Finnish in time to go back to school?

imported
#1

Hi all.I have just started planning a thru-hike for 2005. I am 18 and go to Berry college in Rome GA so im not scheduled to graduate until 2007. There is no way I can wait until I graduate to thru hike so I am planning on taking time off from school to do it. The problem is if I leave on a typical start date, (end of march early april) I doubt i will be able to be finnished by the time the next semester begins in mid august. I am considering taking 2 semesters off so i can take my time finnishing but it seems more logical to simply start in late febuary so i can be done in late july early august. I would imagine there would be less people hiking then and i would have to start with more winter gear but I would also think that most of the people out there would be people my age also trying to finnish before school resumes. Who has started at this time? I am trying to figure out the positves and negatives of starting at this time. if you can think of anything else let me know! thanks!

KyleJackson

#2

I started March 13, ended Aug 3 and took like 25 zero days…
I also hike pretty fast. I got done in time to get a teaching job in the public schools.
You can do it… you just have to maintain a good pace and get a good start.
Contact Bramble and Bushwack… I think that they started in february.
Best wishes!

windex

#3

A lot of folks start early, so you won’t have the trail to yourself, or the shelters. The main disadvantage of February start is cold for the first four months (with possible serious snow or ice which may hold you up for days at a time), and short days/long nights (gets dark at 5:00-5:30) so it is harder to do decent miles. Having 3 months of winter at the start of your hike is different from the usual “hiking with spring”. I really enjoyed having the flowers early on - Then as you note, you have to start with a heavier pack and carry the extra weight for much longer, which can be a problem.

A couple of possibilities - start later and do a two year hike. Unless you really like winter camping, you’ll enjoy it more. Or again, start later and try to do a speed hike. It isn’t that hard to do the AT in 4 1/2 months. You just have to avoid town time (which is easier when it’s not cold and wet all the time.)

Ginny

#4

Thanks ‘Dexy, yeah February 18th. Five months’ be easy. Negatives would be if you aren’t in any kind of shape. If you aren’t get that pack on and start walking, KJ. Also an April start would meen a summer pack weight, yippie!, 23#s with food.

Bushwhack

#5

You can take the Fall semester off and do a sobo hike starting in early June. You would finish in plenty of time for the spring semester and end up in GA where your going anyways.

Big B

#6

Check out Rocket’s trail journal from this year. He started on January 2.

Ardsgaine

#7

Rocket also got hung up at Miss Janets for several weeks and other places south due to heavy snow/bad weather. Rocket also did not thru hike the AT. He quit in Harper’s ferry or thereabouts, so he could get to work up in Maine for his summer job on the AT or at one of the ferries on the AT up in Maine. He’s young also (18) and will eventually finish his thru hike, if he hasn’t already done the whole thing. Great guy, that Rocket.

My advice is to section hike, maybe half one year and half the next or a quarter of it at a time. That way it’s much more enjoyable and you don’t have to hurry.

I think the worst thing a hiker can do is to get in a big hurry, because then you overdo it, hurt yourself, big time pain, and you don’t have time to really enjoy it/smell the roses.

You are young. Don’t be in such a big hurry to get old. If you too, when you get there, you’ll say “Gosh, it’s all a blurr, I wish I would have slowed down a little and enjoyed it more”.

See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#8

Yeah, he was trying to make it by May 15th, because his job started on the 16th. I think when he realized he wouldn’t make it, he decided he would spend some time visiting people and save the other half for another year. He went off the trail at the end of March. If he hadn’t been under that time constraint he could’ve done the whole thing in at least another 3 months–probably less since he would’ve had better weather, eventually.

His journal has been one of my favorites. I was so blown away by the idea of an 18 yr old even attempting a thru-hike on his own, and doing it in winter just made it that much more amazing. I’m looking forward to reading his journal when he completes the hike in '04.

Ardsgaine

#9

I really want to do the whole thing at once instead of sectioning it into 2 years. plus that would be 2 summers i couldnt work instead of 1. I think that if i start in late febuary, and had until mid august to finnish, i wouldn’t feel too rushed. That would give me about 5 and a half months which is about right for a typical thru hike right? also i think that most people starting then would be under pressure to finnish before august so since we would all need to finnish, we would encourage eachother to not spend a lot of time in towns or take zero days. Seems to me that i wouldn’t miss out on the social aspect of hiking because I was hiking with a deadline because everyone else would be to. I know I am making a lot of assumptions but it seems to make sense to me. anyone else hiked like this?

