My Hiking plans.....

[Delta]

I'll be 17 this summer, and want to hike a portion of the AT. My family has a house on the border or Vermont and New Hampshire, in Norwhich, right next to the trail. My goal is to hike for 4-6 weeks from somewhere between the southern border of Massachusetts and the border of Conn/NY up through Mass and Vermont. It's about 240-320 miles. I've never really hiked before for more than 3 days.

I read up on a bunch of websites to get an idea of what I'm in for. I wanted to do this alone originally, but I am starting to doubt that that is a good idea seeing that it is my first time. Some experienced hikers told me that there are some strange people out there waiting to jump on you when you least expect it. I think I'll look fairly vulnerable if I was alone. Anyway, how can I go about finding a hiking partner? I don't know how many people are planning on the same route as me........probably not many. I was hoping that maybe I could catch a few 2000 milers, but then I'd have to keep up at their pace, which might be a struggle.

Any tips would be appreciated. From what I've gathered, I'll be able to cover 7-8 miles a day as a beginner, and will need about a weeks worth of food at any given time. I've also read that you should cook and eat away from where you sleep to prevent lingering odors around the tent. Have any of you encountered a bear? Thanks

[Jaybird]

DELTA:

First of all, WELCOME! You'll find the folks here @ WB are a friendly bunch & quite helpful with any & all questions.

You probably wont see any NOBO THRU-HIKERS til late summer in your area of hiking...but, could possibly see a few SOBO-ers.

I wouldnt worry too much about bears....i've seen a few, scurrying away as fast i could get my camera out...

your idea of cooking away from shelters/campsites is correct.

if you feel like you need a partner for peace of mind or safety...just post it here on WB & maybe the ATC newsletter (ATN).

That should help you out.

As far as speed...7-8 miles a day is a good start...as young as you are...if youre in fair condition...you should be able to easily do that & work up to 12 miles a day by the end of the 1st or 2nd week (which is the daily avg of a thru-hiker). By the end of your 4 weeks...when you get your trail "legs"...you'll possibly be hiking 15 mile days.

i'll be section-hiking aout 3 weeks myslef but will be hiking:
Apr 28-May 5 (w/ "the Model T crew")Hot Springs NC to Erwin,TN
May 5-7 Erwin to Carvers Gap
May 8-21 Damascus to Pearisburg,VA

good luck with your hike! :D

[SGT Rock]

I'll be 17 this summer, and want to hike a portion of the AT. My family has a house on the border or Vermont and New Hampshire, in Norwhich, right next to the trail. My goal is to hike for 4-6 weeks from somewhere between the southern border of Massachusetts and the border of Conn/NY up through Mass and Vermont. It's about 240-320 miles. I've never really hiked before for more than 3 days.

I haven't hiked that area so I can't directly speak to locations or conditions. But the idea for a 4-6 week hike sounds great. You could realistically expect to make 300-400 miles, maybe more depending on your starting condition and pack weight.



I read up on a bunch of websites to get an idea of what I'm in for. I wanted to do this alone originally, but I am starting to doubt that that is a good idea seeing that it is my first time. Some experienced hikers told me that there are some strange people out there waiting to jump on you when you least expect it. I think I'll look fairly vulnerable if I was alone. Anyway, how can I go about finding a hiking partner? I don't know how many people are planning on the same route as me........probably not many. I was hoping that maybe I could catch a few 2000 milers, but then I'd have to keep up at their pace, which might be a struggle.

I don't know where you heard there are people waiting to jump you, I have never experienced this at all. In fact I find the trail safer than city streets. But if you want a hiking partner you might try the "hooking up" forum on this site. Finding someone that hikes your speed is always a challenge, especially when you don't get the chance to hike before you actually start your trip to get to understand each other - if you meet on the internet. Anyway, I doubt you will ever be totally alone for more than a day or two at any time during the summer. You might try figuring out when the SOBOs are heading through that part and hiking south with them. Personally I prefer hiking in the opposite direction of the thru-hiker flow when sectioning so I can meet more of them.



