Is four months to thru-hike NOBO a realistic time frame?

[barnanimal]

I'm going to be thru-hiking from this spring with a estimated departure date between mid-March to early April. I've read so many different accounts, but from everything I've read it seems that they say to allow 5-6 months to finish.

I'm planning on finishing the trail in about 4 months, is this a realistic goal?

I know it's easy to say typing from my computer at work, but I don't really plan on taking many zero days. I don't plan on spending a lot of extra time in town besides getting the things done I need to get done. I don't expect to want to stay in very many motels and hostels and all of that. I am sure I will feel differently on the trail, but for me personally, constantly spending my time in towns and not under the stars is not the reason behind going on this adventure. Nothing against those that choose to do that, but it's just not something I am interested in.

I run ~80-100 miles a week on average right now (training for a marathon), so my feet and legs are pretty used to taking a beating. Again, I know it will be much different with a heavy pack on my back, but I think I have a decent foundation for beginning.

I know there are some who will advise against "rushing" things or keeping to a schedule, but I feel like this would be a steady pace for me personally while still allowing almost two weeks of "zero" days to play around while keeping about a ~20 mile/day average.

I have been reading almost every decent blog and trail journal I can find the last few weeks, and very few have kept up this kind of pace.

So is it realistic? Have any of you finished in about 4 months? Can you describe your experience?

[Tenderheart]

I did it in 129 days with no zeroes and I was 52 years old. I think my average was a little over 17 mpd.

[Don H]

It took me 6 months. It depends on a lot of different factors. How fast you hike, will you to take a lot of zeros, weather, injuries, emergency at home, ect. Do you have a time frame you need t be done by?

[barnanimal]

It took me 6 months. It depends on a lot of different factors. How fast you hike, will you to take a lot of zeros, weather, injuries, emergency at home, ect. Do you have a time frame you need t be done by?

Don, I don't really have a set time frame to get it done by, but I'd like to finish in about 4 months. It would still give me some summer left to enjoy and I don't know how much longer I could afford to not be working. I think I actually read through your journal on the trailjournals website if you go by "chainsaw." It caught my attention when you mentioned Reisterstown in one of your posts (I grew up in Westminster)

[barnanimal]

I did it in 129 days with no zeroes and I was 52 years old. I think my average was a little over 17 mpd.

Do you feel like you did it too quickly to enjoy it? Was it hard not taking zero days?

[Don H]

Another thing that I experienced was that the trail started wearing on me and the end result was my pace slowed after MA. The injuries that everyone gets, pulled muscles, sprain and such never get a chance to heal. Of course everyone slows down in NH and ME due to terrain. I expected to take 5 months but ended up taking 6. I think the trail can be done in 4 months, but do you want the experience what comes with rushing and pushing too hard? I see we are from the same town, not too many mountains around here. Have you tried hiking in some mountain areas? It's hard to describe what you will face in NH and ME.

[Mags]

The short answer is if you are good physical condition, enjoy hiking all day, have a light pack and don't mind missing out on the social aspect of the AT then 4 months is very doable goal.

Is it enjoyable? If you, again, enjoy walking all day and don't necessarily want to camp more.

The AT is more of a social experience esp if it is a first thru-hike. But, it does not have to last 6 months.

Cue in the 'stop and smell the roses' crowd..
Cue in my response: Stop to smell the roses = short hiking days (on the trail at 9am, stop in camp by 5pm and along lunch break), many town stops with generous amount of zero days, camping in a mouse-infested shelter.

[Spokes]

I did it in 143 days with a total of 7 zero days. Loved taking nero days, allowed me to get all my town chores done and still have time to rest a bit.

[barnanimal]

I see we are from the same town, not too many mountains around here. Have you tried hiking in some mountain areas? It's hard to describe what you will face in NH and ME.
I've done Old Rag in Shenandoah a few times the last couple of weeks, but other than that I try to take a 10-12 mile hike on a new trail each weekend. I'm not sure how that compares to the AT but I am resisiting the urge to do any part of the AT before the thru-hike since I want it all to be brand new to me.

[Don H]

Yea, that's me "Chainsaw". I lost about 3 weeks to an ankle injury. I hiked with Buckeye Flash who walked on a hairline fracture of the ankle for over 300 miles and Deadman hiked with a fractured tailbone. Everyone I was hiking with had injuries by the time we got done and it slowed everyone down. I think about 80% of the people that start at Springer quit by the end, many before we got out of GA. In the beginning there were lots of people set on finishing fast, most dropped out due to overuse injuries, especially knee injuries. And lots quit because they ran out of money.

