Hey,
I am planning to do my first section hike of the AT. Looking at doing the stretch between Duncannon and Harper's Ferry and had a few questions:
1. Is ten miles a day realistic for a couple of newbies on the trail over that route? We have about ten days to do 100 miles which seems ok but wanted to check.
2. How bad are black flies/mosquitoes/ticks in that area in June? We are from the UK so not so familiar with this. Also, how cool can it be in the night time?
3. Is it worth taking a tent? Would prefer to be independent, but there seem to be shelters, and no point lugging extra weight if there are plenty of places to stay. Also, am used to just sleeping under a tarp basha but need trees for that to hang the tarp. From the maps it looks pretty wooded, but don't want to get caught out.
4. In terms of water, is it worth bringing water purifying tablets or are there enough places to refill along the way?
5. We can do northbound or southbound. Any suggestions as to which is better/harder?
Sorry for the basic questions, but any help would be appreciated...