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Hanging Rock State Park is closer to you than Pilot Mountain and has more trails. It is as rugged as anything on the AT in NC.
The "back side" is an especially good hike.

A good way to use your timberline tent...start with just the fly. You can pitch it with just rope and/or hiking poles. It will be a few months before you need to worry about bugs. We did this with a...

I'd go with three pairs of socks. Taking care of your feet will become one of your major priorities. You WILL want Dry socks.

I'd suggest tenting at first, and later when it warms up using a...

felt or rubber heel lifts can help no matter what boot/shoe you are wearing.

I'd suggest googling "eccentric heel drops for Achilles tendonitis". This is one of the major clinically proven...

1. ditto on xterm pad...or almost anything else. The zlite provides minimal warmth and seperation from the ground
2. As a boy scout (poor) camping in upstate NY...year round...I used quilted...

Heet (yellow bottle) is mostly methanol. Methanol is toxic by drinking, skin absorption or inhaling. There are vapors from incomplete combustion.
So aside from the fire problem, I'd also not use...

Engine's advice is good. I'd also suggest using a PF sleeve such as Feetures. Also stretch your foot before you get out of bed in the morning by pulling the toes back. The Feetures PF sleeve...

The other thing to keep in mind...With today's technology, you can easily keep an eye on the weather and plan a bail out. You should a have a couple days notice of bad weather moving in. It's...

I would advise you to go to REI and ask them for help.

My rough advice...get a bigger stuff sack, so when the sleeping bag is in it, it can be squished and reshaped.

Put sleeping bag on back of...

saw the above post about not hiking in trail runners....If I was hiking this time of year i'd wear boots, or trail runners with overboots.

With the weather patterns in the South East, starting this early is partly a gamble. You are more likely to be forced off the trail for a few days, or put together a number of low mileage days. But...

If you want you can spend most nights in an AT shelter. Especially if you get an early start in the morning. You will be with other people and the shelters are much more substantial than sleeping...

Understand that a lot of people have trouble sleeping in a new place. A lot of thru-hikers have trouble with beds after their hikes!!. Get some earplugs. Or use an MP3 player that plays ocean...

A beanie is important in keeping warm when you are sleeping or lounging in camp. The body will always send blood to the head, diverting it from other areas. Hence the wisdom..."to keep your feet...

get the best sleeping pad that you can!!! Over the last 60 years the ground has gotten harder and harder!!

Seriously, today's sleeping pads offer amazing comfort at a reasonable weight.

I remember using the packers diamond hitch...many...many years ago in the boy scouts. It can be used with an external frame without a pack. You put all your stuff in a tarp or tent and fold it in a...

$4 at Campmor

https://www.campmor.com/wcsstore/Campmor/static/images/items/main/23034.jpg

They have others, just search for straps. You can also use paracord and cord locks
...

Good fist person account of what happened...

https://dailygazette.com/article/2016/12/13/hiker-recounts-harrowing-tale-of-survival

(as a boy scout in NY...we always had our knives and match...

The story this week of the lost Adirondack hikers has a lot of lessons for everybody. A young couple out for a day hike in the high peaks region of the Adirondacks climbed Mount Algonguin. After...

The elliptical is often used by runners who are injured, and can provide a great workout. It's especially good for not stressing joints, which would be important in your case.

I would add long day...

The upper thigh muscles stabilize the knee joint. Try strengthening them first.
If you google knee pain exercises (or runners knee)
you will find 3 or 4 simple exercises. The straight leg lift...

I disagree. Map skills would have been very useful. She could have seen that heading west and following streams downhill she could not help but run into Reddington Pond and a road out. She could...

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2842883/Geraldine-Largay-Report-Exerpt.txt

This report is pretty explicit. It's probable that other people have visited the site and maybe one of them...

The ranger report specifically said she did NOT have a fire ring, and there was no sign of a campfire. He noted a lot of dead fir trees around that would make good firewood. A couple of trees nearby...

She may have thought her text message went through. It's not always clear on all phones. After giving her approximate position in the text message, she may have thought it best to stay in place.
...