[Don H]

I had over 800 miles of AT section hikes before I started, redid it all anyway. They say when you get to NH you've done 80% of the trail but still have 80% of the work left to do. By then you will be in trail shape and ready to tackle some of the toughest terrain around. You can certainly have the goal of 4 months and be ready to go longer if needed. It can be done as long as everything goes well.

[Odd Man Out]

Have you seen this post from the archives? It might be my favorite WB post ever.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?12885-AT-Hiking-Rates-Section-by-Section

He doesn't say how many people hiked at various paces (only gives medians and means). But Table 4 gives a "schedule" for a typical 4 month hike, not that these people were on a schedule, but this is just how long it took people to reach various points if they ended up hiking the trail in 4 months.

[Moose2001]

Can it be done in 4 months? Sure it can. Especially if you stay with your statements about not spending a lot of time in town. Just remember to finish in 4 months requires an average of 18 miles per day. In fact, you'd have to average above 18 miles per day to cover your rest days. Can you do that every day? When I did the PCT, it wasn't the 20+ miles per day that was hard for me. It was knowing I had to do that many miles every day that was the difficult part for me. YMMV.

The one piece of advice I'd suggest is if you want to do this, start out at a moderate pace. Many hikers who quit get injured in GA because they are trying to blaze out too fast. Let your body adapt to the miles and the exercise. The fact you're a runner will help some but hiking with a pack and running are two different things.

Good luck!

[Don H]

barnanimal, however you do it have fun and good luck!

[Bati]

You also need to decide how you feel about slackpacking, which the ATC recognizes as counting towards a thru-hike. By slackpacking, you can do many more miles in a day, but the feeling of dependence, planning and deadlines may be very foreign to a backpacker. If you don't want to do this, allow more time than if you are willing to do so.

Your plans to resupply via maildrops or in towns may also impact your timeline. There's nothing worse than arriving at a post office just after it closes on a Saturday and having to take an unplanned off day on Sunday. But if you have the money and opportunities to buy food in town and head on (while forwarding or returning the package), you might be able to skip the delays. Don't assume that maildrops always slow you down- going into small stores every few days to try to find decent food can also be a real time waster.

Based on your start date, you could encounter some bad weather, so luck will definitely play a role in it.

[Blissful]

barnanimal, however you do it have fun and good luck!

That about sums it up. I mean some need to rush b/c of time constraints (like schooling). I you don't have them, then take some time and enjoy it. If you do have constraints, then hike hike hike, which is all you will do in 4 months' time.

Tell you though, you start out doing 20s or do them in NH and lower ME, you're looking at possible injury.

[Blissful]

I've done Old Rag in Shenandoah a few times the last couple of weeks, but other than that I try to take a 10-12 mile hike on a new trail each weekend. I'm not sure how that compares to the AT but I am resisiting the urge to do any part of the AT before the thru-hike since I want it all to be brand new to me.

That's good, but lot of trails in VA don't compare to a many parts of the AT experience. Esp if you think you can start out with 20 miles a day early on. Curious to know what trails you have done. Are you carrying a full backpack load when you do these hikes?
Need to do the Old Rag Ridge trail southbound down the rocks (not north) with a pack on your back - up and down several times in one hike and see how your knees take the poundiing... (good for some of NH and ME). Also try to do whole sections of SNP - 30 miles in one day.

[Slo-go'en]

I have been reading almost every decent blog and trail journal I can find the last few weeks, and very few have kept up this kind of pace.

That is because very few CAN keep up that kind of pace. A 4 month thru is a physically demanding task. A hand full have done the trail in 90 days, a bit more in 120, but most take 150 to 180.

You can try for 4, but plan on at least 5. Just in case reality catches up with wishfull thinking.

[evyck da fleet]

If you haven't already check the 2000 miler listing and sort by completion date. You can check the start/end dates to see who has completed their hikes in 4 months and possibly link to their journal. I found a couple marathoners who started out with 15-18 mile days and were doing 25-35 when the trail flattened out. You might also want to see what kind of equipment they carried. If you're carrying more weight YMMV.

