Should I be more concerned?

[pfunk]

Hello everyone! This community has really shaped my understanding of all things regarding the A.T. and I am very grateful for the information provided by so many different perspectives.

My main question revolves around how much planning is really needed for a thru-hike. I plan on starting my hike around April 15 (NOBO) (relatively late I know). Through reading everyone's posts I have gathered that planning your meals ahead of time is not needed and that planning the pace of your hike (when to arrive at certain landmarks) may deteriorate the experience of the hike.

Although I am not concerned about many factors involved in a thru-hike, I am concerned about being a Canadian. I was wondering if anyone knows the regulations about the amount of time I can stay in the United States, and furthermore if being from Canada will cause me any other bumps in the road.

As someone who has thru-hiked before, do you believe I am under-concerned?

[Don H]

No, I think you'll be fine just taking things as they come.
Some thoughts;
Food - Buy as you go, just make sure you have some cash and a debit card.
Pace - Start slow, even if you think you can go further take it easy for the first couple of weeks. I can't tell you how many people I saw get off the trail in Georgia with knee and foot problems because they didn't build up to it. Don't rush and don't try to keep up with the crowd, most of them will quit by the NC/GA border, some because they pushed too hard. On the other hand don't waste time by sleeping until noon or taking several days off in a row repeatedly. People do run out of time in NH and ME. I like to think that the trail tells me ho far I am going to hike each day.
And most importantly, have fun! It will be ver before you know it!

[Slo-go'en]

Although I am not concerned about many factors involved in a thru-hike, I am concerned about being a Canadian.

I'm becoming concerned about being an American - want to trade places?

I don't belive Canadians need a visa to visit the USA, so there probably aren't any time constraints to worry about, but that is just a guess on my part. It would be easy enough to find out, you can search the internet for that kind of info.

As for planning, just get one of the guide books and wing it. That's the beauty of the AT, you don't have to think much about it before hand, with the exception of getting the right mix of gear. And even that is easy enough to adjust along the way, provided you have sufficent funds. Really, the only planning you have to do is to plan to have pleanty of money available.

[Odd Man Out]

From the US Embassy in Ottawa Web Site: http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/in...canadians.html
"Canadian citizens do not require a visa to enter the United States directly from Canada for the purposes of visiting or studying. However, as of 23 January 2007, all Canadians entering the U.S. require passports."

Also, from the Canadian Foreign Affairs Website: http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pa....asp?id=308000
"Providing additional information at borders The requirements of U.S. authorities for identification upon entering the United States have become much stricter. Travellers entering the U.S. by air or by sea are required to provide additional information, such as their address while in the U.S., including Puerto Rico. They may also be asked for evidence of residential, employment, or educational ties to Canada; proof that the trip is for a legitimate purpose and is of a reasonable length; and proof of financial support while in the country."

Also from the Embassy Web site:
"Canadian visitors are generally granted a stay in the U.S. for up to six months at the time of entry. Requests to extend or adjust a stay must be made prior to expiry to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. All Canadians are reminded that U.S. law requires all foreigners to qualify for the desired stay and purpose at the time of their initial entry. A visitor who intends to live, work or study in the U.S. without disclosing this information beforehand may be permanently barred from the U.S."

From the USCIS web site about the extension:
"If you want to extend your stay in the United States, you must file a request with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on the Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status before your authorized stay expires. If you remain in the United States longer than authorized, you may be barred from returning and/or you may be removed (deported) from the United States. Check the date in the lower right-hand corner of your Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record, to determine the date your authorized stay expires. We recommend that you apply to extend your stay at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires."

[Odd Man Out]

P.S. You all will be glad to know that the Canadian Government did NOT have any warnings about violent crime on the AT. There was some comment about how dangerous Florida is, however.

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pa....asp?id=308000

[Datto]

Here a link to my "Datto's AT Thru-hiking Tips" article on Whiteblaze -- in there are some suggestions for mileage in different parts of the Trail heading northbound as well as other information you might find useful:

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



Datto

[10-K]

My suggestion would be to start out "concerned" and have a plan for the first 100 miles or so to get used to resupply and logistics work and then just let things unfold organically.

[garlic08]

I'm becoming concerned about being an American - want to trade places?

Coffee just exited my nose. Great way to start the day.

My suggestion would be to start out "concerned" and have a plan for the first 100 miles or so to get used to resupply and logistics work and then just let things unfold organically.

Very good advice. Soon you get into an "average miles per day" and "average calories per day" and "if things go bad I can always bail out there" or "I have extra food so I'll skip this stop" approach. Don't become too flip because there are a few areas that need more attention and concern, and always keep an eye on weather, etc.

April 15 is a fine time to start. If I were to hike again, that's exactly when I would leave. Here in the US, we call that "Tax Day". Don't be concerned, it's not a holiday and won't affect your travel plans.

[OzJacko]

My suggestion would be to start out "concerned" and have a plan for the first 100 miles or so to get used to resupply and logistics work and then just let things unfold organically.

This is essentially my game plan....

[pfunk]

Thank you everyone for this wonderful information. I have bought the A.T. Guide by Awol and will be using it mainly for the maps and phone numbers it provides for every town.

Datto, your write up is excellent, I can't believe I haven't stumbled upon it yet.

Odd Man Out, thank you for enlightening me on the relative ease of getting (and staying) in the United States as a Canadian.

I am truly excited and terrified to do this hike. I only wish April would come sooner.

[ChinMusic]

My suggestion would be to start out "concerned" and have a plan for the first 100 miles or so to get used to resupply and logistics work and then just let things unfold organically.

Do you consider the first 100 miles "inorganic"?

