Advice please - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

Hi everyone,i have just recently started reading up on the AT and i am absolutely fascinated by it. I had recently quit smoking and decided that in celebration of that accomplishment that i would set a high goal for myself. Well im sure you know where im gettin with this. Ive begun to work on my physical fitness, eating better and exercizing. Ive been surfin the net tryin to gather any information i possibly can. If possible, i would like it very much if some of you thru-hikers could email me, i could really use some sound advice. Someone to correspond with would be great. Thanx

knownuthin

#2

Ive only done a couple hundred miles; don’t have all the answers, but I’d like to help. What’s on your mind?

jim

#3

I hiked 1400 miles last year and would be more than happy to help you. Congrats on quitting smoking! My brother recently quit, too.

Almost There

#4

Just start asking away. We will all chime in, but only listen to me, I’m the smartest. :slight_smile: Just kidding, I’ve found this forum to be a very supportive, informative, and knowledgeable place to share and receive. There are many thru-hikers, pre thruhikers, section hikers here to help out. Because you’re the only one who’ll listen to the stories we’ve all tried to tell our non-hiker friends, we’ll talk to you sleep. Looking forward to help. Grimace ME->GA '01

Grimace

#5

I think we have about the best eclectic group ever. Someone from every style of outdoor adventure. Heavy, light, super light, hike naked light.

Bushwhack

#6

Lots of tobacco smokers on the trail, among thru-hikers. Maybe even more percentage-wise than in the general population.

Linguini

#7

Yes, I enjoyed carrying my inhaler during a peaceful 2000 mile walk in the woods, thankyou. Darn that .3 ozs.

Bushwhack

#8

I find when I run out of smokes I take less breaks and hike faster … to get to town

EasyHiker

#9

wow, you guys are great, i came to the right place, i have tons of questions, i guess we can go one at a time, i will post a couple questions in here as soon as i get home from work, runnin a bit late. :slight_smile: thanx

knownuthin

#10

If knownuthin wants to stay quit, maybe he should take the name smokenuthin.

One thing you’ll never regret: buying a copy of Earl Shaffer’s “Walking with Spring.” Also, at the library: “Hiking the Appalachian Trail” edited by James Hare - it’s 2,000 pages and answers a lot of the questions, guaranteed.

Linguini

#11

i will go out today and try to find the both of em, of coarse that means i will have to pay off my late charges
:frowning: i live within an hour and a half drive of allegany state park on the new york - pensylvania border, on the new york side. Do you think it would be a good idea to buy a pair of good hiking boots and start hiking a few trails up there on my days off? will this help prepare me? i have to admit im a little intimidated, i read on a website that you have to be in prime physical condition to hike the AT and that means ive got my work cut out for me. I have a very physical job, i walk a long distance almost every night and i have strong legs. However years of smoking has taken its tole on me. i appreciate your responses guys. thanx

knownuthin

#12

Hiking the AT, in my opinion, has very little to do with hiking. Of course, one must do a lot of it, and therefore should be comfortable in the outdoors and be ready to test their physical limitations. Hiking the AT is more about proving something to yourself, taking a risk, joining a new community. Some people start the AT in prime shape, with a daily schedule, planned mail drops and resupply, state of the art equipment, a full load of books and maps. Others show up with 20 year old Airforce packs, an idea that they can simply walk on the same path for a long time, and with a huge gut. Some are 18 years old, some are 98 years old. Some people are hiking with the goal to get to the end, some are just hiking. Everyone has different aspirations, reasons for being there, and different ideas of about what a thruhike is. Everyone is right!

Now I suppose I just rambled a bit. My answers to your questions… You don’t need to hike every weekend, you don’t need new boots, and you don’t even need to prepare to have the rewarding adventure of your life. However, any knowledge you can bring to the AT will aid you and perhaps help you get to whereever you want to go. I do recommend camping, go hiking for a weekend, see if it is your cup of tea. Go to an outdoors store and see what kind of gear is available. You can hike with 45 lbs on your back or with 15. Feel free to ask us about which way to hike, where and how to resupply, and what gear is essential. We will all help with logistics. Telling you how to do it is out of our league.