[map man]

Since Odd Man Out has already linked to the article I wrote about typical hiking speeds for various AT sections I'll give you some numbers I compiled when doing that study. Of the 240 hikers in the study only 14 NOBO hikers finished the trail in less than 120 days -- around 6% of hikers. So if you assume that the hikers in the study were fairly representative of NOBO thru-hike completers, and if you assume that only one out of every four or five thru-hikers starting at Springer actually makes it to Katahdin, then somewhere between 1% and 2% of hikers who start at Springer with the intention of thru-hiking actually do so in four months or less.

The odds don't look too good!

Here are some things you can do to improve your chances:

Show up in shape.
Have your gear dialed in (emphasis on traveling light).
Keep zero days to a minimum.

[garlic08]

There have been good responses so far. All I'll add is that you have no idea how you're going to do until you get out there and hike for 2000 miles. I hiked the AT in 3.5 months and had fun doing it, but it was not my first long hike and I knew how to hike 20+ mile days consistently. I met a few first-time hikers at the end of my hike who were on a four-month schedule, so yes, it's possible for you. Map man's percentages sound about right, and so do his three tips on successful hiking.

[bad marriage]

If you are truly running 80 to 100 mile weeks, that moves you to another whole level of fitness, compared to most hikers. Re: Map Man, you may just be in that 1% - 2% group. Most work-a-day marathoners I know, including myself, are hard pressed to squeeze in 40 to 50 mile weeks, maybe a little more building for a race. So if your body can hold up to 100 mile weeks, I think four months would be very doable for you. Are you familiar with Hammer Nutrition's endurance products? They might help keep you from breaking down from four months of high milage days... all the best

[sbhikes]

I would set out with a 4 month thru-hike as my goal and if it turned out that I wasn't having fun or being able to achieve it, I would change my goal. Why even worry about such things? Figure out what it takes, try to do it and either succeed or change your goal. With your open-ended time frame, it should work out splendidly either way.

[Driver8]

It seems like the key here, aside from preparation, gear and fitness, is one you, barnanimal will know about yourself where we wouldn't: are you ready, mentally, to be a lone wolf for four months? Or can you find a hiking partner who can do a four-month hike with you? If you see yourself as someone who can do that long in the wilderness mostly alone, or if you can find a good partner, I agree with bad marriage - you look to be a good candidate based on physical conditioning.

Everyone here will tell you to get in plenty of overnight or multiple day backpacking trips before you hit the AT - test your gear, get a feel for hiking with the big pack, figure out what all you can jettison from your pack and still get by comfortably.

From what you've written here, my sense is that you want to do four months and are in condition for it, so if you can stand the isolation or pair up with a good partner, and if you plan and prepare thoroughly, you've got a reasonable shot. Something tells me that if you end up taking 140 days, you won't be terribly upset, and if somehow you do it in 110, you'll be thrilled. Hope you enjoy in any event. Do what works for you.

[Spokes]

The question should be-What's the biggest temptation to thwart a 4 month thru? Hanging with the party crowd and becoming a town hound are two that come to mind. The lure can be over-powering no matter how many miles per week you're running now, especially after 5 straight days of drenching rain in the woods. Beer, beds, and an AYCE make your mind do crazy things.

[kyhipo]

yes ,but remember I am not a thru hiker and after 4 mnts you better be having fun.kyhipo

[hikerboy57]

just curious. as to your timeframe, Ill leave that up to the people whove done it. But in your post you say you have more time, but would like some summer left after you finish to do othr things. As many have commented on life after the trail, about readjusting to "real life" and the desire to thru hike again, I just want to ask what you have planned to do after you finish,if you have more summer left. Go hike?

[Frankenfoot]

I did it in 135 hiking days plus about 21 zero/nero days in 2009. I think if you have the time, then just use it to do the hike in a way that you can enjoy it. Personally, taking time to know other hikers and seeing what some towns have to offer really enhanced the enjoyment of the hike...but it costs more too obviously. There is a real temptation to get wrapped up in the miles and numbers, but focusing on that leads to less happiness in my opinion. The people you meet, I must re-emphasize, just might change your life. Take time to know them. Physically, I had knee problems from the downhill sections in GA and I had hiked a lot of these sections as well as NC sections before. I was very experienced as a hiker and in decent shape. You just can't train for the down hills. You also have to budget time for beer and buds ya know...if you are into that.