I’d like to hike across Maryland when I get there on the AT. I usually pull about 13 mile days and my biggest is 19 and man I was tired! Any idea how lond it will take? Any other pointers, do’s and don’ts? How many miles is it anyway, 25??
moonshine
Maryland marathon
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#2
Uh, it’s 40 miles. Typically done as a slack pack. A few of us nut balls did it in 16hr 53min. Find someone to slack you. Bring a mess of Snickers. Lots of water on that stretch and several Coke machines so you don’t need mroe than a liter or so in a fanny pack. Light shoes and good dose if brain damage will get you thru it.
Bushwhack
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#3
Why not just carry your pack with you? Is it not possible? I would think that would mean more.
moonshine
system
#4
one big positive note on the maryland challenge is that it is at the halfway point, so either way that you hike you will have 1,000+ miles under your belt and you will be in great shape to hike 40 miles in one day. even if you hike 15-20 miles a day you will find 40 miles very doable if you set your mind to it. i averaged 19 miles a day on the AT and hiked the smokies in a day…72 miles. it was something i set my mind to do. i did eat 27 snicker bars that day though!!! dont stress out about slacking as the trail doesnt have huge elevation through maryland, so just carry your gear as usual. the bottom line is that you will be in shape physically, its all about your determination.
all the best, “SQUEAKY”
“SQUEAKY”
system
#5
How many miles did you hike the day or two after the Maryland Challenge? 
Seriously. For some (not all hikers by any means), hiking a 40 mile day is doable…but they need a day, or two or more to recover. I do not know Squeaky, but he may more capable than the average hiker. You may do more mileage overall by hiking three 25 mile days than hiking 1 40 mile day then taking a day or two off to rest.
As always, YMMV.
Mags
system
#6
I hiked 25 miles into Damascus, Virginia and then needed two days off to recover. Can’t say I minded too much. After all, it was Damascus.
That was my biggest day on the entire AT. No wonder it took me 7 months. I wasn’t pulling 40 or 72 mile days!!
Leki-Less
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#7
I did 41 or so into Damascus from Watuaga Lake. 8 am -2 am with a long break at the shelter 10 miles out of Damascus. Had hiked a quarter of a mile the day before (watauga lake shelter to watauga lake)and took two days off afterward. The last part—the street walk to the Place—was the only truly painful part—but it hurt for hours as I tried to fall asleep. Would think that is the easier stretch. Totally doable either way. Early start from HF and your golden.
Yahtzee
system
#8
Ooh, that’s funny. It was cold out the car after an 8 hr drive and a crash at the hotel on the south side afterward at midnight. Yeah, we cried. As Raindog put it so well, “I was mad at the AT.”
We did it cold. No prep mouse potato style. The first 10 were cake, 20-that’s a nice day, 30-who’s idea was this?, 40- hey the tow path should be great…no. With no variation in foot falls it was pure hell the last three miles, so 43 total. We were laughing with pain.
With a pack?? You nutz bouyee?:cheers
Bushwhack
system
#9
Maryland’s a pretty easy stretch, but why not slack, if given the chance? You’re never in any really remote places, it’s easy access to just about everywhere, and the terrain’s comfortable enough. Good thing you get the C&O Canal towpath out of the way from the get-go. It’s boring as hell. Good luck!
Wagon Wheel
system
#10
First off, that is bull-crap…nobody can hike 72 miles a day…that is like averagin 3 MPH for 24 hours straight…NO STOPPING. I have to call BULL-CRAP buddy. it’s not cool to lie about stuff like that.
Wounded Bear
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#11
Wounded Bear, the BULL CRAP may just be on you. Just read Squeaky’s journal entry for Aug 18, 03. He had just done over 51 miles that day and had already started thinking about doing the Smokies in one crack. You have to read it to believe it. The guy’s an amimal.
boagus
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#12
Don’t people do those 1oo mile mountain runs in under 24hrs. Most times when people have told me i could not do something what they really meant was they could not do it.
nean
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#13
I hiked off and on with squeaky last year on our PCT thru. Simply put, the guys an animal. I’ve never seen anyone move as fast as him. Try 4mph. Plus he’s irish, those guys love self agony. Keep an eye on his calender year triple crown this year and see for yourself.
Pepper PA
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#14
cheers pepper, nice to know you got my back even though you have dodgy chops…tell me that was only a trail thing!
funny i have just posted on another topic how funny it is that people are drawn in to bicker at each other, but i got to put you straight wounded bear. i hiked the smokies in 22 hours, stopping only at clingmans dome for 10 minutes to take in the view and a chance meeting with a trail angel who had helped a close friend out on the trail earlier that year. i dont appreciate being called a liar by anyone especially someone who doesnt know me. i decided to hike the smokies in a day after my first day of hiking on the AT. i lost count of people who told me i was full of **** on the AT and put me down saying it could not be done before i even tried. but as i said in my origanal post on this topic it is all down to determination.
i have been training hard this years triple crown attempt hiking over 4.5mph with a 50lb pack all day long and running 8-10mph with a 30lb pack for hours on end to be able to keep up a 40 mile day average.
no hard feelings just be sure of the facts before you say i am full of ****.
all the best, “SQUEAKY”:cheers
“SQUEAKY”
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#15
Ever hear of ultramarathons? They are a close relative of thru-hiking.
In any case, the elite ultrarunners (not me! ) do the 100 mile runs in less than 24 hrs. The Leaville 100, which tops out at just under 13k feet has a 30 hr timelimit. Last year, 195 people completed this event in the 30 hr limit.
Someone like Squeaky straddles the line between ultrarunning and fastpacking. Based on what I’ve read, he seems to do it well.
Squeaky: Sounds like you are a more than capable athelete…and more importantly you have fun doing it. Good luck!
Mags
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#16
I did 40 miles into Damascus from Wautaga Lake in 11 hrs, 50 minutes with a full pack. No big deal.
Lone Wolf
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#17
Wow what a topic. I averagerd 16 miles a day last year and finished in under five months, and never did more than 29 miles in a day. I met lots of younger people that did the big miles but I also caught up with them in trail towns and hostiles. I guess its like the half gallon challenge, You can eat the whole thing but did you enjoy it.
TANK
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#18
One of the founding fathers of American Wilderness areas was an intense big-day hiker that put most of today’s hikers to shame.
When he was hiking in the 30’s and 40’s writing passionately about “environmentalism” and eventually helping inspire the creation of the very first federal designated wilderness areas, he routinely covered over 40 miles a day. His biggest day was 72 miles, with a “full pack”, which included a boardstrap grip, canvas bags, and all that era gear.
I’m not sure about the location, but I imagine it might have been in the rugged Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.
Definitely doable, and enjoyable if you like the burn.
Feel the burn!! Feels good!
Tha Wookie
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#20
i did the smokies with a full pack. ate 27 snickers that day and in town the next day i ate 3 footlongs from subway for lunch and was treated to a mexican meal for dinner. i find the food i ate harder to believe than the miles i hiked.:lol and i have got to agree with numbchuck:happy
“SQUEAKY”