AT and nothing to lose live or die

[DavidNH]

the AT is NOT the place to go find yourself for a few months, especially during the winter, and more especially when you are running very low, or out of cash. Plus weighing 300 pounds without recent hiking experience you aren't likely to last long on the trail

Spend several months planning, have several thousand dollars (3000-6000) saved up and do a real trip intelligently. I'd rec. the southern half of the trail though the smokies could be unpleasant in winter. also, maybe working on your writing skills abit?

david

[BobTheBuilder]

You have to admit, the "nothing to lose, live or die" title of the OP is way over the top, drama-wise. However, if you want to freeze to death, at least have the consideration not to do it on the AT where a lot of people will be required to drag your frozen carcass out to a road crossing.

[clsvideo]

You have to admit, the "nothing to lose, live or die" title of the OP is way over the top, drama-wise. However, if you want to freeze to death, at least have the consideration not to do it on the AT where a lot of people will be required to drag your frozen carcass out to a road crossing.

Good point Bob. Not good publicity for the trail either.

[ALLEGHENY]

I think you can get them as being homeless, and you could be looking for work as well. I considered doing it, just so I could hike continuously. It would honestly be worth it, to just be able to hike all the time. Best bet would be stay in Virginia, it is the longest section of the AT, and do odd jobs if you can get them.

I talked to my caseworker about that very thing. I said I would be traveling up the AT looking for work, he said whenever you get where you are going, send the paperwork to have them cut off, then reapply in the state you are in, if you are still eligible. I only applied when I was about to become homeless and had like 200 dollars to my name. I am currently working, but it is only part time, so I still get a modest amount.

What a country! Take a vacation on the Dept. of Agriculture's budget.

[jerseydave]

What a country! Take a vacation on the Dept. of Agriculture's budget.

And seemingly proud of it

[tridavis]

Maybe you could hitch out to the CDT as it would be much more suitable in mid winter. You wouldn't have to worry about too much food or how much money you have. Just go and enjoy the sunshine and the Rookies. That's what I'd do if I were you.

[Gray_Ghost]

Maybe you could hitch out to the CDT as it would be much more suitable in mid winter. You wouldn't have to worry about too much food or how much money you have. Just go and enjoy the sunshine and the Rookies. That's what I'd do if I were you.

Where on the CDT would it be warmer than the AT and with less snow in the winter? I had ten degree temps in New Mexico in May.

[thomasmbass]

getting it all to gather ill post a list of things im thinking of packing, later maybe tell me what els to bring or to leave out thanks for the support

[Nutbrown]

I think it's ironic that Thomas is getting more support than the Navy guy spoutin off about hiking SOBO for a speed record.

Thomas, freezer bags and walmart crap is not what you need to keep you alive. Please do a lot more research on places OTHER than WB. I realize you don't need state of the art... maybe check into a local army surplus and talk to an old timer about supplies. You might be able to outfit yourself with better quality.

but I still wonder if you really exist

[Trailbender]

What a country! Take a vacation on the Dept. of Agriculture's budget.

And seemingly proud of it

Anything I ever owed this country, I paid off in Iraq.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Anything I ever owed this country, I paid off in Iraq.

I don't really care if you're getting food stamps, or UI, or WC, or whatever, and are off hiking. The legality and ethics of that are up to you and the government to decide. But your service in Iraq doesn't entitle you to #$%^ the system. You signed up voluntarily to serve and you were paid for your service. One doesn't have anything to do with the other.

[Trailbender]

I don't really care if you're getting food stamps, or UI, or WC, or whatever, and are off hiking. The legality and ethics of that are up to you and the government to decide. But your service in Iraq doesn't entitle you to #$%^ the system. You signed up voluntarily to serve and you were paid for your service. One doesn't have anything to do with the other.

Whatever, I was mainly talking about the whiny civilians getting all p1ssy about it. I'm not hiking on food stamps, I was merely stating that it might be possible. The guy asked a question, I answered it, somebody jumped in and got all self righteous.

[Toolshed]

Anything I ever owed this country, I paid off in Iraq.

trailbender. I'm a vet and I didn't give up and decide to just take from my country. Were you like this before your service. either way, Why so jaded?

[4eyedbuzzard]

Whatever, I was mainly talking about the whiny civilians getting all p1ssy about it. I'm not hiking on food stamps, I was merely stating that it might be possible. The guy asked a question, I answered it, somebody jumped in and got all self righteous.

Sorry if I misinterpreted and went off on you personally. And I thank you for your prior service. I was more just venting my frustration at all the people who abuse the system for what wasn't intended. Taking a hiking trip or other vacation is just one of them. People on UI are supposed to be applying their efforts toward finding employment, not hiking. People on WC are supposed to be on work restrictions, and if you're healthy enough to hike you're healthy enough to work or at minimum not be putting your recovery in jeopardy by hiking. Same situation goes for welfare and all the rest. All those people ought to be devoting their time and energy toward being self supporting. Hiking is a privilege and a vacation. Too many people out there #$%^ing the system as a way of life.

[Del Q]

Agree, don't do the AT as you are thinking about, being cold 24 hours a day is a new experience.

