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One Half
04-30-2011, 08:06
Let me start by saying I know - HYOH. But I have a question for those who have thru hiked or done long sections. I have been reading trail journals and it seems to me that many people hiking the trail spend a LOT of time in towns along the trail. Personally, when I get a chance to get away, I want to get away. When I am able to do a thru or a very long section (a month or more) I imagine I will want to spend very little time in town - just enough to resupply, maybe a shower. Admittedly the longest I have done is an 8 day hike with a resupply ON the trail - no visit to town. I always figured I would stop in the big spots - Harpers Ferry and other such places where there may be a big hiker friendly event or whatever. Of course, I don't eat out much when I am at home and I don't go out to bars normally either. Did you guys feel the same way before you hiked and then realized you needed more town time? I'm just curious.

Bobby
04-30-2011, 08:23
For me things changed.
I had planned on little to no town time - except to resupply
My first ld hike beat me up pretty good in the beginning
I needed some rest days because I was so darn tired and beat up
Now that I have hiked a couple of ld trails - weather plays the biggest role in determining a night in town now
I'm also older now - 38 - and when I was younger - 25 for the AT - I "socialized" quite a bit while in town.

Other factors - pack weight - lighter pack= no as beat up or worn down

Better shape - I don't get rookie injuries anymore and my body can handle the daily mileage without a break.

Still crave food, but I can get in, eat and resupply and back on the trail in the same day now.

Still like a shower and a bed every 10 days or so – sometimes more if the weather is bad and I have the money.

Everyone is different

Pedaling Fool
04-30-2011, 08:54
You'll notice that most TH do a town vist every 3-5 days; that's just way too much for me. I carry enough food to stay out at least 10 days or more. However, on the flip side, I never just stop in town and get food. I almost always take a zero. I also try and time my walk so I do a nero on the day I walk into town, i.e. I camp no more than 10 miles from town so I have a short walk the day I enter town.

slingblade
04-30-2011, 09:06
Yep.....everything Bobby said. Town has very little appeal, when you live in or close to town. But after you live in the woods for months on end "town" has more appeal. Town=money and I watched lots of friends end a thru because of "town" eating up their hiking funds early. I would have no plans at all to stop in the next town, but would replay some Ryans Buffet or Double Thickburger commercial in my head til I would convince myself to stick out my thumb and hitch in.

skooch
04-30-2011, 09:06
I like that Bobby. I think I'll start listing my age at 13 too. lol

10-K
04-30-2011, 09:11
I never met a town I didn't like once I got there.

I like a shower and a good meal at least once a week if possible. Not necessary or required but it sure makes for a more pleasant hiking experience for me.

... and of course real, brewed coffee.

Bearpaw
04-30-2011, 09:19
I enjoy being out there hiking, but I can say that after several days of cold rainy weather, I enjoy a warm dry room for the night and dry clean clothes as well. You might be surprised how you feel after an extended period of time.

I didn't spend as much time in towns as many do on thru-hikes nowadays (I thru-hiked 12 years ago and there honestly weren't as many amenities then as now. I also wouldn't go to towns that required much of a hitch until Maine.) But I found I liked getting a town stop once a week any way.

Laundry was more of an issue than I would have imagined. I could handle smelly clothes. But in the interest of taking care of my feet, I became a big fan of clean socks. I only zipped into town/resupply and back out maybe 4 or 5 times total, usually because I wouldn't pay $100+ for a room in New England. But personally, I recommend enjoying a shower, laundry, some good meals, and a night in town once in a while. It makes being out for 5 months a lot less daunting.

garlic08
04-30-2011, 10:07
The way I see it, it depends on how your hike is going, how "friendly" the town is, why you're hiking to begin with, and many other things. There's nothing wrong with hiking from town to town with the sole purpose of visiting the towns, for instance.

One Half
04-30-2011, 10:27
The way I see it, it depends on how your hike is going, how "friendly" the town is, why you're hiking to begin with, and many other things. There's nothing wrong with hiking from town to town with the sole purpose of visiting the towns, for instance.


Wasn't implying that there was anything wrong with it. Just curious as to other's thoughts. For me, when I hike (and when I get to do my thru), a big part of it is to get away from all the amenities of modern life. I don't hike with headphones or other electronics. I enjoy being alone all day but would probably stop near shelters for socializing, whether I camp there or not. I like the simplicity of hiking. It's not about conquering the trail for me - it's about "being in the moment."

stranger
04-30-2011, 10:33
A big part of being in the moment while hiking long distances is being cold, wet, in pain, chaffed, dehydrated, etc...and getting to the road crossing which leads to the motel can be one hell of a draw card to hike another 12 miles.

Most hikers spend much more time in town, and spend more money, then they anticipated, furthermore, very few hikers find the opposite occurs.

Especially along the AT, there are hiker services everywhere, especially in the south, it's easy to get sucked in especially if it's raining or snowing.

