Uber noob planning NOBO in May

[HarrisonTX]

Long story short, I graduate college in April at age 27 (6 years in the service). If I dont hike the AT then, I never will. It's been on my mind for 8 years. There will be no other time in my life where I have zero obligations (until retirement at least).

Please forgive my inexperience.

I'd like to hike for 3-4 weeks start on or about May 10.

I plan to start at Springer MT, which I believe is the southern start of the trail, and head North.
The AT seems to be pretty user friendly. It looks like I could hike with 3-4 days worth of food, and about every 20-35 miles stop at a town and resupply, even without a mail drop.

As far as gear I have nothing.
Do I need a tent? or will a hammock work?
Most obviously, I need a pack. I will get fitted at a local REI.
I need some decent clothes, Although I imagine in May I'll be in okay shape with a few pairs of shorts and a couple shirts.

My main concerns are these:
If you were starting in the south, is there a better place to start than springer?
I really am clueless when it comes to what gear I'd need.

Please be gentle with the flames. I'm sure this forum gets a lot of pipe dreams, but this is for real. It's absolutely happening.
The following link has been my main source of planning and information:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php?132-Re-Supply-Along-the-Appalachian-Trail-Part-1-Sprinter-MT-to-Damascus-VA

[treesloth]

I'd recommend doing LOTS more research (here and on the Internet) as far as your gear. This info can be easily obtained by your own efforts, though some here may speak up and spoon-feed you some info. ;-) I can tell you that just shirts and shorts for clothing IS a pipe dream. It can still get damn chilly in the mountains in May. Again, there's info here on this site on weather patterns for the times of the year.

As far as where to start for a monthlong hike, that's a fair enough question. There are many sages here that I'm sure will speak up and give you some sound advice.

And welcome to WB, there are some really cool and helpful people here. I've learned so much by just hanging out and reading, and occasionally participating.

[tds1195]

A hammock will work if you're comfortable hammock camping and have a good lightweight hammock. If not I would go for a tent. Keep in mind that you'll likely encounter rain so make sure you're prepared for that.
Packs are the hardest thing to recommend to anyone because pack preference varies so much from person to person. The most common advice is to get all of your gear, bring it to REI, and see which pack is a good size for you. I use a 65L pack but many people go with 50-60L instead.
Check out youtube for some good videos where people go through what they're going to bring on their AT hike. This will give you a good idea of what you need to bring vs what is considered a luxury item.
For clothes I would just make sure you have rain gear, wicking t-shirts, shorts, long pants, a jacket, good socks, and underwear. I like to wear a hat and carry a bandana, too. Hiking boots are probably obvious. A lot of people like to bring a pair of flip flops for camp, too.
You'll also want to look into these things: capability to carry 2+L of water (gatorade bottle and a platypus are a good way to go), cooking gear (a ton of different stove options as well as eating utensils), a headlamp/flashlight, water purifier (this could be tablets or a filter), sleeping bag, bear bag, food, a small knife, fire starters (small BIC lighter, flint/steel, magnesium rod/knife combo, etc), sleeping pad, pillow (if you want one), hiking poles, parachord, guidebook/maps, journal/pen (if you want to document), insect repellent, camera, repair tape (10-15 ft of duct tape is good...fixes everything!), cash/credit card (you'll go into town a few times), and toiletries (toothbrush, paste, non-scented deodorant, razor, toilet paper, chapstick).

I probably missed a few things but that gives you the idea. Some people bring more than that and some bring less.

If it were me I would start at Springer. That way if you ever decided to section hike the entire thing you will have already knocked out the first chunk. Some people don't mind not doing things in order, but I always prefer it.

[fredmugs]

If you plan on eventually hiking the whole thing then start at Springer. In 3 - 4 weeks you will get thru the Smokies and they have their own set of rules and everyone has their opinion about hammocking there since you are required to stay in the shelters.

Get the thru hikers guide. You cannot stop every 20 - 35 miles to get food unless you are willing to spend an insane amount of time off the trail getting to that food and back.

Assuming you have a spring break I would get my gear before then and do at least a couple of overnights. Plenty of lessons to be learned and a lot of them you have to learn yourself based on your own needs.

[tds1195]

Assuming you have a spring break I would get my gear before then and do at least a couple of overnights. Plenty of lessons to be learned and a lot of them you have to learn yourself based on your own needs.

Definitely. Do a weekend hike if you can, too. This will give you an idea of what the weight in your pack feels like, what you need/want, etc - it will be much better than mailing half your crap home a few days after you take off.

[dukakis]

I'm going to be thru-hiking the trail starting in mid-April.

If you want a good idea of what you're going to need, check out my gear list.

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=11194

There's a lot of room for improvement in pack weight, but it's a start. I have to be comfortable.

[max patch]

Trail Days is May 17-19 in Damascus. You may want to delay the start of your hike a week and attend that and then start hiking north OR start 70 miles or so south of Damascus and hike into town for the event. Some people like Trail Days, others wouldn't be caught dead there. At 27 years old and a new hiker, I'm guessing you'll like it.

[tds1195]

I'm going to be thru-hiking the trail starting in mid-April.

If you want a good idea of what you're going to need, check out my gear list.

