View Full Version : 3.5 months
mattb528
09-15-2011, 18:10
Hi All!
I just joined and am pleased to see so many people interested in the AT. I am originally from New Jersey and have lots of experience on the Appalachian Trail around there. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Colorado but decided I can't wait any longer to start my thru hike. I want to do it this summer and that would only give me about 3.5 months to finish. Has anyone hiked the whole thing in this short of time? I am in excellent shape and will only get better due to the high altitude of the CO mountains. I figured the sooner the better because I don't know when I'll be able to dedicate 6 months of my life to the hike. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
hikerboy57
09-15-2011, 18:16
Jen Pharr Davis recently broke the "supported" speed hiking record at under 47 days. Outside of that , 3.5 months will probably leave you somewhere in NY/NJ. its pretty tough to average over 20 miles a day with no zeros.
Welcome to Whiteblaze !!!
Hike as far as you can in 3.5 months. The remainder will always be there for you to finish in the future.
Many fit hikers finish the trail in 5 months comfortably. 3.5 months would really be pushing hard...maybe too hard.
Davis was racing, as were a number of those who had done similar things. However, people have done the AT in less than 105 days the standard way (``unsupported"). Liz Thomas did it this year in 80 days, and in her pictures she does not look like she is on a mission. The men's ``unsupported" record is something like 60 days. While these are ``pros" in a way, 105 days is lot more than 60 days, and even 80. I went from US 4 in VT to Route 2 in MA (108 miles) in 5 days, and this was only after 13 days on the LT, and I am getting old. I met two LT hikers at the Inn@LT who did this in the opposite (harder) direction in 5 and 5.5 days, without any warmup. So, if you know what you are doing, 20 miles a day average is not impossible. NJ is probably the easiest state on the AT though.
Slo-go'en
09-15-2011, 20:12
It can be done, but it won't be easy. Many have tried to do it in that time frame and failed. If your in good shape, willing to hike pretty much dawn to dusk, take no days off, and most importantly, have a strong drive to complete the task no matter what, you can do it. Having to average 20.5 mpd, every day for 105 days, realistically means your going to have to do a bunch of 30 or more mile days in the 'easy' part of the trail to make that average.
The only good news is you'll be doing a Late May, June, July and into August hike, so you can get away with a real ultra-light load, which will help in doing the big miles. I'm not sure being used to the altitude of CO is of any big help. Doing as much hiking and walking as possible before you hit the AT will be of real benifit.
OTOH, you might want to think about taking a more relaxed, laid back approch. There is a lot to be said for just enjoying living on the trail for 3.5 months without the stress of having to make it from one arbitary point to another in a short period of time, seriously beating yourself up in the process.
It is very possible to hike the AT in 3.5 months.
1. Get your gear dialed in before you start. Pack weight matters.
2. Train
3. Break in your legs/feet before you start.
4. Recognize that long-distance hiking (given 1-3) is mostly a mental game. Hiking a long day is easy when mood/body/weather are ideal. Hiking a long day because you *must* in order to achieve your goal is a whole different story.
-ed
AT'09,PCT'10,CDT'11
RWheeler
09-15-2011, 20:19
Jen Pharr Davis recently broke the "supported" speed hiking record at under 47 days. Outside of that , 3.5 months will probably leave you somewhere in NY/NJ. its pretty tough to average over 20 miles a day with no zeros.
Probably tougher mentally to do that without zeroes than physically. Or, at least the mental is far more difficult to prepare for.
Forgot to add - read this (http://www.andrewskurka.com/advice/technique/fastthruhike.php). Also recognize that (in my lurker-y experience) Whiteblaze isn't always the best resource for speedy-style hikes. Backpacking Light (http://www.backpackinglight.com)?
jersey joe
09-15-2011, 20:33
This is exactly what I did in 2002, a 3.5 month(111 days to be exact) thru hike with no zero days. So, yes it is doable. I hiked the whole way averaging around 50lbs and carrying as much as 10 days worth of food but would advise going as light as possible and resupplying more often. Even though I averaged 20mpd, I started out doing 12-16 miles per day for the first couple weeks...you will find it much easier to up your milage in the middle states. I say go for it, use the time off that you have and give it a go...you may never get another opportunity to thru hike! Here was my mail drop plan before I left, I fell behind in the beginning but finished when I planned to. http://www.joealaya.com/appalachiantrailthruhike/mail.php
3.5 months is certainly possible for a fit person with a light pack who is disciplined.
Experience helps, too, though.
So, it can be done (and is probably how I would do it if I did the AT again), but not many people new to long distance hiking will necessarily enjoy the pace. It is not a superhuman pace by any means....just long hiking days, not many town stops and less of the social scene than a typical AT hike. If that hikes sounds appealing to you AND you have the discipline..go for it.
