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whiskeyjr
08-21-2013, 00:09
hi i have almost 300 miles done on the A T i just have a little bit of the smokies left. i Have finished Damascus to davenport shelter i was wondering where i report those mileages so they will count also i live around waterville i am available to hike any time for the winter right now i am helping the atc do trail maintenance when i am done i am ready to go enjoy the work i have did i want to finish up the smokies and go from springer to fontana dam then the southern part of the trail is finished for me then its tim to go north yay :banana

Slo-go'en
08-21-2013, 10:32
you don't report to anyone you just keep track of it yourself and when and if you complete the whole trail then you tell the ATC and they say great would you like to buy a patch?

Don H
08-21-2013, 10:33
The only reporting is done when you apply for the 2000 miler award. The ATC asks for information about your hike(s) but not proof of them.

The easiest way to keep a record might be to do an online trail journal trail journals.com

Hope this answers your question.

FlyPaper
08-21-2013, 10:39
The site http://www.atdist.com primarily used for quick distance estimates is also ideal for tracking your section hikes.

Each time you complete a section, select the endpoints as if you're measuring the distance, then click the "I hiked this" button. It will keep a permanent log on that computer.

Here is my log:

http://www.atdist.com/logview?l=Eaix7WKhq87bbjjkkjulAIwtG&h=902209

Kerosene
08-21-2013, 10:42
When you pass through Harpers Ferry, be sure to take the side trail to the ATC Headquarters where you can get your picture taken and get a "section hiker number". Keep a journal of all your hikes -- not for the ATC as much as for your own reference and memories -- and when you've covered the entire AT send your hike info to the ATC for a 2,000-Miler badge.

Kerosene (Section Hiker #250 of 2001 and Lifetime ATC member)

Odd Man Out
08-21-2013, 11:59
It's an honor system, so honorable people don't need to worry about it. I suppose dishonorable people don't worry about it either, come to think of it.

mcstick
08-21-2013, 12:02
Why care or bother?

MuddyWaters
08-21-2013, 20:22
How do you manage to have a "little of the smokies left"?


Its usually an all, or half arrangement. Unless you did a lot of side trail hiking to access a little AT for some reason. Or got airlifted out at the helipad.

But to the original question, you can report your section hike to me, and I will keep track of it. Send me the details along with the required $100 recording fee.

Astro
08-21-2013, 21:37
I just started putting my sections on trail journals.com
Now if I can just figure out how to get the pictures off my Droid. :-)

Kerosene
08-22-2013, 08:38
Now if I can just figure out how to get the pictures off my Droid. :-)Can't you synch to your PC, or e-mail each photo to yourself? Those pictures are gold and need to be backed up at the very least!

Cookerhiker
08-22-2013, 10:06
My section hiking occurred over a 28 year period. I had paper journals and records in the beginning but in the mid-80s, I started a spreadsheet which I then updated with each hike until finishing in '05. I designed it to be sortable either by date of hike or geographical section of trail. When I applied for my 2,000 Mile certificate in '05, I submitted it along with a 2 page summary of highlights.

whiskeyjr
08-25-2013, 14:50
thanks that was very helpful

MuddyWaters
08-25-2013, 20:57
When I applied for my 2,000 Mile certificate in '05, I submitted it along with a 2 page summary of highlights.


There is nothing of course wrong with submitting information, but Im not sure what they would do with it? If one takes a long time, keeping some kind of record for themselves would obviously be a very helpful thing.

But if they change the trail i.e. reroutes during a say 20 yr long-time section hike, should one go back and hit the re-routes ? If not , someone never hiked a complete version of the trail that actually existed. It becomes like the car in the Johnny Cash song..... (albeit, most reroutes today are minor compared to those many yrs ago).

Kerosene
08-25-2013, 22:02
The AT can change over the course of a year, where a new section is opened after a thru-hiker has already passed through. Doesn't matter.

Of course, I've gone back and re-hiked some new sections, just to see how they've changed over the decades: US-20 in West Lee, MA and northern Jersey in particular.