[RED-DOG]

The first 100 miles is the hardest to plane after that you will get in to a stride and Know what to espect then the planning gets easier, but as a canadian i would'nt worry about it just go with the flow.

[Odd Man Out]

Do you consider the first 100 miles "inorganic"?

The PA rocks are inorganic

[Odd Man Out]

...Odd Man Out, thank you for enlightening me on the relative ease of getting (and staying) in the United States as a Canadian....

With my job I sometimes have to know something abut visa regulations, so I like web surfing for this kind of info.

A similar question came up on another thread recently. Most people thru hike in less than 6 months. But if you are behind schedule and might need an extension, taking the train from Harpers Ferry to DC might be a good option. Also, there are reports of needing to verify the ability to fund yourself for 6 months so having some bank statements might be a good idea. Also, there was one statement about providing an address while in the US. This would be a big problem for a hiker. If you have a friend you would be willing to accept mail for you to use as a mailing address, that might also be good to work out in advance.

[Papa D]

It's easy to get out of here - hard as hell to get in - you'll be fine - enjoy your hike

[peakbagger]

The candian Border isnt that far away from the AT in New England. I believe that prior to the six months being up, that all you have to do is cross the Canadian border, turn around and then reenter the US to get an extension. Please check on the details, but I know of several Canadain folks who work in the US and have to do the drive once a year. The easiest access to the border might be I91 just west of Hanover. There is a lot of north south traffic heading up to Canada so you can hitch (you cant hitch on the interstate but you can near the on ramps).

[Hairbear]

Thank you everyone for this wonderful information. I have bought the A.T. Guide by Awol and will be using it mainly for the maps and phone numbers it provides for every town.

Datto, your write up is excellent, I can't believe I haven't stumbled upon it yet.

Odd Man Out, thank you for enlightening me on the relative ease of getting (and staying) in the United States as a Canadian.

I am truly excited and terrified to do this hike. I only wish April would come sooner.

you could be a stand up guy and bring down some molson brador id pay you for it...... lol

[evyck da fleet]

I summited with a Canadian and all he brought was his passport which he needed for his flights in and out of the US.

As far as planning, just have ageneral idea of what you want to do but don't set anything in stone, plans change all the time especially at the beginning.

I carried more food than I needed to start 1)because I didn't have my hiker appetite yet and 2)in case I didn't do the mileage I thought I could. Of course, if you're willing to go to town more oftern, you can carry less food.

For daily mileage at the start, I just knew to stay under whatever I was doing on my hikes at home and adjust for terrain and how I felt. I saw a couple people have to get off becasue they started hiking whatever they wanted to average for the trip and got injured quickly.

[pfunk]

These are all wonderful replies and I thank you for all of them.
So really all I need to plan on bringing is my passport, bank statement showing my funds, and debit and visa cards, (after letting the bank know I will be travelling) along with some cash and my hiking equipment and a good attitude.

As for pace I was planning on stopping when I get tired for the first two weeks. Although I am not the type to easily quit, I believe that destroying my body in the first couple weeks may spell disaster in the long term.

Since everyone seems to be doing so well answering my questions, I think I will ask one more!
As a relatively small guy, (5'6, 145 pounds, athletic build) what would you say is the max amount of weight I should be carrying? I will obviously be trying to go as light as possible, but as we all know light *usually* means expensive, and in reality people haven't had access to lightweight gear for hundreds of years and most of them survived

[Datto]

I'd met up with a petite girl who's body weight was about 105 pounds -- her pack was heavier than mine (at about mile 1500 or so for me) at 39 pounds and she didn't seem to be too bothered by the weight. We'd decided to weigh our packs for amusement and it was hard to fathom how heavy her pack was when I'd compared mine at about 30lbs at that same time. When you're thru-hiking you get to know how much stuff weighs and I picked up her pack with a grunt just to confirm that the 39 pounds was real. Geez, I don't know how she did it.

I'd also hiked with a Canadian girl who had a pack with a weight that was way more than mine. She never seemed bothered by the weight much and I would never have carried that much weight for myself. For her, she could easily hike me into the ground (man I had a hard time keeping up with her in Vermont because she was in such good shape but she helped me keep on track with getting to Katahdin).

Harriott Tubman's pack, when we'd weighed them somewhere early in the journey, weight about 55 lbs. I was stunned because she'd never seemed bothered by the pack weight when we'd gone up the Georgia mountains. Just hard to believe -- she would also hike me into the ground in Georgia and never batted an eye with that heavy of a pack. And here I'd thought I was in shape starting out. Ha.

If you're going to spend money, I'd shoot for reducing the weight of your three big ticket items -- your backpack, your sleeping bag and the shelter that you'll be carrying and get that as low in weight as possible. Mine was under 7.75 lbs when I'd started the AT going up to Springer Mountain from Amicalola Falls so with the current technology advancements you should be able to beat that pretty easily.

In any case, just take it slow and enjoy yourself, with the focus on enjoy. One of the things most upcoming thru-hikers have a hard time fathoming is that an AT thru-hike is do-able. The weather window is adequate and the pace doesn't have to be a drudge or a slog in order to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. It's more of a challenge of consistency and realizing ahead of time that, regardless of your condition and situation, a northbound AT thru-hiker can make up considerable time from Waynesboro, VA to Duncannon, PA in a big way.

Just keep in mind that you're there to enjoy yourself every day of your thru-hike and then wonderfully presto, you're at the Maine state line taking your own self-portrait for posterity. And with that you can't believe you've carried your backpack for so many miles for so many months.

You won't believe how rapidly the time has elapsed. It will seem like you were just at Springer Mountain not too far back and all of a sudden you're entering Maine.

Amazing.


Datto