Another option is to take the RTD bus to Ned, get a short and easy hitch up to the Hessie trail head, walk up to Devil's Thumb Pass area and start hiking north on the CDT for 3 months. A lot less logistics. And less people saying you aren't 'stopping to smell the roses' * :)
* On the trail no earlier than 9am, stop by 5pm. Spend a lot of time in a mouse-infested dark box with other like minded people also smelling the roses. Take a lot of time off in town. ;)
garlic08
09-15-2011, 23:12
I hiked my AT thru in 106 days, at age 51, and had a very fun hike. I was living in Colorado at the time, and it was great to get back to the high country in mid-July and still enjoy a whole hiking season in CO. But as others have said above, experience counts. That was my fifth consecutive season of long hikes and I relied heavily on my dialed-in gear, diet, daily routine, and knowledge of exactly how my body reacts and heals. But I did meet a few first-time thru hikers at the end who were setting a good pace and finishing their hikes in 4 months without really pushing it. If you're good at long-distance hiking, you'll know in the first month and you can plan accordingly from there.
mattb528
09-16-2011, 01:29
Thanks everyone! Tons of great info! Mags, I definitely plan on doing some long distance hikes out here. Whenever I am not in class, I am climbing or hiking in the Flatirons and on the weekends I've started to knock off some 14ers. Great stuff in CO!! I plan on living out here after school but the AT is sentimental for me and I really want that to be my first long long hike.
Odd Man Out
09-16-2011, 21:03
You could just do a through hike instead of a thru hike. Just hike until you're through.
Doable sure.
What I would do is set a 23 mile a day pace and take a zero every 7-8 days.
20.5 miles in 1 day is very easy. Just start early and don't take a lot of breaks and 2 hour lunches.
I just completed my first thru hike, I did a 98 day fastpack of the PCT in a very high snow year. Many, many people also told me that I couldn't, shouldn't etc. But doing the AT in 3.5 months is very possible. But the question is whether you are able and willing to do what is required to make it a success. If I were in your shoes there would be three things I would do:
1) Get your pack weight down. Backpackinglight is a great place to start that process.
2) Arrive at the trail in hiking shape. In my case I had to average 26.5 mpd counting all neros and zeros. I targeted 30mpd average but in reality I averaged closer to 32mpd on full hiking days in order to cut down on the mileage on nero days. I was doing 30+ mile days from the start which was critical in hitting my schedule.
3) Preparation. I did primarily mail drops to cut down on the time needed for resupply and to ensure that had the right number of calories for each leg. I also added local food, especially as I bumped my caloric intake as high as 8000 calories per day. Bottom line, you will want to be prepared to make sure you are efficient on the trail. Also, make sure all your gear is tested in the field. Look to get setup and teardown down to minutes.
A few other tips:
1) You actually have time to take some zeros. I took 7 plus another 3 half and half days (half one day plus half another.) Doing it again I would likely not take any zeros. I would target doing a 60-75% mileage day on the day you hit town. That will usually allow you to hit the PO or other businesses before they close. I found that this lower mileage day combined with a couple of good meals were enough to recharge my batteries. I would also do more in and out of town and spend the night on the trail. Scott Williamson advises to live on the trail, bathe, sleep, laundry etc. Also, focus on town stops that are easy and quick.
2) As far as training.... You are fortunate to live in CO where you can get some realistic training. I met a hiker that wanted to do the PCT in about 100 days but had no elevation change in his training. He struggled with the hills in SoCal even they they were fairly tame. He utimately didn't finish. Do aggressive training hikes but don't overdo it and get injured.
3) If you are properly trained then it is much more of a mental game. If you are not trained then physical pain will become mental pain. I did some very high mileage training hikes on the AT prior to my trip, one as long as a 57 mile day. I had thought of these hikes as physical training but they were actually more mental than physical. My goal was not to have any one day on the PCT be one of my five toughest days of hiking. I'm not sure I accomplished this but came close. It was nice to know on a tough, long day that you have done it before. It removes that mental barrier that tells our body that it can't be done.
4) Don't hike fast. Start early and keep a consistant pace all day. Minimize breaks by eating snacks on the go. You will likely pass more people as they are sleeping in their tents in the morning and evening than you will on the trail.
5) Avoid the shelters. Stopping at shelters will force you to cut or add mileage. If you want more social interaction then stop at a shelter for dinner then move on.
6) Keep your daily mileage consistant. Don't be tempted to do a 40 mile day if you will cause you to lose miles the next day.
Now the most important question, should you?
Just so you know the downsides of a fast schedule....
1) You will likely be hiking solo. There will be few people able and/willing to hike at your pace. And if there are, you will likely get messed up on resupplys since they will not be synched up.
2) You will miss the trail town experiences.
3) There will be days when you find that perfect place to camp at mile 18 but you will have to move on another few miles. I probably had much less desirable campsites then the average hiker but I was only using them to sleep.
