Planning for Distance

[Half-Life]

Hello.

I'm starting my thru-hike this April and I was wondering how you all (veterans and prospects) plan your distance for the hike. I have an idea of where I want to be in the first few days from the start, but after that, I have no idea. So I have some questions that maybe you can help me with.

Distance:
I plan to keep my beginning mileage somewhat low (around 10/day). Once I acclimate, I have no idea how many miles I'll want, or be able, to hike. Should I not worry about it? If I come up a few miles short of a campground/shelter, will I be able to just pitch wherever I want? Or do I have to make the mileage work?

I plan to meet family in Harper's Ferry (I'm from MD), but there is no way I can accurately decide on a date right now. Maybe it's best to call when I'm a week away and not worry about it until then?

Mail:
I don't expect to use many mail drops; they'll mostly be for mailing myself new shoes, trade out gear, and geting a luxury food item refill, that sort of thing. My concern is this: if my mileage isn't really planned, how can I ensure that my mail drop will get to me when I need it? I remember reading that USPS only holds for 30 days, and I'm hoping that hostels, etc. hold for longer. I'm hoping to hear something along the lines of, "You won't be 30 days off."

Resupplies:
Living in a society where we can have anything we want whenever we want, it's a little hard to let go of that and think, "I only need a few days worth." I suppose this concern piggybacks off of my distance concern. Not really a question here, just looking for some encouraging anecdotes:rolleyes:

Otherwise, planning is going well. I just don't know how to get my mind around daily distance expectations. Looking forward to your responses.

[leaftye]

If you walk all day and don't hold back and don't have the experience, you won't know where you'll end up. Instead of time, think more in terms of food. You want to eat as much as possible without running out before you get to your next resupply town, but don't want to have much left over.

If you did do mail drops, you should be using USPS Priority Mail. Your packages will most likely arrive within 2 business days. That means you don't need to have them mailed too far in advance. If you use the "flat rate" variation of Priority Mail, you can have it forwarded without any further charges. Planning about a week ahead works for me.

[fiddlehead]

Plan for your 10 mile a day for food. (for food drops etc.) (maybe notch it up to 12-15 after you hit VA)
Throw the plan out when you start because you will be meeting people you want to hike with and go at whatever pace works for that day/week.
Also, your body will let you know if you can keep up or must slow down. (not your schedule)
So, you are correct in assuming that you cannot predict a date for your Harpers Ferry rendezvous.

[Slo-go'en]

It will take a week or two to get a feel for it all, but you'll figure it out quick enough. There are just too many variables to predict what's gonna happen. Rarely (if ever) will you have to pack more then 5 days of food at a time. You'll carry more food then you need for the first couple of weeks for sure, but by then you'll have it dialed in.

If you put an ETA date on the package, most PO's will hold them until at least then. But its much better to send them "as needed" about a week ahead, which allows you to tell someone what you need in that box. That is, assuming you have some one willing to do that for you. If you send your self a box 3 months in advance, you can bet that what ever is in that box is not what you want now.

Whats the point of hiking the AT if you have to be on some kind of schedual anyway? Go with the flow, be one with the trail...

[Don H]

airheartvice, nice to see Baltimore will be represented on the trail again this year! What part of town are you from?
To answer some of your questions,

Distance: If you want to get an idea of what others have done go to trailjournals.com and read some of the journals, mine is there from 2011.
You can camp along the trail anywhere you want along probably 95% of the trail. Some areas have rules like how far off the trail you can camp. Some places like the Smokies and the Cumberland Valley have restrictions, your guidebook will tell you about those.
I made more miles by hiking until I felt it was time to quit instead of stopping at a shelter, but you miss the social aspect of the groups at the shelters. Some people like that, others not so much.
By the time you get to Wayneboro, VA you'll have an idea of how fast you're hiking and when you'll get to HF. Also you will have cell service along the trail in most places, at least enough to get a text out.

Mail: Even if using USPS Priority Flat Rate have packages sent at least a week in advance. I missed a package in Pearisburg that had meds in it that took more than 4 days to get there by Priority. Have packages sent from home as needed, don't send them all at once.

Resupply: The only thing you need to plan is how many days it will take you to get to the next resupply point and buy your food accordingly. Look at Baltimore Jacks resupply article here (home page, left side). It's a little dated but still good. I downloaded it into my phone for reference. Between that and your guidebook you'll be able to figure it out. Check out the other articles too, there's a wealth of info there.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like more info.

