By the middle of October this year I will have completed section hiking the entire southern AT, beginning in 2016 I will be working on the AT from Wind Gap, PA north. Since I'm from Virginia it has been fairly easy to find hiking partners while hiking the southern sections. I often hike alone, but find it enjoyable to hike with a companion. Occasionally I meet someone on the trail and hike with them for part of my section. Other times my daughter (now 21), or other younger, sometimes new, hikers have come along. I have also hiked with hikers I have met on previous sections. I think it will be harder to find people to hike with me when I'm farther from home ... so ... I think it might be great to meet some other section hikers here on White-Blaze who would like to join me for 5-7 day hikes north of Wind Gap, PA.
I generally hike 12-20 miles a day. During my April'15 hike of the Georgia section my shortest full day was 12.9 and my longest day was 21.3. As one of the class of 2015 section hikers but it ... I'm not fast but I'm persistent. In general when I plan my trips I start with a daily estimate of 15 mi/day unless the terrain is particularly difficult. Most of the young hikers I have hiked with have been XC runners so endurance has not been an issue. I hike lightweight, base weight is usually right around 12# with 1.25# per day for food. I have been hiking most of my life and have come a long way since I hiked with a 43# pack in the 1970's.
So, if you are older and can hike 15 mi/day average, or younger and in reasonably good shape and want to hike with an experienced section hiker, or if your are anywhere in between but can do the miles ... send me a note ... we can chat and see if we can arrange time(s) and place(s) that works for both of us. I'd love to find a regular hiking partner.
Turtle