A big howdy from Texas!

[wesleygalles]

Howdy, first time poster here!
So I'll be going for a thu-hike this summer (SOBO here) and I had a couple of questions:

Getting from Texas to Maine, what city in Maine should be my destination, and what is the cheapest way there, a bus?
I want to make this hike as laid back as possible, so I really don't want any strict itineraries, is it possible just to wing it on when to stop into towns?
Should I bring all my gear, especially winter stuff, with me at the beginning, or should I pick up cold weather gear once I get further south once I hit Sept-Nov time of year?
Minus gear, how much have money did some of you bring with you? Also, is it a better idea to use card or cash?
I'm sure I'll think of more questions as the thread progresses. Thank you all!

[TEXMAN]

Howdy to you ...
I live in Plano TX , attempted a thru hike in 2009 and have done 1600 miles so far ...PM me and I will send you my phone number/email so i can answer your questions ....

I am looking for a partner to do a 2-3 or 4 day hike in Arkansas on the Ouachita trail .... may be a a good warmup hike for you to shake out your equipment on ..

As to your questions ....I would take amtrak to Boston , bus from Boston to bangor , bangor to Medway and then hitch into Millinocket and then to Baxter
unless you can afford to spend a night at the Hostel in Millinocket ...they will pick you up at Bus / give you a place to spend the night and then bring you to Baxter the next morning....

Depending on what date you start and what you have for winter gear you may just want to bring that with you in the beginning ...until you get through the Whites ...they can be pretty cool in June ..... I was on Mt washington last July and it was only 50 degrees up there...so a southerner may find it cold

You need both cash and ccards.... smaller places have less options ....

Old Man River
www.trailjournals.com/omriver (http://www.trailjournals.com/omriver)

[Feral Bill]

Welcome to Whiteblaze! Ignore the occasional bickering and
you'll find the site very useful.

[Slo-go'en]

A bus would probably be the cheapist way to get there, but it would likely be a trip you'd never want to repete. I'm guessing at least three days nonstop and you'd be a seriously sleep deprived zombie by the time you got to Maine. Amtrak is a little better as the trip should be shorter. I seem to have a harder time sleeping on the train then on the bus for some reason. If you book well in advance, you can probably get a good deal on air fare, but that has it's own problems. At least you get to where your going the same day. Hopefully with your pack still intact.

As for gear, we need to know when you plan to start. Early June means cool temps, possably a lot of rain and mud and lots of black flies. It will be much warmer in July, a wind breaker and light jacket is about all you need then. Don't bother with any real cold weather gear until you need it.

[wesleygalles]

Ok cool, I wanted to start in June, but maybe only because I'm getting antsy about the trip. If I was to start in July and bring only a wind breaker, when would I pick my other stuff up?
Also, as far as getting colder weather gear, would it be viable to just stop in a large enough town along the way and grab cold weather gear there? I really want to avoid mail drops as much as possible.

[snowblind]

Hello fellow Texan!

Last summer, late July to be exact, I flew from Houston (Bush Inter-c..) to Portland ME, for $130~ one way(well, $155 w/ the $25 bag check). I then took bus from Portland to Medway for $40, and was picked up by AppalachianTrailLodge and taken to Millinocket. Stayed there for the night, then on to BSP (reservation of $25 for lean-to) the next morning. I consider this fairly easy and cheap. Of course, I got f'ed over in my connection in Newark, and had to sleep in the airport and took a flight to Boston the next morning, then a bus to Portland. It just pushed my BSP reservation, and App..TrailLodge res. a day back. All worked out in the end though...

Depending on your hiking speed, and when you hit the Whites, and Presidentials in NH, you might need some cold weather gear. Mt. Washington is no joke so be prepared for the possibility of freezing weather there. I hit that area mid September, and saw high 30's at Lake Of the Clouds hut the next morning. It warmed up to 60 and sunny that day, so all was good.

Both cash and card are good on trail. Not too much cash though, say $100 of mixed bills worked pretty well.

[Slo-go'en]

The odd thing about New England weather is that it seems we don't have much of an "in between" period. It typically goes from way too frigg'en cold to way too frigg'en hot, way too frigg'en fast! That transission typcially occurs some time in June but it could happen in May. If you can be flexable about the exact start date based on weather, that's a big help.

You'll need clothes to keep you comfortable down to about 50. It gets chilly at night and in the early morning. It might get down to 40 on occasion, but you'll live.

Buy the extra gear on the run as you need it? You can do that, but it might come at a premium price.

[Maddog]

:welcome to WB!!! Maddog:D

[SunnyWalker]

WesleyGalles: HOWDY! I am up near Amarillo at Pampa, TX. Would you reconsider and hike the CDT this year instead? That way there'd be two Texans on it and we could show everyone how its done.

[Del Q]

I would walk..........great prep for the AT

[slowfeet]

my plane ticket from Houston(hobby) to Bangor airport was around $100 with 2+ weeks advanced reservation. think I used orbitz. Way better than a bus......
from Bangor airport- a generous WB member picked me up and got me to Baxter.(I paid for gas)

[SunnyWalker]

Hey Wes, seein howse' you trom Texas why don'cha' jist take a big step and land in Maine?