[fins1838]

airheart. no advice, but its nice to see a fellow Terp will be on the trail. im from glen burnie. wish you well & Godspeed.

[FarmerChef]

+1 to the advice so far. No one can't predict how fast you/they will be going at any point in the trail on a thru. We can provide rough guesses but it's highly dependent on your physical fitness level, what you're carrying, who you're hiking with, weather, etc. Relax. Starting out easy with low miles is a great idea. Starting out too high or chasing a deadline causes many to push too hard in the beginning, hurt themselves and drop off the trail. Take it easy and let your legs guide you for when you can add on mileage. Provided your healthy after a couple of weeks, you'll get what we call "trail legs" and your distance will increase with little perceived increase in effort.

Mail/resupply - Your plan sounds good with regard to what to send. It's very helpful to have a wingman (or wingwoman) at home to mail stuff to you while you're on the trail. Otherwise, plan to resupply when you hit town. The trail is covered with them, sometimes a hitch away but almost always nearby. You'll also find kind-hearted folks who will go out of their way to help you. You can't predict it but it will happen.

The best part about the trail is the ability to slow down and enjoy it. Slow for you might be 25 miles a day or it could be 5. Either way, worry less about miles per day and make sure you're having a good time. As another hiker once told me, "It's smiles not miles that counts!"

[moldy]

I know nothing about you, not your age, body weight, number of hip or knee replacement surgurys etc. Statisically speaking,
If you follow any kind of normal pattern you will tossing out that 10 miles per day deal within a week. In a weeks time you will know how far it is to Maine. You will adapt your dailey and weekly routine so that your average will be first 15 miles per day. Then you will start hitting it for your first 20. After that your motto will shift to "10 by 12". Thats 10 miles by 12 noon. If you start on 1 April you will enter GSMNP on the 16th. Hot Springs on the 24th. Irwin on the 30th. You will be much smarter now, your load will be lighter because you know what you need. You will know how to get going in the morning and you will know how to keep up the cadance for a 2.5 mph pace, you will figure out how to climb all the way to the top of the Mtn and then catch your breath while walking down the other side. By the time you get to Damascus on May 10th you will have figured out a way keep those little chats with day hikers down to 10 seconds or less without seeming rude and to keep up a 18 to 20 mile per day pace. On 21 May you will be in Pearisburg, you will enter SNP 2 weeks later in the first week of June and be in Harpers Ferry in a week or 2 after the kids get out of school. So if you are departing on 1 April tell your family to plan on driving to Harpers Ferry between 15 June and 1 July. Tell them that some grumpy old man on White Blaze who has a crystal ball told you so.

[Pedaling Fool]

This is one of those things that people tend to overthink before a thru, me included. It'll all come together in the first week of your hike.

[Drybones]

It's like they say in the Army, a plan is good until the first boot hits the ground, kinda like that on the trail. I took the time to develop a detailed plan on an Excel spread sheet but the problem is you dont really know how fast you'll hike until you start. I was planning on 12 miles/day for the first two weeks and 15/day thereafter, did 12 the first day, then a 16, 18, 16 and thereafter 20/day was what I targeted based on campsites and re-supply...it gets a lot easier after the first week, as much mental as physical.

[Half-Life]

Hey everybody,

Thanks for the helpful replies. What I'm most looking forward to on the hike is the lack of deadlines! I'm really going to enjoy setting my own pace, whether that be a marathon day or an easy stroll with some trail friends. And I'm certainly open for all the impromptu experiences that will pop up along the way.

Don, since you asked, I'm living downtown in Canton. I can't wait to get out of the city.

I'll finish with a story of my friend who hiked the PCT in 2005. He decided to hike it a little bit later than was prudent, maybe a month or two beforehand. Anyway, he went the can-stove route and made a few backups just in case. He started his hike mid-April and on his first night out, he realized he had never actually cooked with it. He tested it at home to make sure it burned, but that was about it. In his trail journal entry from the first night, he said he just pretended like he knew what he was doing (as well as for the rest of the hike). It worked out well for him, he learned a lot, and he completed his thru-hike.

Thanks again!

[Blissful]

As long as you have a helpful person on the homefront, you can gauge the maildrop as you hike along. Then phone the person and tell them to send it ten days out.

On average it will take you approx ten-eleven weeks to get to HF.

[RCBear]

Moldy, that is one of the better post replies I have seen in some time, regardless of topic. This is the reason I check in at least once a day on WB. Good stuff!