Hiking the AT shouldn’t be intimidating. Hiking to Maine, yeah maybe a little. Who says you have to hike Maine? Maybe if you start, experience the AT, the people the journey, you’ll look up one day to see Katahdin lurking in the distance.

Grimace

#13

Cool gear won’t make you hike any better. Learning how to “function” in the woods will and use the cool gear will. For someone like me who has been in the woods for his entire life, thanks dad, it comes second nature. For someone that isn’t used to being smacked up by pea sized hail and being chased by wild dogs it may be a little different. But only different in that it’s the same-rambling yet?-as moving to a new town or new job. The learning curve is vertical in most cases. Jump in feet first…or face first. It’s easier to watch and learn than listen to everyone at once. You just get flustered. On your beginning trips see what every does from how they get water to map skills to cooking dinner. Things you can do to save time, resources, energy are thing sthat will let you have more time to stop and smell the roses. And I still say the peanutbutter and balony samitch was good. Watch and learn as Bushwhack eats anything he finds. Onion breath anyone?

Bushwhack

#14

And we’re great at logistcals. Three days food max.

ushwhack

#15

well you guys are great. I know its something i want to do, allow me to ramble for a moment. All my life i have tried to do what ive dreamed and ive quit at them. I never finish what i start. One day, after smoking a pack and a half a day for 10 years, i decided that its all or nothing, so i put out my last cigerette and didnt smoke again. The feeling of accomplishing something like that was completely new to me. I realized then that i realy could do things that i set my mind to. So the first thing that came to my mind was hiking. I go camping four or five weekends and one whole week every year. Everytime i pick a trail and hike it. I have picked a goal and i will accomplish it. i am tryin to find copies of those two books now. In the meantime could someone give me a list of gear needed for any long hike ? thanx, ill be in touch

knownuthin

#16

Check out the online journals at www.trailjournals.com

Many of the journalists list the gear that they will be taking with them on their hike. This is probably a good place to start to give you some ideas.

Obviously, the basics are: clothing, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, shelter (tent or tarp), stove (or perhaps not), backpack, hiking poles (or perhaps not). But there is a lot of variety in what people take.

Generally, you should try to keep your overall pack weight as light as you can. It’s a lot more fun if you are carrying less on your back… But then again, you have to balance this against what makes you comfortable, for example, a thicker sleeping pad is more comfortable but heavier.

Linus
AT 2000-01
PCT 2003

Kimber “Linus”

#17

Go to www.amazon.com and look for The Thru Hiker Handbook. This book is written by Dan Bruce “Wingfoot”. A lot of hikers use this to guide them on their journey and to plan where they go into town, where to stay, where there is water, elevation, general info, and of course milage. It is very accurate. I use it and my dad, “Rebel With A Cause”, is using it this year on his Thru-hike.

Next thing. Don’t run to the local outfitters and go balistic yet. One of the biggest problems with people starting out on the AT is sometimes they buy unnessasary gear. They turn out to not be happy with it. The way some others and I see it is, look at different gear. Then say to yourself, does this serve more than one purpose. Throw out the little useless stuff such as a Fork and a spoon. Get a spork or just use a spoon. There is a lot of little items that people can get rid of to save weight. I am a lightweight backpacker, not ultralight, lightweight. My pack for a 5 day trip averages around 33 pounds with food and water. My dad’s pack for 5 days is near 25 pounds food and water. If you are interested in eigther of our gear lists, go to http://www.trailjournals.com/jimdeane . Click on gear and take a look at his. For mine you can e-mail me.

Hope this helped.

James Deane (Lil Rebel)
A.T. GA>ME 05’

Lil Rebel

#18

Having the proper gear to me is more important than being in shape.

I found that even though I was outta shape that after a few weeks the AT “put me in shape”…you get your second wind so to speak.

As far as smoking…I like a nice cigar…my longest 20+ day of hiking so far was a day when…you guessed it…I really wanted a smoke.

Doc Holiday