How much money do you bring if you plan on going all the way thru? How much cash? Are credit or debit cards accepted readily? Other than food, what will you purchase along the way?
Interesting...based on these stats 85% of hikers heading north don't know us here at Whiteblaze. How do they ever manage ???Originally Posted by mountain squid
Order your copy of the Appalachian Trail Passport at www.ATPassport.com
Green Mountain House Hostel
Manchester Center, VT
http://www.greenmountainhouse.net
The amount of money needed is directly related to the amount of time you spend in town and the amount of money you spend while in town. Several thousand dollars possibly . . .
If you're just talking about cash on hand at any given time, a couple hundred dollars, maybe . . . credit/debit cards are readily accepted, however, . . . some hostels may only take cash, shuttles might charge, you might want to tip someone who gives you a ride, you might chip in for a pizza or two or five, at some shelters you can order a pizza, some shelters charge a nominal fee (VT and the Whites), coin laundry, etc . . . you'll need some cash on hand.
Food is probably the main purchase. Not only resupply food for the trail, but also town food and lots of it. Alcoholic beverages can also be a large drain on the wallet, if you drink them. If you take alot of zeroes (no hiking for the day) in town, lodging and town food expenses can add up quickly.
Other than food you might need to get new gear at some point, probably shoes. And that can add up too.
See you on the trail,
mt squid
Some stats from this yr (3/26/11 - 4/4/11):
284 hikers currently on their way to ME
236 hikers to places in between
198 hikers got dropped off at fs42
40 WhiteBlazers
49 started on Fri, 4/1
55 started on Sat, 4/2 (not to mention the 94 sectioners . . . it was busy)
3/26, Sat night, had horrific t-storms all night - I was sure Springer had exploded, as well as many trees
fog and rain and cold all last week
5 cuben fiber packs (cuben fiber might be the next sil-nylon - evidently it is lighter and stronger)
3 hikers returned
1 bear scratched vehicle (that is my new story and I'm sticking with it - a bear scratched story is way better than what actually happened)
1 electric cello and amp
The State Park was over 600 and Neels Gap had 553 as of 4/4/11.
As I stated in the original post of this thread, the weekends are very busy, and if the weather is nice . . . . Consider starting during the week to avoid the huge numbers and overly crowded shelters and campsites.
I enjoyed meetin' and greetin' everyone. Hope everyone is having a great time despite all that bad weather. Good Luck and Have Fun!!
See you on the trail,
mt squid
Very nice post. Maybe should be included in articles. One observation. I stopped by mountain crossings while on vacation in Ga. last month. I found their food supply to be sort of slim. Is it always this way and would a mail drop there be better.
"The difficult can be done immediately, the impossible takes a little longer"
Advice for first week on trail
Mountain Squid recommends starting during the week rather than the busier weekends. Have you made any observations as to which day (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs Fri) has less hiker starts? My guess would be Thurs or Mon.
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to" JRRTolkien
Thursday.
Thursday is the least busy day . . . at least from my observations from the last several yrs. I crunched the numbers and Thu was the day, then Wed and then Tue. It might change from week to week though, who really knows.
Some dates to avoid, regardless of what day of the week, are the 1st of Mar, 15th of Mar, 1st day of Spring and April Fool's day. Per the 'Class of 20XX' spreadsheets I maintain these are usually very busy days.
See you on the trail,
mt squid
how to hike
Lonshot 04 Thru
This is an excellent thread. I began my thru hike with 50lb on my back. Lightened out at neals gap. My most useful gear change was in the cooking department. I switched a whisper stove for an alcohol stove total weight of my kitchen including pot and fuel approximately, 8 oz. Guess how I got my trail name, I guess that their were some naysayers among my friends who hiked the first section with me. I got my pack down to <30lb including a book to enjoy during afternoon siesta time. Began my hike 3/10 and topped Katadin on 9/10 so I wasn't the fastest hiker in the the group, but the journey will never be forgotten, a game changer for me.
Longshot
Some stats from this yr (3/31/12 - 4/8/12):
287 hikers currently on their way to ME with 115 starting at FS42
264 hikers to places in between with 101 starting at FS42
62 started on April Fools Day (the most I've ever counted on any one day)
53 started on 4/2
32 WhiteBlazers (incl Swamp Dawg whom I summitted with in 2006!)
12 bear incidents North of Neels Gap (per Forest Service Ranger)
5 from Germany
3 flat tires including one from the Hiker Hostel
2 returned to lighten their loads and then returned to resume hiking
several guitars and ukuleles but no cellos
1 hiker was carrying only 15 pounds
and the usual excessively heavy packs
The weather was great this year. Only had one day of fog (Fri) - completely opposite from last yr. Obviously, many hikers did not heed advice to avoid starting on the 1st . . . it was very busy (there were also 27 section hikers).