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=11194

There's a lot of room for improvement in pack weight, but it's a start. I have to be comfortable.

I think that's a great set f gear, dukakis. 16.5lbs isn't bad at all!

[max patch]

I don't think you'll get flamed. Every year at least one person who has never backpacked a day in their life shows up at Springer and hikes the whole thing. No reason why you can't hike a month if thats what you want to do. Some weekend trips before now and then will be very beneficial, though.

[Feral Bill]

If your college has an outdoor program, you can probably rent gear for little cost and try it before buying. Of course, REI accepts returns if gear does not suit you, so buying there has no risk. Do ask at the store for an experienced backpacker to help you out, and still take that persons advice with a grain of salt.

[HarrisonTX]

A hammock will work if you're comfortable hammock camping and have a good lightweight hammock. If not I would go for a tent. Keep in mind that you'll likely encounter rain so make sure you're prepared for that.
Packs are the hardest thing to recommend to anyone because pack preference varies so much from person to person. The most common advice is to get all of your gear, bring it to REI, and see which pack is a good size for you. I use a 65L pack but many people go with 50-60L instead.
Check out youtube for some good videos where people go through what they're going to bring on their AT hike. This will give you a good idea of what you need to bring vs what is considered a luxury item.
For clothes I would just make sure you have rain gear, wicking t-shirts, shorts, long pants, a jacket, good socks, and underwear. I like to wear a hat and carry a bandana, too. Hiking boots are probably obvious. A lot of people like to bring a pair of flip flops for camp, too.
You'll also want to look into these things: capability to carry 2+L of water (gatorade bottle and a platypus are a good way to go), cooking gear (a ton of different stove options as well as eating utensils), a headlamp/flashlight, water purifier (this could be tablets or a filter), sleeping bag, bear bag, food, a small knife, fire starters (small BIC lighter, flint/steel, magnesium rod/knife combo, etc), sleeping pad, pillow (if you want one), hiking poles, parachord, guidebook/maps, journal/pen (if you want to document), insect repellent, camera, repair tape (10-15 ft of duct tape is good...fixes everything!), cash/credit card (you'll go into town a few times), and toiletries (toothbrush, paste, non-scented deodorant, razor, toilet paper, chapstick).

I probably missed a few things but that gives you the idea. Some people bring more than that and some bring less.

If it were me I would start at Springer. That way if you ever decided to section hike the entire thing you will have already knocked out the first chunk. Some people don't mind not doing things in order, but I always prefer it.

Solid advice, and thanks for the starter packing list. Pretty much what I had in mind. As far as a hammock and rain, I just planned to stretch out a tarp over head.


If you plan on eventually hiking the whole thing then start at Springer. In 3 - 4 weeks you will get thru the Smokies and they have their own set of rules and everyone has their opinion about hammocking there since you are required to stay in the shelters.

Get the thru hikers guide. You cannot stop every 20 - 35 miles to get food unless you are willing to spend an insane amount of time off the trail getting to that food and back.

Assuming you have a spring break I would get my gear before then and do at least a couple of overnights. Plenty of lessons to be learned and a lot of them you have to learn yourself based on your own needs.

If I start in at Springer it's required to stay in shelters?
From the guide I was reading it looked like he was stopping every 3-4 days to resupply. You say this isnt advisable?

Spring MT - Neels Gap 30 Miles (resupply)

Neels Gap - Dick’s Creek Gap/US 76 36.5 miles
Would be cool to get some beers/good food and a motel for the night.

Hiawassee, - Winding Stair Gap/US 64 (town of Franklin NC ) 40 Miles
Beers/good food and motel?..

That's just similar to what I read off the link I posted originally. But it didn't mention how far off the trails the towns were.
I'm not looking to set any sort of speed record. More like knock down a couple hundred miles and enjoy the outdoors as well as some of the local towns. Going into town every 30-40 miles would kill it?



I'm going to be thru-hiking the trail starting in mid-April.

If you want a good idea of what you're going to need, check out my gear list.

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=11194

There's a lot of room for improvement in pack weight, but it's a start. I have to be comfortable.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out


Trail Days is May 17-19 in Damascus. You may want to delay the start of your hike a week and attend that and then start hiking north OR start 70 miles or so south of Damascus and hike into town for the event. Some people like Trail Days, others wouldn't be caught dead there. At 27 years old and a new hiker, I'm guessing you'll like it.
I'll definitely look into that.


I don't think you'll get flamed. Every year at least one person who has never backpacked a day in their life shows up at Springer and hikes the whole thing. No reason why you can't hike a month if thats what you want to do. Some weekend trips before now and then will be very beneficial, though.
That's motivating. I do quite a few over the nigh canoe trips. I'm pretty resiliant and in the best shape of my life. In the Army we would be required to ruck march 20 miles in under 4 hours with 40lb pack, wearing boots. I'm familiar with carrying weight for a long distance.


If your college has an outdoor program, you can probably rent gear for little cost and try it before buying. Of course, REI accepts returns if gear does not suit you, so buying there has no risk. Do ask at the store for an experienced backpacker to help you out, and still take that persons advice with a grain of salt.
That's exactly what I plan to do. I realize a properly fitted and sized pack can really make or break a trip. I'm absolutely going to get some professional advice.