Sleeping off trail

imported
#1 
									I am planning a thru-hike in a few years, and since I will be in my 60's, I am interested in sleeping off-trail in an RV (driven by a family member following along). Does anyone know how feasible this is? I have read that the trail crosses many roads, and campsites, and I would have many places to meet up with the RV. 

									_planner_
#2 
									This is the way most speed hikers do the trail.

  1. It takes good planning and communication.

  2. The smaller the RV the better.

  3. The greater the frequency of the meet ups the greater the difficulty. Every 3 or 4 days is much easier than every day in most areas.

  4. The US Forest Service frowns on sleeping in an RV on the side of the road or in parking lots.
    So is this feasible? Yes
    Will it be a pain in the neck? Yes

    								_Francis_
#3 
									 Planner, I hiked in 2008 at the age of 60. I think meeting up with a support member might be helpful in the first week to help with any gear you might want to swap out. Harpers Ferry W.VA, Hanover,NH and Mt Katahdin might be other places to meet. Enjoy the trail, hike in the moment and you will fully understand what it is to thru hike as opposed to section hiking. There is nothing wrong with section hiking, I have done both and for me I found more rewards from my thru hike. 

									_Hammer_
#4 
									When I hiked in 2000 there was a guy who was offering a pay service doing just that. He had a van and every morning he would drop his hikers off at a trail head and every night he would pick them up some place else. They would then go to hostel, campgrounds of hotels for the night. It would take a lot of logistics but I would think it wouldn't be that hard.

									_Big B_
#5 
									In 2002 I meet a guy who met with his wife almost every night. Each they figured out what road crossing he could make. She would drop him off and then "explore the towns and back roads" while he hiked.  She picked him up every night except for a few long stretches, where he brought his tent.  It is very doable.

									_Hammock Hanger_
#6 
									I've known several people who hiked the AT, PCT and even the CDT with a support vehicle.  It is doable, if you have good maps, strong support from your partner and a decent pace. (i.e. It's easier if you can do 20 miles a day than if you can only do 5.)

It makes for a different hike for the hiker, because there is little flexibility. If the weather is bad or you aren’t feeling like pushing, too bad. Or if you want to sit at an overlook for an hour or go for a swim, you have to push to make the miles to meet your ride. It can also be very boring for the person doing support. They spend a lot of time waiting at trailheads. They may end up as trail angel for a lot of other hikers, even if they don’t start out that way. It can be more expensive than a more typical thruhike because you always have easy access to groceries and restaurants.

									_Ginny_
#7 
									It's very do able, with careful planning and communication,using an RV as a support vehicle this means you can go very light, packing only water,snacks,raingear,etc, you should be able to make your rendevous point in the evening, but their is a couple of places you will need to be able to overnight camp such as the GSMNP, 100 mile wilderness, maybe a couple of other places. Have FUN

									_RED-DOG_