Tourist Hiking

[Rock Ape]

Hi im in the UK im 40 and just getting fit after knee surgery. I've been reading Bill Bryson's "walk in the woods". I could do that...or could i?
so my question is .....where the hell do you start if the starting destination is 5000 miles from your house. Has anyone traveled huge distances to walk a huge distance.

[TOMP]

Yup and its a ton of fun to do it. I travelled to Vancouver Island, BC to hike the west coast trail and also to Arizona to hike the Grand Canyon. With all the info on the internet is pretty easy to plan and not much different than hiking any other place that you have never been before. Im sure if you posted how many miles you want to do you could get some nice suggestions for a section hike on the AT.

Dealing with planes is just another expense and be aware of what you cant bring, such as a stove, fuel, knifes as carry ons, pepper spray as a carry on and into some countries (CANADA doesnt allow it but sells bear spray once in the country).

[Rock Ape]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'd like to dedicate 30 days to the vacation so 25 days on the trail seams about right.
Getting to Atlanta or any other suggested start point seams easy enough. I think i'd like to see the most stunning part of the trail as i may never get the chance again. But any suggestions would be taken on board. :eek:

[Bati]

Start with the same things you'd need if you weren't hiking: passports, Visa's, health insurance, who can handle matters at home if you can't be reached for a week. Make sure you have a credit card from visa or mastercard, as you can use them to make reservations ahead of time and while on the trail. An ATM card that lets you make foreign withdrawals is probably your cheapest way to get cash, but it depends on the rules at your bank. Check for common systems, like plus or star or get a card that has access to a common one.

Then, line up an easy way to be reached if it's important. It's nice to get a call when someone dies, as opposed to a letter that arrives a week later telling you you've missed the funeral. Plans to get a track phone and send the number to someone back home who will destribute it might work, or you may want to go with a more expensive plan. Make sure you're "home contact person" also knows the basics regarding calling the police, forest service, etc. if you need to be reached and that they can speak the language here, etc.

Add in a few items like a road ID if you have special health needs (a sort of dog-tag that could link to your medical records if needed, or just listing a contact person's number that the hospital can use to find your "home contact person".). Otherwise, if you're in a car wreck after hitching a ride back to the trail, it may be a while before anyone back home finds out.

If you take regular prescription drugs, find out the rules and shelf life, or maintain a list of similar drugs with the US names. At least one visit to a doctor in the US might cover them all but don't expect to get a bunch prescribed if you can't help with dosages and names of what's available here. If you have allergies, make sure you know what the things are called over here (food dyes and preservatives may have different names)


Packing your gear is the same as for a short trip, but mail drops are more difficult. Try to plan for a minimum of mail drops; if you're on the AT, this might mean one for the 100 mile wilderness, that you send to yourself when you're in a town with a lot of good food options, and one to get warmer or cooler clothes. Alternatively, you might plan to just mail-order different clothes or a bag when you get here if you can't find them at a local outfitter; you should be able to ship items to general delivery along the trail.

When you arrive, plan one complete day in major town or by a major store (like Neel's gap) to purchase gear that the TSA might confiscate (gas stoves and fuel bottles). Or ask a hostel owner if they would accept an order from REI or somewhere similar with any gear you can't ship or don't want to pay to have shipped overseas (such as AT maps). Having access to a good grocery store at the start is a plus. ( I've eaten tuna for days on end because I flew into Iceland on a Sunday when all the stores were closed and had to eat out of gas stations and very small stores until I reached another full-size grocery at the end of the trip.) Take a day to get over jet-lag and mail yourself a bounce box if needed (extra maps or summer clothes that you've brought).

Decide on your priorities- to hike or to experience the culture, and plan accordingly. If you only have time to hike 1000 miles, will you flip? Want to spend 2 days in New York or DC? Listen to fiddles? See the Whites and the smokey mountains? Make a side trip to the grand canyon? Spend a month on the AT, then a month on the PCT? It's your hike, so do what you want.

And finally, enjoy the hiking!

[aaronthebugbuffet]

What is most appealing to you about hiking the AT?

[rocketsocks]

Hi i'm in the UK i'm 40 and just getting fit after knee surgery. I've been reading Bill Bryson "walk in the woods". I could do that...or could i?
so my question is .....where the hell do you start if the starting destination is 5000 miles from your house. Has anyone traveled huge distances to walk a huge distance.Most folks have to travel to get to the trail head.It is the few that can throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence and start hiking.But 5000 miles ,that's commitment! good luck with your hike and your recovery.

