New guy, first post, lots of questions...

[IslandPete]

We live on an island, or on a sailboat sometimes for 6 or 7 months, or in an RV camping and hiking everyday, or traveling around in small airplanes. All would be simplified by not having a dog. But we have a dog...
The 2 vehicle plan is a question mark. Part of it is the dog. We won't be staying in shelters, or likely Hostels or Hotels in town with him. Hitch hiking with him would be difficult. And like many have pointed out, bringing him brings the whole possibility of our success into question, which means not knowing where we'll be if we stop early. So we'll have our own transportation and hotel room/shower on wheels available. We'll also be able to take side trips to visit friends and family.
And we're looking forward to it!
Pete

[Slo-go'en]

Ahh, the plot thickens. As it usually does. Two cars eh?

I kept running into an older couple on the trail last year doing something similar. They would drive to opposite ends of a section and one would hike south, the other north (each had a set of keys for both cars just in case), then meet back up at a hostel or motel for the night. They never spent a night in the woods. They were both strong hikers and covered a lot of ground in a day, but still it's an expensive way to do the trail. Since I'd always run into one or the other about noon, I tried to talk them into bringing me lunch, but they would have none of that

I guess your planning on doing bigger sections then the above example, but shuttling cars around takes time - a lot of time in some areas since it can be a long way around by road. First you have to drive back to the car at the end you left one at, then drive both cars up to the next spot you want to end at, then drive back to where you got off to begin with. Plus you need to do other chores like wash clothes, buy food, get a shower and so on.

And one other note, in the SNP dogs are required to be on a leash at all times. This can be a real pain, especially when the dog wants to run off and chase a squirrel or a deer or a bear or get into a fight with another dog. But the leash requirement protects the wildlife, your dog and other hikers. I forget the exact figure, but something like 1/4 of the AT requires dogs to be on leash. Of course, most don't bother which gives hikers with dogs a bad reputation. And there aren't any signs, so you have to find out what areas require leashes on your own.

I tripped and fell and broke my left cervical once (but not while hiking!). I have a big bump where it healed right where my pack strap rides. It can get sore at times, but I guess it's been long enough now I really don't notice it much anymore and keeping the pack under 20 pounds or so helps.

Bad ankles is more of a concern. If an injury puts your off the trail, it is most commonly a foot, ankle or knee problem. For feet, it's usually blister problems and if one gets infected, that's real trouble. It only takes one miss step on a wet rock, water bar or wet leaves to twist an ankle or smash a knee cap or tear a ACL. Knowing how to fall down without hurting yourself is an important skill to have. When I come close to rolling an ankle, it's always on the easy straight a ways. I'll step on some damn little loose rock on the trail I didn't see and nearly bite it.

[Slo-go'en]

Actually, hitch hiking with a dog and a woman makes it easier. Lots of dog lovers out there and if you have a dog, you can't be all that bad. That's why a lot of the transits travel with a dog. Easier to get rides and hand outs that way. It's illegal to hitch hike in some states (like NJ/NY) but it's usually not a problem near the trail going in or out of the near-by town.

Many hostels and hotels allow dogs, some with restrictions and extra fees, but not banned outright. However keeping your dog away from shelters (or at least out of) is appreciated, especially if it's wet or dinner time. Dogs are always hungry and get really hungry on the trail after a few days, so begging and/or stealing food from other hikers can be an issue if your not careful.

[jj dont play]

You will likely have a decent amount of NOBOs around right off the back, and/or many will catch-up to you by Katahdin. Your plan seems mostly solid. Research dogs on trail as much as possible, a lot of folks brought them almost none of these finished with them. VT mud isn't that big of a deal (I hit Vermont around same time you are projected to maybe a little earlier). Part of the experience. Mud in the Whites was actually worse IMO. Black flies were a non issue, I was told by a local thru hikers exaggerate them. I seriously can't remember a run in with them. You'll be good on temps, if it's anything like last year you may not even need a puffy for your first leg North and a 40 degree bag should more than suffice.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jj dont play]

Oh yeah you'll probably even hit the SOBO bubble in the Whites making work for stay in huts even harder.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IslandPete]

