I am Starting To Plan My NOBO Thru-hike now...any advice?

[William Prescott]

so i have been hiking for awhile no EXTENSIVE trips yet. i have done multiple 100 milers but nothing to this scale so i dont even really know where to begin. looking for help and advice

how do you plan your maildrops?
how do you know when to pack extra food?
Certain gear ill need at certain places?

Sorry if i seem like an amateur but i figure there is no better people to ask.

i look forward to your replies

[Darwin13]

definitely take a look at the forum and previous posts. There is a lot of stuff that has been answered and the best part about looking for it is that you find stuff that you never thought you needed to know!

[OzJacko]

Probably the best guide to start answering your questions is here.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php?221
Personally I am going to start at Amicola with 3-4 days of food, a bounce box about 300-400 miles down the trail with spare gear, and just walk.
Instead of all the other stuff like food drops and mail drops carry an extra $2 a mile.
Don't see much of a need to worry about more than what I carry from town to town except to ensure I have suitable clothes/sleeping gear between bounce box stops.
If in doubt carry the warmer stuff and an extra water bottle. It takes days to die of starvation.
Just think of it as one 100 mile hike after another. 22 of 'em should do it.

[Water Rat]

so i have been hiking for awhile no EXTENSIVE trips yet. i have done multiple 100 milers but nothing to this scale so i dont even really know where to begin. looking for help and advice

how do you plan your maildrops?
how do you know when to pack extra food?
Certain gear ill need at certain places?

Sorry if i seem like an amateur but i figure there is no better people to ask.

i look forward to your replies

Hi William! to White Blaze! I am relatively new here myself, but wanted to let you know this place is awesome for getting questions answered. It might be difficult to find the exact answer to your question, but look around a bit. Pretty sure many have asked a lot of the questions you will ask. Oh, and don't get discouraged, or take it personal, if someone tells you (in a mean way...this is not a dig at any of the above posts) to go look it up. It's just that many of the same questions get asked over, and over... I just wanted you to be warned so you didn't feel put off by the White Blaze experience.

The mail drop question is a bit difficult for others to answer because we would need to know how fast you hike. That would be a determining factor in how far apart your mail drops should be. Are you planning on relying on just mail drops, or are you willing to supplement with food from towns along the way?

When are you planning on starting your journey? (Congratulations, by the way!) Time of year will help determine some of the gear you will need to take with you.

Just remember - We are all amateur until we get some mileage under our feet. Everyone here has "been there." I would recommend searching through past posts for your answers... If you don't find it, or are having a hard time finding the answers, then ask away. I am pretty sure you will find out some really good information here. I know I have!

Water Rat

[JohnWayne]

One of the best books you can get for all your questions is The Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Planner put out by the ATC. Follow this link as there are a lot of different editions.
Http://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Tr...il+conservancy

It will cost you $10. If you can't afford it, PM me. Many veterans on White Blaze put it down because it can teach them nothing. Even the reviews aren't so hot. Like a fool, I waited 6 months and this book could have told me pretty much everything about the trail. It tells the average temperatures each month at each region, average costs, mail drops, gear and there is a kind of workbook where you can plan everything. White Blaze can teach you a lot but not all in one place.

There is a group of us at my house who watch the daily AT videos. They can't be beat. Most of us like Loner20012AT videos. Go to YouTube and start with #1 and he is now on #97 or so and you will learn all about the trail. If you think you want to travel with a group, Fatherman's videos are probably what you would enjoy most, but both guys have done a fine job.

[Water Rat]

One of the best books you can get for all your questions is The Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Planner put out by the ATC. Follow this link as there are a lot of different editions.
Http://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Tr...il+conservancy

It will cost you $10. If you can't afford it, PM me. Many veterans on White Blaze put it down because it can teach them nothing. Even the reviews aren't so hot. Like a fool, I waited 6 months and this book could have told me pretty much everything about the trail. It tells the average temperatures each month at each region, average costs, mail drops, gear and there is a kind of workbook where you can plan everything. White Blaze can teach you a lot but not all in one place.

There is a group of us at my house who watch the daily AT videos. They can't be beat. Most of us like Loner20012AT videos. Go to YouTube and start with #1 and he is now on #97 or so and you will learn all about the trail. If you think you want to travel with a group, Fatherman's videos are probably what you would enjoy most, but both guys have done a fine job.

JohnWayne! It is YOUR fault. You have officially derailed my morning. If only you hadn't mentioned Loner's videos!! I had been meaning to watch them, but got sidetracked. Then, ya had to go and bring them up. Now, I can't seem to tear myself away! Thanks, JohnWayne! Thanks for derailing my morning... ha ha

Actually, I wanted to thank you for reminding me about these videos! I'm on #9...and will probably go pour myself another cup of coffee, sit on my butt, and watch as many of these videos as I can.