4) You will feel the schedule pressure. I took five zeros in Tahoe to spend with my wife. I was a couple of days behind due to the high snow and calculated that I would have to average well over 30mpd for the rest of the trip. There were no more zeros and I could feel the schedule driving me to the border. This is also part of the mental game. You can see in my journal times when I struggled with this especially up near Ashland.
But there are positives.
1) You will see more sunrises and sunsets due to longer days.
2) The main source of satisfaction may be the physical challenge.
So bottom line, you should know what you are getting into, this hike is not for most people. But I enjoyed my experience and would do it again. You can see my journal over on Postholer, Trail name Malto. It has a bunch of info on training, nutrition and other critical topics all focused on fastpacking. Enjoy
Malto
I just completed my first thru. I did a 98 day fastpack of the PCT in a very high snow year. Many, many people also told me that I couldn't, shouldn't etc. But doing the AT in 3.5 months is very possible. But the question is whether you are able and willing to do what is required to make it a success? If I were in your shoes there would be three things I would do:
1) Get your pack weight down. Backpackinglight is a great place to start that process.
2) Arrive at the trail in hiking shape. In my case I had to average 26.5 mpd counting all neros and zeros. I targeted 30mpd average but in reality I averaged closer to 32mpd on full hiking days to cut down on the mileage on nero days. I was doing 30+ mile days from the start which was critical in hitting my schedule
3) Preparation. I did primarily mail drops to cut down on the time needed for resupply and to ensure that had the right number of calories for the leg. I also added local food especially as I bumped my caloric intake as high as 8000 calories per day. Bottom line you will want to be prepared to make sure you are efficient on the trail. Also, make sure all your gear is testied in the field. Look tyo get setup and teardown down to minutes.
A few other tips:
1) You actually have time to take some zeros. I took 7 plus another 3 half and half days (half one day plus half another.) Doing it again I would likely not take any. I would target doing a 60-75% mileage day on the day you hit town. That will usually allow you to hit the PO or other businesses before they close. I found that this lower mileage day combined with a couple of good meals were enough to recharge my batteries. I would also do more in and out of town and spend the night on the trail. Scott Williamson advises to live on the trail, bathe, sleep laundry etc. Focus on town stops that are easy and quick.
2) As far as training.... You are fortunate to live in CO where you can get some realistic training. I met a hiker that wanted to do the PCT in about 100 days but had no elevation change in his training. He struggled with the hills in SoCal even they they were fairly tame. He utimately didn't finish.
3) If you are properly trained then it is much more of a mental game. If you are not trained then physical pain will become mental pain. I did some very high mileage trainin hikes on the AT prior to my trip, one as long as a 57 mile day. I had also thought of these as physical training but they were actually more mental. My goal was not to have any one day on the PCT be one of my five toughest days of hiking. I'm not sure I accomplished this but came close. It was nice to know on a tough long day that you have done it before. It removes that mental barrier that tells our body that it can't be done.
4) Don't hike fast. Start early and keep a consistant pace all day. Minimize breaks by eating snacks on the go. You will likely pass more people as they are sleeping in their teants in the morning and evening than you will on the trail.
5) Avoid the shelters. It will force you to cut or add mileage. If you want more social interaction then stop for dinner then move on.
6) Keep your daily mileage consistant. Don't be tempted to do a 40 mile day if you will cause you to lose miles the next day.
Now the most important question, should you?
Just so you know the downsides of a fast schedule....
1) You will likely be hiking solo. There will be few people able and/willing to hike at your pace. And if there are you will likely get messed up on resupplys since they will not be synched up.
2) You will miss the trail town experiences.
3) There will be days when you find that perfect place to camp at mile 18 but you will have to move on another few miles. I probably had much less desirable campsites then the average hiker but I was only using them to sleep.
4) You will feel the schedule pressure. I took five zeros in Tahoe to spend with my wife. I was a couple of days behind due to the high snow and calculated that I would have to average well over 30mpd for the rest of the trip. There were no more zeros and I could feel the schedule driving me to the border.
But there are positives.
1) You will see more sunrises and sunsets due to longer days.
2) The main source of satisfaction may be the physical challenge.
So the bottom line is that you should know what you are getting into, this hike is not for most people. But I enjoyed my experience and would do it again. You can see my journal over on Postholer, Trail name Malto. It has a bunch of info on training, nutrition and other critical topics all focused on fastpacking. Enjoy
Malto
Great post, thanks for sharing.
If you are not trained then physical pain will become mental pain.
Excellent post.
THIS line should be repeated to the "Eat cheeseburgers. Drink beer. Don't exercise. Hope you are not one the 75% who drop off the trail" crowd....
/eat my cheeseburgers and beer after an outdoor outing. :D