First Time On The AT

[Alyssa1]

ill be graduating in june from high school and im looking forwaard to college but before i go id like to do a section hike, maybe be out there for about a month. i have never done this before and i am new to this site. i have no idea where to start, what to bring or anyting about gear... help, helphelp me pleasee!

[sly dog]

FYI You might want to post this in a general forum so people can give you some insight but if it is a female question, then put it here and someone will help you out. Welcome.

[Alyssa1]

im not really sure how to work this site!!!

[Bearpaw88]

If you click on Forums on the top bar you will see a list of all the forums as you scroll down. When you click on any one of them at the bottom of each forums screen you will see a button that says start new thread.

Starting off going on day hikes in your area. Go to a good gear store and talk to the customers, not just the employees, about hiking. If you need gear advice there is an Overflow of opinions on this site. Many gear stores rent equiptment (backpack, sleeping bag, tent...) that you could take and try out on a weekend trip. Look into hiking groups and trails in your area and go on a planned hike with them. There are a ton of ways to hike and a ton of gear, find something you are happy with.
Good Luck !
Bearpaw

[Lilred]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...highlight=ruck

This is a link to the Pennsylvania Ruck Thread. If you could attend this, you will meet lots of thru-hikers and be able to get questions answered, maybe get some cheap gear, see presentations, films. It's a lot of fun, and you'll learn a lot.

[Kanati]

Alyssa1,
There were 4 college age young ladies thru-hiked the A.T. last year. Their trail name was The 4 sisters. I saw them at about Stover Creek in GA on March 1st. I noticed that least 2 of them appeared to be struggling with pack weights and wondered if they would make it. Well, they got it together and summited Katahdin in August I think it was. If you could somehow contact them, they could enlighten you a lot. I think they were from VT or NH as I met a guy who knew them from school in that area.

Good luck and happy hiking.

[BumpJumper]

Hi Aly and

Good luck in whatever you do on the trail.