[jlo]

Last summer, I ran into several Europeans who were in the States on a 90 day visa just hiking as much of the AT as they could and having a great time :) I'm personally fond of Virginia, so I say go there. Fly into DC, take the train to Harper's Ferry and head south. Then you can take the bus back from Waynesboro or Roanoke back up to DC to fly back. (www.greyhound.com (http://www.greyhound.com)) Lot of other hikers in the summer months and the first few days will be hard (it is no matter where you start), but then it's fun. And Northern VA has the nicest shelters of the trail thanks to the PACT. You hit the Shenandoah National Park about 70 miles south of Harpers Ferry where there's lots of deer and bears.

I say you should totally do it! I've done the same kind of trip cycling around Ireland and the UK and had a great time! You meet a lot of neat people and see beautiful countryside and challenge yourself.

[TOMP]

30 days is a nice chunk. I wouldnt do mail drops if you are shipping from overseas. Just isnt worth the high cost. Its supposedly real easy to resupply in towns. Also I would pick a month that has warm and consistent temperatures so that you dont have to deal with cold weather clothes and thier added weight. You will get many good trip suggestions pick the one that appeals most to you, I assume you know a little bit about the points of interest on the trail. If I were you I would start in Maine at Katahdin on July 1st and hike south for 25-30 days. You will get a great part of the trail during some of the best weather for that area.

[strollingalong]

it's only about 50% further than from Seattle. Bring me some bloody Marmite!

[Rock Ape]

What is most appealing to you about hiking the AT?

Well as i said, i read.... A walk in the woods (bill Bryson) If you haven't read it you should...Oh gosh reasons...well the back drop is terrific. From what i have read, the terrain is stunning. The path seams well defined and easy to follow. Everybody seams so nice and friendly.

[Rock Ape]

it's only about 50% further than from Seattle. Bring me some bloody Marmite!

If you mail me your address i'll happily send you a jar...If you really like it?

[bigcranky]

People are nice and friendly, yes. The path is well defined and easy to follow, yes. The terrain is stunning, yes, but perhaps not in the way you think. More like a "this is going to give me a heart attack" kind of stunning. It's not the endless views and snow capped peaks of the Western U.S.A. It's more intimate, close, and on a smaller scale. In warm weather the trees take over and create what hikers call the "long green tunnel."

Can you do month long hike from England? Sure, lots of people do. You might want to base your preparations on something other than the Bryson book, which was written for its wry wit and not as a manual for hiking the AT. Try the Thru Hiker's Companion, for starters, available from http://aldha.org/ . If you join, you can download the digital version free.

Good luck and happy trails.

[Rock Ape]

Hi Ken thank you for you coments. I will order the Thru Hiker's Companion. The idea its self is only just hatching i'm still on crutches lol, I vacationed in Vegas a few years back and although the terrain is stunning its also kinda bleak. I would love to see some of New England, being from old England. The walk shouldn't be a problem at all. I have no set goals as far as distance goes. the suggestion earlier about Heading South from Harpers Ferry and then getting transport back north seam to be a good starting point. The logistics however seem a big task. I've never opperated without a central base before. I am really looking forward of the the challenge.

[Nutbrown]

A friend of mine refuses to hike the AT because she has hiked the PCT and would hate being in the dark woods all day. I kind of like the few views you get, makes them more worth it.

but speaking to traveling far to walk a long way... I dream of walking the trail to Santiago in Spain. One day.....

[Digger'02]

Hi im in the UK im 40 and just getting fit after knee surgery. I've been reading Bill Bryson's "walk in the woods". I could do that...or could i?
so my question is .....where the hell do you start if the starting destination is 5000 miles from your house. Has anyone traveled huge distances to walk a huge distance.


There's a Rocky Top trail crew volunteer that comes in from Leeds England every year to work in the smokies. thats big.

[Rock Ape]

There's a Rocky Top trail crew volunteer that comes in from Leeds England every year to work in the smokies. thats big.
Have you any other details on this guy please?

[fredmugs]

I agree with Harpers Ferry as the easiest place to get to the trail from a major airport. Going 25 days south from there will be a lot easier and more enjoyable than heading north. There is nothing enjoyable about Pennsylvania.

If you are recovering from knee surgery I would avoid the White Mountains and most of Maine.

On the trail most people will go out of their way to help you out. Most people (myself included) are way nicer when we're out hiking.

[Rock Ape]

I agree with Harpers Ferry as the easiest place to get to the trail from a major airport. Going 25 days south from there will be a lot easier and more enjoyable than heading north. There is nothing enjoyable about Pennsylvania.

