Advice for older newbies?

imported
#1

It looks like a long time dream of hiking on the AT may finally have a chance to come true this coming summer 2016. It will be my husband, 59, and myself 57, along with our young, strong son who will be leaving the military in May. We are trying to read as much as possible and enter into this endeavor with our eyes wide open. My husband and I are in good health and decent shape but have started walking several miles at a time a few times a week. We also are planning some 2-3 day hikes and primitive camp outs over the next few months. We will most likely have 4-6 weeks for our adventure and plan to start at Springer Mt. and take the trail north as far as time will allow. We have the advantage of 3 carrying our shared supplies, including a tent to accommodate us all. I’ve not bought a lot yet, but am seriously considering weight with every purchase. I know that there is SO much we will have no idea about until we are actually doing it. We want it to be more about enjoying the journey than breaking our necks to reach some goal; however, my hugely ambitious goal would be to make it to Virginia. I am very open to any advice and suggestions you seasoned hikers may have for us. I am very curious about weather, temperatures, bugs, etc. in this southern most portion of the trail during the months of June and July. I know that is not when most set out, but it’s what we have. We’ve always been game for adventure and even though we’re nearing that 60 mark, I’m far from ready to be done!

Tammy

#2

Should be a great trip. The 3 person tent is not a good idea. Best get a 2 person for you and your husband and a one man tent for your son. It won’t be comfortable in the long run. I would get 30 or 40 degree sleeping bags or quilts and neoair type pads. Weather will be cooler than you think because of altitude so everyone needs a light puffy jacket as well as a light rain jacket. The mosquito problems of the Southern Appalachians don’t approach how bad it is in the North but, In the evenings it can be bothersome so some deet and possibly a headnet is in order.

Francis

#3
  1. Train, train, train! Get a gym membership and hit the stairmaster, elliptical, and treadmill. Wear your backpacks with 20 lbs or so and wear your actual hiking shoes. Min. 60 mins per day for at least a month before you start your hike.
  2. Toughen up your feet. Walk barefoot on a gravel driveway to build some callouses. 5 or 10 minutes a day should do.
  3. On the actual hike, Start off easy with about 5 miles per day. Add a mile or 2 per day and gradually increase.
  4. Be up front with your son that the first two weeks you’ll be on the slow side.

bowlegs

#4

I was 66 when I start my thru hike. I thought I was in good shape but still suffered early on. So no matter how much you train, you will not have your trail legs for 2 weeks. I think the advice about walking on gravel barefoot is bizarre. My wife has had blisters under callouses and it hurts.

I don’t think a 3 person tent is a good idea for three adults. It just isn’t big enough unless you get a heavy one for 4 people. A two and one person are the way to go.

Also take any advice you get (including mine) with a grain of salt. We are all different and react differently.

swamp fox

#5

Bowlegs is right! Happy Feet Happy Hiker! Your feet WILL get longer and wider! I wore a size 10.5 when I started. Now I wear a 13. They did not shrink back! Also I did get blisters until I learned about Toe socks(Injinjis). Never had a blister since! Trim your nails, double knot your shoes. Keep your feet happy! Oh and Have Fun!
Boomer

Boomer

#6

The two tent idea is definitely the way to go. Any extra space in your son’s tent can be used for storage. I use a “two person” tent and get me and my pack inside. (See my gear list). Another thing, I used “Body Glide” and “Darn Tough” socks and never had the first blister.
For bugs, I recommend “SAWYER’S” Fisherman’s Formula. It has 20% Picaridin, which repels just about every bug you’ll encounter out there, I swear by it. Won’t harm gear or clothing either. Hope this helps!!
Have Fun and Enjoy the Trail!!

Gorp-Gobbler

#7

Thanks so much for the advice/suggestions. I know every venture is unique, but we definitely want to take every bit of information into consideration. Lord willing, my husband and I are going to make our first little practice hike in a couple of days. We have found a state park that supposedly has some pretty challenging trails. We are loading up the backpacks, including the 3 man tent, and heading out for at least one day and night; possibly 2. It should give us an idea of what we are in for. The tent is about 8 lbs. I keep warning my husband, but he feels confident; so we’ll see. I’m not telling you now what all we plan to take or you’d probably laugh. I’ve ordered trekking poles, but they won’t get here in time for this trip; nor will the Injinjis that Boomer recommended. We are in Texas and our nights are close to freezing right now with the daytime temps around 40-50. It will be a good test for these super thin sleeping bags I’ve bought that are supposed to be warm in temps down to 23. The realistic side of me fears this will be more of an eye opener to ALL that I can’t do. Guess we’ll see. Wish us luck. I’ll let you know. :wink:

Tammy

#8

Let us know how you make out on this trial hike. The 8 lb tent sounds awful to carry. I do believe that a two and a one person tent together would add up to less than 8lbs.

good luck

swamp fox

#9

Night before our test. Loading the backpacks. Oh my goodness!!! Water is HEAVY!!! Food is heavy! Taking a tiny little stove, bottle of butane, a couple lightweight backpacking pans, one change of clothes, pkg dehydrated food, tiny sleeping bags that are supposed to get us through a cold night, and inflatable mattresses. I think the mattresses add more weight than I like but I truly cannot sleep on the flat ground. Hubby still insists he can handle the tent. We already had it and he doesn’t want to have to buy another. Plus, this summer, our Sailor will be carrying some of this also. But for now…I’m a 120 lb. woman who looks like I’ve been swallowed by a camel!!!

Tammy Wyers

#10

A lot of hikers go by the 10 lb rule – pack + sleeping bag + tent = no more than 10 lbs.

Water is heavy. Even in desert conditions (AZ, NM) I try to carry no more than 2 liters. If it’s more than 20 miles between water sources (or really hot and dry) I might carry an extra liter.

bowlegs

#11

Things we learned on our first trial run. First and most important: A sleeping bag rated at 23 degrees does not mean it will keep you warm at 23 degrees; nor will it keep you warm at 25. We froze our booties off!!! At 2 a.m., we retreated to the car where we ran the heater until we could feel our feet again. We only stayed the one night. All in all, however, we’re pretty proud of our hike the next day. Had a pretty challenging trail. About 4 miles with heavy packs. Also trying to figure out how to lighten these packs, including a 2 man tent that weighs less than what we have without spending $200. When we got home, our trekking poles had arrived; and we know they will help a lot! Question: What do you eat on the trail? Breakfast, lunch/snacks, and dinner? How much can you carry, for how many days at a time? How often do you leave the trail to go into a town for food? We have a tiny butane stove (which worked really well), light weight cookware, 2 liter water bottles (really heavy). I’m so anxious for my 2016 AT Guide to arrive!

Tammy Wyers

#12

Gatorade bottles are the way to go. They weigh next to nothing, are fairly tough, easy to replace if you have to on the trail. I like the wide mouth style because I mix instant breakfast in the bottle.

Resupply as often as you can. My personal limit is 7 days max. I’ll walk ten miles off trail to resupply if I have to. Keep your pack weight down as much as possible.

bowlegs

#13

I’m 64, and have been section hiding the AT with two friends for three weeks every summer for ten years. We’ve learned a lot in that time.
My first bit of advice is to be sure to use hiking poles. They are a godsend for aging joints and for balance.
Every year, we try to buy something to lighten our load. An 8 pound tent sounds much too heavy, even split among 3. We have liked Henry Shires’ tarp tents - very light, roomy, and simple to set up. A two-person double rainbow weighs just a little over two pounds.
Make sure your backpack fits really well, and try to go for light. You can get a nice Osprey at about three pounds. I use an REI Flash.
Down makes for the lightest sleeping bags for the warmth. The temp ratings are for what will keep you alive, not necessarily for what is comfortable. You can also get sleeping bag liners for the bags you have which won’t add much weight but can make them much warmer.
For cooking, we use Esbit tablets and the tiny stove which goes with them. Very light and efficient. It sounds like your stove will do fine, though.
We dehydrate our own dinners - there are backpacking websites that offer some really tasty recipes, but you would need a dehydrator. The backpacking meals you can buy at places like REI are good and light, but expensive. For breakfast, we usually bring little packets of oatmeal. Just add water and eat it right from the packet - saves cleaning up. Also some instant coffee and/or hot chocolate. We don’t do lunch - just generally snack throughout the day. Go for stuff with dense calories - this is not a time to watch your weight. Nuts, raisins, granola bars etc - whatever appeals to you. We have dehydrated fruit, olives and yogurt.
We generally go into town to resupply once a week. Our packs, with water, weigh about 30 pounds - way down from the 50 pounds we started with the first year. We have seen thru-hikers get away with 15 or even ten pound packs, but we like our creature comforts like sleeping bags, tents and blow up pillows.
Most of all, as older hikers, take your time at the beginning to avoid overuse injuries. After a couple of weeks, you can probably start increasing your miles.
And have fun! A lot of the excitement of the trail centers around the trail community. You’ll learn a lot as you go.