I think what you mean to say is that "you plan" on avoiding towns when it comes time for your thru...let me just say you are not alone in that respect, but most hikers are not successful with that tactic. If you know from experience you will be able to walk straight across that road in the rain, then you are probably right...but if you 'plan' to have that discipline and/or skill set, just realise it's much harder to do in practice.

rambunny
04-30-2011, 10:37
Here's an idea for you-camp just before town (i know, gasp not at a shelter)Let's use Atkins as an example- Come into town in the AM,pay for a shower at The Shell Station do your laundry at Relax Inn (coin operated) resupply at Exxon & Shell get a big meal at The Barn resturant and MOVE ON. It's called a fly by.

Toolshed
04-30-2011, 11:06
I generally think of the younger, partying crowd as the "townies". The ones who are out there for the social scene and group fun. There are plenty of us who really do want to get away from it all for a while and avoid towns (and even shelters) except when neccessary.
'Course when you really want to get away from it all, the AT isn't necessarily the best place, although it is a good place, there are more remote trails where you might not see someone for a week, instead of hourly. YMMV:sun

garlic08
04-30-2011, 11:36
Wasn't implying that there was anything wrong with it. Just curious as to other's thoughts. For me, when I hike (and when I get to do my thru), a big part of it is to get away from all the amenities of modern life. I don't hike with headphones or other electronics. I enjoy being alone all day but would probably stop near shelters for socializing, whether I camp there or not. I like the simplicity of hiking. It's not about conquering the trail for me - it's about "being in the moment."

And I apologize for not even answering your original question!

In my case on the AT, I spent far less time in towns than I'd anticipated. The hiking was going so well, I saw no reason to stop. In the above Atkins example, I camped a few miles from the highway, ate breakfast at The Barn, bought a few groceries at the Texaco C-store across the road, and hiked on an hour later. I didn't even consider hitching into town. In another example, I left Springer with enough groceries to get to Hiawassee. When I saw the supplies at Neels Gap, I bought some extra food and hiked on to Franklin and never saw Hiawassee. I skipped lots of towns hikers normally stop at, but once I made an unplanned motel stop in PA just because I stopped to ask for water and the owner had a plate of watermelon out and offered some ice cream.

On other trails, I've spent far more time in towns when the hiking wasn't going as well or the towns were far more interesting, like in Northern MT on the CDT and PNT. I spent an extra day in Lincoln MT, home of the Unabomber, and a week later an extra day in Darby MT to see the Logger Days festival, complete with a V-8 powered chainsaw (a car engine, not vegetable juice). That was worth the trip!

Bobby
04-30-2011, 11:53
Yeah - when I signed up again - couldn't remember my other password/email combo - I swear the box was titled "year of completion" So I typed in 1998 - the year I hiked the AT - now I'm 13. Guess I read it wrong!

The AT is a very social trail. I had visions of solitude, wilderness and time away from it all.
I met a ton of people - some are friends to this day - had a great time hiking and enjoyed going to town, drinking and hanging out/catching up with friends.
Early on there was lots of rainy cold days and town sounded really good.

Once the weather improved, summer rolled around and I had my hiking legs, I needed fewer days off and I spent more time in the woods.

Food dominated many of my thoughts while hiking. There is food in towns. Food tastes good.

Hiking the AT was not what I had imagined it to be. Totally different experience than I had envisioned.
It is a very social trail - more so than some of the others.

It was one of the greatest experiences of my life - just not what I thought it was going to be before I set out.

Not better or worse just different.

Try not to have too many expectations and just go with the flow and enjoy it as it comes.

Lemni Skate
04-30-2011, 12:06
My longest stretch without a day in town was 8 days. I was out of shape and the weather was cool and I was doing 10-12 miles per day simply with the idea to get away from everything. On the 9th day the weather heated up and I was in a fairly dry section. I started dreaming of a coca-cola. I busted my butt and did 18 miles to get to Waynesboro, VA. Far more mileage than I was ready for and I got into town exhausted and planning to spend the night and get up early and knock out more trail the next day. The next morning I woke up, got out of bed, felt every muscle in my body and promptly went to the motel office and payed for another night. I didn't party, but I ate well, laid in bed and watched game shows and drank 5000 gallons (it seemed like) of Gatorade. The next morning I hit the trail in a drizzle and in a great mood. While I haven't done a thru-hike I definitely learned what there was to love in town. My zero day is a fond memory and I did practically nothing.

Kaptain Kangaroo
04-30-2011, 17:07
I would suggest that it's not until you are well into your thru-hike (or long section hike) that the hiker appetite really hits you & you start to see the real attraction of town visits. You just fantasize about food & can't wait to get to that burger, pizza, ice cream.....etc. Also most people do seem to need the town visits to make up for the calorie defict you build up on the trail.
Now everyone if different, but I found town stops to be hard work. Finding a ride, figuring out where to stay, finding the grocery store etc. etc. Life on the trail is much simpler. But the lure of the food is just too strong.

Spokes
04-30-2011, 19:01
I only took 7 total zero days on my thru and nero'd the rest. Finished in 143 days. Didn't want to hang out with the party, blue-blaze, yellow blaze, slack pack crowd. Most of them went back home complaining of sore feet anyway.

You may be different.

Cheers!

Montana Mac
04-30-2011, 19:38
When I did my thru attempt in 09 I took my first zero in Damascus and my next in CT where I had family.

I did hit the towns in between with neros for resupply and showers. It all depended on weather and food :D