Do IT! - Appalachian Trail

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#1

I wanted to take a second to speak to all the folks who come to this site, think about maybe doing the AT. In sort I want to say DO IT!!! Maybe you can’t afford it right now, maybe it’s not the right time. Make time and find the money. No single experience (except maybe parenthood) will change your life like the trail. The people, the places, the laughs, and the tears will be with you forever. The trail WILL NOT be what you expect, but stick with it because it will be better than you ever dreamed. I have such a love for people now. Everyone (Miss Janet’s, the Blueberry patch, Ron and Laura at Harpers Ferry, everyone in Monson, and on and on) will help you reach your goal.
JUST GO DO IT!!!

Nokia

#2

… and that’s probably a good thing. Imagine if everyone who ever thought about attempting a thru-hike actually did. Egad!

Fact is, there’s lots of other trails out there. Just so happens that the AT is more people oriented, which makes for a very different type of experience.

Based upon recent news reports, what everyone should “do” is put down the chips and bowls of ice cream, get off the couch and become more active. If that means walking around the block or hiking on a local trail, all the better. We’re becoming a nation of fatties - with 25% of our population obese. :eek:

Jeffrey Hunter

#3

Re: “there’s lots of other trails out there.”

I section hike parts of the AT PA, NJ, NY, and CT every year. For the sake of variety I try to access the AT via the many side trails. These trails as you said tend to be much more solitary, but when in need of company all I have to do is hop on the AT and meet up with the nightly party at the shelter. As a matter of fact there’s something called the New York-New Jersey Long Path which lets a person hike from the George Washington Bridge 50 miles right to the AT.

Everywhere I’ve lived I’ve found a good long distance hike, MI, CA, MO, NE, and the states mentioned above. You don’t need to have the AT nearby to hike. Usually there is a place you can access much more close to home. The difference I suppose is that the “AT” is just more ‘romantic’ and inspiring to the mind. It is for me even though I typically swear up and down while I hike certain sections in NY.

The reason I like hiking the AT is definitely for the people, but for scenery (at least in the states I hike) I prefer the numerous side trails.

Priest

#4

Priest. Ah yes, the Long Path. I hope it’s still as undiscovered as in the old days. I would ride the subway to the GWB, hike across and head upriver whenever Tex Antone (A local weather man) would begin warning of an impending snowstorm. There was nothing like camping on the shore of the Hudson as the tide pushed the ice back and forth along the shore. And there you were tucked safely between the Palisades and the river, with 8 million people on the other side. A truely fantastic place. CitySlicker

CitySlicker

#5

One off my very favorite places in the world is the Bashakill WMA near Cuddebackville, NY. The Long Path goes right past this vast marsh. Bald Eagles, Osprey, songbirds, and wadding birds galore. A true gem.

And don’t get me started on Minnewaska State Park…

Jeffrey Hunter