Our variation on the 2 cars is that one's an RV! And rather than re-positioning both at each section, the plan is to leave one at the starting point, say Harpers Ferry, and drive north to say Carlisle PA. We'll hike back to where we started, SOBO, and hop in the vehicle and drive maybe a hundred miles past where we started the last time, then hike back, SOBO, to the other vehicle. In other words, covering the trail northbound by hiking southbound? The lengths of the hops will be determined by the towns along the way where we can safely park. And provisioning along the way will be easy, we'll just hit the market along the way to the next parking spot, and we're ready to go! At least that's the thinking? Ideas?
Pete

[Gambit McCrae]

Our variation on the 2 cars is that one's an RV! And rather than re-positioning both at each section, the plan is to leave one at the starting point, say Harpers Ferry, and drive north to say Carlisle PA. We'll hike back to where we started, SOBO, and hop in the vehicle and drive maybe a hundred miles past where we started the last time, then hike back, SOBO, to the other vehicle. In other words, covering the trail northbound by hiking southbound? The lengths of the hops will be determined by the towns along the way where we can safely park. And provisioning along the way will be easy, we'll just hit the market along the way to the next parking spot, and we're ready to go! At least that's the thinking? Ideas?
Pete

Island Pete after this plan:
8701e7cecad99a1f95d678208ccc6154fd6f1ce34b4434134879124508892d9f.jpg

[IslandPete]

I don't get it...

[Lone Wolf]

I don't get it...

me either....

[Slo-go'en]

A lot of the parking areas along the trail are small and remote and may not be suitable for a RV. I guess it depends on how big an RV it is. If it's a van sized one, that would be okay. Vandalism can be an issue too, but doesn't seem to be a big problem in most areas.

Personally, I don't like to carry more then 5 days of food. In fact, I can't carry more then 5 days due to my pack size, even if the weight wasn't an issue - and it is.

So, if you want to cover 100 miles at a time, you'll need to carry at least 5 days worth of food (20 mile days, a bit optimistic with a wife, dog and not being 20 years old), so more likely 7 days of food. At about 2 pounds a day, pre person plus dog food, you look at heading out with 30-35 pounds of food. That makes for a heavy load for the first 3-4 days.

But I suppose you don't have to carry all the food you need between car shuttles. It's easy enough find places to buy food every couple of days. That would be better then doing shorter hops and more frequent shuttles.

[IslandPete]

But I suppose you don't have to carry all the food you need between car shuttles. It's easy enough find places to buy food every couple of days. That would be better then doing shorter hops and more frequent shuttles.

Exactly! The 100 mile number was arbitrary. I'd rather find a safe place in a town to park than a trailhead, at least for the RV. Or where I have friends near the trail. So that will determine the number and length of the jumps. In between, we'll be hiking/provisioning just like everybody else, just going the opposite direction...

[Tinker]

I don't really like liners. They tend to be either heavy or not as advertised temp-wise, in my experience
I would rather take a 40 bag and some decent clothes (since you can wear them in camp as well if it's chilly), a light beanie if you want, etc. Should be at least a proper EN 40f rating for your wife... some stuff claims 40 and is more a 50+. You could go 30 if she might sleep cold. That wouldn't be too bad in the summer, based on where you'll be, if you vent it well

If it gets cold at the end it's not a big deal. You can pick up something in October or whenever you need it. Like a cheap light puffy jacket or something

Another thumbs down on liners. They have only one use, better to have down sleepwear (expensive, but very light, compact, and warm), silk underwear (light, comfy, compact, but not very warm), polyester or wool underwear (warmer than silk, but wool is a bit slower to dry than poly, and may be itchy), or my favorite for the "shoulder seasons", lightweight fleece "dorm wear" (my term) - no obvious fly, or at least a button-down one, and a button or zip top. Micro fleece packs reasonably well, can be worn in public, is fairly warm, and dries quickly once wrung out. The plus on all of the above is the "in-and out-of bag" use, plus the fact that, unless your liner is tied into the bag, it is likely to come partway out with you and you will likely have to take it out to get back into it. Your timeframe seems reasonable, your dog, of course, being the greatest variable. Starting in the middle section will allow your bodies to acclimate before you get into the steep sections. Pa. might not be quite as dry as it tends to be in the fall, either (I use my tarp or poncho to gather rain water when I can). Vehicle access is a real plus here.

