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Home Fires
06-04-2011, 13:06
I've done a ton of reading here about planning for a thru-hike, but most of what I read pertains to a solo hiker. However, in our case it's my husband and two kids who will be doing it together (2013, after the second goes to college). I'm looking suggestions about the logistics involved with that -- other than "save, save, save!"

In theory it seems like some equipment, etc., could be shared, but I don't see the three of them staying together the entire time. I'm certain that on more than one occasion my daughter will decide they're being jerks and refuse to stop when they do or start earlier just to get away from them. And my social son will no doubt find someone his-own-age-not-his-sister that he wants to hike with for awhile. So should they all carry their own first aid kit, for example? Cooking equipment and what-have-you?

Also, keeping them fed is something I'm trying to work out. I know they can resupply fairly easily along the trail, but I'd like to be able to give them a little variety and I think I can save enough stocking up ahead of time on stuff/buying in bulk to offset the cost of the maildrops. But I don't want to impact their schedule forcing them into town for it, so I'm looking for a good balance of how often to send them versus letting them hit the grocery/convenience stores.

I welcome any input/suggestions/experiences about doing it in a group. I'm sure there are things I haven't thought of. And, as the mom, it's my job to worry, plus with school closed for the summer I have plenty o' time to be researching right now...

Thanks!

hikerboy57
06-04-2011, 13:14
Can we assume that you've taken your kids backpacking before?5-6 months on the trail is a long, long time, with very few distractions to cut the boredom. If you are worried aboput your family separating on the trail, then it would be advisable that each member has enough to survive a night alone, at the very least.

Home Fires
06-04-2011, 13:36
My husband is an avid backpacker and long-time Scoutmaster. He's done Philmont five times, three with our son, once with our daughter. She's an adventure guide at college, so takes groups on weekend hikes. Son is an Eagle with a fair number miles/nights under his belt. I'm not worried about any of their capabilities. However, since I'm giving up a hefty chunk of change, my husband's job security, and five months of regular interaction with any of them, I want to both be involved in ways that I can and outfit them as best needed for the experience without overdoing it.

I am not worried about them separating from a safety standpoint; I'm worried about the logistics of what's needed to allow them to do so so that they can, as much as possible, find the balance between experiencing this together and hiking their own hike.

hikerboy57
06-04-2011, 13:45
its an interesting conundruim. If they hike together, they can split the weight of common tent stove, food, etc. but if theyre going to spend considerable time separated, they'll need to be more self sufficient., especially if they're apart for more than a few days.10 essentials a must, except for 1 or 2.

Feral Bill
06-04-2011, 13:46
Flat tarps can be configered to make one collective shelter or individual ones. Perhaps one white gas stove for the group and a couple of alky stoves so each person has something.
One 2 L pot plus a couple of small pots. (one each)
Chemical water treatment for each, maybe a filter for the group.
Otherwise each equiped as a solo.

just some thoughts

FB

Rocket Jones
06-04-2011, 13:48
Each should be have enough gear to be self-sufficient for at least a short while. At a minimum, each should have their own shelter (at least an emergency option). If they'd like to share a stove (for instance), then the two not carrying it should have enough non-cook food to go a few days without access to the stove. A small first aid kit each would be a good idea, so would some sort of water treatment apiece, especially if only one is carrying a filter for all.

Rocket Jones
06-04-2011, 13:49
Bill beat me to it. :)

10-K
06-04-2011, 13:54
I think that with it being 2 years out I would put thru hiking the AT on the back burner and just start taking shorter trips to gain experience and in a year or so if you still think you want to go start planning for your thru hike.

A lot can happen in 2 years..

bigcranky
06-04-2011, 14:28
Planning is half the fun. Sounds like they are experienced, so no reason to hold off now.

In my experience, adults (other than couples) hiking together should be completely self sufficient. That means all individual gear - tents, cook kits, food, first aid - everything. Couples hiking together can share some gear, like a tent and kitchen, but they should be prepared to spend the night alone in an emergency.

It's pretty easy these days to have a base weight of 15 pounds or so for a solo thru-hiker. That's without spending a ton of money on the bleeding-edge ultralight stuff, too. So really, it's not a big deal for them to be self sufficient -- after all, if any of them were going solo, they would have to be, right?

10-K
06-04-2011, 17:17
Planning is half the fun. Sounds like they are experienced, so no reason to hold off now.



