Land_Shark
11-27-2010, 17:45
Ladies I am landshrk I will be on the trail in early march and will be supported by my wife Captain PITA and my daughter Hill can't miss me I am in a custom kilt if any help or assistance can be given just look for me most the time I am running
Sierra Echo
11-27-2010, 17:59
Maddie, my dad gave me some good advice because I hike alone. He told me this: If you are hiking down the trail and you come across a lone man, just nod politely or say hi and keep going don't stop. He went on to also say that if i come across a group of people I can stop and make friends. The reason being is, I can't outrun them all! LOL
Meredith Emerson was a person I had the priveldge of meeting several times. We are both from Buford. Meredith made the horrible mistake of befriending a lone man then turning her back to him. Just play it smart and you will be fine. And dont forget to carry wasp spray!
This comes up every year, and once you get out on the trail you'll realize how much safer you are in the woods than you are right now sitting at home. A walk down the street in the city is waaaay more dangerous, statistically, and given the number of people who use the trail and it's size it has a lower crime rate than just about anywhere else you can think of. Predatory types are lazy and seek low hanging fruit, they inhabit malls and wall mart parking lots. They're not likely to spend a lot of money on gear and hike 40 miles into the woods on the off chance there might be a potential victim awaiting them....Thru hikers get to know and look out for one another and teams and groups form up almost instantly, and you're probably better off waiting for that than planning to hike through may with someone whose hiking speed may differ from yours or whom you may not get along with...obviously every person should be conscious of safety, but it's not something to be overly worried about. Have your dad join you for a couple of days early in your hike and he'll go home with his fears tremendously soothed. You'll never have him relax completely about it because he's your dad, but that's a good thing.
LIhikers
11-27-2010, 23:58
At the end of May my mom plans on meeting up with me to finish the hike.
I think that's great. You two will have time to get to know each other as individual people instead of just mother and daughter. I suspect you'll develope a relationship that will last a life time. Well, 2 life times come to think of it. My son and I did some long bicycle tours together more than 15 years ago and we still talk about them. You two will have the same thing.
Trailgirl29
01-11-2011, 17:59
I am a 29 year old female, planning a thru in late March of this year. Very nice to see there are other solo females out there!!
I am a 29 year old female, planning a thru in late March of this year. Very nice to see there are other solo females out there!!
I will be solo and planning to head out possibly 1st or 2nd week of April...
AmyJanette
01-13-2011, 13:43
I'm a solo female starting out in mid-April this year....so there are quite a few of us solo females around!
My mother thinks I will be eaten by bears and rattlesnakes or attacked by wild mountain men...A lot of her fears are based on misconceptions about wildlife behaviour and movies like Deliverance and TV shows like Criminal Minds. The best way I could think of to reassure her was to re-educate her and just to talk to her about her fears. It only worked to a certain degree because she's my mother and she worries...same will happen with your dad...He will worry not because he lacks faith in your abilities, but because you're his little girl, all grown up and hiking the AT...:D
I asked my mother if she thought I was stupid or a risk taker in any way. She conceded that I was not. I told her that if I am not stupid or a risk taker in my everyday life, why should it be any different when I go hiking? At this stage, she should trust my judgment and my ability to gauge certain situations for danger or the potential for danger. I am not going to do anything foolish or risky. I am not going to feed the bears, or the wild mountain men...:p
She realizes she can't hold me back, so she's tentatively supportive. It may be all she'll ever be - tentative - but support is support. She's behind me, and worrying is normal for a parent. Your dad will always worry about you, but it may lessen the more you educate him on the trail, take safety precautions (like carrying the SPOT or a cellphone or both), and not only tell him, but SHOW him that you are prepared for this.
That said, Happy Hiking!!! I'll be so far behind you we likely won't meet, but I look forward to getting to know some of you other folks starting out in mid-April! :sun
bramblingbird
02-10-2011, 22:27
Hey everyone! I seem to have the worst luck with partners - I've had two friends promise to start with me and then bail out. Soooo... basically I am a solo female looking for someone to pal up with for a couple days to get my barings and to ease my mom's worries. And yes, I know that I'll meet plenty of people the first day and all that jazz, but I cannot start without telling my mom I have someone I'm paling up with.
My current plan is to start on the 13th of March, but I'm a bit flexible as long as it's a weekend. Anyone starting around then who is looking for a pal for a couple days?
Firefighter503
02-11-2011, 07:30
Bramblingbird,
I'm headed down to Dahlonega, GA (just outside of Amicalola Falls) on the 11th or 12th of March to watch my sister play College Softball, and then am planning on starting on the 13th as well. PM me if you want to try and meet up. Where in VA are you from?