good 1-month section?

[Hoppy]

Due to various circumstances, I don't think I will be able to attempt a thru in 2006 like I had hoped. (I haven't ruled it out entirely, but its looking less and less like a possibility). But, I am desperately committed to getting out there and doing a section, of about a month's time and was looking for recommendations based on some preferences. I would probably hike in the month of July, I would like to hike with thru hikers, but not necessarily the biggest group of them.

Maybe Maine and head south and see how far I make it in a month?

[orangebug]

If you are in Moscow and flying here for a month's walk, I'd fly into JFK, take the subway up to the AT stop and start from there, especially in July. You will have the bulk of the thru hikers with you. Head north and see if you can make it thru New Hampshire.

Alternatively, fly into Newark, get a ride to Delaware Water Gap and walk to Vermont - at least.

[Hoppy]

No, I'll be back stateside this fall, permanently so those logistics aren't an issue. I"ll be based out of VA, but I"ve hiked much of the VA trail so am looking for something else on the AT.

[Hoppy]

I'd fly into JFK, take the subway up to the AT stop and start from there, .

You can take the subway to the trail????????

[orangebug]

Yes, get to Grand Central Station. Change to a commuter train that heads north on the east shore of the Hudson. The AT stop is just south of Garrison and the Bear Mtn Bridge.

However, I think it only stops on Saturdays. I don't have a copy of The Map handy just now to give you the particulars on the train. I think it is the Hudson Blue line.

[orangebug]

This is why NYC is such a great trail town. It is the only one with public transportation to get you from trailhead to hostels and gear shops. The restaurants are really great, but I've had trouble finding laundramats that tolerate dressing in rain gear.

You also can't buy any canister fuel in the city.

[Doctari]

Why not start at Springer, go north for as long as you can. Should be able to make north of the Smokies by then without pushing too hard.

Doctari.

[Hoppy]

Why not start at Springer, go north for as long as you can. Should be able to make north of the Smokies by then without pushing too hard.

Doctari.

While I would love to do the southern section of the trail, intuition tells me that maybe July is not the best time to do it?

[JustDoIt]

I'm starting July 1st also. I don't care where I start as long as there's someplace to get off where I can catch a bus or something to an airport. I'm anxiously waiting for my trailguide book but I'd rather have the opinion of experts. My agenda is to walk for 30 days then fly back home. (Kansas)

[Ridge]

July is hot hiking in the SE. I would say start at Katahdin, head south till your time runs out. But Im just a wife of an AT thru-hiker, so I'm no expert, I just know how hot it is here in the SE USA. hikerwife

[orangebug]

July is the middle of the green tunnel in the south, and pretty much anywhere along the AT. Heat can be a problem, as I rcall the 100+ F days of July back in 1999 when Harriman Park was closed due to fire danger.

I'd start in NY or NJ and walk north if July was my only choice.

[prozac]

Go with Orangebug's advice. The train your looking for is the Metro North out of Grand Central. The Harlem Line will take you to the AT stop but its just as easy to get off at Pawling, NY a few miles before there. Another option would be to take the Metro North Port Jervis Line to either Tuxedo or Port Jervis. Port Jervis is only a short and cheap taxi ride to High Point State Park NJ. Either trip would probably put you in with the frontrunners of the Class of 2005 but it definately won't be crowded. Google Metro North Railroad for more info and timetables.

[dep]

I am doing a month section of the A.T. starting in July as well. I'm starting from the metro north point out of the city and headed south (for what I hope to be 300 miles)... Best of luck. Maybe we'll cross paths

dep

[A-Train]

Yes I'd definately hike maine. It's a fabulous time to be Maine. Warm days, cool nights and the bugs aren't nearly as bad as may-june. You'll hike with a bunch of SOBO's and be running into the front end of the NOBO's all month. Lots of water in this section, and heat usually isn't unbearable. Maine towns and locals are great too.

You could also start from Gorham NH and hike north to Katahdin easily in a month, but you'd be negotiating very tough terrain from the first day out. Though you'd get a NOBO perspective and get to have Katahdin as your finish, with the Wilderness as your home stretch. Each direction, you can't lose

[JustDoIt]

Does anyone have any thoughts of a hike thru the Shenandoah National Park in July? Too many black flies or caterpillars to make it unbearable? Is it very, very hot in July? My goal was to start at Rockfish GAp and head north as far as I can go in 30 days. Would love to hear what the Park is like in July.

[kncats]

Does anyone have any thoughts of a hike thru the Shenandoah National Park in July? Too many black flies or caterpillars to make it unbearable? Is it very, very hot in July? My goal was to start at Rockfish GAp and head north as far as I can go in 30 days. Would love to hear what the Park is like in July.

Hot is relative. For us here in Virginia we'd consider July to be hot, but that means daytime highs in the low to mid 80's for Shenandoah with nightly lows around 60. Those are the averages, YMMV.

Expect the park to be crowded on weekends, not too bad in the midddle of the week.

If you stay on AT the availability of water may be an issue, there's not a lot of it in between shelters. You can also water up at the campgrounds and stores. As a rule it's plentiful if you get down off the ridge and hike the side trails. But, the descents/ascents can be steep and long. I wouldn't consider it worth it just for getting water. We just carry more with us if we're staying on the AT.

The only bugs that ever really bothered me in SNP have been ticks, and that's just if you get down onto overgrown trails where there aren't as many people.

[The Hog]

Your idea to hike Maine is a very good one. I would also consider starting at the VT/NH border and hiking north for a month. That is a spectacular stretch of Trail and you would be seeing a fair number of thru hikers.

[orangebug]

A question for the New Yorkers out there:

I was visiting last week, and got my usual copy of "THE MAP" showing all of the bus, train and subway routes in and around Manhatten. The AT stop was not shown. I know that it was a seasonal stop, typically summer and weekends. Has it been closed due to budgets?

[hwbout]

Hi,
We are from NY and hike often, taking either a bus or train out of the city. Here is a link that is really helpful. http://www.nynjtc.org/trails/no-car.html

This summer we will be taking the Amtrak for 60 dollars from NY's Penn Station to Rutland Vermont and beginning the trail there. We will be hiking south about 300 miles back to the Bear Mountain area in NY where we can pick up the train again and get back to the city. We rarely hike more than 10 miles a day, so this hike will take us about a month. This might be good for you, as both NY airports have a shuttle now from the airports into Penn. Obviously, if you are not from NY, you may be a little overwhelmed with our public transportaion system, but despite what people say, New Yorkers are more than happy to point you in the right direction. Good luck with your month long hike. We are really looking forward to ours.

[JoeHiker]

Does it have to be ALL on the AT? Why not do the Long Trail in Vermont, North to South. Southern section shares the AT