Arrival Plans

[krawler]

Hello, I am from Pa and was wondering, bc ppl from all over come to hike the AT What are your arrival plans? Are you coming by bus, a friend or relative driving you, Flying to a airport? If you fly to a airport or take a bus, How do you get to the access trail from airport or bus station?

[denefi]

Hey Krawler, I'm up in the air on whether I'll be flying down from Boston or having a family member drive me to the trailhead. If I fly, though, I'll probably enlist one of the many shuttle services that are available. Check out this post in the Trail Heads and Shuttles forum. They link to this site, but there looks to be a lot of info in that area of White Blaze where people have hashed this over. I'm sure others here will chime in as well.

My understanding is that the shuttles that cater to hikers will get you to the trailhead. Unsure on buses, though.

[krawler]

Hey Denefi, Thanks for the info, and the links. What is your start date?

[Aussie Legs]

My Mum, sister and I are flying over from Australia... we're thinking of flying in to L.A. and spending a few days with friends, getting over jet lag and getting food and last minute gear sorted. We then plan to fly into Atlanta and are tossing up whether to make use of the "Hiker Hostel" shuttle, or take up a couple on their offer to transport us to the trailhead (they emailed me after reading my blog - first trail magic!).

[jjozgrunt]

Pretty much the same as Aussie legs except I'm doing the flights Brisbane - LA - Atlanta all in one day. Spend a couple of days in Atlanta recovering and getting some gas and food then Marta to North Springs, and pick up by the Hiker Hostel shuttle. Stay overnight and start walking 13th Mar.

[OldNorth]

Hey Krawler, I'm up in the air on whether I'll be flying down from Boston or having a family member drive me to the trailhead. If I fly, though, I'll probably enlist one of the many shuttle services that are available. Check out this post in the Trail Heads and Shuttles forum. They link to this site, but there looks to be a lot of info in that area of White Blaze where people have hashed this over. I'm sure others here will chime in as well. My understanding is that the shuttles that cater to hikers will get you to the trailhead. Unsure on buses, though.

Amtrak will take you to Gainesville, GA. That's my plan.

[denefi]

Hey Denefi, Thanks for the info, and the links. What is your start date?

No problem. I'm planning to start right before or on 5/1. You?

[Busfoot]

My wife will be driving me from Denver. We plan on staying at Hiker Hostel one night before I hit the approach trail. Is it March yet??

[YesRushGen]

Plan on driving to the Hiker Hostel with a friend on March 11th, then being dropped off near Springer Mountain parking area to start on March 12th.

Pretty much the same as Aussie legs except I'm doing the flights Brisbane - LA - Atlanta all in one day. Spend a couple of days in Atlanta recovering and getting some gas and food then Marta to North Springs, and pick up by the Hiker Hostel shuttle. Stay overnight and start walking 13th Mar.

Bummer- I'll miss you by only a day!

[Caddywhompus]

Amtrak will take you to Gainesville, GA. That's my plan.

Thank you very much for posting this. I had been planning to Greyhound it down. Didn't even think the train was an option.

[krawler]

I am planning to start on March 15, that's not set in stone though. If it changes it will be the first week of march.

No problem. I'm planning to start right before or on 5/1. You?

[KillerKarma]

I'm starting mid to late March and I'm still ironing out my exact plans. Right now the plan is to visit my brother in Florida for a few days and then make my way up to GA to get started. Not sure about the transport from FL to GA. Probably a bus/train. Might skip the whole trip to Florida in the end. So basically I am just lurking and not contributing. Haha.

[OldNorth]

Thank you very much for posting this. I had been planning to Greyhound it down. Didn't even think the train was an option.

You're very welcome. Best of luck on your hike!

[mattjv89]

Probably Amtrak to Gainesville, then either shuttling or a ride from a friend of a friend if it works out. It'll be a 24 hour train ride but cheaper than flying and I'd really hate for the airline to lose my pack.

[denefi]

Probably Amtrak to Gainesville, then either shuttling or a ride from a friend of a friend if it works out. It'll be a 24 hour train ride but cheaper than flying and I'd really hate for the airline to lose my pack.

This is my #1 concern about flying. It actually looks to be about $100 more for me to take the train than fly (excluding whatever fees/taxes are added on, which might be higher for a flight), but it might be worth it for peace of mind. I considered asking my family to drive me down from Boston, but that would be significantly more expensive once hotel rooms, food, gas and tolls were factored in.

[Del Q]

As a section hiker I am pretty fired up about completed everything south of NH starting April 2nd.

Hike North to Franklin and get ready for the NOBO completion next year....................

[CrumbSnatcher]

my first thruhike i drove my old truck from Nebraska out east and sold it in Dahlonega GA. then had the guy drop me & my dog off at the start of the approach trail :-)

[KillerKarma]

my first thruhike i drove my old truck from Nebraska out east and sold it in Dahlonega GA. then had the guy drop me & my dog off at the start of the approach trail :-)

That sounds like something I'd do. Lol. I was thinking about selling my car right before the trail. Hmm...

[Coffee]

Probably Amtrak to Gainesville, then either shuttling or a ride from a friend of a friend if it works out. It'll be a 24 hour train ride but cheaper than flying and I'd really hate for the airline to lose my pack.

Pack up the items in your pack that cannot be carried onto the plane and send them to Georgia (either a PO or hostel) using priority mail so you get tracking information. Also send any starting food. This will allow your pack to be carried on by removing prohibited items and reducing the size of the pack. I used this approach for the first time recently and it worked great. Note that if you happen to fly on a smaller commuter jet, the overhead bin may be too small in which case the airline will gate check your bag. I never stress over gate checks since the bag is going right into the plane. In fact, I've often been able to see the baggage handlers take my bag and load it into the plane.

A 24 hour train ride isn't something I'd want to do right before starting a long hike, unless I was in a sleeping compartment, and then you're talking some serious money...

[Coffee]

Note on possible gate-check of pack ... I took a large laundry bag and put my pack into it before gate checking it to avoid having the straps get caught in something. You can either dispose of the laundry bag when you get to the trail or put it in your bounce box, if you have one.