Still looking for a partner

[Mistie]

I am looking for a hiking partner to start a thru hike mid April.
I am 60 female, retired and ready to go.
I currently live in New Jersey and plan on a NOB trek. I will be happy to meet up with u before hand to see if this would be a possibility and a good match. :)

[QiWiz]

There will be plenty of people to meet and hike with. Many partnerships fail because of different speeds and preferences. I will be leaving Amicalola Falls SP on 4/9/11 for a section hike to Hot Springs. Plan about 24 days to do this. You are welcome to join me if you like. I'm 56. I will be doing mail drop resupply, do not plan on any town stops but will have some hostel stays.

[Toolshed]

You might be setting yourself up for disappointment, trying to establish a partner now.

There will be so many starting in March that I think it is better to just head down there and take each day as an adventure and strike up companionship as you walk/camp. The strides will soon shake out and you likely strike up hiking companionships that will see you down the trail during the first month

[Serial 07]

totally agree with previous two posts...stay open minded and flexible during the first few weeks and i can guarantee you'll find folks who hike your pace and that you can actually handle on a day to day basis...have fun!

[RETCW4]

I'll be starting on April 1st. i'm 58 and will be starting alone. I figure as I hike, I'll link up with partners along the way. In 1991 a friend and I met some SOBO and hiked with them for 4 days before we parted ways. Hope to see you an dhike awhile.

Tumbleweed

[mweinstone]

dont choose a partner untill you meet someone by chance.people your age are the stars of our hikes and your generation makes friends better. simply walk up to springer and be yourself. what you will find is alot of folks your age who are as cool as can be and you will fall into a group.in my younger generation folks fall into two catagorys. friendly and not. in yours? the two catagorys are friendly and private. your in for a treat.the best of luck.matthewski

[Mistie]

Thanks Matthew!

[Lyle]

I'm in the process of section hiking right now. Over the years, on every trip but one, I started out solo. Usually by the second day, sometimes the first, I was hiking with my week, or two week partners. If just happens. Hasn't really mattered where I was starting, or when.

You will be starting during prime thru-hiker season, and at the beginning. You will not have any trouble finding folks to share your trip with. They will probably be a rotating group, but that's the nature of the AT and most popular trails.

[lpkelley]

Hey there, I am looking to start a south bound thru hike beginning of may...I would love to talk to you if you are still interested in a partner. I am a 21 year old soon to be college grad. I have been planning a thru hike for a while but would prefer doing it with a partner. Let me know here or email me back at [email protected].

[sparky2009]

Mistie - I'd love to hike with you but I'm starting on March 21st. Planning on 12 mile per day average, building up to more if the legs can handle it. Goal is to minimize town stops to save $ on hotels and such. Mostly mail drops for resupply at this point in my planning.

[HiKen2011]

Mistie - I'd love to hike with you but I'm starting on March 21st. Planning on 12 mile per day average, building up to more if the legs can handle it. Goal is to minimize town stops to save $ on hotels and such. Mostly mail drops for resupply at this point in my planning.

I'm starting around the same time, maybe our paths will cross!:)

[Lauriep]

It's absolutely true that you will meet quite a few other hikers once you start, and odds are if you find a partner before you go (other than a family member or longtime friend), you won't last as partners for long. But, it can make the planning more fun and less stressful if you connect with some other prospective thru-hikers before you go, and maybe even set off from Springer together. (Don't commit to stay together for more than a few days, or a week at most--you don't want to be saddled with someone who hikes much faster or slower or gets on your nerves.).

A good way to connect with other prospective thru-hikers is to pub an ad in the Public Notices section of ATC's member magazine, A.T. Journeys. It's a service only available to members, but it's free, and the magazine has a circulation of about 35,000. Once you're a member, just send a short ad to [email protected]. If you're not a member, you can sign up at www.appalachiantrail.org/join. To get an ad in the March/April issue (which will probably hit most mailboxes mid-March), send a brief write-up including an email or phone # to [email protected] in the next few weeks.

Laurie P.
ATC

[S'mores]

I am planning on going around April 15th also! (depending on the time of the RedSox game :) .. ny very thoughtful son gave me tix for xmas...) I will be going NOBO and am solo. Female 42 year old, slow and steady is my hiking style. It would be great to start out with someone. I did 10 days solo on the Mass portion this past spring (well, my son came out and met me for a couple days) and it was amazing!

[takethisbread]

I'm guessing that at least a dozen people per day leave in April and in some cases more. Counting section hikers, each shelter should have up to 30 hikers. Half dozen at the least. Your problem will be finding solitude, not finding partners.

[AmyJanette]

I'm a 27 (Will be 28 by April) year old solo thruhiker female too...Planning on starting around mid April. I would love to chat with you and see if we could maybe start out together and see whether I'll drive you nuts...:p Like the folks above said, there should be plenty of people on the trail to hook up with, but it would be nice to have someone beforehand to make things less intimidating. Shoot me a PM if interested in chatting! :)

[m_factor]

First of all, I concur with all the others that say to just start out on your own.

That said, if you do find a partner either before you start your hike or even during your hike, there are some practical considerations to consider. Think about hiking style such as do you walk and talk, walk and listen to music, want to be alone while walking but meet up for breaks, etc. Do you have similar town attitudes such as going out to eat as much as possible, finding people to load up a hotel room, take zero days and party or run in for a few hours and rarely shower, etc? And will you be prepared to hike alone if for any reason your partner can't continue.

For more details and considerations, my web site has a page devoted to the subject.

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/partner.html

I hope it's useful.

[Speer Carrier]

It's absolutely true that you will meet quite a few other hikers once you start, and odds are if you find a partner before you go (other than a family member or longtime friend), you won't last as partners for long. But, it can make the planning more fun and less stressful if you connect with some other prospective thru-hikers before you go, and maybe even set off from Springer together. (Don't commit to stay together for more than a few days, or a week at most--you don't want to be saddled with someone who hikes much faster or slower or gets on your nerves.).

A good way to connect with other prospective thru-hikers is to pub an ad in the Public Notices section of ATC's member magazine, A.T. Journeys. It's a service only available to members, but it's free, and the magazine has a circulation of about 35,000. Once you're a member, just send a short ad to [email protected]. If you're not a member, you can sign up at www.appalachiantrail.org/join. To get an ad in the March/April issue (which will probably hit most mailboxes mid-March), send a brief write-up including an email or phone # to [email protected] in the next few weeks.

Laurie P.
ATC

I can attest to the value of using A.T Journeys to find potential hiking partners. I answered an ad that was placed 5 years ago, and as a result hooked up with three other folks around my age, and we have hiked together each spring for the past 4 years for about a week, and one of the group and I usually hike for about a month in addition. We have also all become good friends. So, give it a try.

[seadawg]

Will begin from Amicaloa on March 28, am 63 years of age. Have extensively hiked the Georgia and NC/TN sections of the trail and might be able to answer any questions you might have. Will only go as far as Dick's Creek gap this time out. Good luck to you on your "thru". Where in Jersey are you from?