Planning a thru hike

[gcobb1990]

Do I need to plan where I will sleep each night or should I just plan the first month and end up planning as I go? I have absolutely no idea what mileages I will hike so its looking to be a pretty inaccurate schedule.

[Lilred]

What everybody usually ends up doing is planning a complete itinerary, with nightly stops, weekly resupplies and zero days. Then they take that carefully devised plan and burn it the minute they get to the top of Springer. I know one guy that slack packed his first day and then took two zero's before he got started. Don't think that was his original plan LOLOL.....

[Blissful]

Plan as you go. Sometimes your plan can work for a few days (esp if you need to be somewhere to meet someone, family etc), but in most instances, you go day by day.

[Blissful]

What everybody usually ends up doing is planning a complete itinerary, with nightly stops, weekly resupplies and zero days. Then they take that carefully devised plan and burn it the minute they get to the top of Springer.

ha ha, yes indeedy.

[kayak karl]

Do I need to plan where I will sleep each night or should I just plan the first month and end up planning as I go? I have absolutely no idea what mileages I will hike so its looking to be a pretty inaccurate schedule.

i planned to neel gap. i was off by 3 days, but other then that the plan worked. oh, and i shipped home 10 lbs.

[Lone Wolf]

Do I need to plan where I will sleep each night or should I just plan the first month and end up planning as I go? I have absolutely no idea what mileages I will hike so its looking to be a pretty inaccurate schedule.

just plan to get to the trail then take each day as it comes

[Jim Adams]

Plan on what date you will start. No need to plan past that point. At times you will be early, at times late. Schedule shouldn't matter...have fun!

geek

[Tinker]

Plan for weather and what you will eat. Bring a tent or hammock (with the appropriate insulation) or tarp if you are good at using one. Some folks say you can't overplan. I think that overplanning leads to a boring life of predictable security. You can get that without leaving your bedroom.
Also - plan on carrying just a little extra snack food and toilet paper (?). Yes - you won't believe what a lifesaver you'll be to other hikers.
I've only been on long section hikes but a thruhike (with the exception of the possible monotony of weather, constant walking and the possible negative physical side effects) isn't that different as far as planning goes. I have no illusions that a thruhike is much, much different in terms of how it can change your life, but the planning is really not much of the hike, or so I'm told.

[Dogwood]

Like everyone has stated that has ever hiked for more than a few days you can plan every single scheduling detail about a hike and find out it's rather useless after, umm, about the first or second day! That's one of the great things about hiking. So many spontaneuous unexpected events occur that you can't possibly prepare for absolutely everything. This scares the s*** out of some people, but they either learn to roll with it or cease hiking.

[ChinMusic]

Do I need to plan where I will sleep each night or should I just plan the first month and end up planning as I go? I have absolutely no idea what mileages I will hike so its looking to be a pretty inaccurate schedule.

You don't need to think much more than 3-5 days ahead, if that.....except for time and money. If you have time and money covered you 95% there.

I have just been a section hiker but understand that planning beyond a few days is counterproductive.

[Peaks]

Well, I disagree with most posts here. I think that you should have a rough plan. Certainly if you follow Jack's rough plan posted in the articles section that is more than adequate. As I recall, he offers approximate # days between certain sections.

But, beyond that, flexibility is the key. Sometimes you will want to push through and make mileage. Other times you will want to linger or slow down.

For what it's worth, most thru-hikes take between 5 1/2 to 6 months to complete. Some of the planning guides offer approximate daily mileages for certain states. If you don't know any better about your hiking abilities, they are certainly a good place to start.

[Jack Tarlin]

I appreciate Peaks' kind words, but I can see the other side of it, too, and I think Wolf made a good point.

It's always good to have a rough framework and an approximate idea of how long a section is going to take you. After all, you don't want to run out of food in the middle of nowhere, just as you don't want to arrive in a town with a big supermarket only to discover that you still have three days worth of food.

But it'll take you awhile to figure out your pace, schedule, mileage, etc. And of course, every section of the Trail is different: 70 miles of Trail in Georgia is different than 70 in Central Virginia or 70 in Maine. There are plenty of places where you'll most likely be doing 14-18 miles a day. On the other hand, there are sections where you'll be doing a lot less.

Count on 6-10 miles a day at the outset, then you'll be working up from there.
Within a few weeks, you'll be doing much more. The info contained in my Re-Supply article will hopefully give you a good idea on how long it'll likely take you to cover each section of trail and how much food you're likely to need for each section. Of course, speedier hikers will need less food for each section; slower hikers will need a bit more. As a general rule, always carry a bit extra, in case a stretch takes a bit longer than you'd planned (because of weather, Trail conditions, injury, etc). And I like to have a reserve supply in case I decide deliberately to slow down.....maybe I come to a place that's so beautiful that I decide to call it a day at noon and stop hiking, or maybe I get to a place that's so nice I decide to take a "zero" day in the middle of the woods and not hike at all that day. Carrying a little extra food lets you do this.

