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appgrad22
03-10-2005, 12:35
last night, my buddy and i tried planning our intinerary for april 1 northbound. after getting through the first month, we racked up 380 miles averaging about 12-15 miles per day...with no zero days. we multiplied that by 6 months and still wound up about 140 miles short...with no zero days.

our brains were fried by then so we called it a night. :datz im wondering if anyone would care to show me a copy of their itinerary so we can have some sort of idea of the pace we need to go and what-not. i need to take a full week off in june to be in a wedding, so how bad would that affect the overall outcome? any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

andrew
[email protected]

Lone Wolf
03-10-2005, 13:04
You WILL NOT stick to any itinerary you make out. Guaranteed.

chris
03-10-2005, 13:07
I think some of your math might be a bit off. To cover 380 miles in a month means that you'll be averaging 12.6 miles per day. If you cover 380 miles every month, then after 6 months you'll have hiked 380*6=2280 miles, which will put you somewhere north of Baxter.

If the AT is 2170 miles long (it isn't), and you want to hike until the end of September (183 days), then you need to average 2170/183 = 11.80 miles per day (not per hiking day). To account for zero days (assuming you take, say, 30 zeroes), you'll need to average 2170/153=14.2 miles per hiking day.

If you want to cover 380 miles the first month, then you will have 1790 miles left to hike and you have a total of 153 days to hike them in. So, you need to average 1790/153=11.69 miles per day (not per hiking day) over this leg. If you plan on taking, say, 25 zero days on this stretch, then you'll neeed to average 1790/128=14 miles per hiking day.

Note that if you live a reasonably active life and are not hauling a lot of stuff, you can cover 12 miles by about 11 in the morning.

A-Train
03-10-2005, 13:11
Not to worry, seriously. I'm not just trying to be nice. Having an itinerary is more of a hinderance than a help, in the fact that it's time consuming and will not really help you during your trip. I made a mock schedule, guessing where I'd be, so that my mom would "know" where I was, but this was completely stupid anyway, as how would I know where I'd be. And You certainly don't want to have to be anywhere at a certain time, as that takes away from the spontaneaity and fun of a thru-hike. I ended up summiting Katahdin a MONTH before I thought I would and every time I called home and had to listen to my mom saying how far ahead of my "schedule" I was. Made me feel like a hero, :rolleyes:

Also, your first month will definately be your slowest. I had only hiked roughly 340 miles in my first month, but then hiked almost 500 the second month and 500+ the next. You get into better shape and by week three can probably hike close to twice as many miles as you started at. Once you get your trail legs things can change a lot.

I'm sure someone on here has a miles spread sheet, but I don't think it would do you a whole lot of good since every one hikes at different paces, has different sized loads and is in diferent shape and motivation of the mind.

Good luck

Van Lloyden
03-10-2005, 14:42
Depending on where you are on the trail 12-15 miles will be pretty easy. If you have a light pack it will certainly seem easy. Chances are with a medium pack weight, you could cover that distance way before the day is at its end. In Maryland, if you wanted to, you could cover that 45 miles in a day. You'd have to take a zero day after, but it is feasible. I'd be suprised if you are doing a thru hike and you find yourself unable to push more than 12-15 a day

neo
03-10-2005, 14:53
dont worry,take it one day at a time,i was doing 15 miles a day in georgia,i average 20 miles a day in nc,tn,va,pa,nj,ny,ct,ma,one day at a time:sun neo

Kerosene
03-10-2005, 15:31
I'd ditch the itinerary also, at least beyond the first week or two, and then only as a reminder to keep your daily mileage down so you don't go out too fast and injure yourself.

Peaks
03-10-2005, 17:36
First, when your brain isn't fried, 6 months at 380 miles per month is 2280 miles, longer than the AT.

Second, now that you have made a first pass at a schedule, keep it up for the entire trail. Family and friends like to know roughly where you are.

Set the itenary aside, and review it periodically and update it.

Once out on the trail, use the schedule as a base-line. On those days when you feel like hiking more, then hike more, and on those days when you feel like hiking less, hike less. Don't be a slave to your base schedule.

Good luck with your continued planning.

Doctari
03-10-2005, 20:22
You WILL NOT stick to any itinerary you make out. Guaranteed.

Yep, it's not gonna happen. Nice in theory, but as the Wolf says,,,,,,

If you have figured out the first month, be happy, soon you will see. You will go as fast & far as you go, no more no less.

That said: having a general idea where the: H2O, shelters, campsites, food is located is a good idea, but most of your "Planning" will actually happen on a day to day basis out on the trail.

Doctari.

chris
03-11-2005, 10:53
When I hiked the PCT, I used a great little internet program called Craig's PCT Planner. I used it to get a handle on where I might resupply and how much food I would need to haul. My mother needed some sort of idea about where I'd be and when so she could send me letters. I handed her an old print out. When I got back, it turned out I hit almost every stop-off point on exactly the same day as listed on the print out. But this was just a coincidence,

Skyline
03-11-2005, 11:21
If you're doing maildrops, or you have friends/family to consider, you need SOME idea when you're going to be where . . . but as Wolf says, it's a certainty you won't follow your itinerary once on the Trail. (EDIT: Apologies to Chris, just above, who proves that for every "rule" there is an exception.)

Does this mean you shouldn't go through the planning process? IMHO, this exercise is part of the fun. It can also help you get familiar with both the A.T. and the trail towns. But don't get overly anal about it.

If you can guesstimate the amount of food and other expendibles you need--plus a little more as a safety net--to get from Point A to Point B that's really the only info you need to know. And you really only need to know that much for the first few weeks.

For the balance of your hike, flexibility is a key and you don't want to be tied to either a strict schedule or the same food all the way to Maine. You can adjust your supplies as you go by buying in town and/or letting those sending your maildrops know what you need or want. It will likely change from your initial anticipations.

Mags
03-11-2005, 11:28
As with Skyline, I actually enjoy the planning part. Looking over the maps, figuring out where I am going to re-supply, and so on. Almost as if I am doing the trail twice: once in my head, once by foot!

Just use the plans as a rough guidline. Use it to gauge about where you are going to be. Don't use it as a concrete plan. It will just make you frustrated!

Footslogger
03-11-2005, 12:25
An itinerary is nice for "coarse" planning purposes prior to your hike and to guestimate where (and when) you might be in a certain place in order to pick up a package. Otherwise ...as others have said, an itinerary will get in your way once you're actually out there hiking. You won't follow it.

'Slogger
AT 2003

A-Train
03-11-2005, 13:30
Yes I strongly agree with Mags. Just because I said planning a schedule was unecessary in my early post doesn't change the fact that I LOVE to make mock schedules. They don't mean much once you're out there, but they can take hours and hours of fun to make, particularly if you're looking to avoid doing other work.

I still make mock schedules for the AT, based on a possible repeat hike, a SOBO, a faster hike, a slower hike or leaving later in the year. I'm sure i'll be doing this for the PCT in the upcoming months too. I'm a dork, I know

I knew the trail so well from pouring over maps, reading journals and memorizing the books that people were trying to call me DATA on the trail. As Mags says, I felt like I already knew the trail before I set foot on it, almost like two seperate hikes