Topo

#14

Like Topo said, I usually eat oatmeal for Breakfast. I dump two of the packets into a quart size “freezer” bag. Just heat water, pour into the bag, then eat from the bag. Instant coffee or hot chocolate with some kind of bar (Nutri-Grain, Carnation Breakfast Bar, Nature Valley, etc.,) will round out Breakfast.
Lunch: perhaps a soft taco “flour tortilla”, with a foil package of tuna salad spread on and rolled up “jelly-roll” fashion. Or peanut butter and honey, spread over it, then rolled up. A lot of snacking through out the day.
Dinner: Knorr Pasta or Rice Sides,($1.00). To these I add a foil package of tuna or chicken. Same with Instant Potatoes. I’ve even added pepperoni to my Instant Potatoes, not too bad. I occasionally will have a Mountain House or Alpine-Aire meal just for something different. They are quite good, but somewhat expensive to eat all the time.
I cook everything except my drink in a bag and eat right from the bag. No clean-up necessary. I use a long handle spork or spoon.
I also consume a lot of my “name sake”.
Last year, I normally tried to resupply every 4 or 5 days, depending on what type stores were available in the towns. Once you get your trail appetite, you no doubt will want to take advantage of AYCE Buffets when you’re in town.
Above all DRINK a lot of WATER regardless if you don’t normally do that, your muscles will thank you.

Gorp-Gobbler

#15

I put instant oatmeal, raisins/dried cranberries/dried cherries, brown sugar in seperate zip-lock bags. Use a 12 oz plastic cup to eat out of in the morning. Less waste, then use the same cup for hot chocolate and then coffee. Finish with let over warm water to clean the cup. Stop for snacks every two hours, trail mix, power bars, etc. Dinners are usually instant potatoes with stuffing mix, more hot chocoate in the same cup. If I bring heavier meals or subways from town, they get eaten first. Love the peanut butter and cheese type cracker packs. 1.5 lbs a day on average.

Excess weight will bring a premature end to your adventure. While it is called the AT, it is actually the Appalachian Mountain trail. Big ups followed by big downs, usually with a small gap between.

A scale is the first step to reducing pack weight. The more overnights and trail miles you do will help you zero in what equipment you need and what stays home.

Bill/W2

#16

Thanks for all the advice and direction. I’m glad our hike is still several months off. My husband and I are taking everything you’ve all shared into consideration and are busy tweaking supplies and plans, as well as walking/hiking as much as we can find time for. Please feel free to add anything more that comes to mind over the next weeks and months; and we will keep checking back.

Tammy Wyers

#17

Keep in mind that if you do decide to invest in an expensive ultralight tent, (tarptents are great) you will likely be able to sell it used here or on eBay when you are done and get most of your money back. Costco has some great stuff clothingwise if you or someone you know has a membership, they have synthetic base layers, decent rain jackets, and I’ve got a puffy down jacket for $50 that I lent my mom ( she’s in her 70’s ) for our recent family Grand Canyon hike. As far as the stove goes, that’s the cheapest way to save some pack weight checkout Pepsi-can or cat can stoves on YouTube. Also I recommend that you load up that son of yours, my parents did to me & my sister, think of him as your Sherpa! Good luck and have fun.

Val

#18

What air mattress were you using on your trial run? You may have been cold not due to your bag, but the pad you were using. What is the R value of the pad you were using?

Jake

#19

Clean your feet with alcohol each night then dust with foot powder (only bring as much of these as you need from one resupply to the next) to prevent fatigue and blistering. Your feet will love you for it. If your knees are vulnerable try ChoPat knee supports. I use the over-plus-under kind and they have kept me hiking. Your hiking poles will be invaluable. Practice with them first. Take only one change of clothes; the lightest you can be comfortable in. You can rinse out underwear at the end of each day. Use double socks, with lightweight sock liners under Darn Toughs to prevent blisters. I take Crocs as camp shoes that also can double as hiking shoes if I get in a spot where my feet need help or if the trail involves river crossing through water. I’m 65 with about 500 backpacking miles so far; most of them in the Northeast where the hills are proud and endless. There seem to always be some gear items that I continually fiddle with, so have fun with the experimenting - try to borrow stuff for trial before you buy it to save yourselves a ton of cash.
Have a blast! Enjoy your trip!

beth “neon”

#20

Wow, more great info to consider! I appreciate every post and am checking out every new piece of gear and clothing you mention. Love the idea of the alcohol pads; and the crocs are also a great idea. I’ll also be checking out Costco. Hadn’t thought about them before. I’m praying that this isn’t a one time adventure and then selling my gear. I hope this will be the first of many more to come. Any further ideas or advice is always appreciated. Each post just make me more excited. Thanks!

Tammy Wyers