If you are recovering from knee surgery I would avoid the White Mountains and most of Maine.

On the trail most people will go out of their way to help you out. Most people (myself included) are way nicer when we're out hiking.


Thanks again for your input........ My knee will be 100% in a few months (fingers crossed) . Whats so bad about Pennsylvania?.

[Blissful]

30 days and may never get back? Most stunning scenery? If you can't do Vermont and New Hampshire on account of your knee (which would be my suggestion for a section, start at the Mass border and head north) then Smoky Mountain National Park north past Damascus and Grayson Highlands in VA

[TOMP]

Thanks again for your input........ My knee will be 100% in a few months (fingers crossed) . Whats so bad about Pennsylvania?.

Nothing people are haters. Its just rocky and dry so isnt fun if its hot. Its still beautiful.

[bamboo bob]

[QUOTE=Nutbrown;1253475]A friend of mine refuses to hike the AT because she has hiked the PCT and would hate being in the dark woods all day. I kind of like the few views you get, makes them more worth it.

The AT and the PCT are very different but they are both wonderful trails. The AT has plenty of beautiful views, the Green Tunnel thing can be exaggerated.

[Rock Ape]

Thanks Bob and everyone for all your input. Its a 1000 piece puzzle but i think i have found the corners.:)

[jakedatc]

slightly biased but NH to maine as far as you can get in your time limit would be pretty sweet.

[Montana AT05]

A few comments:

1. I've been overseas for a long hike, New Zealand's Te Araroa trail. It was a blast. I just packed my backpack and one box of extra gear and bounced it around the islands as I do in the states (post offices). It was easy. So you can do this easily.
2. Lot's of good ideas on sections to do here and I agree with them all. Each part of the AT is unique, you can't go wrong no matter the choice.
3. Harpers Ferry is the psychological mid point for AT thru hikers and is right along a commonly used railroad line, easy to get to from DC as others stated. There is also an AT-focused outfitter there as well as the AT headquarters should you need a guidebook or gear or advice. You could go north or south from there and you'll be able to find a way back to an airport or such (be aware the buses in America are umm...not like in Europe, I prefer to rent a car or fly at all costs!)
4. The most popular guide book on the AT can found at www.theATguide.com.
5. Logistics along the trail are easy--you can hitch hike into towns and in many places the trail goes right through a town or at the very least near a gas station where you can buy food (not the best food but hey it's food!)
6. I've met a good number of people from England on my hikes along the AT. I completed my thru hike in 2005 with an English guy actually. This past year saw a ton of Germans...there was an AT documentary in Germany and, well, New Zealand and Australia closed their VISA apps to Germans because there were so many there already...so the Germans came to the US instead, heh.
7. If you decide to start your hike at the southern terminus of the trail, check out the www.hikerhostel.com. All you do is get to the Atlanta airport, take an easy to find train to the end of the line (takes about 40 mins), and wait to get picked up by the hostel folks. It's a slick operation and you'll meet other hikers depending on time of year.

Anyways, you'll have fun and spending 30 days hiking here in the US is an easy thing to do. Hope you enjoy the trip if you take it.

Oh and the AT guide book I linked to has info on shuttle services, hostels, nearby amentities, etc, everything you'll need to plan a trip.

[Montana AT05]

The AT and the PCT are very different but they are both wonderful trails. The AT has plenty of beautiful views, the Green Tunnel thing can be exaggerated.

Bamboo Bob, I agree with your comments on the AT. In fact I prefer the AT over the PCT by far...it's a personal thing. I live in "expansive [insert grandiose description of wilderness here] view" country here in Montana, so the AT's green tunnel, flora and fauna, history, towns, weather, and all it's ups and down (literally, ouch) are what appeal to me. It's just a great trail in my opinion, warts and all. I've never once been bored on the AT...I love the countryside views, seeing the green farmlands, the small towns covered in trees, how the trail goes through some of that farmland and through some of those towns...it's just a great diversity of experiences.

Though I could do without the rolling "duuuude we're drinking brewskis along the AT" frat parties that infest the first 400 miles of the AT in March and April. <-- ya I am cranky.

[bigcranky]

Sorry, no, I'm Cranky. You can be curmudgeonly if you like.

I've hiked out West, and loved it. The views are awesome, the trails are pleasant, it's a very nice experience (except maybe the gasping for breath the first few days.) But, I feel a whole lot better when I get back home to the Appalachians. So I totally 100% agree with Montana on this one.

I mentioned the long green tunnel to Rock Ape only to point out the differences and to temper his expectations.