Dare I hike it - Appalachian Trail

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#1

Hi Perhaps you can help e out. It has been a life long (well as long as I can remember anyhow) dream of mine to hike the A.P.T.
I am 69 will be 70 in Jan and won’t get any younger so I want to try next spring. I did some hking in canada and alaska in 04 and hked some in the rocky Mountain national park in colo in 06. these were just day hikes but while in Canada and Alaska hked several days at a time always coming back to campsite in evening. where can I get a list of what I should take along.
Have small cookstove that I used in saddle bag when went trailing with horses. Is there some place along the trail that I can get new bottles for it as wouldn’t want to carry more than one with me.
what type sleeping bag should I have etc. any help you veterans can give me would be greatly appreciated. thankl you

NebSidesaddle

#2

Neb, good luck to you lad. 70 years young and hiking the AT. You did mean the AT didn’t you? Hiking the trail is not a series of day hikes, it is a tough hike for any age. Everyone on this site will be glad to help you with what ever information you need. I’m sure there are people that will even hike sections with you along the way. I’ll take a couple of days off from work to hike with you for awhile. You will be able to get any re-supplies you need just about every 3-4 days, all along the trail. You will be able to find sleeping arrangements off the trail just about every 3-4 days, all along the trail. If you leave in the spring you will have constant companions along the trail. Do not leave before April 1st. 70 years young, I would try and go light weight with everything you carry. I would start off by looking at packs, then shelter, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, and then fill in the rest. You can type in any of this on the TJ search. You will get plenty of information. Brother good luck, and yes dare to hike it. If you fail, at least you will never have to ask yourself what if! By trying you will energize thousands of people. By the way, you will not be the oldest to hike the AT.
:cheers

Bilko

#3

Sorry Bilko if I gave the wrong impression. I am a lady as the name sidesaddle implies. I really don’t have a problem thinking about the walking and the feet but how much weight I should limit the pack to. This is what concerns me
thank you for your help and i would love the company

NebSidesaddle

#4

How about you give a mail to Comer and Jean. They’ve thru hiked and are…experienced in hiking with seniority. Don’t tell them I said that. Hehe.

Search in the Journals under “Comer” name only for their '07 hike and current e-mail address in the About tab. Great folks. I’m sure they would have some gear tips. Best thing we can all says is keep it light weight. Easier on the feet, back and health. I carried 40#s+ in 2001. Now my full pack weight for winter with three days of food is not more than 25. And I still carry a tent! Gear has changed a lot in the last few years. If you want to see the list we use send me an e-mail. I’d be happy to get it to you and related internet links to the gear sites.

Like Master Bilko said. You won’t be the oldest by far! We hiked with three guys in their 90’s section hiking in '01. 20 miles per day for a week at a time. They were hard core.

Bushwhack

#5

Good for you! I never have thru-hiked the AT. Just section hiked as I’m able, and where I fancied. There are some good websites for going light. Any good sporting goods shop that specializes in backpacking can help you pick out the kind of gear you’d need for a long backpacking trip.

PhilOchsLives

#6

Sorry about that NebSidesaddle.

I would look for a pack weight around 35 pounds. :girl

Bilko

#7

As you will find, the trail is made up mostly of young people and retired folks(some younger than you some older.)You have all winter to prepair for your hike so spend the time getting gear that will allow you to complete your hike with as little weight as possible.Many outfitters have sales now and all winter until spring. You can carry 35lbs(with food and water) but do you want to? THE MORE YOU CARRY THE LESS FUN! As for your age take your time,its not a race.See you out there.Good hiking.

mr magoo

#8

Dear NebSidesaddle,

In your planning, see if you can figure out a way to carry a pack weighing a maximum of twenty pounds with all equipment and three days’ provisions. (The pack should have a sturdy suspension system with full hipbelt.) Once at twenty pounds, work the weight down further if possible.

Best of luck to you.

Conan

Conan

#9

I agree with the advice to go as light weight as you can and resupply every 3-4 days to help keep the pack weight as low as possible. One additional recommendation is to purchase your equipment now and start doing day hikes. Start with a light load and short distance and add to the load and distance over time. Lots of folks advocate getting in shape on the trail as you hike but I much prefer doing some of it from my home where I can better deal with injuries. I thruhiked in 05 at 62 and had no problems with injuries. I believe conditioning before the hike was a major contributor. I have a friend who is 87 and still runs marathons. Of course you dare hike it!

Steady On

#10

My girls brought us a suggestion last night. Because of osteoprosis (sp) they suggested I rent a pack first for a weekend hike to see if I could stand carrying the weight . Is there anyplace that has packs for rent (I am 5-2).
while no elevation thought if I could rent one I would spend some time and walk South Padre Island under pack. (since that is close to where I will be this winter.That should give me an idea if I could handle the weight or not.
I didn’t think about the problem but they did and rather than have them worry thought I would follow their suggestions.
Any ideas on renting? I told them it would be impossible to get one that fit right thru rental but they thought I could come close and see if I could stand it before I bought one. Sandy

NebSidesaddle

#11

Also how close to the start of the trail does Amtrack run. Thought if it was fairly close it might be fea7sable to take amtrak from here rather than leave my vechile parked as I would still have to get back to it. Sandy

Nebsidesaddle

#12

It would definitely be a good idea to do some practice hikes and practice backpacking trips over the winter. The more the better. Big Bend isn’t that far from you, or the Lone Star Trail. Big Bend is better because it has hills. Many outdoor stores will rent equipment. It tends to be heavy, but for practice it will do. If you don’t have an outdoor store near you, see if you can borrow a pack from somebody. Or check out Craigslist and see if you can get one used. I would definitely recommend doing some backpacking now - it is very different than dayhiking.

As to Amtrak - the train goes near Springer. You You can also fly to Atlanta, catch either train or bus north, then taxi to the trail. Or there are folks in Georgia who do shuttles from the airport to the trail.

Ginny

#13

Hey I am totally new to the AT hiking idea–i just started researching it after a colleague of mine told me about his experience hiking it. Is the AT difficult to navigate or can i take my GPS and get around alright?

Gin

#14

paw-ee and i weren’t spring chickens when we thru-hiked in '03…(he was 61 and i was 50)…and we loved it so much we hiked another 1700 miles of it again last year!..but these suggestions of hiking light are the best ones you can get…start with the lightest pack you can get and go from there…there are LOTS of ways to trim your weight…we’d be glad to offer any help with ideas…and besides starting NOW with hiking (we hiked up and down lookout mtn in georgia about 25 miles per week starting the august before we left the next february), you want to just be studying all you can, i think, about the trail…thanks to this website, you can do most of that right here!..and one other suggestion…VITAMINS!.. i found that glucosomine and flax/borage oil helped my ache-y old knees and joints TREMENDOUSLY!..(i don’t think it hurts to add a wee bit extra glucosomine as you’re training and also during your hike)…remember grandma gatewood!

maw-ee

#15

No,
You r not ready to succeed in a thru hike. Don’t set your goals so foolishly high–you will get hurt, dissappointed, and frustrated. Get to know a thru hiker and do some long winded talking. A thru hiker will tell you true. There is a lot to be said for section hiking. Because one can vocalize and or write the word “thru-hiker” doesn’t make you one or lead to the possibility that you will become one.

Rediron