AT Kick Off Vs. Trail Days

[Jatt]

I was looking at the dates for both of these events for 2015, and I had a question about timing. The Appalachian Trail Kick Off is March 6-8, and Trail Days in Damascus, VA, is May 14-17, and I don't see how you could do both unless you went really slowly. According to the Thru-Hiker's Companion, Damascus is 466.9 miles from Springer. If you averaged 15 miles a day, which I think is probably even a bit slow in itself, even counting the lower-mile days at the beginning, it would take you a little more than 31 days to get to Damascus, plus any zeros you took. Even if you rounded way up and said it would take 40 days to get there, that still puts you in Damascus around April 18 if you left the day after the Kick Off. That's almost a month before Trail Days.

So from my own math and figuring, it looks like there's no way to do both without going something like 7 miles a day or having a ton (about a month) of down time. Am I missing something and doing my calculations wrong, or are these events just scheduled inconveniently? I think it'd be a lot of fun to do both, but it looks like I'll have to pick just one. So my second question is, which would you choose if you had to pick between them? They both look like a ton of fun, but I think I'm leaning toward Trail Days, both because it looks more involved/interesting/fun and because I think having a break to relax and party a bit in the middle of the hike seems like it would be more valuable than one at the beginning. But I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on the matter.

[Lone Wolf]

the kick off is too early to start a thru hike. there's no real reason to start before the first week of april shoot for traildays

[Pedaling Fool]

Where do you get, "The Appalachian Trail Kick Off is March 6-8"

[Starchild]

I didn't even know the AT had a kickoff, I though it was a west coast PCT thing.

[ScottTrip]

I started last year on the Kickoff weekend and made it to Damascus in April a good month before Trail Days. Most of our hiking family continued on North and hitched back to Trail Days in May. Hitching back is not really difficult, many of the hikers in your group will be trying to get back themselves so you will have company.

If you start in early March you need to expect cold and snow but nothing you can't handle.

[RED-DOG]

Don't worry about either start when you want to and do your thang, in my opinion trail days isn't worth the effort.

[Jeff]

Where do you get, "The Appalachian Trail Kick Off is March 6-8"

http://www.atko.info/

[Jatt]

the kick off is too early to start a thru hike. there's no real reason to start before the first week of april shoot for traildays

I've seen a ton of people who plan to start in mid March, and that's when I had been planning to start as well. I figured that if I did want to go to the Kick Off, I could just push my start date back a week or so and it wouldn't be a huge difference.

I started last year on the Kickoff weekend and made it to Damascus in April a good month before Trail Days. Most of our hiking family continued on North and hitched back to Trail Days in May. Hitching back is not really difficult, many of the hikers in your group will be trying to get back themselves so you will have company.

If you start in early March you need to expect cold and snow but nothing you can't handle.

I didn't even think about hitching back for Trail Days. I'm not sure that I'd really want to do that, though. It seems like either a lot of hassle trying to find a ride there, and then a ride back to when you left the trail, or like you would have wasted all the time hiking past Damascus if you just set off hiking from there again after Trail Days ended. I may just push my start date back a little and try to hit Damascus around the time Trail Days is actually happening. But I've still got a few months to figure it out, so it's not a pressing decision.

[ScottTrip]

I've seen a ton of people who plan to start in mid March, and that's when I had been planning to start as well. I figured that if I did want to go to the Kick Off, I could just push my start date back a week or so and it wouldn't be a huge difference.



I didn't even think about hitching back for Trail Days. I'm not sure that I'd really want to do that, though. It seems like either a lot of hassle trying to find a ride there, and then a ride back to when you left the trail, or like you would have wasted all the time hiking past Damascus if you just set off hiking from there again after Trail Days ended. I may just push my start date back a little and try to hit Damascus around the time Trail Days is actually happening. But I've still got a few months to figure it out, so it's not a pressing decision.

Some of the group rented a car and split the cost four ways made the trip much easier. I did not go, kept hiking.

[Pedaling Fool]

http://www.atko.info/

Thanks, I hadn't heard of this.

[DavidNH]

A lot of hikers will end up north of Damascus, VA and then hitch hike back south for trail days. When it comes to a choice between endless beer and cigarettes or the beauty and peace of the mountains.. the beer and cigs will win every time for most thru hikers (who are basically all college students or recent grads).

[Pedaling Fool]

I walked into Trail Days from Springer by starting April 9th and I did dilly-dally. If you want to "walk" into Trail Days by leaving in March, you're just going to have to do a lot of zeros and dilly-dallyin'.

[Mags]

I find hiker gatherings are more fun when I am not out on a long trail.

Everyone is different, but seems that hiker get-togethers are too distracting for me when on a trail.

[dangerdave]

I'm starting in early March so I can experience some cold weather hiking. Hey, I happen to like snow! The cold never bothered me anyway!

As for Damascus, I'm skipping it next year. I may/may not go back in 2016 for the reunion. Like Mags, I figure I'd enjoy it more while not thru-hiking.