hmmmmm......

[mofro]

I am graduating in early may and wont make it to the trail until may 5th or 6th (north bound) ... two things 1. will i make it before it closes for bad weather?.. and what happens if i dont make it by closing time... does it reopen from time to time after it closes??? and 2. and around what time/state will i need to start having my cold stuff shiped to me??? (i know alot of variables can affect the answers.. i am just looking for a general concensus)
i would really appreciate any help
also after looking at some peoples gear list it blows my mind how much money gets spent... i am poor... and wish i could get some of that fancy stuff

[Lone Wolf]

Katahdin never closes. Just the gate leading to it. Gates close Nov. 1st. Get your stuff mailed to Hanover or Glencliff, N.H. Don't buy all the high priced fancy crap. Campmor stuff is just as good as the big names. Gear won't get you there. Attitude will.

[TDale]

You can outfit yourself for less than $300. Look for the thread on here about the $300 gear list. I forget the title.

You can get a basic 3 lb., 4 oz. tent for as low a $19. Sub 3 lb., 20F sleeping bags can be had for less than $70. Packs can be found for $50. You can easily carry a Sub 20 pound complete kit at a budget. Shop hard.

[A-Train]

You'll be fine, that gives you 165 days or so to get to Katahdin by the 15th of October. Even after than you can summit, you'll just need to hike a very long last day or get a hitch/taxi into and out of Millinocket, since you can't camp in the park after 10/15. Really no reason why you can't finish, 5 months is plenty of time if you are even reasonably motivated.

LW is right on. Check campmor.com or go visit them in Jerzee. Check their deals on a line called Duofold. They make t-shirts, poly-pro long johns and long sleeve shirts, light weight fleece etc. all for 20 bucks or less (many times around 10 bucks). I've owned some of this stuff for years and the quality is as good as the designer brands.

Campmor has their own brand of clothes too and make inexpensive fleeces/clothing/acessories. Shop around, no reason to spend a ton.
Use a garbage bag to line your pack and don't buy a pack cover. Use gatorade bottles for water. Use inexpensive running/tennis shoes. Buy a foam pad/mat at Walmart or camping store for 5 bucks. Check thrift stores and this website for stuff going on sale. In fact I'm going to be selling two very cheap packs in the next week or so..

With a bit of creativity you can go along way.

[chris]

For the AT (or PCT), you can equip yourself just by walking over to Walmart. You don't need the fancy stuff, although I like it and use it. Why? It really is better and works better. And the fancy stuff looks cool, and I like to style in the outdoors. Ok, there are other reasons as well.

I spent a lot of time in 2003 hiking with Glory, who had a well worn pack that I think she got off of a hobo at some point. She traded it in for a random model that she found in a hiker box. She finished the PCT that year.

Build a stove (i.e, buy a can of coke and cut off the bottom 2 inches. Pour in alcohol and light it) and buy a $10 aluminum pot from REI or Walmart. Get some heavy aluminum foil for a wind screen and bend up a clothes hanger for a pot stove. Your cooking set up just cost you $10.50.

Visit www.sierratradingpost.com to find deals on packs and sleeping bags. Outift yourself with a set of Frogg Toggs. Buy a generic fleece and long underwear. Etc, etc.

[Jack Tarlin]

A-Train is right; you'll have plenty of time, assuming you're in good shape.

Your daily mileage WILL have to be a bit greater than the typical thru-hiker (most folks seem to take from 24 to 27 weeks for a thru; you'll have 2-3 weeks less to work with) but this shouldn't be a problem.

One advantage is that the great mass of Northbounders will be ahead of you, so you'll almost always have a shelter spot in the early days, which will be a
blessing if you run into bad weather. You'll also be able to start a bit lighter than most folks as you won't need as much cold-weather gear; you'l also be
shedding your winter stuff sooner (i.e. Erwin or Damascus instead of Pearis-
burg); this should also make it a bit easier for you. Also, a lot of folks who start in February and March end up taking a lot of time off in towns due to bad weather, or they have a lot of "abbreviated" hiking days---if the weather is horrible, people start later in the morning, take longer breaks during the day to wait out spells of weather, and stop earlier in the day (meaning they'll get to a shelter at 3:30 and stop for the day if it's lousy out, thus losing a few hours of hiking time). By starting in May, you'll have more "good" days, meaning you'll likely have better weather conditions, better trail conditions, earlier starts in the morning, fewer days off or half days, and fewer days you'll be tempted to quit hiking early in the day. All in all, this should help your mileage. Your "lost time" from your late start will be pretty easy to make up.

