Everyone keeps calling me crazy for starting in September, so is anyone else gonna be on the trail starting in September heading South Bound?
Everyone keeps calling me crazy for starting in September, so is anyone else gonna be on the trail starting in September heading South Bound?
You're not crazy for starting in September going SOBO, coming straight from the Eastern Shore, carrying only a bag of rice, ramen noodles, nuts, granola, and cliff bars, averaging 25 miles a day immediately without having the faintest idea what type of shoes you're going to wear. You're just stupid.
"Hahk your own hahk." - Ron Haven
"The world is a book, of which those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine
http://www.scrubhiker.com/
Like I said on another thread, I'm starting my hike through Maine at the end of August. Wave as you pass by...
It's not that you're crazy. It's that the trail is tough. Very few people get up and go with little understanding of what might be ahead, and still have a successful trip. Most plan and plan and plan, some for years. I did for a decade, and still felt unprepared when I finally got out there. In reality it usually takes logistics, training, and pretty much a lot more than you seem to expect. The trail takes more out of you than you could ever imagine not having been on it for any decent length of time. I think more people are concerned about the safety issue over anything else. You WILL eventually be winter hiking with a September start, and that alone is a different animal that many avid hikers aren't too willing to do for a long stretch just because it can be flat out dangerous.
Ultimately, it's just that it doesn't seem like many of these points are being understood.