KyleJackson

#10

When we hiked in '01 we guessed that it would take us six months based on the time we had available, time off from work with out loosing our jobs, having enough money saved up…we have a house to care for. We made it in five and a half months to the day. Twelve zeros, a ton of twenty miles days, a mix of typical trail stuff… perfect by us. A dead line won’t make you miss anything, just get at it, it will fall into place as long as you don’t hang in town a lot. You do need a day off here and there to rest for sure. A good rule is; one day off is nice, two you feel better, three you’re off your edge and it will take a week to get back on it. Othe than that hike your hike, it one day at a time and it rocks, you’ll see. :cheers

Bushwhack

#11

Kyle, I was in a similar boat early this year (18 and trying to figure out how to do AT and school.) I opted to start in mid-march and try to finish in time for the fall semester. Some stuff came up that got me off the trail for a couple weeks, and I decided to take it easy the rest of the way. I finished September 26th, but I probably could have finished sometime in August if I had wanted.
Hiking pace is a very personal decision, and one that can’t always be decided in advance. Unless you go really really fast, you will have the option of travelling with a group, so I wouldn’t worry too much about having people to hike with. IMHO, the trail towns are an important part of the AT, and if you try to keep a fast pace, you probably won’t see much of them. My advice is to give yourself as much time as you can, and live your trail life to the fullest. School can (almost) always wait, if you get done with the trail before you need to go back you can always get some more hours in at work. Later!

                              -Ian-

Skittles

#12

KJ, I have the same problem, except I am in High School, I really want to thru-hike before college, but my parents won’t pay for any school if i do that, I was thinking about taking a semester off, or either high school or college, but i’m running cross country/track for University of Kentucky next year, and i can’t run for them if i do that, so i’m thinking sometime between '05 and '07, hopefully

clong:boy

Clong

#13

Hey Clong, my mom said the same thing, but changed her mind somewhere around Harper’s Ferry :wink: of course, I wouldn’t rely on your parents doing the same…

Skittles

#14

Hey dude, a couple options that I have entertained. Not new information, most has been previously stated. But I am planning on starting Feb 1, NB. I am taking off the winter semester and plan on being back in plenty of time for fall semester. Another reason for the early start is to avoid bugs and heat as much as possible. The other option we entertain for a start date would be late April, following exams of the winter semester and taking the next Fall semester off. As usual, i agree with those that posted before me, take your time and enjoy the wilderness. Thats my plan at least. See you out there…

Ben Reuschel

#15

Sounds familiar, no. When people don’t understand something the only thing they can come up with is denial. I got it from my mom, “Are you sure Kathy wants to do this?” It’s to foriegn to them and they don’t get it. Having parents use it as leverage is wrong and old skool. Time to watch Footloose all over again.

Bushwhack

#16

Surprised he hasn’t jumped in here. He started 3/1 (took that semester off from school) and finished 7/31. 5 months, with enough time to be home for a bit before his fall semester started @ UVM again. Read his journal (2003) for an idea of what early is like. Plenty of people, way more than an April start, but they had some interesting weather which I never saw in 2002 (snow).

Bluebearee

#17

Sorry,
BB’s right, woulda answered back in a sec, but the girlfriends visiting so i decided to take a break from Trailjournals, my other love.
It is very doable in one semester. I would suggest only one, unless you have a plan for the other semester. You could get mighty depressed sitting around for 5-6 months after your hike. It depends what type of hike your looking for. Yes I had a whole month off before starting school but i liked it. gave me time to catch up with friends who i hadnt seen in months. But sure you could start mid-march if you wanted to. Another guy at my school started march 13th and finished aug 7th in 02’ with plenty of time before school. I’d say go for it. If you’re real worried start in late feb and you’ll have no problems. Amazing how many miles you CAN cover once your in shape. Email me if you’ve got any questions and good luck and enjoy!

A-Train

#18

I have found that one of the worst things you can do to a thru-hike is to give it time constraints.

A lot of people could finish the trail by that time, but are you in the same frame of mind as these people? There is no way to know that.

I would hate to get out there to do a trip such as hiking the entire AT, and telling myself that I have to finish by this certain time. That will stay with you throughout the entire trail, not to mention that you may have to rush through parts that you really don’t want to rush through.

I know the challenge of a thru-hike is appealing, but there’s no shame in breaking the trail in half and doing it over 2 summers, especially when you have the time constraints that you have.

bearbait

#19

First, nothing wrong with doing the AT in 2 sections. It’s a lot easier for some of us to get away for 2 1/2 months than it is to get away for 5 plus months. Plus, you don’t have the pressure of bad weather.

Second, I’ll agree that time constrants are best left open. Too many NOBO’s hurry though New England, and most agree that that’s the best part.

Peaks