When you are moving it will be warm, when you stop is when things will get dicey. Stay true to "easier to stay warm than get warm", at your weight you will need to eat a lot of calories, rice, beans, peanut butter, etc. There are a lot of people with good or great gear that they might sell for cheap, mandatory would be rain pants and jacket, good boots, layering !!!, definitely a 10 or 15 degree bag and maybe a liner as well or you will be misearble. This time of year you could shelter hop but then you will be pressured by miles.

The only people I have heard of, met or read about who camp/backpack in the winter are experienced, knowledageble & properly equipped individuals.

[Trailbender]

Sorry if I misinterpreted and went off on you personally. And I thank you for your prior service. I was more just venting my frustration at all the people who abuse the system for what wasn't intended. Taking a hiking trip or other vacation is just one of them. People on UI are supposed to be applying their efforts toward finding employment, not hiking. People on WC are supposed to be on work restrictions, and if you're healthy enough to hike you're healthy enough to work or at minimum not be putting your recovery in jeopardy by hiking. Same situation goes for welfare and all the rest. All those people ought to be devoting their time and energy toward being self supporting. Hiking is a privilege and a vacation. Too many people out there #$%^ing the system as a way of life.

I didn't mean you, I meant the two previous posters. I don't mention Iraq for accolades, it is more of a reminder to people that you have no idea who you are talking to on the internet, and jumping to conclusions about someone is almost always wrong. If someone was on welfare, I'd rather them hike than sit around watching TV all day, honestly. I see hiking more and more as a way of life, I feel more at peace in the woods than anywhere else. I want to do it year round, and work odd jobs off and on to pay for it. I haven't been the same since my 2010 thru, and I would be out there right now if it wasn't for my student loans. After I pay them off with a factory job or something, I am going out there, probably do the Florida Trail first.

Honestly, I love hiking so much, I wouldn't care how I paid for it. If it took food stamps, I would do that. I would rather just do odd jobs though. What job I have and whether I am on benefits does not define me as a person.

[rjjones]

Trailbender,i would like to thank you for your service to our country and efforts to keep us safe and able to hike and do the things we enjoy doing.I appreciate the efforts of ALL our servicemen.Bass,i would have to second Dels comments on the cold.Its one thing to hike in the cold,but another to spend endless days in the cold.It gets dark at 5 pm{and starts to get realy cold},and doesnt get light out till 6am{and doesnt start to warm till 8 or 9 am if that}.Thats a LONG COLD NIGHT,NIGHT,AFTER NIGHT,AFTER NIGHT.You may want to try it for a couple of days with a bailout plan before commiting to months of it.Good luck no matter what you do.

[hobby]

Thomas M. Bass from North Carolina--
Any kin to Ernest T. ??

[hikerboy57]

one thing I would strongly advised is to listen to your body and dont try to push too hard, especially early on. A few weeks on the trail will slowly work your body into shape. If you push too hard, you're going to sweat a lot, which can be a killer , even when temps are in the fifties.Theres nothing wrong with a 3 or 5 mile day in the beginning just to allow your body to learn its own pace.The key to staying warm is also to stay dry. and if nothing else, theres no embarrassment in quitting, if you sense you're heading into trouble, or if the weather takes an abrupt turn. its supposed to be fun, not a survival test.

[booney_1]

People are discouraging you because this trek would be extremely difficult for an experienced hiker. It should give you cause for concern that among a community where people celebrate a 2100+ hike, I have never heard of anyone doing it in winter. You may not realize this, but they close the northern end Oct 15th. (the weather conditions are not merely uncomfortable, but dangerous)

There are so many problems above and beyond the normal thru-hike that I don't know where to start. One would be...how do you even follow the trail??
AT blazes are white. Often they are painted on rocks. There will be no one breaking trail for you, and with snow on the ground the trail would be hard to even follow. You will have numerous days with storms. One of the problems with blowing snow is visibility. You just can't see very far ahead. The distance between AT blazes is not set for these conditions. You'll have short days, and yes you'll have to stop as the visibility becomes even worse.
You need to have equipment (sleeping bags) and clothing, not for the average temp, but for the worse conditions you'll find yourself in. I'm not familiar with the northern portion of the AT, but I can tell you places like Grayson highlands in winter can be as bad as anywhere. In fact this is your nightmare scenario People get lost up there in the summertime. There are a lot of other trails and because there are many places with no trees, blazes are on rocks, or non-existent. Oh yeah, it's about a mile high and storms come up real fast. People often have miserable Aprils there. Here is a news story from a few years ago about a boy scout troop that needed rescuing from this area...

http://americasroof.com/wp/archives/...son-highlands/

I'm from upstate NY and when I grew up I did a lot of hiking/camping in the snow...When there is more than 6-8 inches of snow on the ground it starts to get difficult to walk. You can't even think about hiking long in 2 feet of snow, even forgetting about drifts.

I'm in NC also. I like general idea of a long hike for anybody. How about the Mountain to Sea trail in NC? It's not completely connected up yet, but large portions exist. Camping is only allowed in a few areas, but I think it's a great opportunity for stealth camping. There will be a lot of portions where you are hking near cities so you can resupply without a problem. The trails are also easier than the AT until you get North of Winston-Salem.

Good luck at whatever you choose...
PS...

there is an interesting thread under the straight foward...on the smokies in winter...
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?78013-Smokies-in-winter