First timer

[Zeno]

My sons (21yrs,22yrs) and I (53yrs) are planning a trip SOBO next year. We have no experience other than me (Recon, USMC in my other life). Any suggestion? I am just now starting to plan for next year. This site seems to be the best I've found so far.

[Lone Wolf]

start around july 1st

[Nean]

Keep your pack weight at or below 1/5 of your body weight.

[le loupe]

Do some shakeout hikes 3-5 days in length

Think seriously about the food you pack, is it enough. I'm a lowly section hiker, but still working on this

[Nean]

Most folks carry too much food starting out.

[jersey joe]

whiteblaze IS the best site out there that I've found for getting advice on hiking the AT. A suggestion that comes to mind is to keep your load as light as possible and go on a few overnight trips to figure out what you don't really need to bring.

[couscous]

Get a good trail guide. example

[The Solemates]

the best advice for hiking lots of miles in the mountains is to go hike lots of miles in the mountains.

take as many trips of substantial length as you can prior to starting.

[Spokes]

Refer to the links in a previous post here. You'll need to modify for a SOBO but you'll get the idea. Good luck.