Need help with start date from GA

imported
#1

What’s the latest I can leave Springer and reasonably expect to finish by July 10?

VGR6

#2

Somebody had made an applet program about average miles per day calculations, I can’t find it at the moment. You put in your fields and it fills in the rest, so you could put in a start date and average miles per day and get a finish date. Check around in here, somebody posted it or a link to it.

I am leaving 2/21, and with a 15 mile/day average, with rest days one in every 10, I expect to finish by mid July.

airferret

#3

I sincerely hope you don’t mean this year. Because if you do, that would mean breaking the speed record of 48 days, which has been attempted twice in the last few years. And, undoubtedly, if you were planning on doing that, you wouldn’t be asking this question now. Speed records are not set by normal AT hikers, but trained ultramarathoners who put in 50mpd averages over unthinkable terrain in all weather conditions…not what most of us think of as fun.

The Appalachian Trail in 2160 miles. The vast majority of hikers take between 5-7 months (6 months being the average). This works out to a 12 mile/day average. People routinely thruhike the trail in 3-4 month timeframes averaging nearly 20mpd. This average does not take rest stops into consideration. In order to keep to a faster pace like this you would need to be in good physical condition before leaving. Having a light packweight and stuff that works (i.e. no blisters from bad shoes) will also help. Even if you are on a tight timeline, remember to start out slowly enough to adjust. No matter what kind of training you’re doing, it’s not walking 15 miles/day over 4000ft mountains (because if it were, you’d start earlier). If you listen to your body in the beginning, and do what it says, then you’ll most likely be able to push yourself later to catch up what you lost in the beginning without such a large risk of stress injury.

So, to answer your question, the absolute latest I would trust myself to leave Springer and expect to reach Katahdin by July 10 would be April 10. If at all possible, I’d move it to April 1, just for the extra cushion.

For your own comparison, when I did my thruhike in 2000, I was an 18 year old kid in pretty good physical condition who could pump out about 3 20-mile days/week. I’m a pretty strong hiker and started March 9 and finished August 29: 5 months and 3 weeks. I did, however, take about 30 rest days off between Georgia and Maine (which is way over the average).

-Howie

Hungry Howie

#4

I found the link to the mileage calculater I mentioned above.

http://www.tomjanofsky.com/at/

Hope this helps.

xtn :boy

airferret

#5

It really depends how fast you want to hike and how many rest days you plan to take? You also need to plan for injuries and just plain rest days if you want to enjoy your hike. Most people who finish the trail quickly say they would have taken more time. I took six months which was the right length of time for me. Good Luck!

Darth pacman

#6

You asked what is a reasonable start date for a July 10 finish.

Well, the average person takes 5 1/2 months. 75% do it in 26 weeks or less. So, if we allow 6 months, that should get you there, but need to consider winter. It even stopped Flying Brian. So, let’s say no progess during January and February. That now makes your late start date November 10.

Peaks