The State Park had 801 signed in and Neels Gap had 556 on the 8th.
It was a good time. Hopefully the nice weather doesn't encourage anyone to send cold weather gear home too soon. We have some cold nights forecast this week in NE TN (think Roan Mountain).
Good Luck everyone!
See you on the trail,
mt squid
how to hike
Squid, I enjoyed reading through this thread again, it makes me nostalgic. Let me agree with you on the sunblock recommendation, or wearing a hat. On my through-hike I got myself burned in North Carolina, because I didn't think you could get sunburned in March. It was so cold that week that I was hiking with everything covered except my face and hands, and then I thought my hands were just red and cold. Wrong. Sun poisoning on my face to boot. After that I wore a hat all the way to Pearisburg. People from northern parts should beware the Georgia sun!
My cello was made by the Gibson Guitar Co, Kzoo MI (ca. 1940). If I hiked with that how would you count it?
My thoughts exactly Michelle. I would encourage the older hikers (50's & 60's...like myself) to start early...1st week in March....I plan to start Feb. 27. We are slower and more prone to injury than the younger hikers. Six months from Feb. 27 would be the end of August which would give me a month and a half pad before mid Oct.
Really! My last AT hike was when I was 56. Started April 20 and finished on Katahdin Sept 28. Never felt like I was really pushing hard. Could have easily finished 7-10 days earlier but why rush through New England? I've seen lots of 20 somethings that were WAY slower than 50/60 somethings! It's not about age. It's all about how fit and conditioned you are.
GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006
A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
—SPANISH PROVERB
Michelle and Seadawg, you don't need to start in February!!! That just means more cold nights to head into town. Mid March still gives you seven months to Katahdin. I'm old and I only needed 6 and a half.
Been hiking and observing thrus for 10 years.....and my opinion stills stands.....Start early (1st week in March) .....brave the cold initially, beat the heat and the bugs....allow a pad for slowness and injury....and enjoy the journey.
Whereas I wholehearted agree that being in good physical shape is very important before attempting an A.T. thru, however, if you are asserting that a fit 60 year old can out-hike a fit 20 year old you are simply delusional .
I'm not advocating a February start but rather a first week in March start (Feb. 28 is the last day of Feb.)......and I very rarely ever leave the trail ....and never because of weather. Remember even the higher elevations of the trail in NC/TN are still in the south...so a 6 inch snowfall will melt down to a very hike-able 1-2 inches in about a day. And there is nothing more beautiful than hiking in the snow. March and April snows are very rarely more than 1-2 inches. I usually find a shelter if the snowfall is heavier and just wait for it to melt down to a hike-able depth.
To re-iterate....my advocacy of a first week in March start is to allow for the unforseen, namely injuries, and personal problems at home that might cause one to temporarily leave the trail. In my view, it is wise to give yourself a 6 weeks pad to allow for such occurrences.
Very cool information that you provide each year Mt.Squid. Has there been much rain this April?
"I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue
Some stats from this year (3/30/13 - 4/8/13):
361 hikers currently on their way to Katahdin (184 started from FS42)
271 hikers to places in between (163 started from FS42)
180 Little Hug Fruit Barrels distributed
58 hikers started on April Fools Day not including 34 section hikers
26 WhiteBlazers
10 dogs annotated but I am sure there were more
3 hikers carrying bear canisters
1 abandoned tent at Springer Mountain Shelter
1 hiker with a stated 75# pack after getting rid of 12#
1 hiker with the largest volume pack I've ever seen
only 1 bear incident reported which was North of Neels Gap
It is still surprising how many hikers start off with excessively heavy loads . . . 361 is the most hikers that I have seen. Either hikers decided that Apr was a better month to start because of weather or they had to delay because of the lousy Mar weather this year.
The weather was fairly typical with Thu (4/4) probably the coldest I've seen at Springer. In the morning it was 38f with extreme winds and little rain. At noon it was 32f, still very windy with a mixture of rain/sleet/hail and maybe even some snow thrown in for good measure. The tops of the trees were frozen. It was a very miserable day to be hiking or starting the trail. As far as I know everyone survived . . .
Amicalola Falls State Park had 840 signed in as of 4/4.
Hope everyone is having fun!
Good Luck!
See you on the trail,
mt squid
how to hike
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