Pct/cdt transition to at

imported
#1

My girlfriend I would like to thru-hike the AT. We both have done 1000+ on the pct and cdt but realize the AT is a totally different beast. We are hoping the milder temps and lower elevations plus shelters will allow us to cut alot of weight. So we have a few important questions for the transition.

  1. Best time to start and AFTER the pack/rush. Or before, but we prefer the warmer weather and are not obsessed with finishing the trail. For us, time on the trail is time on the trail, first ones to finish are the first ones to go home. We’d like to hike from May thru Sept ideally.

  2. Best practical guide book (info about towns, shelters, water data, hostels)

  3. Sleeping bag temp rating, I’d like to squeeze by the marmot 40 degree pounder.

  4. Tarp or tent?

  5. Water quality, we prefer a filter to chemicals, but if the water sources are mostly springs we would ditch the filter.

  6. Sun/wind, coming from the west, the sun and wind can be relentless, but we are assuming this is not the case on the AT.

  7. Any other helpful tips for a transition to the eastern hills.

Thanks for the help.

space man

#2

You’ll come to know them as mountains. The sooner the better.

Tha Wookie

#3
  1. After
  2. 2005 Data book
  3. Plus a silk liner for the first couple of weeks and the last couple too. bounch it.
  4. You pick and there are shelters plenty.
  5. Mostly springs, you pick.
  6. N/A mostly green tunnel.
  7. Don’t take them lightly, Ga thru to Va can be tough.

Contact hikerhostel.com if you plan to start in GA and depending on you start date in May you’ll want to go to Trail Days in Va. Thousands of hikers, vendors, big fun and more info than you could shake a stick at.
With that much time you can get along quite a ways.
HYOH
pete56

Carl

#4

  1. If you are giong light, May thru Sept should be easy to do.

  2. Most people used Wingfoot’s book, The Thru-hiker’s Handbook. Organized for a south to north hike.

  3. If you had a silk liner and were definitely starting in May, I think you might be able to get away with a 40 degree bag, but by September and/or the White Mountains, you will want something warmer, maybe 20 degrees.

  4. A tarp will be much lighter, but you WILL need bug protection unless you have bulletproof skin. If you are behind the main pack, shelters will also be more empty as you move north, except for maybe when there is the usual seasonal clusterf*** of hikers in Vermont on the Long-Trail-AT section.

  5. Eh. I would recommend the filter, even though it’s much heavier than, say, Aqua Mira (chemical tx). There are some folks out there who don’t really pay attention to the fact that others are drinking out of a source and thus it’s probably easy to get giardia and such. Many of the sources in New England are ponds. Plus, during the warm weather, you might not feel like waiting for your chemicals to work for that first drink.

  6. You can definitely get sunburned, but probably by May, there will be plenty of tree cover. Well, except maybe near Palmerton, where there is a 5-8 mile stretch of treeless ridge and some of the Whites.

  7. Umm, mountains. Yep. Mountains.

zero

#5

mountains, of course. Thanks for the tips. How about rain protection? Rain jacket and/or pants and/or umbrella?

space man

#6

#1 Why not go SOBO? You don’t have to deal with the crowds til the nobo herd comes thru (for a week or so in August). That’s the only time we had trouble getting into shelters. We started June 24th and had minimal bugs, zero ticks and no problems with poison ivy.

#2 Agreed… Wingfoot’s…better than anything we’ve seen for the PCT. Unless you want to carry maps, it is all you “need”.

#3 A forty will be fine if you have some fleece or a liner til you get thru the Whites. We went to warmer (20 degree) bags on Nov. 9th in the mid Smokies. During the summer months even the 40 degree bags were too warm many nights!

#4 we carried a tarptent but ended up shelter rats mostly. It’s was just easier… but beware of the snorers! At times the bugs flared up at dusk but never got overwhelming. I don’t think they could stand the stench of the hikers! We used absolutely no deet or bug “juice” of any kind the entire hike.

#5 We filtered to VA then drank from springs (untreated) the rest of the way but had some Aqua Mira “just in case” (unused). Lots of springs in the south.

#6 Sun…We carried umbrellas but only for rain (used them and loved them but we didn’t use treking poles either). Unless you’re fair skinned you shouldn’t have a problem if you wear a ball cap or hat. There are a lot of trees! Wind was isolated to just a few exposed areas. Our rain jackets served as windbreakers if the air was cool.

#7 yes, mountains… all 88 vertical miles of them! Maine and NH are especially rugged…we were surprised. After that you should be in pretty good shape!

#8 You will be one of the few but the umbrella works. I often hiked comfortably shirtless even on cool raining days because my upper body was dry. Others in their rain gear were soaked from rain/sweat and got cold when resting. Nothing breathes in 100% humidity don’t buy into it. On top of that, we had dry clothing to wear at camp and the next day! We carried Frogg Toggs, top and bottom, thru ME and NH just for wind/cold protection. After the Whites, we bounced the pants to just before Mt Rodgers in VA .

Nobo or Sobo…just keep on the sunny side!

:wink:

LB & F

#7

Hey thanks alot!

space man

#8

Ok, some biased advice:

  1. Start in May at Springer. Great flowers, a few hikers, and the main pack is a few weeks ahead.

  2. Pick up Wingfoots book to carry with you. Get on http://whiteblaze.net to get more info on resupply and other things. There are some reasonable articles there to help you.

  3. The 40 degree will be fine. Bring thermals, though, as it is possible to get cold spells in GA, NC, and TN even in May.

  4. Bring a tarp, but know how to rig it. Buying something like a tarptent from Henry Shires or Ron Moak is a reasonable thing to do.

  5. I usually don’t treat, even on the AT. I do bring a bottle of Polar Pure as backup.

  6. Don’t bother with sunscreen or worry about the wind until/if you get north of VT.

  7. The hills (for that is what they are south of NH) of the east are not much to worry about. The primary difference is in grade and height. The grade up (and down) is steeper than on the PCT. The climbs are shorter. South of Damascus, there is one 3000 foot climb, and it is a peach (up and over Roan). Most climbs are in the 1000-1500 foot variety. Lots are under 1000 feet. So, even though they are steep, you’re done in like 20 or 30 minutes. You’ll do a lot of them each day, as the AT has this very odd routing to it. This is what will tire you out: No one hill, but their collective nature. This is the adjustment to make.

Suge