You'll have less company, true, but very quickly you'll catch up with lots of folks, especially if you're making good miles from the outset.

Two tips: Resist the temptation to try to do too much too soon; don't burn yourself out trying to "make up" for lost time right away; you really will have ample time to finish, even if you've only got five and a quarter months to work with. Also, even tho you technically have til mid-October to finish, try, if possible, to get there sooner, as the later you push it into October, the greater your chances of running into bad weather in Maine and at Baxter. (I.e. if you can finish up in late September or early October, so much the better; try NOT to stretch your trip thru mid-October unless you can't help it.

[The Solemates]

We started Feb 1 and made it to Millinocket July 1, exactly 5 months. We took a zero day July 2 waiting on family and friends to arrive and then climbed Katahdin July 3. We had all kinds of nasty weather and snowstorms at the start of our trip and we still made it in 5 months easy. We had a ice/snow storm in GA, 3 foot drifts in the Smokies, 14 inches of fresh powder near Erwin, and a light dusting in SNP. Neither of these really hindered us too much. I did not feel that we were rushing it or pushing ourselves extra hard. 5 months is only averaging about 15 mpd. You will find that is a quite comfortable pace once on the trail for a couple weeks.

[rocket04]

Like the others said, you should be fine as far as time goes. If you're in good shape, you'll not only be fine, you'll have plenty of time to finish and take zeros when you see fit (within reason).

For the gear, you don't need much fancy stuff like others said. I hiked the majority with a cheap-ass tarp, I used clothes I already had (soccer jerseys, Old Navy fleece, Walmart long johns), and could have easily gotten a cheaper sleeping bag from REI or Campmor (but I'm in Canada, doh!). Half the thrus are using soda can stoves and I didn't hear them complain. There was even a guy at Trail Days '04 making tons of them and giving them for free.

LW said it best, it's mostly about attitude.

[weary]

Katahdin never closes. Just the gate leading to it. Gates close Nov. 1st. Get your stuff mailed to Hanover or Glencliff, N.H. Don't buy all the high priced fancy crap. Campmor stuff is just as good as the big names. Gear won't get you there. Attitude will.
L Wolfe has offered good advice. But if you also can save by working Goodwill and Salvation Army stores, and if one happens to be near where you are, LL Bean factory stores.

Also do an inventory of what you have at home. Most people with the desire to hike the trail, have been outside enough to have much of what is really needed already.

A three pound coffee can with a piece of wire added for a handle is an excellent trail pot. I used an ancient plastic cup that originally came with a half pound of margarine for a cup. A liter soda bottle is an ideal water container. Though philosophically, I don't like
walmart, i commonly use them for things like flashlights.

When I walked north in 1993 I basically used whatever I had at home -- including a 20-year-old sleeping bag, a 30-year old set of Sears Roebuck quilted long johns (mostly to add warmth to my 40 degree sleeping bag) a 20-year-old down jacket (patched with duct tape to keep the down inside.)

The difference between my stuff and the most expensive stuff on the market was a couple of pounds and a several thousand dollars.

REcognize also that there are enormous savings from just eating rice and pasta with bouillon cubes and spices as compared with eating rice and pasta with the spices and salt already added. (Think generic rice plus spice; not Lipton Dinners. quick cooking generic oatmeal; not instant oatmeal)

Weary

[TJ aka Teej]

two things 1. will i make it before it closes for bad weather?.. and what happens if i dont make it by closing time... ???
The Whites and Maine are a long way away from Springer. Think about flipping ahead to Katahdin and heading southbound by around Sept 1st. By the end of September '04 over 100 AT hikers had flipped up to Baxter, and also in September about 200 southbound AT hikers were ferried across the Kennebec. Flipping is an ever more popular way to handle 'late' starts. One group I met at Speck Pond had flipped from ahead from Hanover to Monson to do the 100 mile in the 'right' direction, and after summiting Katahdin were then shuttled back to Shaws to head back south. Things will work out, it's way too early to fret over it now, mo!