[bear bag hanger]

I guess the main advice I have is don't over plan. My first attempt, in 1997, I read a couple books and wound up not being able to make my goals and wound up getting off the trial after 240 miles. The second time, in 2004, I didn't plan at all and made it all the way. The biggest problem with the planning books is they encourage you to hike too many miles per day too early. As best I can tell, most authors forget how difficult it is to hike 20 miles a day from the very start of a hike. I didn't use mail drops. I did get someone to send me my summer stuff around May 30th, but waited until about five days before I needed it to let them know where to send it to. Carry a mileage/data book of some sort with you, then you'll know where the resupply points are and how much food you need to carry to get to them.

[Kryptonite]

Water Rat and JW: Aren't Loner's videos just the best?! All of my friends really enjoy them. Such a sweet, nice guy. The kind of hiker you hope you run into.

Also as far as mileage, William, have goals about your mileage but start slow. Depending on weather conditions and how you sleep, etc., you may have much lower miles at times. The important thing is to ENJOY yourself! Just don't get sucked up into a group that only wants to stay in town.

[Water Rat]

Water Rat and JW: Aren't Loner's videos just the best?! All of my friends really enjoy them. Such a sweet, nice guy. The kind of hiker you hope you run into.

Thanks to WB, I am now hooked on AT videos. Yeah, Loner's videos are like visual AT crack. Can't get enough of them!

[Kryptonite]

Thanks to WB, I am now hooked on AT videos. Yeah, Loner's videos are like visual AT crack. Can't get enough of them!

Haha. AT Crack. Yep! That's them! Everyone I know gets excited when they hear that Loner has posted new videos! We all send emails to each other when a new batch has come in! I kind of wish that he would get some sponsors and get a super duper camera and hike the AT again and then produce his own DVD. His videos are far better than any of the AT commercial videos I have seen out there and I have them all. Maybe he could get Martin Sheen to play his part? LOL. No, Loner kind of reminds me of the "Will Rogers of the AT." You just can't fake someone that sincere or nice.

[Water Rat]

Haha. AT Crack. Yep! That's them! Everyone I know gets excited when they hear that Loner has posted new videos! We all send emails to each other when a new batch has come in! I kind of wish that he would get some sponsors and get a super duper camera and hike the AT again and then produce his own DVD. His videos are far better than any of the AT commercial videos I have seen out there and I have them all. Maybe he could get Martin Sheen to play his part? LOL. No, Loner kind of reminds me of the "Will Rogers of the AT." You just can't fake someone that sincere or nice.

Okay, have been trying to watch these videos, keep up with another thread, and get some chores done this morning. I am now on video #13... Loner currently has something like 97 videos. WHAT am I going to do when he finishes his hike??? I am now addicted! I will have to go to some sort of AT rehab... Find some other videos and slowly wean myself.

[Kryptonite]

Okay, have been trying to watch these videos, keep up with another thread, and get some chores done this morning. I am now on video #13... Loner currently has something like 97 videos. WHAT am I going to do when he finishes his hike??? I am now addicted! I will have to go to some sort of AT rehab... Find some other videos and slowly wean myself.

Yep! I hear ya! I did go into "withdrawal" before the latest batch and have watched all the videos at least twice. He is such a natural with travel videos that I wish he could figure out a way to make a living doing this. Like hike for 6 months out of the year and then edit and distribute his hiking videos the other 6 months. I sure wish he could find a big sponsor like Mountain House (who could feed him too!) or WalMart or REI. He has such a gift. Or even if he has to get about 50 smaller sponsors like Balls and Sunshine did. Anything to keep the videos coming!

[William Prescott]

WOW! very helpful hiking plan thank you

[max patch]

if you've multiple 100 mile trips then you already know about 99% of what you need to know. You've got the hiking part nailed, just need to figure out how to pay bills that come in, what to do with your car, how to get maps, etc.

[bobtomaskovic]

Carefully plan how to take care of things at home and how to clear enough time for the hike. Get a trail guide, pack for 3-5 days and start hiking. Planning is just a way to kill time while you are waiting to start a hike. Everything changes as soon as the walking starts.

[moldy]

I have some advice, save up about 5 grand for your hike.

[Datto]

Here is my "Datto's AT Thru-Hiking Tips" article on Whiteblaze that I wrote after my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/cont...ru-Hiking-Tips


Datto

[SnakeSession]

I have some advice, save up about 5 grand for your hike.

I second Moldy's post! Everyone wants to do it for a $1 a mile and it's just not going to happen unless you REALLY don't spend much. But sounds like William you got the hiking down, most of the rest you can learn on the trail as you go. Plus there are LOTS of nice people that you will meet that will be happy to help down the line. Goodluck!