In any case, like Wolf says, it's not rocket science. You'll figure it out as you go along, and within a couple of weeks, you'll have a really good idea of your pace, mileage capability, and food needs.

Last thing.....I just re-read your original post. Definitely DON'T have this big spreadsheet detailing where you intend to stay every night. Keep your options open and figure things out day by day. Meaning it's perfectly OK, and even wise, to look at your maps and charts and try and figure out where you're likely to be at day's end, but keep some flexibility. Maybe you don't get there by dinnertime. Or maybe you get there at three and decide to keep going. It's good to have a rough idea where the campsites and shelters are, especially if you think the weather will be bad, but don't lock yourself into some rigid schedule, and don't feel bad if you find yourself falling "behind" your original schedule. Every year I see people with a detailed spreadsheet that they put together back in the wintertime. The details are ridiculous. Believe me, in December you have absolutely no idea where you'll find yourself at five P.M. on Day 143 of your hike, so there's no point in trying to figure this out ahead of time. There are two things to do with trip itineraries like this: One of them involves starting a fire and the other involves an
outhouse.

A rough idea (i.e. a very approximate one) is fine, but let the days take you where they will. Starting out in the morning without a clue as to where you'll be that night can be one of the great joys of your trip.

[SalParadise]

planning any daily schedule is a daunting task and unnecessary unless you have plans to meet up with someone. and no need to plan out where you'll sleep each night unless you're hiking with a group. The terrain may run faster or slower than you expected, or weather might change your speed. Generally you'll be able to look in your guidebook sometime in the afternoon and say "I think I'll probably stop there tonight."

The only thing I planned out was food. I'd look in my guidebook, say "Oh, this town is 80 miles ahead. I'll resupply there," and then plan how many meals you'll need accordingly. Then as a just in case, I always carried two extra packages of Ramen with me on the chance I'd overestimate my hiking speed and need an emergency meal or two.

Neels Gap and Helen and Hiawassee are all close enough apart that once you start having to plan for 5 or 6 days, you'll have a good idea already of how many miles you typically hike in a day.

[ShelterLeopard]

Do I need to plan where I will sleep each night or should I just plan the first month and end up planning as I go? I have absolutely no idea what mileages I will hike so its looking to be a pretty inaccurate schedule.

I've written out a whole schedule day by day which I have no real intention of following. (A, it's fun to plan, B my family needs something to make them feel like they know what's going on) Basically, I'm going to just hike until I can't and find the nearest shelter.

[Doctari]

Thru hiker & long distance sectioners schedules make great fire starters.

I have a plan for if I get to thru. I'll likely carry it till my first campsite after Springer or Kathadin (which ever way I hike), then it's fire time!

[River Runner]

Good advice from all. Except, there is probably no need to carry extra food for the first 50 miles or so, because most tend to carry too much starting out. As long as you like oatmeal and ramen, you can probably get all the extra food you'd need for the next month at the first couple of shelters!

[JessieRvnsmk]

I have a rough plan, but it's more for my families benefit than mine. My personal plan is to hit the trail and start walking. Take it as it comes.

[theb1440]

ive lived my whole life sofar based on schedules and plans, and im sick of it! i'm going to have a VERY GENERAL idea of my trip but by no means will i be scheduling anything. just gonna walk from georgia to maine... however long it takes me to get there and however i have to do it... thats my plan.

[Lemni Skate]

I've been planning the hell out of a thru-hike for about three years now. I make little spreadsheets with details about where to resupply, where to sleep, and where to zero and where to get meals. (I've probably made ten of these things). PLANNING IS PART OF THE EXCITEMENT FOR ME!

The thing is that I know I'll never use any of these spreadsheets if and when I go. However, I know a lot about the trail as I think I've read up on every shelter, restaurant, hostel, hotel and point of interest there is.

When I go I'll have a pretty good feel for things, but I never know how far I'm going to hike in a day until I stop.

[Tom Goetz]

I like what theb1440 and Lemni Skate are saying. Don't plan every second of everyday and expect to stay on track. Then again, don't go wandering out there with no idea of what the next 50 miles have in store. I enjoy researching the trail and making notes about certain things but refuse to set any time frame other then the Oct 15th closing of Katahdin. Arm yourself with the knowledge and then let things shake out from there.