View Full Version : Section Hike Question
ok. Don't flame me, as hard as that may be. I was trying to set up a thru-hike this year but time, employment, finances and family are lining up against this outcome. I may still be able to swing a significant section hike.
Question, what would be a reasonable 1/3rd hike of the trail NoBo? How long should I plan? I may get 2 months, but can really only plan a month and some change.
Suggestions?
hikerjohnd
01-16-2005, 22:05
Have you been plannig the thru hike much yet? I thought I was going to have to do a section hike too, so I took my thru plan and mapped out how far I was going to go in the allotted time. My intention was to keep the same pace...
The Gnome
01-16-2005, 22:12
Given that your base is in Alexandria, I would say that your home state offers a significant section hike challenge. There are about as many opinions regarding the “best bit” of the A.T. as there are hikers, but I’ve yet to meet someone who did not enjoy the Southern Virginia area. I’ve hiked almost all of Virginia in sections and come to appreciate the real beauty of my home state outside the D.C. metropolitan area.
I would you suggest you start in Damascus and walk home – Literally. Up the A.T. to Harper’s Ferry, down the C&O canal and then the Mt. Vernon trail to your front door.
O.K. to be a purist, you would need to walk about three miles south from Damascus to the state line and then turn around. Take your significant other on this short jaunt, say your good byes at the Post Office and hike out of town taking care not to miss the stairs on the other side of the highway or you will hike several unnecessary miles of the Creeper trail as I did.
Every day you will be getting closer to home and if anything goes wrong, rescue is never more than a few hours away via I-81. You will meet great people such as the staff at the Relax Inn, Rendezvous Inn and the Dutch House. Re-supply is no problem in Virginia and if you are concerned with keeping in touch with that special person, your cell phone will work about 70% of the time.
Gnome,
That actually sounds like a good plan. Only problem is there's no overnight camping on the Potomac or W&O trails, and I cant hike 90 miles in a day. But North from Damascus to Ashby or Snicker's, or even to Shenandoah Park sounds like a good idea.
aaronthebugbuffet
01-17-2005, 00:42
what time a year are you going to start? 1/3 of the trail might be hard to do in a month. what is your hiking pace ?have you done any other sections? transportation to and from the trail may also be concern. is there a section of the trail you really want to see?
Kerosene
01-17-2005, 10:24
Whichever section you decide on (but I do like the Virginia idea), I encourage you to start out slow and gradually build up your miles over several weeks in order to give your joints and tendons a chance to acclimate to the daily trauma and allow you to keep on hiking for a few months. Unfortunately, if you start slower then you're also unlikely to finish a third of the Trail in 2 months. I suggest that you worry less about distance and more about having fun. There are a lot of places you can get off the Trail. Hike for as long as you have time and then get off at a major trail town and have a local shuttler drive you to a bus station or back to wherever you parked your car.
Moose2001
01-17-2005, 10:58
Newb - as Aaron said, what's the timeframe you're looking at? If you're doing an early start, then down south might be better. A late start might mean doing some of the New England states.
I'd also agree you can't go wrong doing VA. Some hikers hate the state. Me, I love it. Cant' get enough of hiking in VA. By the way, VA in Sept and Oct is beautiful!!
Newb:
like was stated above...start out slow...(compared to the "high mileage days")....8 to 10 miles per day....work up to the 14+ miles per day after 2 or 3 weeks then the remainder of your time...maybe you can crank it up a notch.
Virginia is a great state to section-hike..& since youre already there.... :D
good luck with yer hike.
if youre anywhere close to Damascus to Pearisburg area in May....say "Howdy!".
max patch
01-17-2005, 11:38
When are you leaving? All things being equal, if I had a month or more I'd start at Katahdin and hike til my time was up.
There are so many good answers for a month 1/2 to 2 month section hike. And part of it depends on when you plan to go. If you are going to be hiking in the spring, then hike the south. Or, if hiking in late fall, hike the south also.
6 weeks should get you from Hanover to Katahdin. Or just do Virginia to Harpers Ferry, Or go to Harper's Ferry and hike north for 6 to 8 weeks, say to New England. Or, just go to Springer and start north from there into Virginia.
How about a big loop, using the Turcora (sp) Trail and the AT?
Got 3 to 4 weeks? Do the Long Trail. The first 100 miles coincides with the AT.
I've decided my destination is Harper's Ferry, since I can catch a train there to within two miles of my home. My starting point is now up in the air. I'll know better in a week or two how long I will have.
The Gnome
01-20-2005, 16:48
NoBo or SoBo?
Southbound you could make Roanoke and catch the bus back to D.C. from there.
There would be lots of escape possibilities en-route as you are never more than ten miles away from I-81.
Northbound you can get off at Duncannon where there is a local bus into Harrisonburg or the Delaware Water Gap that has a Greyhound stop about a mile from the trail.