I agree - I didn't express myself very well..

What I meant was that planning small trips over the next year would probably go a long way towards preparing for an eventual thru hike.

Kinda like most people who want to run a marathon start by running 5k's, 10k's and half-marathons first.

Spirit Walker
06-04-2011, 22:14
For the hike, I think they should each be completely independent. If they find that they want to hike together, they can put some gear in a drift box and send it ahead to be picked up later if they decide to seperate.

I've know a few groups that started together and split up along the way. In some cases one hiker went home due to injury, leaving a partner to carry gear that was meant for two. In several others romance split up the group, occasionally leaving hurt feelings on the part of those left behind by the new romance. In many cases different hiking speeds or styles made the partners or group incompatible. Splitting up can be a real hassle. I.e. who carries the five pound tent? Who gets the stove and who has to find a new one somewhere? What do you do about maildrops when they are packed for three people?

On the AT maildrops are rarely necessary - but if your family does decide to do them, you would do well to either plan on separate boxes for each hiker to accomodate different schedules, or just leave all boxes open so you can split them if you need to.

sarman
06-05-2011, 07:22
I did food mail drops this spring for a 400 mile section. If I do another, no more mail drops for food. Too much trouble, can't predict what I'll want, when I want and how much I'll want. Ended up giving much away. They may start out cooking and later give up their stove. I saw some change their minds on stoves.

They might want to hike together between now and then to determine if they will be hiking mostly as a group or individually on the thru. Everyone carry their own basic first aid, water treatment, food and tarp/bivy/tent. People do still get lost on the trail for short periods of time.

Home Fires
06-06-2011, 17:35
Thanks for all the input! I'm pretty well convinced that outfitting them all as if they were solo is the way to go.

Food is just idle musing at this point, but sorting out the needed gear lets us spread those costs out some. You know ... birthdays, Christmases... (Heck, for all I know it's an elaborate plot by all of them to get new gear and not one of them actually intends to set foot on the trail.)

Blissful
06-06-2011, 22:24
With college aged kids plus dad, I'd go solo and have them carry their own stuff. My son and I shared, but he was a teen when he went with me.

mweinstone
06-06-2011, 23:25
you are wrong about putting stuff up at a cost saveings that affords mailings. it never works. just give them the freedom to buy every scrap of food where they want and unhook them from the maildrop scene. next, write them letters instead. also send them easter candy and stuff but never food they will count on. and yes, make them all fully independent.

moldy
06-12-2011, 10:21
For the first month it should be "every man for him or her self". They have to work out a system. At the end of that first month they will know. It may be hard to keep this group together and sharing equipment won't be enough. Many Thru-hikers tend to form up into naturally occuring groups that line up along various complicated dynamics like hiking speed, age, sociability. Groups of 3 do manage to keep it together for the entire trail each year. But it's almost always young men or women about the same age who know each other before the trail. It's hard to keep a group of 3 older hikers together for the entire trail because of injury. It would be nice to follow this hike on Trail Journals. Good luck. This could be real work for you maintaining 3 individual thru-hikers at once. Keep the homefires burning.

Lord Helment
06-12-2011, 11:03
you can save a lot of money by sewing your own gear.....it's relatively easy whether you have a lot of sewing experience or not...tarp, pack, quilt, clothing, all possible.....and since it was sewn by the users they understand how to do field repairs.....www.rayjardine.com is a great resource for gear making and traveling light.....and i agree they should all 3 be outfitted as solo hikers

ScottP
06-14-2011, 17:43
IMO it's best if every hiker in that situation has a full setup of gear and the ability to be independent of the others.

As far as food goes, I did find that buying in bulk+maildrops (with priority flat rate boxes) is a little cheaper than buying in stores, but that probably depends on what type of food you want to buy. A dehydrator might be a good investment for fruits+veggies+beans. I prefer to avoid the time of grocery shopping when there's a million things I'd rather do--especially hike.

If you're a good seamstress DIY gear can be nice.

As with any hike planning, the best way to get info is to find a few people who have had hikes that match the hike you want to plan and ask them for advice.

stranger
06-14-2011, 22:31
I agree with the comments about starting with each person being self-sufficient.

I don't think I've ever heard of a single case of a group of people starting and finishing together.

There is no reason why you can't all plan on staying together, but I would make sure everyone has their own personal gear.