[Gambit McCrae]

I just think its a lot of up and down and logistics. Effort isn't worth the extra reward, all the time and energy shuffling cars could just be absorbed in relaxing in a motel directly on the trail, Seems kind of like a mix between thru hiking and section hiking. An RV is an extension of ones residents, and there for to me the plan seems like a goose chase, trying to find the (if you bump the car every 200 miles with an RV then your looking at 11-22 Trail heads?) Not saying its not feasible because it obviously is....Just asking why reinvent the wheel, especially when its your first time thru hiking

[Tinker]

Oh, from experience - Southbound hiking has left me with sunburn on several occasions. I prefer to do sections Northbound, when possible.

[IslandPete]

I get your point, and between now and May the plan may be changed/modified. That's why I'm here!

[IslandPete]

And Tinker, We will be hiking northbound, just not till we're headed south

[hyperslug]

I'm curious what length RV you have? If it is bigger than a van you may have trouble parking in towns especially as you move north. If you have to arrange for storage as you go that can suck more time and money.

[peakbagger]

I have done the two cars slackpacking on a few trips. e did a 5 week section hike where we split it up 3 to 4 day backpacks spotting a car in advance at the end of each section. We would start early on the last day and get to the car around noon, then go eat lunch in town, resupply wash clothes and then hit a hostel or motel and possibly spot a car. In the AM we would drive to the trailhead and start hiking, we never had any zeros and out resupply was cheap as we could buy bulk and leave it in the trunk. The person I had done much of the trail had an ankle issue. If he carried a full pack he was hurting in couple of days. Slackpacking he did fine. We eventually switched to key swapping with one car. It was the way to go. We hiked a bit off season and if the weather was bad one day, we might skip an exposed or scenic section and then come back and do it on a nicer day. I relied on Delorme Map Gazetteers for each state down south where its more rural it made for far easier planning. I would not trust the various car nav databases as they are generally out of date for rural areas. Many of the FS road crossings on the AT start out on local roads and in some cases they go right through farm yards before the reach FS property. Its easy to miss turns onto these roads as you think they are someone's driveway. Many of the southern AT shelters are readily accessible from FS roads, The Delormes show the AT route so its pretty easy to find the shelter location with trail maps and line it up with an old FS road or pullout. We would stay in AT shelters accessed from a side road many nights if we were too far away from a town or hostel. Since we were off season we frequently had the shelters to ourselves. We usually cleaned out the firepits of the inevitable aluminum foil and hauled trash out when we left in the morning. With the exception of the smokies it was rare to find a section where we couldn't find few good road crossings. What most conventional thru hikers miss is that while they are hiking the green tunnel of the AT, car supported lets you see the surrounding territory, some of the roads south of the smokies are far nicer places to see then the AT. With a car or cars we got to see both plus we spread the wealth around a bit stopping at places that normally would be a bit too far for a thru hiker to visit.

By the way if both of you are competent drivers, key swapping with one car is definitely worth investigating. The AT isn't such a wild place that a solo day hiker can get in much trouble and a couple of FRS radios would be good backup. Just drop one person off at one trailcrossing with the other hiker driving 14 to 18 trail miles south and then both hikers meet in the middle for lunch. In the afternoon the hiker that ends up at the car drives back and picks up the one at the road crossing. We used a Honda Civic and rarely if ever has issue going up back roads. Once you get up into Maine the drives can get far longer but by then you will be used to it.

[IslandPete]

Hyper, the RV is full sized, 36'. I agree it will take some head scratching sometimes to figure out where to leave it. The "toad" is a Ranger pickup which will be easier.
Peak, Not really planning on it being slackpacking, but it could evolve in that direction sometimes. Other times, the section could be 200 miles or more depending on the logistics of finding a suitable parking spot. The key swap idea doesn't appeal, as we want to hike together.