Any tips would be appreciated. From what I've gathered, I'll be able to cover 7-8 miles a day as a beginner, and will need about a weeks worth of food at any given time. I've also read that you should cook and eat away from where you sleep to prevent lingering odors around the tent. Have any of you encountered a bear? Thanks

You may start at 7-8, but depending on load and your shape you may make more milage after a couple of days. As to food, plan atight schedule for the first week and check your re-supply plan to see how you want to do it. If you see a bear, get a picture;)

[Tramper Al]

Delta,

You have chosen a great section to hike, and it's nice that all the while you will be walking 'home' to Norwich. I grew up in Hanover and have section hiked the AT northbound from the NY border through CT, MA, and VT. I finished VT last summer, walking past your house, I'm sure.

CT will be a nice warm-up and your hills will get a little bigger as you go through MA and into VT to finally reach Killington.

One thing you want to do is gather all the information you can (and Whiteblaze is a great source) on gear, weight, and strategies for food/supplies. There really isn't any section through CT-MA-VT where you would need to go more than maybe 3 or 4 days without resupply, certainly not a week. You don't want to start out with so much weight if you can help it. That's why you should learn all you can about gear too.

One suggestion I have is to consider a 'shakedown hike', so you can try out your gear and see how you are doing on say a 2 or 3 day hike. Maybe get a ride up to Orford (NH) around Mt. Cube and hike southbound over Smarts and Moose Mountains back to Norwich? That's beautiful walking too and a trial hike will undoubtedly help you work out some bugs in your gear and/or planning.

Have a great time!

[hungryhowie]

Hi Delta :welcome

You said you've done 3-day hikes before, and if those hikes were in the Appalachians, you should have a fairly good idea of what the AT is like. It's rugged, but as long as you're in decent shape, your 17-yo frame should have little problem catching those thruhikers. I thruhiked the AT when I was 17 (turned 18 the day I walked into Maine...what a B-day present :) ), and found that I got into shape quicker, and rebounded from hard days quicker than my older (mid 20s+) compodres.

If you're worried about crazies in the woods, find a hiking partner for peace of mind. That said, I probably wouldn't worry about crazies in the woods as the AT is probably one of the safest places in the world. Along the entire trail, I had only one or two encounters that made me feel uncomfortable...and none of those were really even potentially dangerous.

Concentrate on reduing the weight of your pack to a comfortable load (1/4 of your body weight including food and water is a good target), plan your resupply points, and hop on the trail!

-howie

[Youngblood]

Delta,

You might want to consider getting into a little better hiking shape before your hike. It might be fun and educational for you to start working up your hiking distances before this summer. That way you will have a better idea of what you can do and a better chance of enjoying it with less problems, like footwear, blisters, knee problems and such. You don't have to backpack all the time or even any, nice long dayhikes go a long way into getting you into backpacking shape.

Youngblood

[Jack Tarlin]

Delta:

I live in Hanover when I'm not travelling; you've picked a great section.

To get from the Connecticut border to Norwich takes most thru-hikers around twenty days, tho don't be surprised if it takes you a bit longer. Remember,
when they get to Connecticut, they've been hiking for months, are in pretty great shape, have their packs trimmed down to bare essentials, etc. So give yourself a bit of extra time, and don't try and do too much too quick; unless you find the going is really easy, try and keep it to 7-10 miles a day for the first week, and then pick up the pace as you see fit, and as the terrain permits.

As far as company, if you start your trip any time after mid-June, there will be plenty, and you'll certainly meet some good folks who'd be glad to hike or camp with you; it's just a question of finding someone you get along with who happens to hike at the same pace. If you start your trip in July, you'll have TONS of company and plenty of possible hiking partners, as this is the height of thru-hiker season in southern New England.

Don't worry overmuch about the safety/security issues; the Trail is a very safe place. Plus, you'll be with other hikers, and hikers are always looking out for each other.

As far as shopping, you probably won't ever need to carry a week's worth of stuff as there are many small stores on or very near the Trail; for most of this stretch, except for perhaps parts of Vermont, you'll be carrying between two and five days worth of food between re-supply points; maybe a bit more at the beginning til you pick up your mileage a bit.

