Newbie looking for supportive advice
Guessing I am not the first to start a post this way, but I am new here. New to hiking, new to camping, new to the AT. All I know for sure is that I want to hike it. I have no rules for how I accomplish this, slackpacking some parts sounds great, and I honestly don't care if I finish the entire trail.
I did hike all of MD! Feel free to laugh. It took me 5 days, and I didn't so much as carry a water bottle as these were all out and back day trips and I drove home after. And came back weeks later for the next section. I will admit that I found it steep and somewhat challenging in parts!
My only nights in a tent have been at a campground near a river. I prefer to spend my time outdoors in a whitewater kayak. It's just cheaper than a hotel. Beer and campfires and lots of people around have been the focus. Alone sounds terrifying.
I bought a backpack. I have never worn it, but stopped by REI who told me it was the right size and helped me adjust it. It was a last years model one on sale. I have a sleeping bag and pad and tent, and when I put them in the pack it's full and awkward. Where will everything else go I wonder.
I have only told one person of my plan. She laughed and told me to pack a gun to shoot the bears. That won't happen.
I have read a LOT of books on hiking the AT, and they all seem to be written by people who started their journey with the same amount of experience as me, so I do believe this is possible.
I am a strict vegetarian, don't know a thing about dehydrating food, and am considering not packing a stove. I don't cook a lot at home, so why would I want to start while on the trail?
I am thinking of starting with hiker hostel's slackpack plan (the shorter day one) in late February. I know that's early, but I will be slow, and plan to sleep inside as much as possible in the first month as my body gets used to hiking and then hiking with a pack.
Any advice? The kind I won't get from reading a book. Words of wisdom? How do I tell my family - none of them have ever slept in a tent, hiked more than a mile, think I am crazy enough as it is, and WILL laugh in my face.
Please keep this positive. I will have NO support back home, and am coming on here looking for positive energy only. I don't live unreasonably far (90 min) from Harper's Ferry and have stopped in and chatted a few times.