I suggest you pick up a copy of the 2005 Thru-Hikers Handbook (see www.trailplace.com) or a Thru-Hikers Companion (see www.atconf.org) which both contain tons of useful information on where to get food, where to camp; hostels and B&B's that cater to hikers; locations of Outfitters, ets. You can see the 2004 Thru-Hiker's Companion for free on-line at www.aldha.org

And finally, don't worry about bears. They're not common where you'll be hiking (unless you end up hiking the Trail in New Jersey where they are all over the place!), and have never been a problem in New England. There may be places where you'll feel safer by hanging your food up in a tree (this is an easy thing to learn how to do) but it won't be necessary to cook away from your campsite. Bear issues in the East are VERY different from the Western states; it is extremely unlikely you'll have any problems with bears on this stretch of the A.T.

And what Youngblood said is absolutely right: Try and go out for a few shorter trips before your big one. This will help you get in shape; it'll give you an idea of what your trip is going to be like; it'll help you familiarize you with your gear; and most of all, it'll help you be more comfortable in the woods, all of which will combine to make things a bit easier when you start on your big trip.

Good luck with your plans, and if you have any questions about gear, food, clothes, or anything else, feel free to run them by us, that's what this website is all about.

[Delta]

Thanks for all the tips guys, this has all been very reassuring and helpful. I would love to go on some hikes before I undertake a month long ordeal, but I don't know if I have the time, strange as that may sound. I go to a very intense private school outside of boston, and simply don't have the time to do anything besides work and sleep. when i do have free time i party, but that is only one or two nights a week. i can't really go out on a hike. i'm thinking that maybe in early july i'd do some practice runs, who knows what the summer will bring.

The hikes I'd done before were few and far in between. The most notable one was a two or three day (can't remember exaclty) excursion from camp in the berkshires when i was 12 or 13. I think we only covered about eight miles a day, and give on the first day due to limited time. I remember being dead tired, and I couldn't have been carrying more than 15 pounds of gear (the counselors carried the tents and food, i just had sleeping bag, some snacks, some clothes, water, etc.). I actually learned a lot on that trip though.....we threw our food up over a tree at night to protect from bears. Some animal came in the middle of the night and bit a whole in my friends backpack.......he had left a hershey's bar in there. the guide showed us how to use iodine tablets in our nalgene bottles, and tought us about giardia. Aside from this I spent a few years at camp in cabins without running water or electricity........I can build a mean fire, and I don't mind living with the elements.

One more question........this one is a little more out of the ordinary, and if I offend some of you, i'm sorry. Do any of you smoke weed out on the trail? I figured if I were to do the hike thing, I might bring a small bit of grass with me, and use it every so often. I don't know, if that is completely against hiker etuiqitte, better i find out now rather than later.

[hungryhowie]

Don't offend me none.

While I personally don't parake, a number of hikers do. It's certainly more widely accepted on the trail than in public elsewhere in the country, but if you're around other people, you may want to inquire if they would be offended if you light up. I would wager than most times people will have no problem with it. Other times, however, it may be wise to move away from the others first.

-howie

[Lilred]

One more question........this one is a little more out of the ordinary, and if I offend some of you, i'm sorry. Do any of you smoke weed out on the trail? I figured if I were to do the hike thing, I might bring a small bit of grass with me, and use it every so often. I don't know, if that is completely against hiker etuiqitte, better i find out now rather than later.


I don't smoke, but I'm not offended by it. Many hikers are not. You will find some holier than thou's that think you should be shot or something for smoking, but will get stinking drunk in town given half the chance. Regardless, just be careful who you smoke around. I shared a shelter with a U.S. Sheriff on my last hike. You wouldn't want to ask him if he'd be offended. :o You're best to keep the fact that you smoke to yourself, it is still illegal.

[Lilred]

I don't smoke, but I'm not offended by it. Many hikers are not. You will find some holier than thou's that think you should be shot or something for smoking, but will get stinking drunk in town given half the chance. Regardless, just be careful who you smoke around. I shared a shelter with a U.S. Sheriff on my last hike. You wouldn't want to ask him if he'd be offended. :o You're best to keep the fact that you smoke to yourself, it is still illegal.


Oops, I meant a U.S. Marshall, not a sheriff. Where's that confounded edit button???? :confused:

[Delta]

cool, sounds good. i figured that hikers wouldn't mind, you seem like a peaceful and fun loving bunch. thanks